Kathleen's Adventures

But it looks as if my dentist (or my dental insurance company) assumes I am. I am learning the very very hard way that for the most part, dental insurance is a joke. I will be paying anywhere from $3,000 to $5,000+ out-of-pocket over the next however long for dental work. That includes 3 crowns, 1 root canal, 2 fillings, gum graft surgery, gum surgery around my back lower molars, and removal of 2 wisdom teeth. Crowns are supposedly covered at 50% by my insurance, but somehow it ends up that only about 25% of a $950 crown gets covered (so if you are doing the math, that is over $2,000 out of pocket right there for 3 crowns). My root canal was supposed to be covered at 80%, however that is only 80% of what the insurance company deems appropriate, which is of course lower than what is actually charged, so I paid 20%, plus the difference between what my insurance thinks is a fair price and what the price actually was. Insurance will only pay $1,500 a year for any and all dental work, ...

Warning: Don't read any further if toenails/feet gross you out. Last Tuesday afternoon I had surgery to hopefully permanently fix my ingrown toenails. Oddly, my toes looked better than they had in years when I went in. For quite a while I did not have enough of a nail on either of my big toes to cause much trouble (i.e. getting ingrown). Now that they seem to be growing better again, presumably from better shoes/orthotics/running gait, etc, I'm excited to have close-to-normal looking toes again, but not so excited about the ingrown toenails coming back. I had never gone to a podiatrist for my toenail issues until a few months before IMFL. I was always able to "fix" them on my own, but this time around they were becoming too much for me to handle. Everything hurt on my big toes, always. I went in twice to let the dr. dig them out which was super fun, but did not get them fixed for good because you cannot swim for 2-3 weeks after which was not going to work heading int...

I've got my game shirt (thanks Shellie!!) on today for my oh-so-exciting ingrown toenail surgery this afternoon. I'm not looking forward to it in the least, and have a feeling I might be a big sissy about it, but maybe wearing this shirt will at least make me look hardcore. I'll report back afterward on the procedure - I really have no idea what to expect other than how awesome needles in my big toes are going to feel. I also know I can't swim for 2-3 weeks, but do not know much other than that. I do know I need to do something to fix them though because I've had issues or 18 years, since I started doing pointe in ballet when I was 10. Lately they are worse and worse and socks hurt, shoes hurt, the sheets on my bed hurt, kicking in the pool hurts - you get the idea.

With pink! We already knew that, of course, but whohoo!!! The pink Coach purse has disappeared from the racks at TJ Maxx, but that is okay. Jon got me a pink Kate Spade bag for Christmas instead that is perfect! It is bigger than what I will use for an everyday purse, but will still get plenty of use - it's pink after all (and one of the nicer non-triathlon related things I own, you know so I can pretend sometimes that I'm a normal girl and care about normal girly stuff). Next, shoes. We all know I love my Newton Universal Racers - in pink! I'm on my second pair and am trying to save them for just racing. In order to do that, I also bought Newton Lady Isaac Guidance Trainers to do most of my training miles in. They are heavier than the racers (which I would actually call the weight of most lightweight trainers), but still a bit lighter than the trainers I had been in forever. I would call them a good cross between the racer and a regular trainer. The lugs on the bottom ar...

I have recently started running with girls from the BBH home, a Harris County Juvenile probationary home. Only those girls who have the best behavior are allowed to come run, so it is a privilege to them. Many have never run before, but they are all doing great. We just do one loop of the park each time they come. They are so excited when they get there and are already looking to better their times each time around. I noticed after the first run that they were wearing heavy cotton socks (county issued) and were getting blisters, so I thought I might get them some dryfit socks to help out. I got pretty excited about getting them stuff, then took a step back and asked myself if I should be rewarding girls who have done something to get themselves in the corrections system in the first place. Then I immediately answered myself back, thinking they have been punished enough. They are away from their families, friends, schools, etc. Anything I can do to encourage something good (i.e., ru...

I would have purchased this: at TJ Maxx. Quite the steal, don't you think? A PINK Coach purse, marked down from a lovely $498. But alas, when I do have $249 in my back pocket it will go to my entry fee for the Lonestar Half Ironman in Galveston in April...not a pink purse. I spend money on pink carbon and pink spandex, unfortunately not pink purse (unless the price is right, and $249 is not right, at least right now).

Yup! That's me. I obviously have some explaining to do though. Last year I ran the Jingle Bell run just a few weeks after I started back up again after being so sick (later found out it was POTS ). I ran there saying I had to keep my heart rate at or below 85% max (170 for me). That produced a stellar run at 12:50 min/mile, with an overall time of 1:03:16. It was so hard for me to go that slow, but I knew it was the only way I could ensure (or at least hope) I was not going to do any more damage, and was the best way I knew to slooooowly come back. Well, I think my approach worked. This year I ran 21 minutes faster and finished in 42:06. That equates to an 8:25 pace (I actually think it was faster than that - everyone's garmins measured the course long, at 5.1 miles, giving me an 8:17 pace. Doesn't matter for results as everyone ran the same course, just a good bit of info to file away in my brain to use for comparison, etc going forward). The weather this year...

