Running |

August 25, 2014

A Jam Packed Weekend in Reykjavik

When our office closed on Friday and the sun was out and shining I knew it was going to be a good weekend. Reykjavik sure is beautiful when the sun shines!

via Unlocking Kiki on Instagram

Saturday morning H and I woke up before our very early 6 am wake up call to get ready for our half marathon race. This was H’s first half marathon and we were both to pumped to sleep. After rushing around the house searching for my good luck socks we headed off for the start line in the city center of Reykjavik.

Around 10,000 runners participate in races on this morning ranging from a 10k, half marathon and a full marathon. This was the first time I had someone running a race with me and I was so excited to share the experience with H.

People were outside of their homes banging pots and pans, playing instruments, full bands playing on the sides of the streets, the crowd support was awesome! The best part of the race though was crossing the finish line 3 minutes faster than my ultimate goal time and with H right along with me.

The marathon on Saturday was just the first item on the agenda for Menningarnótt (Culture Day) here in Reykjavik. All over the city was live bands, performances and of course food booths. After soaking in our favorite pool we were refreshed and ready to head off to check out what events where happening downtown for Menningarnótt.

We spent the afternoon walking the extremely crowded streets with the rest of the Icelandic population checking out the different events for Menningarnótt. The mass crowds made taking any pictures a difficult task so I didn’t bring out the camera until later that night when we headed off to check out one of the several concerts happening around town.

My favorite band of the night was Hjálmar, they played a great show and had everyone on their feet dancing. Check out this song, it is one of my favorite Icelandic songs!

Around 11 all the concerts around the city finish and everyone hustles off to find a spot to view the firework show. H and I lucked out and had the best seats in town.

H’s Uncle was on night duty on this massive Coast Guard ship and invited us on-board for the firework show. First off just seeing the inside of the ship was amazing, add in the firework show that was basically right in front of us and it was one unforgettable night!

Reykjavik gone dark, preparing for the firework show. I love how the city lights reflect off the water.

With every firework that went off the boat seemed to shake, by far the best firework show I have ever seen!

By the end of the firework show H and I were completely beat after running the race in the morning, walking all day, and staying up way past my bedtime. But we didn’t have long to rest up for Sunday afternoon we were off again to see Justin Timberlake!

Yes, JT came to Iceland and all of Iceland went to see him. I am not kidding the area was completely packed but the concert was awesome! What a way to end the weekend.

And now it is Monday morning and I am completely exhausted. All in the name of fun.

Question of the Day?
What is the best concert you have been to? Are you a fan of firework shows?

posted by Kiki 38 Comments
Filed Under: Blogging, Friends, Iceland, Running Tagged: Iceland, Running, weekend

June 25, 2014

Running Under The Midnight Sun

First off a very happy birthday to my little sister! I wish I was there to celebrate with you. I still get just as excited for birthday cake as I did back in the day so be sure to enjoy a piece for me!

Now on to some confessions from my half marathon on Monday!

…I confess I went to the bathroom three times in the 20 minutes I was waiting for my run to start. Those pre-race jitters really got to me. Of course the last time I went to the bathroom there was no toilet paper in any of the stalls so we all had to use the shake and go method. Awesome way to start the race.

…I confess right before I went to the start line I had a mini break down in the car because I couldn’t figure out how to tie the timing chip to my shoe. Lets just say I get a bit emotional before I run a race. I managed to pull it together and fake smile right before I started my run so we are going to pretend my little breakdown never happened.

…I confess I have yet to replace my Garmin that my favorite blonde accidentally chewed the straps off of. I got some strange looks from the other runners when I was holding my strapless watch in the air trying to find a satellite signal but hey it still works just fine!

…I confess I had that annoyingly positive runner by my side for most of my run and you know what, I did’t hate him! Thank you incredibly positive man for giving me the motivation to keep on going!

…I confess for most of my run I was running by a group of guys. Lets just say their odor gave me the extra push to run a bit faster just so I could stay upwind from them. (FYI I am the black ninja in the front of the pack)

And isn’t that view amazing! The entire course was full of beautiful scenery!

…I confess I kicked ass in my half marathon and took off 8 minutes from my previous half marathon time. This resulted in me wheezing across the finish line and when H wanted to take my picture right after I finished I very sexily said to him, “move I am going to throw up.” He so kindly caught the moment on camera.

…I confess when we finished the race we got a medal and a gift certificate for free cases of Powerade. My first thought, awesome that is my go to hangover recovery drink! What can I say, I run so I can drink more wine!

My half marathon was a great time and I am already ready to sign up for another one, typical runners high talking!

The fact that I got to cross of run a race in a different country from my bucket list though was totally worth all the pain I felt during the run. And a big thank you all for your supportive comments on Monday, you guys are the best!

Question of the Day?
Any races on your schedule this summer? What is your confession for the week?

posted by Kiki 55 Comments
Filed Under: Iceland, My Thoughts Tagged: confessions, Iceland, midnight sun, Running

June 23, 2014

This One Time I Ran a Marathon…

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?

posted by Kiki 46 Comments
Filed Under: Family, Friends, Iceland, Running Tagged: Eugene, family, Iceland, Running

June 18, 2014

Thoughts About Running

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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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!

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