Kathleen's Adventures

I forgot to include the turkey, bacon, avocado, blue cheese club sandwich on the huge porch at Central Market last Saturday night as one of the huge highlights of my first week!  Wow that was good. Austin is absolutely kicking my butt.  I did a 10 mile run tonight and nearly died.  Are we noticing a trend here - that I have nearly died during/after each workout?  Hopefully that ends somewhat soon!  To be fair this run had a good 5 mile section in the middle that had far more up than down.  We just kept going up and up and up.  The last 2 miles were down or flat, so that made it okay.  I had a blast running with the girls and hope to run with them again.  It was 92 degrees at the end of the run at 8:45pm.  BUT it wasn't super humid and actually felt pretty good once the sun started going down. This morning I had a bit of an interesting "scare."  Sometime in the last 2 weeks or so I was in Houston, I felt something that had poppe...

Goodness - there is so much to say, but I'm beyond too tired to say it all!  Below are a few highlights from my first week or so in Austin: -  I did my first T3 ride Saturday.  We rode a "flatter" route and it still kicked my tail.  Kim and Tim were both in town so it was a treat to have old friends in my new place.  Near the end of the ride, I comforted myself by thinking "well, it can only get better from here" when I was dying.  The Austin terrain is either going to kill me or make me stronger...let's hope for the latter! -  Tonight I tried out the PAC tri group and it was awesome.  If I do their Tues/Thu open water swims and spin class on a regular basis I'm going to be ready to at least kick my own butt before too long (not necessarily sure about anyone else's though!).  I was also greeted with a huge rainbow as I walked on the little trail down to the lake on my way to the swim workout.  Doing a full workout in a lak...

Enough about me, now for my friends.  I have obviously been somewhat MIA on my blog, but recently I've also been MIA on all my friends' blogs.  Wow - they have done a lot - and I want to share! Liz had a smokin' PR at the Seattle Rock n Roll Marathon. Jeremy just took care of some "unfinished business" at IMCDA.  Jeremy was hit by a car training for his first half ironman in 2007.  It was bad.  But, in true ironheart fashion, he not only came back, but came back at twice the distance of that race he was training for.  He had not yet done a half ironman by the time CDA came along - he wanted to "finish what he started" three years ago in a GRAND way.  And that, he did. His hometown newspaper also wrote a nice article about his journey the week before his race.  I'm sure that was no pressure or anything! Greg .  This one really needs a post of its own, and hopefully it will get one soon.  Greg was married to Stephanie Johnson....

A LOT has gone on in the last week.  To say it has been a crazy one would be an understatement.  I guess the biggest news to come out of the week is that I'm stepping out of my comfort zone...about 165 miles out of my comfort zone.  I'm moving to Austin. Soon.   I interviewed for an internal audit position on Monday and had verbally accepted an offer by Tuesday afternoon.  I start work there Wednesday, July 21.  This is something I have wanted for as long as I've been away from Austin (6 years), but something I did nothing about until just recently.  I'm going to wear out the word "bittersweet" very soon, but it is the best way to describe the move.  A friend told me I was "sappy" - what her kids call sad and happy.  I think I like it!  I am soooooo excited about the new opportunity, new experience, new city, new people, all in a place I love.  At the same time I'm scared, overwhelmed, and beyond sad at the thought of leav...

UPDATE - we have also decided to raise some money for Chester's care, which will no doubt be very expensive. If you want to help out specifically for that, please specify when you send money, and I'll get a separate visa gift card for that, or even just write a check. UPDATE #2 - Tri On The Run has donated a pair of shoes for Danny - he gets to go pick out the pair of his choice...and the owners happen to be dog lovers...I think we've got something good over there!! UPDATE #3 - WOW.  I am blown away by the generosity of friends and strangers alike.  If you don't run or aren't part of a running club, I suggest you join one ASAP!  Emails went out to two big running clubs in the area this morning and the response has been overwhelming.  All people needed to hear was "fellow runner in need" and they were there to help in a heartbeat!  In addition to the shoes from Tri On The Run, Luke's Locker is now rounding up clothes and gear for Danny, ...

A friend of mine lost everything he owned this evening in a fire in Houston.  Thankfully, no one was hurt, and it looks like his dog is going to make it - although he apparently inhaled a lot of smoke while waiting to be rescued. A story about the fire is here , and video is here . He and his family grew up across the street from me in Beaumont, and our families still live there.  I felt completely helpless when I heard about the fire this afternoon/evening, and if you know me, you know I can't stand to sit around and do nothing - while my "ideas" might not always be the greatest, I try.  I'm not one to sit patiently and feel the need to "take action" whenever possible.  Nothing is different this time - hopefully I've figured out a way to help out in a little, small way.  Danny started running recently and loves it.  He was planning to do his first triathlon later this summer.  I don't want him to have to give up his new-found fitness because ...

Interactions with some people – friends, acquaintances, even complete strangers – are such an awesome breath of fresh air. You know the ones – they leave you not only with a smile on your face, but with joy in your heart. I just had one such “encounter” – a phone call from a friend I have not talked to in a while – and it just left me with a little more joy in my heart than was there before we talked. I constantly thank God for people like that, and for such encounters – they can be as simple as a quick hug from an old friend or a wave from a total stranger, or as long as spending a day with someone “who gets you.” I had a similar experience in Beaumont recently on a bike ride. I spent a good three hours riding, talking, and hanging out with someone I have known for a while, but not really known, and I was left just thinking “wow, what an awesome person, and how fun to get to spend time with them.” That same ride I briefly spoke with a couple afterward who also left me with a happy hea...