I want one. I have not taken a real vacation since my senior year of high school (and that was 3 whopping nights in Mexico). Oh wait, I did go snow skiing my sophomore year of college with the UT water ski team, so I will call that a vacation too (again, I think it was 3 nights and also included the awesome drive to and from Colorado). Besides that, all my travel in the last decade has revolved first around waterskiing and now around swimming, biking, and/or running. Most of the time I have fun on those trips (and have gotten to do/see some pretty neat things because of skiing and triathlons), but they are far from relaxing and I rarely get to spend much time after the race relaxing or doing anything fun because I do not have tons of vacation time. That is changing as of Jan 1, when I get more vacation, and I will get even more starting next October. Now, I just need somewhere to go and someone to go with me. Preferably somewhere with a beach. Oh, I guess I might need some money too. I...

Is what I will be running in Houston come January 17. I had said all along that this past weekend's run would be the determining factor in whether I stuck with the full for Houston or switched to the half, as the deadline to change is this Thursday. I said before this weekend that I imagined I would end up sticking with the full. I had to miss out on it last year because I was sick, and that was tough because had I not gotten sick after running St. George in October 2008, I could have built on that training and had the possibility of a really great run in Houston. But my health had other ideas. This time around I was fired up because I ran well at IMFL and had some really good training runs leading up to IMFL as well. I know though that my body may have different intentions/desires than my head. I know I did not run more than 10 miles the entire month after IMCDA this summer, and that even then some of those runs were a bit tough. When I sat down after IMFL to plan out what I w...

Saturday morning, Stephanie, Randy, Jon and I all headed up to Huntsville to run the Texas Trail Run, the race formally known as Sunmart (the largest trail race in the US). Essentially Sunmart pulled out as the big sponsor after 19 years and they weren't sure if the race was going to even happen. Roger Soler Sports out of San Antonio put it on, but on a much, much smaller scale. The good thing about it though is Sunmart was usually a 50k/50mile race. This year around they did it as a 20k/50k, so those of us not in 50k shape were still able to race. There is no way I could have run the 50k just four weeks after IMFL . I wish my body worked differently, but it just doesn't work that way for me. Our biggest challenge of the day was getting to Huntsville. Houston had a rare early-season snow/ice/winter storm on Friday, leaving many frozen streets, bridges, highways, etc. We left around 5:45am and saw quite a few wrecks on I-45 in town. We never felt unsafe and just drove very ...

Hmmm ....this one is actually pretty hard this year. I do not really need much and as usual (or maybe even moreso than usual this year), I have purchased many of the things I "needed" already this year. I really had all intentions of waiting until Christmas to get the new Garmin 310 xt , but my 305 conveniently died in September and I had no bike computer, etc, without one so that was an early Christmas present to myself. I cannot think of many specific things I want right now, but clothes and tri stuff in general are always fun. I actually do need more work clothes and shoes, but that is so boring. Gift certificates are always appreciated and used. DeSoto Sports and SkirtSports are two of my most frequently-shopped sites lately. Terry Cycling is pretty fun too. I think this skirt from SkirtSports is particularly cute, but a bit expensive at the same time. I guess it is for a good cause though. I can usually do some damage at Luke's Locker in town as well, now e...

Today I am thankful for my nieces. They are awesome. I look forward to seeing them for days and weeks before every visit. I am excited to see Kate in her first Nutcracker at Christmas, and Molly as Chip, the Teacup, in her school's production of Beauty and the Beast in February. Here are the girls trying on their new cold weather accessories in preparation for a cooold Turkey Trot.

Today I am thankful for the power of prayer. I'm certain it helps me every day, and it also just happened to save the life of my friend's mom . Read the story - it is quite amazing and I know I was praying as hard as I know how as this was all going on. Another note on prayer - Mrs. Clark asked me what I do on such long bike rides, especially since we are not allowed to listen to music in races. I did not really have much of an answer for her, but during IMFL I remembered immediately - I pray. A lot. I pray every time I see a biker on the side of the road with an issue, I pray prayers of thanks for me being able to be there racing in the first place, I pray that everyone will stay safe, and the list goes on and on.

Today I am thankful for Dad. Just 'cause. Too many reasons to list, but one of the most notable would be the fact that he is doing a darn good job of making 77 look young. And I expect him to do a good job of making 87 look young when the time come as well.

Today I am thankful for trails, specifically the Memorial Park Hike and Bike Trails . No, not the 2.9 mile jogging path that we run circles on over and over (thankful for that too, it sure isn't Town Lake, but it is the best Houston's got), but the the ones on the south side of the park. A short 2 minute ride or run past the trail head, and you'd have no idea you are right in the middle of one of the nation's biggest cities. On my run there today I saw two other people total - granted the trails were technically closed because of Saturday's rain - but you can usually completely escape "life" back there as the trails twist and turn, up and down, across creeks, and through the woods. Hundreds of us use the main loop at the park on a daily basis, yet most never venture back on the other side to one of Houston's best hidden treasures. Trail running (or biking, or even just going for a walk) is just such a nice change in pace from the concrete jungles most ...

