adios, belongings!

Yesterday, we finished up our humungo purge-all-the-things project at Casa Saratoga. When we went abroad in 2009, Rob's Mom was kind enough to let us basically box up our lives and stash 'em downstairs at her house on the hill. We had a TON of crap, and at the time, I was much more concerned with simply getting stuff out of her way (and getting out of the country!) than with parting with anything, so we amassed something like 50 boxes/bags. When we got back an moved into our little studio apartment, we left like 96% of the stuff there and just kinda started over with the handful of things we wanted or needed.

That crap on the mountain has been an ever-present dull ache of weight on my shoulders. I've been meaning to get up there and purge and better organize it for almost two full years, which is embarrassing at best. With the upcoming move and the hired movers being willing to make stops at two places to pick up our stuff (!), we had no choice but to get crackin'. Since Rob is home for the week, we set aside an entire day to sort out what should be tossed, donated, stored, or shipped... and an entire day it took.

Eight hours of solid work at the house cut our pile o' crap by at least half. We filled the bed of Rob's Mom's pickup truck with a load of donations, and piled up an additional seven boxes + two bags for later drop off. Three huge bags of trash and two boxes of recycling makes me itchy wondering why the hell I even boxed up that stuff in the first place. SO. MANY. THINGS. Things that have no use or personal attachment. Things I swear I didn't actually have. Things I thought were lost for good and that I actually squealed over upon unearthing. But mostly things that we do not need, so off they go to someone who can actually use them.

If I had to guess, I'd say that we've whittled the grand total of our crap (spread between alllll the houses/apartment) to less than 2/3 of what we once had. And I'll probably ditch even more stuff when I'm actually boxing things up, simply because I'm over it. I took a couple pics o' the piles, but no one really cares to see those because they're boring and ugly. So here's a pic of some jumping cats instead:

yay!

Chicago maiden voyage wrap-up in bullets

• landed in Chicago around 8pm on Thursday
• surprised by cold but not unbearable temps – I’d guess in the low thirties
• ordered beers + apps for dinner at Pints on North Ave
• bought my very first fancy growed-up cold-weather coat, thanks to JCrew’s 30% off online sale (I got an insane deal)
• took a short ride on the L up to Lincoln Park for some wandering in our future stomping ground/neighborhood
• checked out Weiner Circle for my first-ever Chicago dog
  

• met all of Rob’s new coworkers at their holiday dinner in the Willis Tower/Metropolitan Club (murder mystery + decent food + honkin’ glasses of wine + really friendly coworkers + great views + accidental seats at the head table…eeek)

• inhaled my first Dunkin Donut at 1am
• woke up to SNOW
  

chowed on a massive breakfast of huevos rancheros + melt-your-teeth-strong coffee at Milk & Honey

headed downtown on Saturday afternoon for some touristy time

visited The Bean in Millenium Park + watched the ice skaters

ate some more, this time: Potbelly for lunch (their pizza samwich > hangover)

snagged the last two pairs of Loft skinnies in my size in the whole wide world, which is really convenient because they’re the best ever and the only ones that fit

met up with my Mid-West native friend Amy to check out the Zoo Lights at the Lincoln Park Zoo (she mocked me for wearing my hat + a hood and for the tights I wore under my jeans. I've obviously got some 'cold calluses' to develop...)

split (and finished!) a large sausage-tomato-basil Pequods Chicago-style pizza + local Half Acre beers

enjoyed an egg nog & brandy nightcap + the best episode of Saturday Night Live I’ve seen in a long time

slept in + lazily watched football + slowly packed for home

endured an uneventful flight (the best kind!)

exited the terminal back home to find a huge hoard of people with giant American flags, posters, balloons, the works. apparently the last soldiers left Iraq yesterday (!) and a whole flight of them was due to arrive shortly after my flight…SO COOL

arrived home to not one, but THREE, packages of awesomeness I ordered as Christmas gifts

changes

I just dropped Rob off for his Chicago-bound flight, and things are starting to set in. I'm so excited for the upcoming changes, though it all comes with a side of nervous energy. It's one of those things that you know will have an enormous impact on a lot of things, but just seems so distant and theoretical until things really start happening. I'm trying to wear my big-girl britches and head off any upcoming freak outs at the pass, but I have no idea what to expect in the next few weeks.

My first ever trip to the city that'll be our home base will be in two weeks, so it's nice to have something in the short-term to focus on.

thirteen point one

Last Sunday we ran the San Jose Rock & Roll half marathon and I didn't die!

