It all starts January 1st

I hate the "I'm going to start on January 1st" excuse. Too funny because I'm so guilty right now of this! Anyone else? Anyone? (I know you are because I've read it in your blogs... I won't call you out, but you know who you are...)

It's probably funnier to think that I've worked out over 27 hours this month (which is a low month, I know) and I'm still saying "But starting on January 1st, I'm REALLY going to start training. And eating better. And lifting. And stretching." Yeah, you get the point. I'm packing on the pounds now so that my weight loss is more dramatic after the first of the year. I'm going to be the biggest loser (in my own competition).

Maybe I'm already a big loser.

Anyway, I digress.

Tom and I ran 7 miles today. Thought I was going to ralph. My calves were in knots because we did step ups and wall jumps at kickboxing yesterday, then I ran last night. I'm using that as my excuse as to why my run sucked. I know it's really because I have put in very little run training since the marathon (again, I'll start on Saturday). But it was warm here (47 when we left the house), and I was with my hubby so it didn't matter that it sucked. I enjoyed it.

One last thing - creative people, I need help. I want to change my blog layout and look for 2011. Where do you get your templates, and how the heck to you add pictures that aren't a gazillion pixels to the top? Help a girl out, please!

Hope you all have a great NYE. Eat lots. Drink lots. Be careful. And remember...

It all starts January 1st. :)

Welcoming 2011

Whew... it's hard to believe that Christmas has come and gone! We had an absolutely fabulous holiday - probably one of the best to date. It was just quiet, relaxing and fun. I was spoiled by Santa (got everything on my wish list and then some) and had a lot of fun spoiling those around me! I'm gearing up now for a fun New Year's Eve at a neighbor's house and then a lot of football watching the remainder of the weekend. I'm trying not to get too used to the downtime and relaxation. We all know that it can't last forever (but wouldn't it be so nice if it could???)

I've been thinking back about my 2010 a lot these last few days. It was a great year and one in which I realized how blessed I am. (**Cue sappy music**) A lot of fun things happened. Tons of great things to be exact. But of course there were some hard things to deal with too. Eh, the way I look at it - the hard things definitely shaped me into a better person (or at least taught me a valuable lesson!)

Here are some highlights:

• In February, Tom and I traveled to Gatlinburg with some friends for my 30th birthday. 30 didn't bother me as I thought maybe it would. 31, well, that's a little harder to stomach!
• In March, Tom and I helped organize and then raced the Grady Indoor Triathlon. All proceeds benefited the local hospital. Tom and I continued the winning streak of overall man and overall woman too which was fun! Gotta love free shoes which were part of the winning swag!
• We started April with a PR in a local half marathon. We ended the month with a week of chillaxing in Honolulu. Could there be a more perfect month?
• In May, we got ready for spring. I ran another half marathon and Tom prepared for RAAM.
• In June, I raced my first 10k and came in 4th in my AG out of 70+ women. I won my first triathlon, which included a police escort on the bike and everything (a women's only race here in Columbus). I placed 3rd in my AG in a 5k. Tom was on the winning eight man RAAM team. We traveled to Orlando for some speaking engagements and relaxation.
• In July, we both raced the inaugural JCC Independence tri and I came in 2nd in my AG and 3rd OA female. Tom placed in his AG too. We also celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary! Later in the month, I PRed at an Olympic distance tri and had a blast racing the Trek Women's Series Columbus race.
• August was spent preparing for Ironman Louisville which well... didn't go quite as I expected (remember I said that there were some hard times that shaped me as a person... yup... this was one of them)
• In September, I PRed in a half Ironman by 14 minutes! I also chaired my second High Heels and High Hopes event which raised over $60,000 for women's health at our local hospital.
• October brought more PR's - Tom and I ran the Columbus marathon - he broke 4 hours and I got a little closer to that goal with a 14 minute PR. We also traveled to Austin and dreamed of living in a place with so many fit and active people someday!
• November and December have flown by, but I've realized how blessed I am to have the life I have.

Business grew in 2010 - something that many people can't say happened. Tom and I are lucky to have the freedom of working from home (him with his new job and me with the company), and we're lucky that we like each other enough to spend 24 hours a day together (yep, we do and yep, it works for us)

A tough lesson in 2010 - just because you share blood doesn't mean that you are family. Tom and I have a lot of friends that I would call family before those who are "family" by definition. And that's alright. I realized how amazing my true friends are (I found out the hard way that I can't force a friendship that really isn't there and that losing a group of friends at one time can really hurt... again, something that made me stronger) True friends are to come by. I've said it a million times... I'd much rather have 3 or 4 REALLY great friends than a world of acquaintances that wouldn't stand by my side when things got a little rocky. And cleansing your life of people that suck the energy out of you can really be refreshing.

I learned that blogging friends, although maybe people I'll never meet in real life, are the most amazingly supportive and understanding people around (some of you are crazy and I like that too...). I wish that all of you lived in Delaware Ohio (heck, I'll even considered moving to where ever you live - especially if it's warm and there is a beach nearby - one days like today when it's 20 degrees and windy, it wouldn't take much convincing) so that we can hang out, train together, shop, drink, and cause trouble (because really, what fun is it to live without causing a little trouble here and there???).

I look ahead to 2011 and it's going to be an amazing year. I'm excited to share it with you all - following your journeys and sharing mine with you.

