It is official. I am running the Denver Marathon 2010.
Sunday, October 17, 2010 at 7AM.
Katie and I are signed up and picking out our training program soon. Any suggestions?
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
New Running Goal: Marathon Dos
Alright, I think I am committing to it because I am publicly sharing my goal. Marathon 2010: Denver's Rock N Roll in October. My friend and colleague Katie and I have been talking about it and she vocalized her idea of running the full; we were going to run the 1/2.
My friend Sarah has run quite a few since she jumped in with me for a few miles in the Chicago. I am definitely inspired by her dedication to training and her focus :)
My previous marathon training experience was exceptional. I joined the AIDS Foundation running group and met the most wonderful, vibrant new friends. We ran together each week over the course of the training program - 6 months. I had SO much fun running that we would run 20 miles and think, wow - did we just run for 2.5 hours? Really? I was the youngest, and one of the only straight people in my group. So these gentlemen were anything but vanilla. Our conversations were one for a comedy skit!
As I start to commit to training, I am thinking of a few things..
waking up really early in the summer and early fall to run for 3 hours
eating a lot of bagels and whole wheat pasta
the running belt
gatorade
new playlists to keep me going!
all the running trails and paths in Denver and Boulder to explore!
The runner's high. Oh, how I love thee
Let's do this! Now - my trip to South America will include lots of early morning runs and I am pretty sure my cross-training will include the tango and playing real football
Denver Marathon 2010.
My friend Sarah has run quite a few since she jumped in with me for a few miles in the Chicago. I am definitely inspired by her dedication to training and her focus :)
My previous marathon training experience was exceptional. I joined the AIDS Foundation running group and met the most wonderful, vibrant new friends. We ran together each week over the course of the training program - 6 months. I had SO much fun running that we would run 20 miles and think, wow - did we just run for 2.5 hours? Really? I was the youngest, and one of the only straight people in my group. So these gentlemen were anything but vanilla. Our conversations were one for a comedy skit!
As I start to commit to training, I am thinking of a few things..
waking up really early in the summer and early fall to run for 3 hours
eating a lot of bagels and whole wheat pasta
the running belt
gatorade
new playlists to keep me going!
all the running trails and paths in Denver and Boulder to explore!
The runner's high. Oh, how I love thee
Let's do this! Now - my trip to South America will include lots of early morning runs and I am pretty sure my cross-training will include the tango and playing real football
Denver Marathon 2010.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Ok Go
Wednesday night, 2 blocks away from my lovely house in City Park is the historical Bluebird Theater, and it rocks.
Ok Go was a blast! It felt like we were listening to a rock band out of a garage, I felt like we were friends. The red suit, pink pants - all ironed very neatly, too - and then the lit-up guitars with white feathers around the strap and guitars. Great stuff! They even sang a blues song while playing church hand bells. took me right back to the Lutheran church. So this kid, probably 17, did a drum cover of one of their songs, "This Too Shall Pass," and the kid was at the concert last night. The band brought him up on stage and the kid played the drums for the song! SOOOO COOL. Small venue concerts are the best. Plus, it was a free ticket.
Now, how am I going to get through today's classes with energy? A night out on the town has its repercussions....
Ok Go was a blast! It felt like we were listening to a rock band out of a garage, I felt like we were friends. The red suit, pink pants - all ironed very neatly, too - and then the lit-up guitars with white feathers around the strap and guitars. Great stuff! They even sang a blues song while playing church hand bells. took me right back to the Lutheran church. So this kid, probably 17, did a drum cover of one of their songs, "This Too Shall Pass," and the kid was at the concert last night. The band brought him up on stage and the kid played the drums for the song! SOOOO COOL. Small venue concerts are the best. Plus, it was a free ticket.
Now, how am I going to get through today's classes with energy? A night out on the town has its repercussions....
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Bikram
Went to my first Bikram yoga class last night with my friend Krista. I am a believer and feel transformed. After running and weight lifting I feel strong and healthy but nothing like I felt after the Bikram class. It was my first time, so I was watching the girl in front of me - and she was good - but the poses were easy to attempt because the teachers words were direct and simple. Good teaching is good teaching. I'm definitely going back. Yoga memberships are expensive though! $69/month!!! So worth it in my book. We were at the only certified Bikram studio in Denver; apparently the teachers have to study with Bikram himself and have over 700 hours of practice before opening their own studio.
I loved it. I felt strong, healthy and secure. Such a great workout. The heat wasn't even that big of a deal, considering I lived in Phoenix where temperatures are in the 90s and 100s most of the year.
If you haven't tried Bikram, make it a 2010 goal. I hope you will feel as empowered as I did. Problem is, I couldn't fall asleep because I was so energized from the 90 minute sweat session.
I loved it. I felt strong, healthy and secure. Such a great workout. The heat wasn't even that big of a deal, considering I lived in Phoenix where temperatures are in the 90s and 100s most of the year.