I want you to really think about what we've just done. For any couch pototoes in the crowd, imagine settling into your ideal spot and turning on your favorite DVD. Imagine watching the previews, which you've seen approximately 84 times. Imagine watching the whole movie, which you probably know line-by-line. Imagine sitting idle while the credits roll, alllllll the way until the lion roars at the very, very end. Now, imagine that instead of watching the movie with your popcorn and Junior Mints, you were RUNNING FOR THAT ENTIRE TWO-AND-A-HALF HOURS. That's what we've just done. Three months ago, I probably didn't have the endurance to sit for that long, much less run!

Based on the fact that I hadn't really intended on running a half marathon or even considered it until approximately 26 days before the event, I'd been feeling super-anxious about the whole thing. Trying to calm myself down was difficult. I still have no idea what I was getting worked up about. I know I wanted to do well and wanted to make the whole experience a positive one, but felt really nervous that it wouldn't go well. Maybe it was the crap runs I'd barely made it through in the week before the race. Maybe it was that I'd only semi-secretly never run more than 6 miles, and that 13.1 is a helluva lot further. It probably has something to do with my perfectionism. I dunno. Logically I knew that I could literally walk the entire course and still make it to the finish line before they came out and carted my ass off the course for exceeding the time limit, but still...

We'd visited the pre-race expo on Friday to pick up our bibs and some swag, and Rob signed up to run it! He's got wonky knees and was playing the whole thing by ear...we got turned onto the glories of RockTape and it gave him the boost he needed to commit to the big event!

After a bit of early-evening bowling on Saturday, we all went home and attempted to crash. Summer and Chambers fell victim to our asshole loud neighbors and I tossed and turned a lot with my earplugs in. Bleary-eyed and just a teeny bit edgy, we all hit the road bright and early to get our asses downtown. The train was packed with other half marathon-ers, which pumped me up and freaked me out. That lady will not - nay, can not - beat me. Because perceived competition helps in solo sports, right?! My shoelaces are waaaaay more flourescent than that guy's shirt...it'll totally help me run fast and strong. They are rad, by the way...the most eye-accosting green I could find. What if I fall down, like that girl did on a training run?! Pshhah - what're the odds of that?!

After port-o-pottying, bib-pinning, gear-checking, and starting-line-scoping, Sum, Rob and I made our way to the corrals and met up with our favorite mama, Rebecca. Holy cattle call, Batman. So. Many. People. So much spandex.

I'm not nervous...you're nervous.

The energy in the corral was intense, and the event's MCs (?) were definitely caffeinated. Other runners were sporting tutus and goofy socks and homemade t-shirts and support ribbons. Rob spotted and loved one shirt's quote in particular, which I think we both used as extra fuel:

someday, I won't be able to do this.

today is not that day.

Although I didn't get my promised flyby - bang, we were off! The beginning of my run felt good, like any other warm up. It usually takes me 2 solid miles to get the knots loosened up and really hit my stride, and I was hyper-focused on not overdoing it and running too hard, too soon. My goal was to finish the race, period. I planned to listen to my body, stay hydrated and to power-walk as I moved through each water station. If that got to be too tough, I would run 10-12 minutes, then walk for one and repeat. The four of us had planned start the race together and then find our own paces, which worked out really well.

I've got to admit, the whole thing went waaaaaaaaay faster than I'd ever expected. By my watch, my split times were right on par with the 10k race, and I felt steady and controlled. In hindsight, I don't think I ever found my strongest stride. My Achilles were killing me by mile seven, and I think I'd been trying to keep my run too slow. I started to pick it up a bit and flick my ankles more to use more muscles, but even then I still kinda held myself back a smidgen too much. Meh...that just gives me something to work on for the next one.

Some random guy had mentioned that mile eight was his hardest point, and to nevereverever stop at mile eight because you'd never get started again. Eff THAT. Mile eight was cake. It was also the furthest I'd ever consecutively run at that point (eek!). Just five more miles. Mile ten to eleven was a lifetime, and I asked myself "am I even actually moving?!" about a hundred times between mile eleven and twelve.

The bands and cheerleaders and random onlookers were really fun, and provided a fabulous distraction from running for two-and-a-half straight hours. As I neared what I figured was the last half-mile, I remember hearing from a supporter that there were just four blocks left. Then, and only then, did I finally find my stride. I cranked up my music and my ipod skipped right to one of my top running jams...boom, kismet. I'd be lying if I said it didn't feel awesome. My absolute favorite solo moment of the day was turning that last corner and seeing the finish line looming about a hundred yards away. It sounds silly, but that's when I was most proud of myself for taking on the challenge and kicking. its. ass. hard.

LETS GET TO THE RESULTS, SHALL WE?!