Hang on tight because I'm sure it'll be a crazy ride!

Things that make me happy...

It's Tuesday, and here are some things recently that have made me happy...

• The fact that the chicken story is still making me laugh. I got this in the mail today from a very good friend:It totally brought a smile to my face! :) I haven't heard the autopsy reports yet, but will let you know if I hear anything.
• Getting a fun package in the mail from Trakkers Teammate Kelly , filled with these goodies:You rock girl and my lips thank you very much! :)
• We had a little get together on Friday night with some fabulous friends for dinner and a cookie exchange. One of the girls got me this: If you can't read the bottom, it says "How Naughty can I be and still get what I want?". HA! So perfect!
• I went to spin this morning (it's been like 2 months since I've gone) and convinced Tom to try it out. I knew that he was skeptical about how hard of a workout it would be. I'm sure hearing that it was going to be a "Holiday version" class with all holiday songs made him even more doubtful, but like Mikey, he liked it! And the holiday songs were awesome with the class.
• Speaking of holiday songs... this one was played and always makes me laugh. I think I laughed out loud in class today!
• We are supposed to have a white Christmas. That hasn't happened in a long time here in Delaware. As long as I can get to my mom and dad's to spend the day with them and my sister and brother-in-law on Saturday, I'm thrilled with tons of snow.
• Noodles and Company has everything going right for them. Have you been there? Their mac and cheese is like crack. I'm serious. You have to try it. Yeah, I'm gaining weight and bitch and moan about it every day and then go and eat Noodles and Company. I know. But it's that good. (Plus it's the perfect PMS food...)

Hope you are having a great Tuesday... off to catch up on some blogs - I'm way behind!

Earning my halo

Today I think I might have entered Saint-hood. I'm serious... you decide...

So my mother-in-law lives in the country, not far from us, but on 7 or so acres. She has a plethora of animals, not limited to 4 Jack Russel terrors terriers, 2 cats, a pond worth of fish and now, 14 chickens. Well 13. Anyway, when they travel (which is often) Tom and I house/animal sit. It's a lot of work, but there are perks - a complete gym, a hot tub, a log cabin, and some cash, but I'm not going to lie... it's a lot of work!

So this Sunday, she called because they were leaving. One of her favorite chickens is sick. For some reason it's neck is turned up and it's beak is facing the ceiling. She expects it to die while she's gone and gives us instructions on how to dispose of the chicken when it does since the ground is frozen. Lovely.

(Now I need to add, I'm not a fan of the chickens. They freak me out. They are mean. They peck at me. They fly in small spaces. The smell funny. And I hate eggs)

So for the last few days, I've been on chicken duty in the mornings and hubby takes care of them in the evening. They live in this cute little coop: And each morning I go out to feed them, make sure they have water, and take in any eggs that have been left.

The sick chicken has been looking baaaad. We get a call from my mother-in-law that she found a vet that would take a look at it (and in our farm town, there really aren't that many around that deal with chickens). Just so happens that Tom is waiting for a delivery of carpet at our house and yours truly has morning chicken duty AND vet duty. We put the chicken (who for all we know has some bird flu or something) in a cat crate and I put it in the back of my father-in-law's car. I literally shutter the entire way to the vet which is 35 minutes away because it freaks me out to be in a car with a chicken, let alone a sick chicken.

You see... I dreamed of being a lot when I was young. A teacher, a doctor, a scientist, a wife, a mom - but NEVER a farmer... or a chicken raiser.

I get to the vet, bring said sick chicken in for an exam. The vet is super nice, but starts asking me if I've looked into the bird's eyes, and a bunch of other questions that finally got answered with a "this isn't my chicken and quite frankly, I'm not really fond of the animals so I just do what I need to do". He tells me that the bird is having seizures and possibly has brain damage. We get my mother-in-law on the phone and he finally tells her that it would probably be best to put the chicken down and get some tests done to make sure that it didn't have an infection that will make the other 13 chickens die. She agrees.

Now I'm stuck with signing the paper work to put the poor 3 pound bird down.

The kicker - I need to bring it 45 minutes away for an autopsy.

I can't make this up people.

So they do what they need to do, put the bird in a bag, kindly put it back in the cat carrier for me and in my trunk and I drive it across town for the autopsy.

We'll have the results in a few days.

Are you all blinded by the glaring light of my halo???

The good, the bad and the ugly

The good: CHRISTMAS CAME EARLY FOR ME!!!!If you remember, a while back I posted my Christmas wish list. One of the items on the list was this little gem - a replacement for the one I dropped and shattered last year causing tears galore. I searched and searched and finally a local running store suggested that they could special order it from BaySix. I thanked them for the info and looked up BaySix when I got home. Couldn't find the ornament anywhere. Hum... so I contacted them, told them about my clumsiness, told them that I had shared the search with you all and that many of you would love one too. Within minutes, I received an email from Steve at BaySix telling me that he'd get a replacement in the mail for free. AWESOME! They have been amazingly wonderful and I was so excited when I got my package today and found that they sent me 2 of these ornaments. I must have been a good girl this year! :) If you want one of these ('cause you know we all want new PR's for Christmas), head over to BaySix. I'm hoping they added them back to their website, but if not, email them and I'm sure they can get one ordered for you!

