Kansas Half 2015

My brother, the Comedian is amazing. He embodies everything that was great about my father. He loves his family. He volunteers his time and energy for all sorts of community projects. He is kind and thoughtful. But, he is humble and he always puts himself last.

The Comedian used to be a fast runner. He was a runner decades before it became everybody's sport, decades before it was a social sport. He ran a 3:40 marathon with his wife in 1984. He had stress fractures in both feet. He rested to recover. He never ran another step. This year, he decided to change that. After years of putting himself last, he decided to do something for himself. Instead of volunteering to be a course marshal for a 5K, he decided to do a 5K. And then another one. And he focused on healthy eating. At the second 5K, he won a door prize entry into the Kansas Half Marathon. That's a big step. I promised him that if he signed up and trained and did the race, I would do it with him. Every step of the way. So, he did. With amazing support from Ad Astra running, he trained using the Galloway method of run/walk. He discovered the social sport of running.

So, after finishing the Masq on Saturday, I hopped a plane to Kansas. It was a fun family weekend. My oldest brother, the Protector, picked me up at the airport. We had a few hours together in the car. After getting to the Comedian's house, a few hours of conversation, then to bed. It was late. Thank goodness for Daylight Savings Time and that extra hour. Also grateful the Comedian had already picked up our race packets. I sent him a shirt from INKnBURN, but he says he's using it for inspiration. Today, he was showing his loyalty and support to the guys at Ad Astra who got him here.

It was still Halloween weekend, and I was dog tired from rushing around, so INKnBURN zombie sure felt like an appropriate attire for the day. We got up early because the Comedian had made signs for friends on the course. See .... super thoughtful. We got to the race start and I met a fellow INKnBURN ambassador who was pacing the 2:45 group. I knew we would be behind them. We stopped by Ad Astra tent and talked to several of the Comedian's new running friends. Everyone knows the Comedian. We eventually met up with his training partner who was also running her first half marathon. I'm inspired by these two.

As the race started, we started at the back. The Comedian and his partner were excited, almost giddy. As we paced 10 second walk/30 second run, they planned their nutrition strategy and their pace strategy and talked about following the plan laid out by their coach. Seriously, does anyone really follow their coach's instructions? These two were focused. The timers were set.

As we came across volunteers, course marshalls, aid stations, anyone just cheering the crowd ... the Comedian took time to thank each and every one of them with real gratitude and enthusiasm. It's a college town, so many of the folks out there were young college kids and he thanked them for not sleeping in that morning. Last year he was a course marshall. This year he is a runner.

Mile 3: The Kids. Amazing community support for this race. Last night, children got candy. This morning, they were on the course offering it to runners. The Comedian accepted with true gratitude and put it in his pocket. "Even if you don't want it, if a child offers you candy, you accept it." It's important to remind the children that they are important, appreciated, and it's important to show gratitude for their acts of kindness.

Mile 4: The Fall. This would catch up to us. Running Partner landed in a super deep pot-hole and did a circus move type of roll. The fall was hard. She wouldn't let that stop her. Her ankle was sore, but she was moving forward. Same intervals, she wasn't going to be stopped.

Mile 5: The surprise: We had seen the signs put out by the Comedian. But, here, there were people walking into the street holding signs. They had our names on them. My sister, the Fighter and Superwife, had come down to surprise the Comedian. I knew they were coming. No one else knew. The Comedian was moved ... maybe, a tear or two. Later, my sisters admitted that they were getting worried because there weren't a lot of people still on the course. They weren't sure if they had missed us or if we had dropped out.



Mile 6: Feeling good, so changed the pace to 15 second run/30 second walk. That's the plan and everything was going right.

Mile 7-9: The Levee: Straight out and straight back. The landmarks never seem closer. And running partner was feeling the fall on her ankle. Mental mental mental. We passed INKnBURN Melissa, the Jumping Runner on her way back in with her pace group. I lost my INKnBURN Skeleton tech tube and thought I might cry. I couldn't wait for the portapottie because I didn't know when it was coming and found a nice private place under the bridge. You're welcome for that. On the way back, I found my INKnBURN skeleton tech tube and felt a boost of energy. Woohoo!!!