Nicole

Finished In: 02:26:11

Overall: 5950 of 9831 · Division: 493 of 913 · Gender: 2560 of 5416

Pace: 11:09

5 Km: 35:01

10 Km: 1:09:35

10 Mi: 1:52:44

Rob

Finished In: 02:24:07

Overall: 5755 of 9831 · Division: 570 of 777 · Gender: 3314 of 4415

Pace: 11:00

5 Km: 36:42

10 Km: 1:09:37

Next up?! Warrior Dash, bitches!

five sleeps...

...until my very first half-marathon - eeeek!

After kicking ass and taking names (well, relatively) in the 10k a few weeks ago, I got a wild hair and decided that I really could (and had no reason not to - hello to you, vacation!) run the upcoming Rock n Roll in San Jose with Summer. A self-proclaimed non-runner, she rocked it two years ago. Anyone that knows us knows that we're a bit competitive, which she totally took advantage of when she suckered/reverse-psychology-ed me into this mess. That bitch.

Rob and I spent a few days in both Tahoe and Denver over the last few weeks and did some altitude running as part of my training calendar. It went....meh. Tahoe was a five-miler that I finished strong, but huffing a bit thanks to the thin mountain air. Denver was definitely harder since I ate and drank all the things the city had to offer and felt totally gross to begin with. What should have been a loonnnnnng run on Sunday was pushed to yesterday morning and did not go well. Like, not well to the point that I considered just chalking up my non-refundable registration fee and quitting on the spot. Ugh.

Knowing that altitude is an asshole, I got up this morning and ran about a third of the race's full distance (again, per my training schedule. Hal Higdon, you may just save me yet, buddy.). I can't say that I killed it, but sea level air tastes/feels/is SO much better.

I'm still nervous, but now I might be a little teeny tiny bit excited. Regardless, my face will probably much resemble this guy for the 2.5+ hours I'll be running on Sunday:

are we there yet?!

10kilometers = 6.2miles = a really long way.

Rob and I ran our first ever (intentional) race on Friday, September 9th - yaaaay!

Awesome:

- running by moonlight/flashlight (though some of the awesome was diminished by hoards of pushy people)

- finishing the entire thing without walking - woot woot!

- a nice, long stretching party after the race

- lots and lots of free stuff (good stuff too - t-shirts, legit protein shake packets...)

- borrowing the pilfered balloon arch, then convincing some dumb kid to tie it to his car and drive around. bah!

- post-race mac & cheese...a newly forged tradition. a damn good one at that!

Awkward:

- running in lightning/thunder/rain/strangely hot winds

- having to work the next morning

Rob, Summer, Katie, Rebecca & Terry (I'm behind the camera - hiiiii!)

RESULTS

Nicole

Finished in: 1:09:26.15

Overall: 794 of 972

Rob

Finished in: 1:07:11.24

Overall: 751 of 972

I just felt like ... run-neeng.

In my recent struggles to find something productive/positive to which I can aim my energies, I signed up for to run a 10k race. I've been missing constant exercise, its a great way to pound out stress, is totally attainable, and it gives me a goal aside from "get through the week without drinking all the wine".

I roped Rob into it with me, and so far so good actually. The event is on the evening of Friday, September 9th along the nearby baylands trails, which will give us an extra boost to keep us interested. And we get to wear headlamps so we'll look cool, which is really important when you're trying not to keel over. We found the race late in the game, so our training program is a bit abbreviated at only four weeks. When we were training for the triathlon, we ended up burning out with constant training over such a long period, so this is okay for now. We run four days a week, cross-train two days, and rest one day...

Don't tell anyone, but sometimes I almost look forward to my runs. I've got a rad workout mix on my ipod, I'm not farting around on the computer, I'm not blowing money on (more) shoes, and I'm not gaining any weight by eating/drinking my boredom away. I think the entirely easy, flat routes I run may help these feelings though.

Summer is trying to convince me to run a half marathon with her in early October. Which is exactly twice the distance of the 10k. It may take a bit more than a (really cool looking) sparkly finishers medal and a free 64-calorie post-race beer to convince me, but I'd be lying if I said I'd never entertained the idea...

Sorry not sorry

It's my birthday...I can have a solo CalTrain happy hour if I want to. 

(in my fave VIP seat, might I add?)

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Ummm...

we went to our fave lil produce stand today to pick up ingredients for my sudden guacamole craving...and while I was selecting the perfect tomato (lycopene, people.  getchu some.), Rob went and found this guy.  In the store. 

Dr Doolittle sprung into action, shooing the little critter into a produce bag, which he then showed off to store employees (reaction: "hey, we've been looking for him!") and a wide-eyed and apprehensive little boy outside before freeing him at a nearby park.  