The bad: Well it's not really bad, but I'm spent right now. I rented Toy Story 3 (great movie to those of you that haven't seen it!) this weekend and didn't get around to watching it. I hopped on the trainer yesterday but didn't feel like watching it - Shape magazine with Kelly Osbourne on the front made the hour go fast enough. Decided to run to the movie today. I couldn't take the dreadmill for more than 7 miles so I hopped on the spin bike and finished the rest of the movie. A hour and 35 minutes later and I'm toast right now. HA... I have a long way to go to get back to racing shape!

The ugly: Now onto the scrooge part of my post. Some people can be real poopheads. So Amanda at Run To The Finish (and not the poophead by the way) had an ongoing contest this past fall called the PR Challenge. The goal was to PR in a race and have that PR be the biggest in your group. I entered myself in the Marathon 4:15 to 4:23 group. My previous PR for a marathon was 4:21 and I thought that I had a chance to better that in Columbus. Fast forward to October and I did just that, PRing by about 12 minutes. Well I was up against three other girls and although only two of us kept to the challenge, I ended up winning the contest. My competition, Julie at A Case of the Runs (who isn't a poophead either and has a great blog... go check her out!) had a great marathon though... besides the train. Anyway, she sent me a note the other day telling me that she sent me a necklace for winning (one of the rules was that you send the winner a little something). Super sweet of her. I got the envelope in the mail today and some poophead had cut the side of the envelope and taken the necklace. I hope that person feels totally rotten when they wear that necklace and gets nothing but coal in their stocking! Really, who does that? BLAH... Thank you Julie though... I really appreciate the gesture!!!

Did you have a good, bad and ugly today?

Whew...

It's all sinking in - the fact that I'm going to be part of an amazing team, that I'm going to have some amazing sponsors, and that I better work my tail off to have a great season. Nothing like the motivation of 40 great teammates! :) A super big thanks to Carole and Charlie for giving me this opportunity! And a big thanks to Meredith and Chris too - love you guys!

So a little more about the Trakkers stuff (tell me to shut up if it's too much... I'm on a little excitement high so I won't talk about it forever... I promise!).

First, we race the Rev3 series. I'm super excited about this because I've heard such amazing things about the races. Honestly, I haven't heard a single negative! Tom and I were planning on doing one of them before Trakkers came along, but now I'll add a few more to the list. I'm planning on doing the half in Knoxville in May, the half in Portland in July (which I'm totally excited about since I've never been to Portland!!!!) and then the half at Cedar Point in September. And maybe if I'm good, I can convince the hubs to take me to Costa Rica in 2012 for my birthday! HA! Come join us... it's bound to be a great time!!!

We'll be riding Kestrels this year. Don't know much about Kestrels??? Check out what the winner and runner up in IM Cozumel were riding!!! They are amazing bikes and I've heard nothing but praises for them! And while I have a ginormous place in my heart for Flica, my Orbea, I'm super excited to get one of these bad boys (or in my case bad bitches...)

(**With that being said though, if anyone knows someone who is looking for an amazing tri bike, I have one for sale! :) It's a 2008 Orbea Ora in impeccable condition (we baby bikes in this house as they mean more to us than most inanimate objects should). It's a size 52 (I'm 5'7.5" if that helps), red, carbon beauty. Contact me if you know anyone who would be interested!**)

Finally, we're running in Avia. I'm heading out today to test some and see what I like since I've never run in them before. I'm such a dork though and love the skull and cross bones that has been associated with them! And the bright colors. So I sound like a total girl or what? HA! I'll let you know what I come up with!

So that's the happenings as of now. Thanks everyone for your congratulatory messages - you made me feel all warm and fuzzy!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Training is going well... I finally feel like I'm back in somewhat of a groove. It's nice. I feel energized and I'm excited again. I really do feel that the down time I took, as hard as it might have been on me mentally, was really a blessing. It's funny how fast we are to question our abilities and if we are doing things right or wrong. I've learned that there isn't a perfect equation and what might be best for me, isn't best for someone else (although I must say... there are a lot of you that shared my feelings and frustrations and I appreciate you voicing those to me!)

Oh, and one more little thing... Jodi, at RunJodiRun did a Thursday Thumbs Up about me. It was fun to answer the questions and tell a little more about myself and my swimming/biking/running obsession. Head over there and check it out (yeah, I'm tootin' my own horn...) Thanks Jodi!

They like me...

I'm super excited to announce that I am officially part of the Team Trakkers family!!! I've been bubbling at the seams, hoping that it would all work out and it did. The triathlon Gods must like me!

I'm so thrilled and honored to know that I'll get to represent the green in 2011 and race with an amazing group of athletes. And I was super excited to hear that some of my blogging friends were chosen too... you sneaky little buggers!

So, I guess I should start training, I mean, my first Trakkers race is 158 days away!

WOOHOO!

At least I didn't die...

I learned a tough lesson today. Not swimming for nearly 2 months means that the first time back in the water, I'm going to feel like a fish out of water.

OMG

Good news is I didn't die and didn't drown. That's about all the good that came from the swim.

I did go to kickboxing before hand and am totally using that as an excuse (as if I can actually dismiss the fact that I've lost any of my "speed" in swimming because I haven't, uh, swam - I've never really had speed, but now if you saw me from above, you'd wonder if I'm moving forward). No, it's not that bad. I put my SWIMP3 on and decided to just swim a straight 1500 - it took me 27:46. But at least I have a base to go from and I can't get anything but faster if I actually stick with the swimming plan. :) But really, it was all the kickboxing - one hour before swimming of punching a 110 pound bag and doing pushups and planks.

