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This One Time I Ran a Marathon…

June 23, 2014 by Kiki 46 Comments

Happy Monday!

Today is race day for me so I am spending my day drinking water like crazy and shoving some carbs in my mouth before my 10 pm half marathon. Fingers crossed for good weather as well!

I have never run a race in the evening, I have a crazy stomach which tends to behave best when I run in the morning so I am a bit worried about how tonight will go. To get me pumped up for tonight I am linking up with Beka and the Runners Tell All to share my favorite running story.

I started running my senior year of high school but never took it too seriously until two summers ago when I signed up for my first half marathon. After that first race I was hooked and signed up for several more races in the following year. I never had considered running a full marathon though so when the Eugene Marathon registration began last spring I went ahead and signed up for the half marathon distance.

Running a half marathon wasn’t going to be an issue for me, I frequently was running 8-10 mile distances every week so I knew I wasn’t challenging myself. I was too afraid to take the plunge and sign up for the full marathon though, that is until my Dad got me all pumped up one night and before I knew it I was changing my race distance to the full marathon.

I only had two months to official train for the full marathon. I felt confident in my training though and the day before my race I was pumped and ready. Of course I chose to go car shopping the day before my race (car shopping is just the worst!) which ended in a break down over my pasta dinner and me ready to pull out of the race.

I pulled myself together somehow (my mom gave me one of those much needed tough love talks and told me to put my big girl pants on) and before I knew it I was at the start line in my leopard pj throw away top ready to attempt running 26.2 miles.

The roller coaster of feelings you go through when running a marathon is exhausting in itself. I went from school girl giggles to almost crying to extreme pain in my hips all within the first few miles. I also quickly regreted my running pants choice when I realized I would be constantly pulling them up during the run.

Note to self, make sure your pants will stay up when running tonight

The crowds really make the experience so wonderful though and I loved reading all the awesome signs and seeing the great costumes along the way. My favorite fans of the day were my family who had been recruited to hand me gels throughout the race.

Around mile 23 I ran past a group of guys who were trying to hand out beer and doughnuts to the runners. They thought this was a great idea but I about puked right there from the smell.

A few minutes after that I saw someone collapse and a stretcher wheeling off another person, I was certain I was going to die! Somehow though I found myself on the final stretch with my family cheering my name and me wheezing so loud I sounded like a dying animal.

Those first minutes after I finished my marathon I didn’t know what to do with myself. Do I keep standing, sit down, pass out, cry or what! Lucky for me my mom was sure to catch those first minutes on camera.

My first move was to cry to my family about how much pain I was in while my sister tried to convince me to eat the banana she had just gave me.

Then I collapsed…

And discovered a whole new level of pain when I tried to stretch.

Finally I took everyone’s advice, ate my banana and took off my shoes. I felt like a whole new woman.

Since hundreds of people were walking around us my family finally convinced me to stand up so I could move out of the way. I was sure to show the disgust at this idea on my face.

But once it is all said and done I just wanted to celebrate, I mean I just survived my first marathon!

Having the support of family and friends really made this experience so wonderful for me. I highly recommend recruiting your own pit crew for your future runs. While my pit crew will be much smaller tonight I know my family will be cheering me on back in Oregon!

I am off to update my playlist. Have a great Monday everyone!

Question of the Day?
What is your favorite running experience? What is currently your pump up song?

What Do You Do All Day?

June 19, 2014 by Kiki 42 Comments

Today I am linking up with one some of my favorite bloggers Helene and Sarah for their #totalsocial link up. This months theme is your typical 9-5 workday.

My weekdays are starting to blend together but for the most part they follow the same basic schedule. That is for one more week at least, after that it is 5 weeks summer holiday for me! Back to my current 9-5 though.

7 am : I like waking up a bit earlier to spend sometime reading blogs, making last minute edits to my post for the day, and most important enjoying coffee and breakfast. I am a breakfast gal all the way and my day does not start until I have a nice meal in my belly.

I wish this was my breakfast every morning!

8 am : H has finally gotten up, and because I am such a polite girlfriend I try and stay quiet until then. This results in the next 20 minutes being pure chaos as I run around the bedroom throwing clothes everywhere trying to get ready. It seems to not matter how much time I give myself I am always rushing last minute to get out the door. My bike rides to work (on good weather days, or days that I don’t get pooped on by seagulls which may or may not of happened to me this morning) along the sea are more than welcomed after a hectic rush in the morning.

9-4 : My work hours are really flexible but I usually arrive to work a bit before 9 and am rarely every at work past 4. I love my work hours!

My mornings usually start by listening to my co-workers greet each other with small talk and challenge myself to listen in. Sometimes I succeed and can respond to the conversation (in English) other times they see my confused look and summarize things in English for me. I really have the best co-workers and they have welcomed me with open arms, which is not always the case when you work in a office full of ladies! After some morning chat I being my tasks for the day.

I work at a University where I’am the program administrator in the Computer Science Department. I handle the graduate program, which lucky for me is taught entirely in English. On a daily basis I answer student questions, deal with applications for our program, assist the professors in scheduling classrooms etc, and any other little thing that may come up.

My favorite part of my job though is handling the English website and the marketing of our program. Like I said, the masters classes are all taught in English, but the majority of faculty is Icelandic and our English website was in need of some help. Getting to create the website and see my own ideas put into action has been really rewarding and I am loving that aspect of my job.

Even though I really enjoy my job there are some cons that I experience during my daily 9-5. With the majority of the faculty being Icelandic this means that most of the conversations around me are in Icelandic. At first this made me feel really uncomfortable but I am slowly getting use to it. I will say it is not the most fun sitting at a lunch table having no idea what is going on around you but I guess it is one way to work on my Icelandic skills!