Mile 10-13: Running Partner's ankle was hurting. Calf was cramping. We were back to a walk. Run intervals were attempted, but just not possible. Lots of stretching was needed. But, forward progress was still being made. And, there was a sign with all three of our names on it. He had made one for us, too. There was a child on the course cheering on the straggling runners and the Comedian dug in his pocket and found that candy from earlier. The smile on that kid's face was amazing. By accepting the candy, he made one child happy. By giving it away, he made another child happy. That's my brother!!! Before I stop finish up, I should mention just how beautiful the course was. Across the bridge, through some cute neighborhoods, historic downtown, and through parks.

Mile 13.1: We found the sign the Comedian made for his coaches. He and running partner picked it up and decided we could run it in to the finish. I admit, I started to cry. I've never cried at a race. Not when I finished my first marathon, not ever. But, I'm so dang proud at this moment. My sisters were alongside the chute with my nephew. And, one of my best friends from high school met us at the finish. Haven't seen her in 30 years, but it was like old times. An ultrarunner friend of the Comedian stuck around so she could have the honor of putting the medal on his neck. There were lots of women of all ages and sizes who wanted to see him finish ... my brother, the ladies man. So, 31 years ago, he did a 3:40 marathon and today he did a similar time in a half. He's on his way back. He said he never got into the groove of his "floaty" feeling he gets at the end of a long run, but he was sticking with his running partner when she needed support even though he felt like he could have run. Secret? I didn't mind walking either.

And then, you know what he did? He went back out on the course. There was one other person still out there. The Comedian went back and ran in with him, but dropped off just before the chute to let the final runner cross on his own to celebrate his victory.

After medals, and juice (thanks, Sis), and some conversation, we headed to lunch. Then back home for a quick shower and my Sister drove me to the airport in time for work on Monday. Wheh, what a weekend. So, final thoughts ...

1.  I am so grateful that my father's legacy lives on .... and my brother would make him so very proud.
2.  I should start calling my brother my Hero or the Inspiration, because he is so much more than the Comedian
3. I am grateful that the Inspiration is taking care of himself now. Did I mention, in his training, he lost 60 pounds?
4. I'm grateful for all of the support from Ad Astra running to get him to this starting line. I call it a starting line because he signed up for another half 2 weeks later. Woot!! Now, to get them to carry INKnBURN. 

Masq Half 2015

This year has been a tough motivational year for me. I seem to have lost my MOJO and replaced it with NOJO. Seriously. So, I have not been doing much in the way of running or walking or run/walking. And, I'm getting older. It is harder to just go out there and do it without training and it takes longer to recover. Everything hurts. Sadly, I have been more along my old self of only "training on race days" lately and haven't signed up for a lot of races. But, without a race, I might not exercise.

I really like local races and I really like races with a fun theme. It gives me an excuse to put on a costume. I do not like running. YEAP, I said it. So, races give me an excuse to get out there and force myself to exercise. It's so much more fun with a crowd and with course support. And, I really do like the folks at Purpose.Race.Events. Small, local, fun. Good support. Friendly races. Friendly people. So, I signed up for the first (hopefully annual) Masq Half at the JW Marriott. This race also had a 5K and a 10K. Past years they have had a Pajama Pancake Run in October, but couldn't do it this year, so they also combined a Pancake 5K with this race. Both 5K followed the same route. The race was also coordinated with a Masquerade Ball at night, but I was flying to Kansas that afternoon, so no ball for me.

Packet pick-up this year had 2 options. Thursday night at Fleet Feet at the Rim or Saturday morning before the race. Because I like them and I think volunteering is important for any race organization, I volunteered to help with packet pick-up on Thursday night. I donned my INKnBURN mummy costume for the occasion. Any excuse to dress up, you know? It was small, mostly folks who work for Purpose and their children. A few other loyal volunteers. All very nice. I think it went smoothly. People gave their name and were looked up on an app (not my job) and I found their bib and someone in the back found their bag and shirt. A few folks changed races. A few folks signed up. There was some sort of number issue with relay races, so they had someone to help make sure those bibs were appropriately assigned. One person complained about the lack of information on the website. They wanted more information on parking. Only about 25% of racers picked up packets on Thursday, so I was worried about Saturday morning.


