Blaze-ing a New Route

I just started the new Richard Bachman (aka Stephen King) novel, Blaze, this week. I am a huge SK fan, having read every book he has put out & hoping to own them all someday. He also recently wrote a short novella for Esquire Magazine called "The Gingerbread Girl" that is fantastic! I went to the library & photocopied the story for my own reading pleasure, & of course made copies for Jill & Dave. It was incredible - I could not put it down, really - & its all about a runner!! I don't think I will be running alone on the beach anytime soon.

Dave & I are blazing a new running route tomorrow. We are following the course for the Inaugural 2008 Geist Half Marathon. It is run mostly on secondary & subdivision roads, which means when there is no sidewalk, there is also likely no shoulder. Could be fun stuff. We are getting started at 7am, so we should miss any traffic & be done before it gets too humid.

Tonight is dinner & drinks at Kona Grill with the usual suspects. Half price appetizers, pizzas, sushi & drink specials are enough to make me leave work early to get a few of the coveted tables in the patio area. This is where I was first turned on to Mojitos, a yummy rum & fresh mint concoction that is like being on vacation. Ahhh... no heavy drinking for me tonight. 7am will come quickly & 13 miles hung over is not fun.

Holly gets her own paragraph this week on my blog - she just completed her second Sprint Triathlon last weekend at Eagle Creek Park in 1:33:16. She is my hero. (background music - Beaches song: Did i ever tell you you're my hero....). She ran the mini for the 1st time in May & then does a Tri in June. Spectacular! See her blog for great pics & commentary.

Lastly, we are gearing up for the busy month of July - Birthdays: Kel's 30th, Heather's 34th & my 31st, the 4th of July holiday & parties, the Def Leppard/Styx/REO Speedwagon concert & the trip to Colorado for the half marathon.

All things Shiny & New!

New babies:

Congrats to Annemarie - she delivered a baby girl named Liliana on 6/14/07. Mom and baby are happy & healthy. She looks like a cutie from her blog pics!

Congrats to Dave - he finally announced that he will be a Hoosier Daddy sometime in late November or early December. Check out his page for a cute ultrasound pic that I am dying to photoshop some baby running shoes & a GPS onto!

New blogs & websites:

The Fritz' are online! Y-E-S! I have also added them to my sidebar of blogs I stalk. We do a ton of stuff with them and their blog is sure to entertain.

Laura is online with a webpage for her personal training & pilates studio, called So.Be.Fit. it always has great pics, workout links & is a fabulous place to do pilates. I try to frequent there, but have been struggling recently, so I hope to get back into the swing of things Monday. You should go, check it out, tell her I sent you, and get your abs kicked by the best trainer in town.

Baseball schedule:

Here is whats left of Keith's 2007 baseball schedule. To those of you who have been asking for it, I am sorry it took me so long to post. I am a ditz. The last column is the location of the game. Hope to see you there!

Running:

We finally signed up for the US Half Marathon on Copper Mountain, Colorado today. Hill training has been ok, but tiring. An 8 miler seems much tougher when the hills at Williams Creek are coupled with 90 degree days & high humidity. I have began running with Jenny again, which I immensely enjoy. She makes me go faster than I am used to, which means I can't talk as much as normal! Its torture, but I love it. This weekend, we are off to run at Eagle Creek (Hill Hell) with Laura, Eric & Erin. I have never run with the 3 of them, so if I die, its their fault!

I have also started running 2-3 mornings a week with Keith. It is a struggle, but he manages to get my butt moving for at least 2 miles. Most mornings, Keith totally beats me to the finish! I am more of an evening runner myself, but I love that it frees up my nights to do errands or just relax.

Recreation:

I wrote recently that we went mountain biking with friends & here is the 'after' pic to prove it.
It was very therapeutic for Laura & I, as we were bringing up the back of the pack while everyone else was racing to be the lead dog! Keith and I have also been doing some canoeing on the Tippecanoe River & plan on going tomorrow with family as well. Other than that, its just every day tasks, running, lifting weights & playing with Eldon.