Can I get away with using that as an excuse?

Tom gave me an early Christmas present. I've been bitching and moaning about my weight gain since the Ironman (and I know that there are others of you out there sharing in my pain). It's there... I can see it and the scale isn't being a good friend and lying to me. I've gained nearly 6 pounds since August which is bad. Anyways, Tom bought me the book "Racing Weight".I just started reading it last night. I got uber depressed when I read the first chapter and it was talking about "normal" body fat percentages for runners, bikers, swimmers, and triathletes. Humph...

But, I am interested to keep reading. I know that the book has gotten a ton of great reviews. I hope that it kind of gives me that "aha" moment that I need. Obviously I know that my body fat percentage isn't going to drop to the "normal" range over night. And I'm not overweight, but there's always room for improvement.

Tom said to me that he wishes I saw what he sees. We are usually our own worst critics aren't we?

Oh, and two more random things - first, I found the "All I Want For Christmas Is A PR" ornament! The best part is, I told the company who makes it about me dropping mine last year and they are sending me a replacement free of cost. I'm so stinking excited! Second, RunningSkirts told me that they were going to send me a running skirt to test and review on my blog after the discussion that I started on here about over a month ago (the one about finding a running skirt with shorts underneath that don't ride up). Well, they never sent it and now I can't get an answer from them. :( I'm so sad... I was totally hoping to find a skirt that I can rock for once. Oh well...

Giveaway winners!

Thanks to everyone that entered the Chrissy's Knee High Sock giveaway. I used the trusty old Random.org to get the winners. (Just so you know, I had 54 entries (but someone got an extra entry because a new follower came from her blog) so I ended up with 55 entries).

The following three people have each won 3 pairs of Chrissy's Knee High Socks,

#9 - Janae at The Hungry Runner Girl
#14 - Molly at I'm a Sleepy Baker
#54 - Besty at Earning my M-Dot

Congrats ladies. Please send me your contact information to thekingerys [@] hotmail [.] com and I will get your three pairs out in the mail! Hope you enjoy them!

I'm on a freaking roll

First, thank you all so much for your input about time off. Seems I'm not the only one in a funk! :)

I've done 1 hour workouts the last three days and am feeling great. I feel like December 1st hit and my motivation instantly came back. It's all mental I'm sure, but I'm finally feeling better after finally going on an antibiotic (I've been on and off sick for nearly a month) so I'm not complaining.

Wednesday, I hopped on the indoor trainer. I know I've said it before, but that thing is evil. While I feel like it's 9 bazillion times harder than riding outside (and infinitely more boring), I pushed my way through an hour and felt great. It's amazing what snow outside and a People magazine on the book stand in front me can do to get me through a sweaty trainer ride! I'm anxious to start my real workouts on the trainer (which will include a lot of intervals with coach Tom telling me when to go and stop and me probably cursing him in my head and probably out loud a little), but for the time being, I need to be able to get through an hour without wanting to die. I'm almost there. Baby steps...

Yesterday I had to sit around all day while the drywaller got finished. By the time I was freed from being a prisoner in my home able to leave, it was nearly 7pm. I didn't want to run outside in the dark and cold alone (who am I kidding... it wouldn't have happened had Tom been here either - sorry sweetie) so I went to my mother-in-law's and jumped on the dreadmill.

I have mad respect for Emz and any other crazy dreadmill lover. How do you do it???

I started out slow, mentally pumping myself up for a great hour. Eh, maybe like 45 minutes. Oooh... I'll get 5 miles and see how long that takes me. Before I know it, I've done a mile. Nice. But after that 8:47 of running in place and watching the Hallmark movie that my mother in law was watching upstairs (her gym TV can only watch what's on upstairs... crazy country living), I needed to do something to get my mind off the monotony!

Intervals. Yeah, that sounds good.

I did quarter mile segments and increased the pace 0.1 on the treadmill each time for a mile working up to an 8:27 . Then I came back down. Okay, three miles down and literally want to be poking my eyes out with hot fire pokers.

I then did 1 minute at 8:34, 1 minute at 7:30, 1 minute at 8:34, 2 minutes at 7:30, 1 minute at 8:34, 3 minutes at 7:30, 1 minute at 8:34.

I've gotta be getting close to 5 miles right?

No!

Only one mile left. It wasn't as horrible as I make it sound, but it was pretty bad. I ended up finishing 5 miles in 41:45 which is fairly slow considering I could have get the treadmill to 7.2 and just ran for 5 miles and done it in the same time, but mentally, I would have been putting the pokers in the fire upstairs. Not a pretty site. Anyway, I finished up and hopped on the elliptical to get my hour.

Today I got my butt kicked at kickboxing for an hour. I wanted to swim too, but I needed to get some things done around here. Tomorrow I'm doing a brick - look out world... I'm acting all triathlete-like! :)

Giveaway Reminder

Just a reminder that tomorrow is the last day to enter my knee high sock giveaway. Winners will be announced on Saturday.

Off to go bike or run - look at me go...

Time off

Do you ever just take a long break from training? How long is too long?

