In the groove

Yesterday I found myself in a nice sweet spot as a runner... I ran the St Patrick's Day 8K -- as I am tapering for National 1/2 Marathon I told myself I'd run to put the miles on my legs, not for time. I even had a running partner with a slightly shorter stride and some lingering knee problems to try to take it easy. And all of you who know me well are shaking your heads and saying "Yeah right Kate..."

And you would be correct -- I went out and found myself a new personal best at 8K - I shaved a minute off my splits from the Fair Lakes 8K back in September 2006 and felt great afterwards. I did not however beat his honor Mayor Adrian Fenty. The new mayor of DC is a force to be reckoned with on the race course -- Fenty ran 6:47 splits and finished 9th in his age bracket. Not too shabby...

A fellow runner from Fall season mailed me this article about running and writing. As a tardy blogger I thought it was kind of fun.

The link between Running and Writing

Happy New Year

Well I made it through the holidays with a minimum of skipped runs, no added pounds and all of my sanity.

So far the spring season TNT'ers have had the welcome breakfast (Dec 2nd), a group run in Bethesda (Dec 9th) and a pace run (Dec 16th). December 9th presented a special treat because the Jolly Fat Man run was sharing the Capital Crescent Trail. You know that parking in Bethesda (which shouldn't be an issue at 0800 on a Saturday morning) is going to be fun when the first thing you see rounding the corner is the DC-101 promotional vehicle parked. I parked a block away and nearly croaked when I heard the race announcer say they had 700 runners. Did I mention the Crescent Trail isn't that wide? Oh and that it was 25 degrees that morning?!? Hello only crazy TNT fools should be on the trail in those conditions. No harm no foul, the race went off and we waited about half an hour and were able to run with no problem.

On the random front, over a decade in Maryland seems to have seeped in.

How Maryland Are You? Your Result: You're 100% Maryland You have erected a shrine to Ray Lewis in your living room, complete with a "BELIVE 'HON" bumper sticker on your car. You can name every county in the state and refer to Howard County as "Ho Co." The second you step over the stae line, you feel weird, and need a Natty Bo.
You're 80% Maryland
You're 60% Maryland
You're 20% Maryland
You're 40% Maryland
How Maryland Are You?

Now I don't know about shrines to Ray Lewis but rooting for the Ravens is usually a less sad exercise than being a Redskins fan. But when it comes to lacrosse I bleed black and blue not red. And it you are a Marylander you know what I mean.

I have been tagged...

I am avid reader of other blogs and apparently my habit got me tagged.

1. Explain what ended your last relationship? We grew up and apart...

2. When was the last time you shaved? I will take the 5th -- it's almost December!

3. What were you doing this morning at 8 a.m.? Checking my e-mail.

4.What were you doing 15 minutes ago? Typing a project plan

5. Are you any good at math? I prefer spreadsheets and the calculator (but my mom's 10-key skills are better than mine.)

6. Your prom night? Scary hair-do. I only recently threw out the box with the jillion hair pins that kept it in place along with the quart of hairspray.

7. Do you have any famous ancestors? Not that I know of.

8. Have you had to take a loan out for school? Nope. My parents did...

9. Do you know the words to the song on your myspace profile? No my space profile.

10. Last thing received in the mail? Netflix discs.

11. How many different beverages have you had today? Three - a glass of milk, coffee and water

12. Do you ever leave messages on people’s answering machine? Why not?

13. Who did you lose your CONCERT virginity to?

14. Do you draw your name in the sand when you go to the beach? Sometimes.

15. What is out your back door? The deck which is littered with leaves and needs to be resealed.

16. Any plans for Friday night? Yes, but they involve home improvement.

17. Do you like what the ocean does to your hair? It gives me the wavy look.

18. Have you ever received one of those big tins of 3 different popcorns? I don't think so.

19. Have you ever been to a planetarium? Probably? Some field trip?

20. Do you re-use towels after you shower? Yes.

21. Some things you are excited about? Running, knitting, baking when I get the chance

22. What is your favorite flavor of JELLO? Raspberry

23. Describe your keychain(s)? It's a cheap carabiner from Target

24. Where do you keep your change? In my wallet and in my car's center console (for parking).

25. What kind of winter coat do you own? Which one? I like coats for some reason. Currently I have one PETA would hate, a long brown wool one I bought in Italy, and pretty blue green one from last season.

26. What was the weather like on your graduation day? Sunny for high school and college.

27. Do you sleep with the door to your room open or closed? Depends

28. Did you read this far? If you did - TAG! You're it!