Cute Kitten with No Name

This little guy needs a name. Help me pick one!

High Heels are Overrated

I have runner's knee. Again.

Wanna know what made it flare up again? Heels. High heels, the kind you wear when you wanna look nice. Professional. Smart. Sassy. Sophisticated.

But looking classy comes at a painful price!

Big deal, right?

Wrong.

Why? Because I'm a runner. And when a runner can't run, she gets sad.

The Kansas City Half Marathon is weeks away. Will I be ready? I'm not sure!

Oy vey!

But I found a sliver lining. Swimming. I've been swimming all summer, training for the previously mentioned triathlon. And although I knew swimming to be one of the best conditioning workouts, I didn't know the swim-to-run ratio until now.

According to CoolRunning.com, you only have to swim about 1/4 of what you would run. So a six mile run would be equivalent to a 1.5 mile swim. It's just too bad my gym only has a 25 meter pool. Makes for a lot of laps. But it's a good substitute while I rest my knee.

Also, did you know the bike-to-run ratio is 4:1? Every four miles you bike equals one mile running... so says former FOX 4 sports director Frank Boal. Miss that guy.

And speaking of cycling, RAGBRAI 2010 is July 25-31. Count me IN! As for my heels? They're out. For good.

Jackson County Tri

2009 Jackson County Triathlon Highlights

1.) I thought I was going to drown during the swim.

2.) I spotted a kayak with a red floatie trailing behind it and seriously thought about grabbing hold.

3.) I swallowed so much water, I'm surprised my belly didn't turn into a darn aquarium. 

4.) After the swim I was MAD. Mad that I started in the back of the pack rather than the front. I could have saved myself from having a dozen panic attacks trying to swim past someone. 

5.) During the bike one awesome cyclist wiped out, got back up, and eventually passed me-while dripping blood. I was impressed. Helmets off to her!

6.) During the bike transition, I nearly forgot to take off my bike shoes. Imagine running in those. TRAGIC!

7.) With my running sneakers on, the run was great. Felt good and strong.

8.) I finished 1:26.14 -- six minutes faster than the last time I competed there. Placed ninth in my age group.

9.) My friend, Kerry? She did the long course and finished fourth in overall women! ROCK STAR!

10.) Next triathlon is Sept. 12. It'll be cold by then and I don't have a wet suit. Should make for a fun blog! 

Also, check out my Twitter friend Shelly Centis. She took FIRST in the Santa Rosa Marathon. FIRST! She won a bike. Hop on over to give her a big cyber high five! 

Oh, and she has a pet chicken. That's worth a cyber high five alone. ;)

Top 10 for First-Time Triathletes

Tomorrow I will be competing in my first triathlon in over a year and a half, and in honor of the big shin dig, I thought I'd pass along my top ten list for first-time triathletes...

TOP TEN THINGS FIRST-TIME TRIATHLETES SHOULD KNOW

1. Your competition IS peeing in the water.

2. Put your goggles on before they sound the horn. HELLO!?!

3. Know that during the swim, getting kicked in the head is normal, as is gulping water and fearing for your life.

4. When exiting the water, know that your bike will be difficult to find unless you've got fireworks going off beside it.

5. Once on your bike, if you need to pee, go ahead. You're already wet.

6. When pedaling up hill, it helps to pretend you're Lance Armstrong. Or Moses.

7. When passing those few fat men, don't gloat. They CAN, and mostly likely will, catch up.

8. Once you hop off your bike, your legs WILL feel like grape Jell-O.

9. Run fast -- or not -- but don't walk. The shaking will stop. For most. Eventually.

10. Finish strong. Food and drink (and a real toilet) will be waiting, as will your next triathlon.

SWIM BIKE RUN! Love it or hate, but do it! At least once in your life. ;)

XO!

Telly Blogging

Blogging from my telly! Look at me go. Life has gotten sooooo much easier. xo lovies! ;)

Frogs and Blogs

I really need to blog.

I will. I promise.

Soon.

Big Giant Band Aids, Please

In the interest of job security, I will bite my tongue and let Photoshop speak on my behalf.

These are sad times in television news.

I wish my parted colleagues the very best, and trust God's grace to be sufficient in the difficult times ahead.

I love you all. You will be greatly, tremendously missed.

Husband

Black man. Sexy man. My man.

Strong arms. Pretty smile. Bubble butt.

Tease me. Squeeze me. Please me.

Makes me laugh. Let's me cry.

Texts.

Ridiculous messages.

That I keep. Forever.

Flirty eyes. Fire flies. Dance. Like we do - to music he picks for me.

Closes the blinds. Rolls his eyes. Hears me sigh.

All. The. Time.

He sleeps. Beautifully. But not enough.

Best friend. True love.

He's the iron -- that sharpens me.

Snuggle him. Cuddle him. Love him.

Forever.

New Hair: RESULTS!

You voted (thank you) and the results are in! The winner of my fabulous new hair is ..... drum roll please ..... Option E!

Figures.

Of course the majority of you choose the only option that requires me to walk around with a fan blowing in my face 24-7. And since that really could become quite cumbersome, I decided to go with a different look altogether. See for yourself....


Hawt, huh? My darling husband thinks it looks the same, but whatev. I washed it this morning, turned on the blow dryer for a couple of minutes and walked out the door. Not too shabby for wash-and-go hair!

Thanks to Meagan Kelleher and InStyle.com for helping create this interactive project. And thanks to YOU for voting -- whether on FB, Twitter, or here! Y'all rock. Thanks. xo!

Option A:

Option B:

Option C:Option D:

Option E:

Option F:

Option G:

Roadside Treasures

Never in a million years would I choose to high tail it out the door and head to the interstate with a camera in hand just to hang out along the shoulder. But that's exactly what I did yesterday--for an assignment.

I was there to catch motorcycle riders making the cross-country trek for "Ride to the Wall." Their destination: the Vietnam Memorial in Washington DC. And I was to capture the moment they passed through Kansas City.

Despite the fact that I went east instead of west and had to turn around, I was 45 minutes early. That meant I had 45 minutes to look like a skinny little hitchhiker with truckers driving by blaring their horns.

It was fun.

While I waited, I wandered. And found treasures you can only find alongside the road if you really look...

But now what I want to know, is how did these items fall out of a car traveling 70 mph and end up alongside the road? I also want to know what's flown out my car window without me knowing...