I've been kind of on hiatus since the marathon. In October. I just feel like my mojo isn't there. I've been going to kickboxing and running or biking here or there, but I haven't been following a plan. I get up, decide what sounds fun for the day and go with it. Some days that include laying on the couch, watching old episodes of Real Housewives (don't judge), other days I feel uber motivated to sweat. But it hasn't been consistent and it hasn't been often. I just kind of feel like I need this. I need the break from a training schedule. I need the break from the pushing, the aching, the sleepiness that comes from a good hard workout (I'm not complaining because there's no better feeling most days). I worry that when I do start back with hardcore training that I'm going to be months and months behind and I'll have to start over (especially after reading all of you overachievers who are working super hard during "off season"). I kid... kind of... Then I remember that I'm an endurance athlete and although I will have lost some of it, I haven't given up completely.

The worst part about the much needed (or desired) break is the weight gain. I'm not going to lie - I feel like a chubbo, but it's not that bad.

But again, I think the hiatus is going to pay dividends when I do start my training plan.

Tomorrow. Or Wednesday. Yep, definitely Wednesday.

:)


***Don't forget to enter my sock giveaway contest here. I'll be picking three winners on Saturday. Super cute socks for you or a loved one!!!***

A Turkey Trot, A Dinner and A Giveaway

Hope you all had a fabulous Thanksgiving. At the end of ours yesterday, Tom looked at me and said "that was a perfect Thanksgiving". I love hearing that!

The day started with us waking to pouring down rain. Ugh... while I don't mind running in the rain, it was miserable out and we definitely considered skipping the Turkey Trot and staying cuddled in bed with the pups. But, the hubby convinced me that it would be fun. We got all ready and lo and behold, the rain stopped. Kept our fingers crossed that it would stay that way the whole run. When we got to the race start, it still wasn't raining - I think we're going to luck out. As we stood, counting down the last few minutes before the start, it started to sprinkle, but that was the extent of the rain. I love the Columbus Turkey Trot - totally laid back, untimed (well they have clocks, but no chips or results), great new course, and free pies to the first 1,000 men and 1,000 women! :) I had no expectations for the run - just to go out and enjoy ourselves (Tom's been battling a nasty 4 week cold and hasn't been running... I've been, well, in off season!). We took off and it was CROWDED. Like really crowded. Oh well.. just run and have fun.

Mile 1 -8:11 - dodging through everyone, although it was downhill

Mile 2 - 7:53 - finally spread out, but again downhill (this would haunt us on the way back!)

Mile 3 - 8:22 - through OSU campus

Mile 4 - 8:10 - the uphill started

Mile 5 - 8:34 - the final mile was all uphill

Total - 41:12 - average pace 8:14

And I got a pie! And Tom got a pie! WOO HOO!

We came home, showered and started cooking. The family came over around 2:30 and from there, we just relaxed, ate too much, drank too much and enjoyed tons of laughs. I have the best family! :)

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GIVEAWAY TIME!!!!

So yesterday it was chilly (yes I tend to overdress, but I'm always cold when I run so I'd much rather be sweating than freezing). In any event, I decided to run in tights and my pink and black zebra stripe socks from Chrissy's Knee High Socks. A girl's gotta look cute, right?

These socks are awesome! I seriously love them! I tend to have problem with knee high socks not staying up when I run, and these didn't budge. They aren't compression socks, but they are great for running, kickboxing, biking and even just everyday wear. And they are all super cute! Check out the site and you won't be disappointed, plus Chrissy is awesome to work with and is so nice!!!

Anyway, when I got my socks, I wrote Chrissy and told her how much I love them (seriously, the products have to be great for me to contact a company and tell them how awesome their products are). She was so excited that I like them, that she gave me a few pairs to give away to some of my blogger friends (three pairs to three different people to be exact - and they are all fun ones!). They are definitely keepable (yep, totally a word) if you win them, but would also make great Christmas gifts for your friends, the leading lady in your life (hint hint men...), your sister (my sister got some from me...), etc.

So, here's how you can enter (please leave a separate comment for each...)

• Follow my blog and leave me a comment
• Visit Chrissy's Knee High Socks and tell me which ones you'd love to see in your stocking this year from Santa
• Become a fan of Chrissy's Knee High Socks on Facebook
• Tell your friends about this on your blog, facebook and twitter
• I'll even give you a bonus entry for anyone who becomes a follower of my blog and tells me that you sent them... make sure they include your name and/or blog! (the bonus entries will be added to the end of the comments, in the order they come in for random.org purposes).

So you have a ton of ways to win!!! I'll keep the contest open through next Friday, December 3rd. Good luck!!!

Thanksgiving week

Tom has said to me about a million times, "I can't believe that it's Thanksgiving week". In Ohio, most people have looked over the fact that it's a holiday week because it's also Beat M*ch*gan week, but honestly, this is one of my favorite holidays. I'm hosting the fam at my house this year because I LOVELOVELOVE cooking a turkey. Somehow I lucked out and just have to make that, pumpkin pie, and mashed potatoes so it's really not a big deal. The turkey is going in the fridge tonight to start thawing - it's a 21 pound bird. May seem like a lot, but Tom and I have done a 20 pound bird for just the two of us before (don't judge... we like leftovers!). Butterball.com suggested 14 pounds for 7 hungry adults, but who are they kidding... I would have bought a bird bigger than 21 pounds had I been able to find one at the grocery the other day! You can never have too much bird...

