ripe tomato

This was my second (third?) field trip to Bartley Ranch Park, but my first time going in fall. It is a beautiful park with hiking trails and historic buildings including the old Huffaker school house from the turn of the LAST century. From the top of the Flume trail (which we hiked today and incidentally, I have done many times during team trainings), we were treated to amazing views and reminded that while Reno might not be known for its fall foliage, there is some beautiful color to be had around this town.

In other news, Emily got glasses. Apparently they make a big difference for her because she’s only taken them off for sleeping since we picked them up last week. I think they suit her.

Olivia and Emily with a friend

The day started out fairly warm, but soon turned cold and stormy. It made for quite the spectacular skyline, don’t you think? Everybody was pretty happy to run to the warmth of the bus soon after this was taken.

And one more (I can’t help myself today).

The old Huffaker School, where “The one-room schoolhouse was built in 1867 and was in use until 1951.” We took the guided tour and the children were fascinated to learn that, among other things kids of the day had to walk sometimes as far as 5 miles to school, the ONE teacher took care of 70 children grades K-12 (can you imagine?), the boys sometimes mischievously dipped the ponytail belonging to the poor girl in front of him in his ink well and that he probably would have received 7 lashes for the offense! The naughty boys and girls might also have been made to stand on a block in the front of the room with a dunce cap on. Now I don’t think I actually had to wear a dunce cap, but even back in my day, which by the way isn’t quite as far back as the turn of last century, I do remember having to sit on a stool in the front of the room on the (rare, I’m sure) occasion that I misbehaved. Okay, who remembers a “cloakroom?” An actual room where you hung your coats and took off your rain boots. We had them at my elementary school back in late nineteen sixty something. What happened to those? Now they have cubbies. It’s just not the same.

There you have my day in a nutshell - okay, a big, big nutshell with lots of photos.

I’ve had lots of things to take my mind off the race on Sunday! Training with the team tomorrow night. The final 4. We’ll have pizza after. Should be fun. I’m looking forward to anything but a grueling 12-14 mile walk for sure!

Have a great day everybody!

Kelli

We had our pre-race meeting yesterday and picked up lots of advice from the coaches and others who’d been there done that. I’m really excited about the marathon now. A little nervous, but I think I’m fairly well prepared. Better than some, not as good as others. Only one teammate raised her hand when asked who has done ALL the miles in the training program. I tell you, that’s an accomplishment right there. You know she’s prepared. On the flip side, there were others who had to drop back to a 1/2 marathon because they missed so much training.

I did 3 pre-dawn miles this morning before I needed to come home to get the kids ready for school. I’m not feeling all that great. The stomach virus stuff I had going on last week persisted through the weekend and now (of course) I feel like I’m fighting off a head cold. Still, I kept a pace well below 16 minutes a mile without feeling like I was pushing myself.

I’d better go. I’m chaperoning a field trip tomorrow, signed up for a tax seminar on Wednesday, a doctor’s appointment and Girl Scout meeting on Thursday and somehow have to fit in cleaning the house, making cookies, etc. before we leave Friday. Susie is coming down to watch the kids, so I have to leave her with among other things like plenty of wine, a clean house, doncha think?

See ya!

Kelli

If you’re interested in purchasing these cookies for your little ghosts and goblins, just give me a jingle at 775.762.1055. They are generously sized at 5 inches and weigh approximately 3-3.5 oz. each. Delicious all-butter sugar cookies using the finest ingredients, they come individually wrapped in cellophane and tied with a grosgrain ribbon, making a beautiful and tasty gift. $5 each. Ghosts on a stick, $6.50.

I was up half of the night last night with a stomach bug. I thought I’d recuperated sufficiently to tackle the miles, but I couldn’t hack it. About 2.5 miles into it I had to turn around and call it a night. I was clammy and shaking. It sucked. I feel like I gave it my all, but I’m disappointed in myself, and of course, worried about how I’ll perform at the marathon. I’m fairly confident that I’ll be able to complete it, but I doubt I’ll be breaking any records.

The rest of my day consisted of icing sample cookies for marketing materials and going to two parent/teacher conferences. Nothing too exciting, I’m afraid.

I’ll try to post some cookie photos later.