When I arrived on Saturday, the packet pick-up line was LOOOONNNGGGG. I didn't have to stand in it, but it seems like it moved quickly and it was cleared out before the race start at 0730. Sorority Girl and I met up with a few other INKnBURN ambassadors and took the obligatory pre-race pictures. I have so many INKnBURN outfits, but chose Nerd for this day. It seemed appropriate.  Sorority Girl wore Pirate. We also had Monarch and Calavera and MayTheFourth in our little groupings.

 There was quite the storm the night before and even the JW lost power and was running on generators. So, bathrooms were out of order and we had to find bathrooms in the staff areas. That was OK, too. Staff guiding us was very friendly. But, the rain stopped and the weather was great for running. All the races lined up together at the start. We had a brief announcement, and a prayer, and we sang the national anthem. Then we were off. I was signed up for the half, but had a flight to catch and was worried about time. I asked about switching to the half and was told they were sold out, but I could run that distance and just let the timers know I didn't do the half so I didn't get put into the wrong category for prizes (ha ... would have been closest to podium finish for me), but that I would receive the half medal. OK, that's cool by me.

Since I have NOT been training, I decided on 1 minute run/1 minute walk intervals. Sorority Girl was on board with that also as her training has been only slightly better than mine. We passed the turn-off for the 5K and somewhere about mile 2, my knees hurt. Since the next day was pretty important to me, I decided I needed to just walk it in. Sorority Girl decided to just walk with me. By about mile 3, the race was back on the golf cart paths of the resort for the rest of the route. We reached our turnaround point and I was actually relieved not to be continuing on for the half distance. Volunteers were cheerful and friendly and the company was great. We saw photographers during the last mile and decided to pick up some running again ... at least for the pictures and the finish line. The announcer saw us coming and said "who will come in first?" Well, when it's the two of us, we come in side by side. There is no sprint past one another.

We picked up our medals. Got a bite to eat. And took a few "thank goodness I'm done" pictures. Had to rush home, shower, put on compression socks and catch a plane.

As usual, I like Purpose events. Very nice people. Great course. Great support on the course. The shirts are always nice and I like the bags (but I do have a lot). I like the shirts because they have cute designs and don't have a lot of sponsor logos all over it. And the food is generally pretty good. The medals are well thought out. Check this out. Look close and it's a pair of running shoes that also are a mask. Super cute.

So, I'll be signing up for next year. It's really discounted right now. But, before then, I'm signed up for Illuminations, Missions, and Alamo 13.1. I would do Cocoa, but I'll be out of town that weekend. Hate to miss it. They have a few more races coming, too. Illuminations in March in Austin? And SpaGirl is in 4 locations in 2016. I wonder if I should do them all.  Maybe ...

Little Lace Box October 2015

Little Lace Box is a subscription box for women. It's curated for women by three sisters and isn't really described as a "lifestyle" box, but curates their boxes around particular themes. They used to be a monthly box and that is changing after the April box. I think because of their popularity, they grew really fast. They put so much thought into the curations, it has been challenging keeping up. After April ... the subscriptions are going to every other month ... six times a year. I had an annual subscription ... so it extends it out 18 months for the remaining 9 boxes. No complaints. This is my 6th box. I have 6 more coming.

You can purchase a bi-monthly subscription for $59.99. 3 boxes over 6 months for $149.97. 6 boxes over 12 months for $269.99. If you have a recurring subscription, you can email them to suspend subscription for any reason and then resume when  you are ready.  I purchased mine when the annual (12-box) subscription was $383.90 ($31.99/box). Shipping is between the 20th-23rd each month and they bill monthly just before shipping.  If you like items you receive and want more, they have an on-line boutique where you can purchase more. For every dollar you spend in the boutique or on the purchase of the box, you get a loyalty point.  50 loyalty points is one dollar to spend in the boutique.