Anyway, I've started thinking of my list of things I'm thankful for - my list is quite long

• I'm thankful for my amazing husband. He's such a great friend, my biggest supporter, my coach, my coworker, the person who pushes me. He laughs with me (and many times at me), hugs me when I cry (which can be a lot) and loves me unconditionally (that includes my fat days!) He's really my world and I couldn't be luckier!
• I'm thankful for an amazing mom and dad. Their love and support has helped me more than I will ever be able to thank them for. They've stood by my side through a lot and still love me! :) They make me laugh, and I admire the fact that they will be happily married 40 years this coming August!
• I'm thankful for my sister who also happens to be my best friend. We might have had rough patches in the past (what sisters don't?), but I think now that we are grown up, we understand how lucky we are to have each other. She's awesome! (and I have a fabulous brother-in-law too!)
• I have a great extended family, aunts, uncles, cousins, in-laws, and a niece and nephew who all go above and beyond to support Tom and I.
• I'm thankful for friends who have been with me through everything. This year as been a trying year as I've learned some pretty tough lessons in friendship, but I've grown to learn that TRUE friends are few and far between and those that I'm blessed with in my life are truly amazing.
• I'm thankful that I have two amazing dogs. I mean really - they may be mutts to some people, but they are my kids. They remind me that no problem is too big and that a walk in the park (or a slice of cheese) is all we need to cheer us right up.
• I'm especially thankful for my health - I put in a lot of hours training because I love it, but I know that there are so many people in the world who don't have the good health that I have. And on days when I don't feel like running another mile, biking another pedal stroke, or swimming another lap, I remember that I'm truly blessed that I CAN do these things.
• I'm thankful for a job that allows me such amazing freedoms day to day and that I can live a comfortable life without many sacrifices. I must say, I have it pretty good.

And lastly:

• I'm thankful for all of you, my blogger friends. I've only met a few of you, but you all read my ramblings each week. You support me, you encourage me, you make me laugh, you love me no matter what nonsense I'm writing about. I just hope that someday I get to meet all of you.

What are you thankful for?

Our cards

I put together our holiday cards and I think they turned out pretty good. If you read my blog and know that you are on my Christmas card list... look away...

:)

With Love Chartreuse Christmas 5x7 folded card

Shop Shutterfly for elegant custom Christmas photo cards.

View the entire collection of cards.

Can't beat getting 50 free photo cards either! Remember bloggers, Shutterfly is giving 50 free cards if you follow this link: http://blog.shutterfly.com/5358/holiday2010-blog-submission-form/

Twitter

Here's a simple question for you - do you use twitter?

I'm trying to use it since I started an account back like 2 years ago (I checked today and counting today's tweet, I'm up to 5 tweets). Seriously though - what do you tweet about? I feel like I don't like an interesting enough life to actually tweet anything. Do you want to know when I go to the gym? Or what I eat? Or what I'm looking at online? And then there's direct messaging to individual people. And retweeting. And the "@" symbol.

I have to admit, I'm a little overwhelmed by it all.

Enlighten me people (and then follow me on twitter @cbkingery because it's a lot like blogger... makes you feel special when your "follower" list grows - yeah, I have 5 followers to match my 5 tweets).

(Semi) Wordless Wednesday

After typing that title, who am I kidding? I can't post a blog and not write anything. My grandma jokes that I was the best baby - always quiet and now I never shut up.

My hubby is in Tucson for the Tour of Tucson (humongous bike race - 10,000 bikers on Saturday!). So he left yesterday and will be gone until Sunday. While I don't mind a night alone sometimes, 5 nights gets a little much. I had such a nice surprise though today when the doorbell rang and these arrived:

Guess he set up a house account with the local flower shop so that he can call them and just have them deliver flowers to me whenever he's in the dog house traveling thinking about me. I love him so much!

I went an picked up my race packet for the Turkey Trot. I know it's a bit early to get my packet, but I live about 40 minutes away from the race and getting it race morning is always a pain. I was halfway to the running store today after kickboxing so I decided to stop by. Holy bright construction cone colored shirts batman. But I like them! The turkey in the center is the kind a little kid makes with their hand. It's cute... they had smalls... I'll wear it! (I think of it as doing my part for the safety of myself during night time runs!)



So a lot of you have asked me what kickboxing is all about. Here's kind of a little run down.

• We usually start with a warm up - jumping rope, running around the gym with medicine balls, stations of lunges, squats, push ups, sit ups, mountain climbers and whatever hellish things they can think of to get our heart rates going (it doesn't take much for me these days...)
• After about 10 minutes, we put on our gloves. And we then proceed to punch the crap out of a bag that hangs from the ceiling. They tell us combinations - starting with maybe three punches and work until this combos are 5,6,7 punches and kicks (which is usually when people forget). Then we move to the next combo. We do this for about 30 minutes. In between some of the combos, we'll do push ups, planks, run laps, do burpees, do mountain climbers, etc. The gym looks something like this during this 30 minutes (I totally stole this from their website and no, I'm not in that picture)
• We then have a burnout set. It's usually some insanely hard set of combos and cardio.
• Then the last 15 minutes or so, we do weight/resistance workouts and tons of abs - they really like planks... regular planks, planks on a ball, planks with punches, walking planks, etc. Today for example, we did a rotation with a partner of planks and one arm rows, then walking planks/push ups and flies and then leg curls on the ball and push ups with a row.
• By the end of 55 minutes, I'm usually soaked, dead tied and ready to call it a day.