Today I am thankful for my ability to run. I know that may sound similar to being thankful for my legs, but I feel that when I finally "learned how to" run, I also started to learn that there was not much I cannot do. Learning to run the first three miles was the hardest part of any of this endurance stuff that I have done, and it took nearly 10 years to get there. I started "trying to run" in probably 7th or 8th grade. I would set up a plan, and stick to it for about a week, and probably never got to running more than 1/4 mile or so at a time without walking. It was not until I was 22 that I finally ran my first mile ever, and then it took two more months from there to be able to run three miles consistently at a time. I grew up swimming, and anyone can ride a bike, so running was the missing link when it came to me and triathlon. My first 5k ever came after a 1/2 mile swim and 12.5 mile bike. My first marathon came right about a year after I ran my first mile, and...

Today I am thankful for the Houston Racing Triathlon Club . I went to my first meeting several years ago, only after Jill dragged me there. I had been a member for over a year, but too afraid to go to a meeting by myself. Just a few years later, I found myself on the board as membership coordinator in 2008, and as president in 2009. My days on the board are quickly coming to an end, and while I will enjoy having a few more Monday evenings to do what I wish, I think I am going to miss it more than I originally envisioned. We as a board had a good year and somehow managed to get more people involved than in the past. We had several meeting with over 100 people, growing out of every meeting venue we had used in the past. I have met some of my closest friends through Houston Racing, and was also first inspired to do an Ironman after reading someone's race report in the newsletter.

Today I am thankful for my legs. While I doubt they will be asked to model the latest running skirt or shoes, they have taken me to some wonderful places. They have not always been 100%, but they have gone way above and beyond what I have asked of them at times. I am thankful I have two legs that can take me anywhere at all. Yes, there have been times I have said I wanted a cheetah leg for my right one because it seems to always have something wrong with it, but I feel bad even joking about it. Many people have legs that don't work, or don't even have legs at all...yet mine have taken me over the course of 8 marathons, 4 ironmans, 7 half ironmans, 3 50ks, 4 MS150s, and countless other races, rides, etc. (I'm thankful for pink running skirts too!!!! (and pink shoes, and pink socks, and pink calf sleeves))

Today I am thankful for my job. My boss is wonderful, the culture is great, and our company president and his son ran 20 miles of the Houston marathon with my best friend last year (until Kelly dropped them like a bad habit). This year he and his son are on a quest to break 4 hours (no problem...they did 4:08 in their first last year) after he promised the company he was going to do so. I get to play with glitter. I am rarely bored and somehow my boss manages to keep my challenged even in the cool "internal audit" role that I have. So, yes, the real estate industry isn't in the best shape right now, and no one at the company got a raise last year, but I know they would have given them to us if they could have and left it at that, instead of feeling disgruntled, unappreciated, or overworked. I value and appreciate my co-workers and know that they do the same for me. I fear the day that my boss leaves and/or the day I have to get a job elsewhere.

Today I am thankful for Jon. I have no idea what the future holds for us, but I do know I have thoroughly enjoyed the time I have spent with him and cannot imagine him not being a part of my life now. Each night for the past 13 months I have asked God to help us continue to grow together and also thanked God for bringing him into my life. Jon has challenged me to become a better person, and I hope I have done the same for him.

Today I am thankful for great friends like Melissa and Stephanie. Melissa and I went out to a long overdue dinner and talked for over an hour and half. Stephanie forwarded along some awesome advice, and gave me a new perspective on something I thought I was familiar with, but gave me a completely different way to look at it. I have something to work on for myself and I'm excited about it.

Today I am thankful for my sister, Elizabeth. When we were little, I always looked up to her and wanted to do everything she did. Well, nothing has changed now that we are older. I still want to be just like her. I kind of missed the boat on the whole husband and kids thing, but I can still hope maybe one day I'll have a family like hers with a wonderful husband and beautiful, awesome kids.

(a little more on my race is here ) If you have read my blog any time over the 7 weeks leading up to Ironman Florida, you know that just a few days after Kristi McCarthy's death on September 19, this race took on an entirely new meaning. I was Racing Against Drunk Driving in her memory and honor. My initial goal was to raise $1,000, then $5,000, then $7,500, then $10,000, then...well, you get the idea. All in all, we ended up raising $15,000. I thought I was the third highest fundraiser when I arrived in Florida, which would have qualified me for an additional $6,000 donation from Janus to MADD . I was crushed on Thursday when I found out I was in fifth at best (qualifies for a $2,000 donation from Janus) because a few people had been raising money entirely offline so the information I had was not complete. That news ruined my day that day. I was completely bummed and felt like I had let a lot of people down. I woke up Friday though and decided it was time to get over it and tha...