Archive for January, 2009

I have a new goal for the month of February.  

I read this motivating story a couple weeks ago and I recently started thinking of doing the same thing—only on a MUCH smaller scale, of course.  It’s about a Wisconsin man who has run every single day for over 10,000 days straight.  That’s before I was even born!  And that man doesn’t even hold the record.  

This guy does. Amazing.  Over 14,000 consecutive days of running.  (that’s since 1968 if you don’t want to do the math)

So my goal for February is to run every day.  Take into account my past 3 days of running, and that will be a total of 31 days straight.  Miniscule compared to these guys, but a big enough challenge for myself.

Let the games begin.

I know….what an enlightening title!

Ah, Cereal.  America’s favorite breakfast food.  Perhaps one of my favorite foods, no matter what time of day it is.  And no, I’m not talking about Lucky Charms or Fruit Loops, or any other sugary nastiness which is marketed as edible food.  (thank you, mom, for not allowing us to eat that stuff)

I prefer the fiberful, whole grain, low sugar cereals.  I normally rotate between 4 different cereals, depending on where I do my grocery shopping.  Trader Joe’s High Fiber cereal, good ol’ Kroger brand Bran Flakes, and 365 Organic High Fiber or Barbara’s Bakery Ultima Organic High Fiber Cereal, both from Whole Foods.  Obviously, I like to keep myself ‘regular’, and these do the trick.  But really, they’re tasty.  Bonus, these are all under $3.

My perfect way to start the day:

1. big bowl.  
2. berries. 
3. cereal.  
4. berries.  
5. 1 tablespoon of organic sugar.  
6. 1% milk. Pour in until you see the milk peeking through the cereal. That’s the perfect amount, leaves just a little bit over to slurp up at the end.
7. maybe a few more berries on top, just for fun.

Anyways, what got me thinking about my cereal fascination was this new custom cereal company I’ve been reading about— [me] & goji.

Not only can you create your own healthy concoctions with natural and organic ingredients (berries & more berries for me, please!!), but you can give your cereal a name.  Perhaps that’s the most appealing aspect to me.  I do love to name everything I own.

I’ve been playing around with my custom cereal and this is what I would order as my first batch:

Granted, I haven’t quite convinced myself that $12.50 (+shipping) is worth it for a custom cereal, but if I cut out a couple of coffees and put that money into a special cereal fund, then maybe I’ll feel more justified.   

Until then, I’ll keep enjoying $3 boxes of cereal with my beloved berries.

p.s. oh look, they have gift certificates!  * wink *

Dear Mr. and Ms. Driver,

Sometimes when I go for a run, I feel like all signs are pointing to this:

Seriously. What makes you, in your silly automobile, so important that you can’t even fathom the idea that somebody might be out walking or running on the sidewalks?

I’m doing all I can do to avoid becoming fender food.

I wear bright reflective clothing, I don’t listen to music while I run, I keep my ears alert and my head on a constant swivel, I patiently wait until you’ve finished barreling through the red light before I step out into the crosswalk, I look all four ways when crossing every street. Correction—I look TWICE!

You don’t even know I’m there. You’re oblivious. Distracted by your thoughts, thinking about what’s for dinner, singing along to your favorite song, texting on your cell phone or calling a friend—that’s illegal in Washington state anyways, so why are you even doing it?!

Silly Driver. I just want to be friends. You do your thing, I do mine. We share the road. You don’t judge me, I won’t judge you. No hard feelings. Nobody gets hurt.

Thankfully for both of us, I know you’re there. I look out for you. Won’t you do the same and look out for me?

I run to enhance my life, not end it.

Sincerely,

Katie (and my family & friends)

As if to say “don’t count me out of your life yet”, we enjoyed a pleasant surprise visit from the sun this past weekend.  And he’s still here.  

Positive:  The weather was awesome, hitting almost 60 degree temps, and allowing me to soak up some Vitamin D.  Don’t want to become too deficient now, do I?  

We took a walk down to the Market and through Belltown on Saturday. Everybody and their dogs gets out and enjoys Seattle on sunny days.  

Negative:  Neglecting to carry sunglasses and walking westward for about a mile, into this…

We drove our car to church on Sunday and put the convertible top down on the way home.  I enjoyed a warm, Sunday afternoon 4 mile run, my route taking me above Lake Union for a gorgeous view of the numerous sailboats and seaplanes that were out and about.

That makes my weekly mileage at 6 miles.  Apparently I’m getting back in the running groove at a snail’s pace

It’s not really something I notice unless somebody brings up the subject.  

The sun.

During the winter months, the sun doesn’t like to visit Seattle much.  Or, at all.  

We had friends from Denver visiting last weekend and they commented on the lack of sun.  And I realized, I hadn’t thought about the sun until that moment.  I guess its something you just get used to when you live somewhere for long enough.

Like dealing with the chilly wind in Chicago.  The humidity of the South.  The dryness of Albuquerque.  Or the daily presence of the sun in Denver.  

I haven’t seen the sun since we were in Idaho for Christmas.  And yet, I don’t miss it.  I don’t notice its absence.  I welcome the grey skies, daily drizzle, and mild winter weather temps with a smile.

While some might find it hard to deal with not seeing the sun for so long, I’ve come to embrace it.  The cloudy skies create a unique beauty that brings out the vivid colors of the city against its grey background.  I love grey.  If you choose to classify it as a color, then its my favorite.  

Sure, I’ll soak up the sun when it makes its appearance.  But I won’t miss it while its gone.

I’ll get back in my running groove one of these days.

I think with the snow (resulting in practically no safe running surfaces), the 5 feet of snow in Idaho, the New Year, the visits with family & friends…..running and I took a break.  

Yes, I could’ve walked the 20 feet to the treadmill in the gym, but a girl deserves a break every now and then.  I hit a point when I would rather not run than run while staring at a wall.    

Why run if you can’t fully enjoy it?

But there’s this looming on the horizon:

So this week….I run.

I mentioned in a previous post that I really wanted an iphone for Christmas.  

Well, Santa (ie: husband) did well, and took me on a trip to our local Apple store to pick out my new toy before we left for Christmas in Idaho.

I also felt it was necessary for me to get a protective cover since I have a past history of dropping my phones.  I know, it’s not likely that this cover will save my phone if I drop it on our concrete floor, but it is now less likely to slide out of my hands or pocket and much easier to grip onto, especially when I’m wearing gloves.  

I would highly recommend the incase Protective Cover if anyone is looking for a case for their iphone. They have a rainbow of colors to choose from. I love my green one.

Behold….my poor quality photos of my iphone 3G.  I’ve named him Oliver. 

He has become my new close friend and addiction.  I’m already telling myself that I should try to go a whole day without using him for anything other than phone calls, but when I think too much about it, that just sounds completely ridiculous