Thanks for giving a damn you guys. Your support means a lot to me.

Kelli

Today was one of them. I don’t know why, but they were in complete non-compliance while shopping in Wal-Mart (of all places) and even before that while I was visiting with a local company willing to hawk my cookies. Why did I have them with me, you ask? Well, this week is 1/2 days at school and there is only so much I can get done while they’re gone. The rest gets done with them in tow. Such is life but I tell you here and now, my eyes were twitching and I had a sudden understanding of child abuse while waiting in line at Wal-Mart today. However, instead of beating them when we got home, I simply poured myself a glass of wine, sent the little hooligans to their rooms and quietly took away every privilege they’d ever had or dreamed of having, until the end of time.

I think that’s fair.

My biggest fan Barbara took the unusual step of contacting me by phone yesterday to, among other things, voice her displeasure at my decided lack of blogging of late. It’s true and I am sorry. All I can say in my defense is that basically, my focus has shifted. I’m super intent on my business right now and it’s not just a diversion from training (although I can’t lie, that has been a welcome byproduct), it is - and I can’t stress this enough - imperative that I make money and make it soon, otherwise I’ll be scooping ice cream at Ben & Jerry’s for real and nobody wants to see a 44-year old woman in a tie-die t-shirt asking what flavor they’d like to try today. Nobody.

Confession time, I haven’t walked since the 22 miler a week and a half ago. Yes, it’s true. I’m SORRY, okay. I’ve been BUSY, okay. And my right leg hurts. But that’s no excuse, I know. Thus, I’m heading back out on the trail tomorrow with the team. I really need their support to get back out there. 13 miles. Hills because it’s Wednesday, of course. Wish me luck please. I hope I haven’t totally blown it by taking a break this close to the marathon.

Last weekend, the girls and I attended the much anticipated Girl Scout Fall Camp at beautiful Lake Tahoe. We had a great time. It was cold and crisp and clear. A perfect fall weekend. The girls learned how to make friendship bracelets, our Troop won the coveted cabin decorating contest and there was even hot coffee in the morning for the adults. All in all, a perfect weekend. Jeremy and Zach had a great time too. They ate cereal for dinner and played video games for hours. A perfect guys weekend.

Troop 1048 with the very popular Senior Girl Scouts, Olive and Vegemite

Thanks for checking in on me. I promise I will let you all know how it goes tomorrow nite. Don’t forget to wish me luck. I’ll need it!

Kelli

I received my confirmation from Nike, with my bib number, so I guess it’s official now, I’m going to a marathon! Not only that, but I met my fundraising goal! Yippityiaye! It has definitely been a long road in getting here. When I started this adventure back in May, I was more than a little naive about the tremendous commitment involved in something like this, the time involved, the toll on my body and the difficulty of fundraising $2700. I guess in this case, naivete isn’t such a bad thing, because had I known, I probably wouldn’t have signed up!

Thank you all so much for your generous donations. Without your support, this wouldn’t have come together like it has. In the last couple of days I have received donations from Jeremy’s sister, Amanda, one of my teammates, Cheryl (I wish I could bottle her cheerful energy!) and an old family friend, Beverly Runyan. Thank you all so, so much for your support

So, I’ve never been to a marathon and obviously never participated in one either. The one I’m doing is the Nike Women’s Marathon and it sounds like a lot of fun. Listen to the things to do along the course from this email from Nike:

There are some exciting stations along the Course and at the Finish Village this year. Be on the lookout for the following:

- Coat Check at mile 2.5; check your favorite running jacket & pick it up
after the race
- Oxygen Bar at mile 6.8; inhale fresh air in your choice of soothing scents
- NEW Luna Moons Electrolyte Energy Chews at Mile 9, 18 & 24, and Luna Bars at Mile
9 & 21
- Jamba Juice Banana Station at mile 10.7
- Ghirardelli Chocolate Station at mile 11.9 of the Half Marathon; mile 22.7 of the Full
Marathon
- Pedi Care Station at mile 13.4
- Aid Stations are every 2 miles along the Full Marathon and Half Marathon courses
(with Gatorade Endurance Formula, Earth Water , Kaiser Permanente medical
staff and Porto lets)
- Cheer Squads, DJs, live bands and Family Cheer Stations at 19 different locations
along the Half Marathon course; 41 different locations along the Marathon course
- Finish Line™ shop at the Finish area
- Official 2007 Finisher’s necklace designed by Tiffany & Co. and Nike Sports
Essentials Finisher’s tee
- Post-race breakfast provided by Bear Naked Granola
- Nike Protein Berry Workout smoothies provided by Jamba Juice

Sounds like fun, huh? I don’t think I’ll have time to stop for a pedi though. Damn and these tired old feet need one, trust me.