If you haven't tried Bikram, make it a 2010 goal. I hope you will feel as empowered as I did. Problem is, I couldn't fall asleep because I was so energized from the 90 minute sweat session.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
teaching
I don't normally share what happens in our algebra classroom. But today, I will.
We are multiplying binomials - remember FOIL? And my students, who have struggled graphing straight lines and still forget negatives times a negative is a positive are rockin' out multiplying polynomials. It was amazing. They had an 'exit ticket' yesterday which is 6 problems to solve in the last 10 minutes of class. Grades usually follow a pattern but this time, the pattern was transformed. I saw students earning 100%s and over 100% (there was a bonus question). Normally, there are 2-3 100% papers but there were like..20 out of 60 students with 100s. AMAZING. There were another 20 or so with As and just as many with B+ on their exit ticket! I was SO impressed and excited. Multiplying polynomials is no easy task but they rocked it out. I can't wait to see what happens when I introduce the quadratic formula soon.
I am SO proud of my Class of 2013 :)
We are multiplying binomials - remember FOIL? And my students, who have struggled graphing straight lines and still forget negatives times a negative is a positive are rockin' out multiplying polynomials. It was amazing. They had an 'exit ticket' yesterday which is 6 problems to solve in the last 10 minutes of class. Grades usually follow a pattern but this time, the pattern was transformed. I saw students earning 100%s and over 100% (there was a bonus question). Normally, there are 2-3 100% papers but there were like..20 out of 60 students with 100s. AMAZING. There were another 20 or so with As and just as many with B+ on their exit ticket! I was SO impressed and excited. Multiplying polynomials is no easy task but they rocked it out. I can't wait to see what happens when I introduce the quadratic formula soon.
I am SO proud of my Class of 2013 :)
Friday, March 26, 2010
Dinner Parties
My not-so-secret Superwoman ability: throwing fantastic parties and playing hostess
I used to think that most climbers were assholes. Last night I was proven wrong. We had quite the climbing dinner party last night and I had a blast. Before the party began and I was prepping in the kitchen (more on the menu later) I realized I would not know the majority of people at the party. There is some sort of ethereal power that comes from hosting a party that inspires me to chat with as many new people as possible, making them feel comfortable and welcome in my house. Image a tree of happiness, shaking its leaves all over the party. I love that the good vibes of old and new friends, mingling and making new friends, permeates and energizes a room. That's a good get-together.
Is there anything better than the mixture of good friends, great food, drinks flowing and rockin' music?
Lauren is the baker and I played chef. Our dishes were flying off the platters. My new friend Ken cooked up some venison stew. YUM! As a Michigan girl, you would think I would have tasted such a thing before but I had not. Ken, the venison brought me back to my roots. I made some mini-burgers: turkey burgers with feta, serrano and cayenne pepper and chicken burgers (I know, right?) with mushrooms, serrano and feta. Those didn't make it from the platter I was carrying to the table. They were awesome. I think they were so good because so much love went into those little buggers. Plus the awesome apron I was wearing (thanks Tot). And Lauren, she amazes me. She made these chocolate cupcakes with a mocha frosting and a berry tart. All we had left in the kitchen this morning were a bunch of empty beer bottles. You know its a Colorado party when every single beer is a microbrew from Boulder, Ft Collins or Breckenridge. Wow. We should throw dinner soirees more often.
Sure, the food was a great component of the dinner party. And someone even commented that this was the best food he had had at a dinner party. Hell yes! But the people. The new friends I have made and continue to meet in Denver just amaze me. So many share the zest for life and exploration, being silly and laughing. Good times!
As we sat outside taking in the fresh Colorado air, I realized that I absolutely love Denver, Colorado. It is the perfect city for me. Why am I so lucky?
I used to think that most climbers were assholes. Last night I was proven wrong. We had quite the climbing dinner party last night and I had a blast. Before the party began and I was prepping in the kitchen (more on the menu later) I realized I would not know the majority of people at the party. There is some sort of ethereal power that comes from hosting a party that inspires me to chat with as many new people as possible, making them feel comfortable and welcome in my house. Image a tree of happiness, shaking its leaves all over the party. I love that the good vibes of old and new friends, mingling and making new friends, permeates and energizes a room. That's a good get-together.
Is there anything better than the mixture of good friends, great food, drinks flowing and rockin' music?
Lauren is the baker and I played chef. Our dishes were flying off the platters. My new friend Ken cooked up some venison stew. YUM! As a Michigan girl, you would think I would have tasted such a thing before but I had not. Ken, the venison brought me back to my roots. I made some mini-burgers: turkey burgers with feta, serrano and cayenne pepper and chicken burgers (I know, right?) with mushrooms, serrano and feta. Those didn't make it from the platter I was carrying to the table. They were awesome. I think they were so good because so much love went into those little buggers. Plus the awesome apron I was wearing (thanks Tot). And Lauren, she amazes me. She made these chocolate cupcakes with a mocha frosting and a berry tart. All we had left in the kitchen this morning were a bunch of empty beer bottles. You know its a Colorado party when every single beer is a microbrew from Boulder, Ft Collins or Breckenridge. Wow. We should throw dinner soirees more often.