I mean really, my job gives me 5 weeks paid vacation, fun work parties, a ridiculous amount of flexibility, and a standing desk, and sends me to places like the Blue Lagoon, what more could I want!

Question of the Day?
What is does your typical 9-5 look like?

Thoughts About Running

June 18, 2014 by Kiki 47 Comments

With less than a week away from my half marathon I am coming to the end of my training schedule. I don’t know if it has been the windy Icelandic weather, lack of motivation, or just being lazy but this training period has been much more difficult for me than when I was training for a full marathon last year! I hope this isn’t a sign for how my run is going to go on race day.

Today while out on my run I was trying to motivate myself with positive thoughts. This led to me thinking exactly what really goes through my head while I am on a run and it is not always motivating. Without further ado here is the thoughts that run through my head during a half marathon.

Pre-race: My adrenaline is rushing and I am ready to run this race!

via

Miles 1-3: Running is so fun, this race is going to be no problem for me.

via

Miles 4-6: These crowds are awesome, it is like having my own personal cheersquad. Go me go!

via

Miles 7-9: Ugh another terrible song. What was I thinking when I made this playlist? All of these songs are so annoying!

via

Why is my body refusing to go faster! Maybe if I move my arms quicker it will give me speed.

via

Miles 10-11: Why did I think this was a good idea? I hate running!

via

This guy in front of me is so annoying, his motivational cheering is not helping.

via

Miles 12-13: This is tourture. That curb felt like climbing a mountain! Ugh my hips are broken. How have only 2 minutes passed, this is never going to end!

via

Mile 13.1-13.2: I can see the finish line, sudden burst of energy where was this three miles ago!

via

5 Minutes After the Race: I just need to sit down for a minute, maybe all day.

via

Two Hours After Run: Lets celebrate by eating and drinking everything in sight and signing up for another marathon!

via

Question of the Day?
Are you a fan of running? What goes through your head when your on a run?

Linking up with Treasure Tromp and the Grits Blog.

10 Surprising Icelandic Facts

June 17, 2014 by Kiki 74 Comments

Iceland is a a country full of wonder and I am constantly discovering all the little quirks that make this small European country so unique. A few months ago I shared a list of 10 Icelandic Quirks, today I am adding to this list with 10 more facts, about this beautiful country I now call home.

1. Lava covers 11% of Iceland. This 11% is also one-third of all lava in the world.

Lava fields near the Blue Lagoon

2. Family names are not common in Iceland. Instead, children are named after their fathers first name with either a son or dottir added to the end based on the gender. For example, if a man named Ragnar had a child it would be named either Ragnarsson or Ragnardottir.

3. More Coca-Cola is drank in Iceland per capita than anywhere in the World.

4. The English word “geyser” comes from Iceland’s Great Geysir in Haukadalur.

Geysir on the Golden Circle

5. Movie theaters have 10 minute intermissions halfway through the movie. At first I use to not like this fact but now I miss having that break when I watch movies in America. It is the perfect time for a bathroom break, popcorn refill, or to just check your phone!

6. McDonalds, Burger King or Starbucks, you won’t find one of them in Iceland. While I would love a Starbucks I really like the fact that there is not the usual fast food burger joints all over town. They do of course have a few fast food restaurants but nothing like you see in most cities.

7. There are no mosquito’s (or very rare if you do see one) in Iceland. There is a lake in the north of Iceland, Lake Mývatn, that is known as “mosquito lake”. Just steer clear of that area and you can enjoy an evening outside mosquito free.

Enjoy the beautiful countryside sans mosquitos

8. One in Ten Icelanders will publish a book. In fact, Iceland has more writers, more books published and more books read, per person, than anywhere else in the world!

9. There are no paper seat covers in public restroom. At least I have yet to go to a public restroom that has paper seat covers. Until I am proven wrong I have decided there are no such thing as toilet seat covers in Iceland.

10. Iceland’s parliament was formed in 930 AD making it the oldest parliament in the world.

Þingvellir, the meeting place of Parliament in 930 AD

Iceland is one interesting place to live!

Question of the Day?
What fun facts or quirks is your country known for?

———–

Welcome to Travel Tuesday!

<div align="center"><a href="http://bonnieroseblog.co.uk/category/traveltuesday" title="Travel Tuesday" target="_blank"><img src="http://bonnieroseblog.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/traveltuesday.png" alt="Travel Tuesday" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

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Each week Bonnie, Sammy, Van and I will select one post each from all the linked up posts the week before that we enjoyed especially. Please make sure to head over to their blogs to see who they picked!

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For my spotlight pick this week I chose Sarah from Daydreams of Summertime. Her post about Milford Sound, New Zealand has some gorgeous pictures of stunning landscapes and makes me that more bummed that I didn’t get the chance to visit when I was living in Australia. One day! Head over and say hi to Sarah and explore her wonderful blog!

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Ready to link up!

HERE IS HOW IT WORKS:
1. SHARE a post about travel! From road trips to trips abroad and from past travels to dream vacations. You can write about travel tips and tricks, favorite places to stay, or anything in between! Just make it about traveling somewhere!
2. GRAB the lovely button. If you run into trouble, just make sure to mention Bonnie in a link!
3. LINKUP goes live every Tuesday at 0800 GMT.

TIPS:
1. Please only one linked up post per blogger. Save other posts for future linkups!
2. The last Tuesday of every month will be a themed prompt if you want to join in!
3. HOP around and meet new travel loving bloggers! Check back to visit some of the newer travel posts!

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This One Time I Ran a Marathon…

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