Oh yeah, and the guac was good too.

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Picture of health.

I blame my boss for making me walk across the street to Walgreens to buy a half-pound of sugar, cuz he is holding my healthy banana hostage in the back office while he is on a conference call.

So there's that.

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Question: what sucks more than training for a triathlon?

Answer: NOT training for a triathlon because money gets in the way.

We had to make a difficult decision over the last few weeks, and have been toying with how to let the “non-TNT” world know.

The way that Team in Training works is pretty cool: we fundraise, they support, we train, they coach. Depending on the event chosen, each participant is responsible for raising a specified amount of money. A small part of the funds raised is used to cover participant training expenses (the time of volunteer coaches and other support staff) and event registration, while the vast majority goes directly to medical research. Eight weeks into the training season, participants are presented with a “recommitment” opportunity. It’s a time to reflect on how training and fundraising have gone and determine if it’s feasible to commit to the remainder of the season. Recommitment also means that each participant personally guarantees that he/she will meet his/her fundraising minimum by the end of the season. If a participant is not able to come up with the money from fundraising, then he/she commits to paying the remaining balance from his/her own pocket.

When our recommitment deadline approached in mid-March, we spent a good deal of time crunching numbers, checking and rechecking the calendar, and really examining the next few months from all sorts of angles. We’d tapped out nearly all of our donors, and while we were willing to get creative to raise more money for a tremendous cause, time is not on our side. My brand-new job and Rob’s ongoing job-hunt alone suck up a decent chunk of time. Sadly, adding a six-days-a-week training schedule (at 2 to 3+ hours per day!) and a lofty fundraising goal just proved to be too much. We realized that we’d have to make an adult decision to not recommit for the Spring 2011 season.

There is some good news, though! In speaking with the managing director of our Team, we were offered the option to defer our participation for up to one year. This means that while the big bucks we’ve already raised (thanks to you!) are already hard at work to fund medical research for a cure, we are able to rejoin Team in Training for a future season and will have a $3,250+ “head start” on our new fundraising goal.

Rob and I have loved, loved, loved the time we’ve spent on the Team. Being a grown-up isn’t easy, and we’re really disappointed that we can’t manage to fit everything in as we would like…but we’ll be back. And we’ll probably hit you up for money ; ]

Oh, hello Spring.

:D

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stamp it!

After the temper tantrum that nearly ensued when the damn EU decided that I didn't need stamps in my passport upon crossing various Euro-borders, I've been on a mission of redemption. During our 3-hour layover on our way home from India, I was determined to see a bit of Hong Kong and (more importantly), get the damn stamp in my passport. Oh yes, it will be mine.

The lovely Erin Bell is a current resident of HK, and gave us a quick route that we could take to the port and back. I must say, Hong Kong's efficiency is stellar. The Airport Express train put us in the middle of downtown a mere 30 minutes after we landed...

we spent 10 days in India with not one (racial profiling alert!) 7-Eleven sighting...and we find one on a random pier in Hong Kong...nice.

our quick little route through Victoria Harbor to Kowpoon

yaaay - Hong Kong!

dude, foreign McDonalds >>>> US McDonalds

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSS!

It was a tight timeline, and I was sweaty-palmed for most of it (soooo nervous that we'd miss our flight), but I've now officially been to Hong Kong ... and not just inside the airport.

Point: Nicole

back to Bangalore

Christmas in India is ... interesting. Since the majority of the population isn't Catholic/Christian, its basically an excuse for (yet another) party...

Hundred-person catered barbecue? Count me in. House party? Sure. Santa in 80* temps? Umm...okay...

Indian goddess statue + Christmas tree = multiculturalism at its finest

On our last night in India, we subjected ourselves to a fish spa. These little guys nibbled off all of the dead skin and calluses on our tootsies. The photos and video speak for themselves for the most part...imagine 10 minutes, tons o' little fishies, and lots and lots o' squealing (on my part):


Our feet really did feel smooth and silky afterward! Would I do it once a week? Probably not... Once a month? Maybe.

hey remember that one time, when I went to India...and never posted pics?!?!

Ugh.

Eye-candy from Goa, India:

beggars can be choosers, it seems

for. real.



eating shrawmps on the sand

when in Rome...

...ride a scooter with no helmet (?)

this, my friends, is the equivalent of a 7-11 - fuel, directions, snacks and booze

elllliiiiieeee-phaaaaant!

Goan Cal-Trans

weekly Anjuna Market

why hello, Arabian Sea

Anjuna Beach




Paneer/Chris made a friend on the beach...

...and she made herself nice and comfy