In the process of searching for items for their curated boxes, they come across items that just don't fit the theme, but that they love and want to share. So ... the luck that takes the form of finding valuable or pleasant things ...found itself as theSerendipity pouch. The Serendipity pouch will be sent on the months that the Little Lace Box is not. I have received a few Serendipity pouches from Little Lace Box. I should share that they went "live" in September for $9.99 per month, so subscribers of the regular LLB no longer receive it as a free bonus in the off months.

 
I was really looking forward to my box when it arrived. I always am, because I have loved their curation. I appreciate the text message about shipping. In August, they had a few hints for the items in the box and I thought it was going to be an ongoing theme, but I haven't seen hints since.

I opened the box with enthusiasm. Of course, there was a fold-out detailing the items in the box. This month's theme was Authentic Autumn and the box was developed to transition into the next season and compliment a personal style.

First was a Fall Pashmina. The color options included Amethyst Orchid, Stark White, Cashmere Rose, and Soft Cream. The Orchid and Rose are apparently shades of pink and lavender. I received Stark White. The description says the fabric is 100% Pashmina Cashmere, but I am not sure I've ever seen 100% Pashmina. I am not an expert, so I can't really comment too much. I received Stark White and was pleased with it because the Rose and Orchid don't seem to scream Fall to me.  But, the white is a color I will use to brighten up my wardrobe. It is lightweight, but doesn't feel thin like summer scarves. Retail $32, but I can admit that I've seen similar for much less in New York on the streets. A few years ago, these were hard to find, but now they seem a dime a dozen.

The next three items in the box were from OFRA cosmetics. OFRA is Leaping Bunny certified, so no animal testing. Included were Absolute Face Primer, Eye Gel Primer, and Liquid Lipstick in either Rio or Santa Ana. OFRA has been in the last few boxes and Serendipity boxes, so I didn't feel like I was getting something new and original. Not being exposed to a brand that is new to me. I don't wear a lot of makeup, but when I do, I like a good primer, so I'm happy for another to try. I've never used an eye primer, but I'm excited to see if it can minimize creases and wear spots. I received the Santa Ana color and it did NOT work on me. Just a strange red that I can't explain. My blond friend received Rio and said it was very orange. Retail value $35 for Face Primer, $19.50 for Eye Primer, and $19.90 for Lipstick.

Travalo Skyline Portable Fragrance Decanter: Interesting concept and new to me. This is a way to take your favorite fragrance with you on carry-on and fit the 3.5 ounce per item limit. It's interesting. But, for me, I am not committed to a single fragrance and I love the tiny rollers I have received in other boxes and those are not a problem for carry-on. But, it will make an interesting Christmas gift at an exchange or for a few friends I know who are particular about fragrance. Retail $24

MintTeas: Tiny tin of mints made with organic tea, fruit and herbs. OK ... I carry mints with me. I'm cool with this. It doesn't feel luxurious, though and I really want luxury. Retail $2.99

Bonus Tea Forte Sample: I drink tea. The packaging was super cute for this teabag. It will make it into my rotation.

So, what do I think? Retail value was $133.99. Not bad for $31.99 that I paid. Still OK for $59.99 for new subscriptions. But, not as high as previous boxes. I am also not so sure that some of the items are things I would consider as having the listed value. So ... I'm kind of underwhelmed. Also, past boxes have seemed so well thought-out and this one seems a little rushed. The original creativity seems a little lost. I'm not sure that it fits the theme very well. My authentic self doesn't wear a lot of make-up. I loved that previous boxes had something that could be totally customized to make it really unique. Lip color, for example, is a tough one for many people. I would have liked a certificate to select a color that would be great on me instead of being sent something that just doesn't work for me. I'm actually a little underwhelmed. I know that no company can hit it out of the park every time. I'm really hoping that December will be more like past boxes ... unique and creative and spectacular.

December's theme is pulled from a great childhood story, The Little Prince. It's only with the Heart that one sees clearly what is invisible to the eye.