Sure, the food was a great component of the dinner party. And someone even commented that this was the best food he had had at a dinner party. Hell yes! But the people. The new friends I have made and continue to meet in Denver just amaze me. So many share the zest for life and exploration, being silly and laughing. Good times!
As we sat outside taking in the fresh Colorado air, I realized that I absolutely love Denver, Colorado. It is the perfect city for me. Why am I so lucky?
Monday, March 22, 2010
Smile on my face :)
The seemingly random, small things in life happen to have the impact of an impeding avalanche. They just burst into my life and BAM! a smile is created. Maybe that is why I am annoyingly happy the majority of the time. I see the minute details of a day's events as the ones that count.
For instance, two weeks ago I bought a coffee grinder and French press. No more of this buying coffee at Dazbog or Starbucks. Or so I thought. I pulled out of my driveway (steep angle - this is important) and drove down the alley to the road, this is a full block, mind you. When I was about 1/2 block out of my alley, I reached for my beautiful green coffee mug. It was not there. Here is my train of thought that followed: Oh shit. Where is my coffee? In the kitchen still? Oh no. Oh no. laughter follows. a lot of laughter. I placed it on my trunk. REVERSE THE CAR! End of my thoughts. Where was the coffee? Spewing into the road, at the end of the alley. At this point, I was so impressed that the coffee mug had traveled down the driveway and the full length of the alley only to fall when I turned into the street. There it was, my freshly ground coffee that smells of fresh blueberry pancakes, seeping onto 16th Avenue. Oh, Monday mornings.
Small, seemingly random event #2:
The trees of China Bowl at Vail. I can't even begin to explain the sheer joy that I feel when I reach China Bowl. I don't ever need to go to China because my idea of China is defined by Vail's back bowls and it is wonderful. Well, maybe I'll still go to China someday but I think my image of China is going to be centered on the sharp curves around tightly packed trees. These trees grew knowing that a snowboard would hug their curves and allow boarders and skiers to use them as leverage on a narrow turn or as a base for resting when legs are burning up.
Let's talk about spring skiing. There is this thing called the sun. And it warms up the packed powder enough to make it mushy and like a pillow. Flying through that just makes my day. I hit up Eldora - it was alright through the tree runs, Vail (of course) and Breckenridge this weekend. "Breckenwind" was icy and not nearly as great as Vail. But it was a day of snowboarding and I got to practice riding goofy and hitting the rollers. I took a bad fall but it was SO FUN. Slip N Slide has NOTHING on cruising down a semi-icy groomer.
Breck, from the Peak 7 gondola:
#3. After a morning of snowboarding, I headed back to Denver where it was 65 and sunny. I ran about 4 miles in a tank top and t-shirt. This is my life and I am definitely in the right place. Gotta love it.
My house is always open to visitors... just saying.
For instance, two weeks ago I bought a coffee grinder and French press. No more of this buying coffee at Dazbog or Starbucks. Or so I thought. I pulled out of my driveway (steep angle - this is important) and drove down the alley to the road, this is a full block, mind you. When I was about 1/2 block out of my alley, I reached for my beautiful green coffee mug. It was not there. Here is my train of thought that followed: Oh shit. Where is my coffee? In the kitchen still? Oh no. Oh no. laughter follows. a lot of laughter. I placed it on my trunk. REVERSE THE CAR! End of my thoughts. Where was the coffee? Spewing into the road, at the end of the alley. At this point, I was so impressed that the coffee mug had traveled down the driveway and the full length of the alley only to fall when I turned into the street. There it was, my freshly ground coffee that smells of fresh blueberry pancakes, seeping onto 16th Avenue. Oh, Monday mornings.
Small, seemingly random event #2:
The trees of China Bowl at Vail. I can't even begin to explain the sheer joy that I feel when I reach China Bowl. I don't ever need to go to China because my idea of China is defined by Vail's back bowls and it is wonderful. Well, maybe I'll still go to China someday but I think my image of China is going to be centered on the sharp curves around tightly packed trees. These trees grew knowing that a snowboard would hug their curves and allow boarders and skiers to use them as leverage on a narrow turn or as a base for resting when legs are burning up.
Let's talk about spring skiing. There is this thing called the sun. And it warms up the packed powder enough to make it mushy and like a pillow. Flying through that just makes my day. I hit up Eldora - it was alright through the tree runs, Vail (of course) and Breckenridge this weekend. "Breckenwind" was icy and not nearly as great as Vail. But it was a day of snowboarding and I got to practice riding goofy and hitting the rollers. I took a bad fall but it was SO FUN. Slip N Slide has NOTHING on cruising down a semi-icy groomer.
Breck, from the Peak 7 gondola:
#3. After a morning of snowboarding, I headed back to Denver where it was 65 and sunny. I ran about 4 miles in a tank top and t-shirt. This is my life and I am definitely in the right place. Gotta love it.
My house is always open to visitors... just saying.
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