Now I know most of you won’t be able to make it, but it would be amazing to look out and see some of my family and friends in the family cheer sections. Plus, who doesn’t need a weekend trip to San Francisco? Just saying. It’s October 21st, if I haven’t mentioned that.

14 miles of hills with the team tonight. I don’t want to go, but considering I haven’t walked since Saturday’s 22 miler, I figure I’d better get my ass out there. Plus, I can’t go to team training on Saturday because I’m taking my Girl Scout troop camping. Cabin camping thank goodness, but camping nonetheless. I will NOT miss these Wednesday night runs when this is over. They were okay in the beginning, but when you’re doing these kinds of miles (14 miles equals 3.5 hours) and it’s getting dark early, it kinda sucks. Even with the chic headlamp and butt lights, it’s scary walking at night because it’s easy to fall and the cars can’t see you. Plus, I’m tired and I’m tired of getting home late, and bla bla bla *insert continued bitches and moans*. But I’ll go, okay. Happy now?

Go Team!

Happy Wednesday everybody - I hope it’s a beautiful fall day where you are.

Kelli

Happy Birthday Mom!

We miss you and we love you.

February ‘06 with Olivia, Northstar at Tahoe

The walking team left from roughly middle of town Saturday morning at 5:30. It was just above freezing and still very dark outside. There was a large group of us including some alumni from the last team. We headed west and didn’t stop until we reached Boomtown, a big casino and hotel on the Nevada/California border, about 13 miles into our walk. There, we used the facilities and got back on the road again, this time heading towards town. We walked through neighborhoods in Verdi that I’d only previously seen from the road. Big beautiful houses on huge lots. Horses, roosters, massive green lawns. It was a fun walk. There were some hills, but overall, it was just a lot of miles. Could I have kept going for another four miles to make it a marathon? I guess so. I was pretty beat up the last few miles and Michelle and I did our share of complaining, but overall, I think I’m ready for the marathon, which is a good thing since it’s just three weeks away now!

While the miles are tapering from here, it’s not the big drop off I’d dreamt about. This week we have a total of 47 miles, including 14 on Wednesday night and 17 on Saturday. Next week, 39 miles with 13 Wednesday night, 12 on Saturday. Only 30 miles the week before the marathon.

Can you guys believe I walked 22 miles?

A BIG thank you to Patty Payne, my sis-in-law Barbara’s mom, for her $26 donation, which will push me that much closer to my goal!

In anticipation of a really good ski season, I’ll leave you with a photo of our little rippers Olivia and Emily with our neighbor and friend Annalissa, taken last season.

Have a great day everybody!

Kelli

A BIG thank you to my dear friend Diane, who donated $100 to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in support of my marathon training. Hope you can make it to the marathon Diane! Another big thank you to one of the Team in Training runners, Danny Heinsohn, who donated $50 on my behalf. With these donations and the checks I sent in yesterday (thank you Tara), I am this close to meeting my goal of raising $2700 for this wonderful organization. How close am I you ask? I only need to raise $200 more! Can you believe that? *patting myself on back* The fundraising has been almost as hard as the training, so I’m fairly proud of myself for accomplishing this. Of course, it could not have happened without the generous support of my dear family, friends and neighbors - thank you all SO so much. You all should be proud of yourselves too. Together we have made a difference.

Today is a rest day. Tomorrow - 22 miles. I can’t think about it too much or I get a little sick to my stomach. Keep me in your thoughts, please. We’re walking from central Reno to Boomtown, so basically, we’re walking to California.

I have to run now - I’m helping Michelle do some fundraising today.

Talk to you guys soon,

xoxo
Kelli

p.s. Just got a $50 donation from Tim, Diane’s wonderful husband. Thanks Tim!