I LOVE IT! I decided to be uber athlete today since I've been feeling totally guilty for working out 7 hours this month total. I got on my indoor trainer. OH MY GOD! I literally thought that my heart might pop out of my chest. I was dripping wet in a matter of minutes and I looked down and I was averaging like 16.4mph. Wow... lost that fitness fast! I miiiiiight have some work to do on the bike!

Christmas Cards

I've seen a lot of people posting ideas for their Christmas cards. I've started to think about mine (very early for the Kingery's, although until I order them, that doesn't mean anything). Every year Tom and I have sent out photo cards. And every year, I have the same thoughts - do people think that it's kind of weird when people send pictures of themselves as Christmas cards? I mean, I love getting photo cards - especially from people who I haven't seen in a long time. But what do other people think of them? Are they cheesy? We don't have little kids that we want to show off (unless you count our 4 legged fur babies which I'm sure definitely moves our cards into the cheesy category). So our picture if usually just the two of us, after a big race or something - the last two years they were from the beaches of PCB after IMFL. This year will have to be different - Tom and I standing along the shores of the Ohio River just don't have the same appeal to my Christmas card creativity! Is it over the top to do a collage of pictures - kind of showing people what's happened this year? Hum... And do you write on photo cards or just let the photos and personal saying do the work?

In any event, I'm definitely getting our cards from Shutterfly. They are doing a super cool deal for bloggers (Bloggers get 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly… sign up: http://bit.ly/sfly2010). But besides that great deal, I love shutterfly. I've ordered photo books from them which have turned out amazing. I always order my mom a calendar each year, personalized with family pictures. And this year, they have some great Christmas card designs.

I guess I just need to decide how many picture of Tom, my two dogs and myself is too much. :)

What do you do for Christmas cards and what do you think when you get a collage card from someone around the holidays?

TGIF

This has been the longest week. I've been sick again. I say again because I started getting a cold last week but it only lasted a day or two. I felt better, although not 100%. Tom was miserable. Then this week it hit be hard. No energy, runny nose, coughing, sneezing - full on miserable. I've done zero training this week except kickboxing on Monday. I've slept nearly 10 hours a night. I've taken my vitamins, eaten three balanced meals a day, am keeping hydrated. I feel like I'm on the mend, but wowzers... this has seriously kicked my tail.

And of course this happens when it's 70 and sunny every day this week. In Ohio. In November. Unheard of! Usually it's rainy, crappy and cold and of course the one week where I can't keep my eyes open and my head is in a bubble, it's gorgeous. I'm taking one more day off and then I'm getting back to this training thing. I'm hoping to start my plan on Monday, as long as I don't die over the weekend! :) Hopefully I'll come back amped and ready. I was supposed to be doing a half ironman tomorrow - there's no way that I could have gotten from the start line to the finish line in one piece.

Okay so I have a question for those of you that have done the 100 push up challenge. I started this last year and made it to about week 3 and then stopped. I'm thinking of starting it again (because I'm by far the weakest person ever and this would probably be one of the biggest accomplishments in my life, besides finishing the Ironman - don't judge...) But, is it really 100 push ups without stopping or just 100 push ups in a few sets. Why do I not understand this? I've read the site over and over and I'm just confused. Can someone help a girl out? :)

Hope you all have a fabulous weekend.

Christmas list

I read somewhere that it's 40 days until Christmas. Is that right? WOW! What's on your Christmas (or Hanukkah) list this year? Any must haves that I need to steal and add to my list (yeah, I'm having a hard time thinking of things).

Here's what I have so far...
I'm loving this watch. I have a problem (maybe a slight obsession) with workout watches. The problem is I always want a pink one (I'm a total girl) and they turn yellow/green/black from all the stuff that they are exposed to. This one is PERFECT! And I'm thinking that I'll benefit immensely from the heart rate monitor aspect of it.

A Fuelbelt Sprint - I'm spoiled in that my husband always carries water when we run. But I like this little bottle (only holds 10oz) which would be perfect for the fast short running I plan to do this year. :) Do any of you have this one or one similar that you would recommend. It would be for water, not gel.

A new Garmin Forerunner 305. We had one for a few years and it putzed out. Although I've considered getting the 310XT, we don't usually wear it in races so I don't think I really care about the fact that it can be used during the swim. Plus, Walmart has the 305 for $130 which is a pretty awesome price. ;)

A kickboxer needs at least two sets of wrist wraps. And any girl kickboxer needs a set of pink ones right? This will hopefully end the funk that happens when doing kickboxing three days a week with only one set of wraps.

Have you read Matt and Maddy's blog (Matt, Liz and Madeline)? I've been following their story for quite a while and am super excited about the book. It doesn't come out until April, but you can pre order it. :)

I also want an ornament that says "All I want for Christmas is a new PR". My mom had bought me one a few years ago and I dropped it last year and it broke. I've not been able to find a new one since though (I can find flat ones, but this was a glass ball one and I loved it).

Annnnnnd, that's the extent of my list. I need to come up with some new things. My mom bought me a new winter coat (I picked it out the other day so I know what it looks like) so I'm sure I'll get gloves to go with that. But I feel like I have everything swim, bike and run related that I could possibly need. I'm finally at a point where I can pick out "wants" instead of "needs" for my list and I'm struggling...

What are you asking for this year?

The verge of something good...

Ever get some news that is super exciting and super nerve wracking at the same time? That happened today. I can't give too much information (I'm hoping to have great news sometime soon), but I'm at that point where I feel like I might be on the verge of something good. :) I'll leave you with that...

Had a great weekend. Tom's STILL sick. I've luckily recovered I think. Mostly. I'm blaming my new fleece sheets for the massive amounts of sleep that I've been needing and not a cold! And the time change - yeah, that always does it to me.

We were supposed to head to Wilmington this week for Beach 2 Battleship. Some things have come up and Tom and I aren't able to go. I'm kind of torn about this though - part of me is relieved that we don't have to do because I don't feel like I was ready to race, but the other part is sad. I was looking forward to seeing all the TT1 tri team people and getting to race alongside them for the first time (maybe next year). I know that it's smart for us to stay home though and wish all of them the best on Saturday!!!

Congrats to everyone who raced IMFL on Saturday. I love that race. I love PCB. (Maybe I love the beach more than the race, but they really go hand in hand unless you are in college!) I talked to my mom yesterday and she asked if I was able to sign up us. She caught me off-guard a little. HA! Even me telling her that I promise I wasn't doing an Ironman in 2011 and she didn't believe me. No, I didn't sign up. More reasons than one, but I'm looking forward to the break from the long training!

Speaking of racing next year and being on the verge of something good, this is tentatively what I'm looking at for 2011:
April ?? - Xenia Half Marathon
May 7 - Capital City Half Marathon
May 15 - REV3 Knoxville Oly
June 4 - REV3 Quassy Oly
June 11 - Wendy's Women's Only Tri
June 12 - Wendy's International Tri
July 4 - JCC Independence Tri
August 26-28 - Chicago Triple Tri
September 11 - REV3 Cedar Point Half

I might add a full marathon, although I'll have to see which one. Possibly Columbus, possibly Chicago. But we might do the Rev3 in South Carolina too which could interfere with Chicago. We'll see. I'm excited to do some different races and especially excited to add the REV3 series to the calendar. Tom's team has decided to do the series which makes choosing races fun for me too! I have some definitive goals that I want to reach and I think that they are all attainable with the shorter, faster races on my schedule! Yay to no more looooong Ironman hours (for this year at least!!)

Last, but definitely not least, Katherine at Forward Foot Strides named my blog as the featured blog of the week. Yay! Thanks Katherine. Stop by her blog and give her some US love (she's in Canada...)

What does your gym do for you?

FIRST THINGS FIRST... Before I get to my very important post about what your gym does for you, I have to thank two people. I recently won two give-aways. First, I won an adorable "Runalicious" shirt from Jamie at RunningDivaMom. This shirt is awesome - so soft and super cute! I wore it to kickboxing today and meant to get a picture of me in it, but didn't get a chance (and now it's sweaty and stinky so I'll spare you and me from putting it back on for a picture). Anyway, I love it and am a big fan of Runalicious. Visit their store and you won't be disappointed. The second giveaway that I won was a set of three Chrissy's Knee High Socks from Tressa at Train with a Track Coach and His Adorable Wife. I got these three (and no, those aren't my legs):

I ran in the white ones the other night and thought for sure that they would fall down during the run or be uncomfortable on my feet, but I loved them! Stayed up and everything. I'm debating whether or not to wear these to kickboxing. Doesn't seem like that kind of crowd, but when have I ever been part of the crowd??? Seriously these socks are great and so much fun! So thank you to Jamie and Tressa, as well as Runalicious and Chrissy's - hum... maybe I can get a shirt and some socks to give away on my blog... maybe a little gift that keeps on giving? (thekingerys [@] hotmail.com if you are interested!)

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Back to my regularly scheduled blog post.

So, what does your gym do for you?

We had some friends over the other night and we were talking about the perks of their gym - beyond getting in shape and all that stuff. Our friends said that their gym offers them discounts to TYR (which is totally awesome as a triathlete), as well as some local places. I've heard of gyms partnering with places like GNC for discounts on supplements.

But not my gym. They do it right.

Today I walk in a see a sign that says "Show your membership card at Chipotle and get a free burrito when you purchase a burrito. Good through the first of the year".

AWESOME!

I can go workout (or better yet, not even have to work out), drive next door to Chipotle, show them that I belong to a gym (which is an awesome gym and only costs me and Tom $28 bucks a month total) get myself two mammoth calorie laden burritos for the price of one.

Stupid or genius?

See the normal person would shake their head and say "well that's dumb. Why would you work out and then go indulge on a 1000+ calorie burrito (yeah, I get mine in a tortilla, with cheese and rice people - no bowls with just veggies for this girl!)?" But I think that the marketing person for Urban Active sees it differently. If they can entice a person to work out and then get a burrito, most likely that person will feel super guilty and come back to work out, possibly hiring a personal trainer for an ungodly amount per hour because they can't possibly figure out why they aren't losing the weight.

Genius right? Yeah, I thought so to.

Either way, I'm totally taking advantage of the deal. And I'm smart enough to know why I'm not losing any weight! :)

Happy Friday!