quality friday: relaxation station

this week, i found the perfect way to unwind from a long day, sore legs, and a cluttered mind.

bubbles....tension-releasing vapor bath....lightly scented candles....a glass of wine...and some quiet time writing in my journal.

i felt wonderfully relaxed and rejuvenated afterwards. definitely the quality highlight of my week!

countdown: 24 days

with just over 3 weeks until my first marathon, and with the recent emergence of some training difficulties, this story gave me my much needed inspiration today:
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The most beautiful site

Just as impressive as Chicago's historic landmarks are the random acts of kindness and sportsmanship you'll witness throughout race day. Carey Pinkowski, who's marking his 18th year as race director, recalls his fondest moment: In 1999, now four-time champion Khalid Khannouchi was at mile 15 with the elite men going west on Adams when the group came up on a physically challenged runner. "Out of the back of the pack, Khannouchi darts across the street, puts his hand on the man's shoulders and gives him a thumbs up, then darts back to the leaders pack." With all the pressure, the science behind the pace and the seconds that are so valuable, says Pinkowski, Khannouchi was willing to break away and encourage a fellow runner. He ended up winning that day in world record time: 2:05:42.

congratulations, vlada and michal!

over labor day weekend, we enjoyed the gorgeous outdoor wedding of our dear friends.

the afternoon was perfect for san francisco in late august - sunny (not one bit of fog, nor a single cloud in sight), breezy (as you can see from the pictures below) and altogether lovely.

we are thrilled that we were able to share with them in the love of their wedding day, and look forward to building our friendships in their new marriage.

congratulations, vlada and michal - we hope you two are enjoying your honeymoon!

the san francisco skyline from treasure island - a view equally as stunning at night

a lovely bride...and her classy ride

walking down the "aisle"

first dance as husband and wife

with the new mr. and mrs. bortnik

quailty friday: gratifying

finally, this week at work, i felt it. i found myself truly glad to be doing what i was doing.

adjusting to my new position has been a bumpy road for me. many of you have asked how i like my new job, to which i've answered "its okay - i'm adjusting", and i'm sure you've wondered a bit at my tentative answer.

the truth is, that in addition to adjusting to the constant travel and a recent move across country, i've also had to adjust to the many new expectation of my job. for example, i've found it especially difficult to learn something completely new one day, and then have to teach it (as an expert?!?) the next. and whereas i recognized that there is a learning curve that at some point i'll get to the top of, that doesn't necessarily make it any easier in the face of those looking to me for answers. and wanting them now.

this week, i found myself on a last minute trip to spokane, washington. i wasn't thrilled to be going at first, with many things to catch up on "in the office" and again, feeling that i was a far cry from the expert that they would be expecting. what i found when i got there, though, was that what they really wanted was a listening ear and someone to show, with their physical presence, a dedication to solving the problems that they were encountering.

that, i could do. thankfully, the issues was well on its way to being solved before i even got there [thank you, to my wonderful coworker who worked for a week to diligently to troubleshoot with them over the phone], and the urgency of patient care delay has been removed from the situation. and so, i spent two days organizing and spreadsheeting all the data that they had generated, analyzing the potential causes for this shift they were seeing, discussing options for further investigation, giving suggestions for optimizing their process, and nodding as their needs and concerns were expressed.

it truly felt good. and best of all, at the end of it they were more than appreciative of my efforts - the perfect reward.

happy feet

okay, let's be honest here.

the last two weeks of training have been really tough on me.

i'm tired from all the miles i've been logging. i don't love getting up at 5am during the week to run before work, and i hate the thought of doing so on the weekends for a 2-3 hour trek. my runs lately (including at the triathlon) have found me a) feeling sluggish and exhausted, b) taking an excessive number of walk breaks, c) realizing that i haven't done much running in the heat, and heavenhelpme if its hot on october 7th and d) wondering what. is. going. on?

last weekend, i found myself wandering into a local running store to try to find the answer. i considered that perhaps my shoes needed some new insoles, to provide extra cushion, or maybe some shin supports would help ease the pain that was starting to find its way back into my legs. i had almost walked out with these two items, when mark encouraged me to let the sales person re-fit me for shoes.

through a digital analysis of my foot pressure points, and a jog on the treadmill, i found that not only had i been previously place in the wrong type of shoe (previously based on my arch rather than my running stride), but i was also in the wrong size.

i walked away that day with a new pair of shoes, and eagerly awaited my next run.

wouldn't you know that i was scheduled for an 18 miler the very next day? perhaps not the ideal place for a novice runner to try out her new shoes, but i did nonetheless. the first 12 miles were AMAZING. i felt great. in fact, my shin splints were practically gone. my pace was steady and my spirits lifted. i found myself filled with renewed excitement for the challenge ahead.

then somewhere in the last 6 miles the bubble burst. or rather, three blisters formed, and my knee started to ache.

tuesday, i had difficulty putting pressure on my right leg. the blisters didn't hurt too terribly. i decided that the shoes were again the wrong size (too small this time), and headed back for an exchange. the half size up didn't relieve pressure points, but this pair sure did!

asics gel nimbus 9

wednesday, i tried to run in new-pair-number-two, but the knee just wouldn't have it, so i kept it short and sweet (or should i say sweaty, from the rediculous amount of effort it took me to run just 3 miles?).

thursday, (after a number of ice treatments) the pain was gone, and i decided to try them again for a 9 mile run along the gorgeous centennial trail near my hotel. it was a picture perfect afternoon, ruined only by that constant ache in the knee.

the great news? pair number two fits perfectly - i have happy feet! now if only i can figure out what to do with the rest of my legs...

banished...

...to the patio for the next two hours, while we let our apartment air out from the ant ex"terminator" spray-down....

...with a kitty that is not only yelling at me...

...but has apparently learned how to escape from her carrier!

i was hoping to avoid this. as a result, i get to try to keep her from slipping between the bars of our railing or from sitting/jumping from one of the many ledges.

i have a feeling that this won't be a productive afternoon. and to think i have a plane to catch in 6 hours. oy.

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(updated at 2:00pm)

seriously. the last hour has been a constant battle:

lap kate vs. laptop

quality friday: go team!!

on sunday, team wildphins proudly completed the chicago triathlon as an international distance relay team!

this was the second year that my brother brandon, his girlfriend shruti, and i pooled our efforts together to compete in this challenging event. shruti kicked the team off on a fantastic start in her 1.5 km (0.93 mi) swim in lake michigan, brandon followed with a strong 40 km (24.8 mi) bike up and down lake shore drive, and i was able to bring us across the finish line after a 10 km (6.2 mi) run south along the lakefront past museum campus, down to 31st street and back.

during last year's race, with just 100 meters before the finish line i heard the sounds of helicopters overhead and saw motorcycles with camera crews racing past me as race officials warned "keep to the left - runners coming". shortly after, the first two professional athlete raced past me to cross the finish line amidst the cheers of hundreds of fans. as amazing as it was to be there for glory of their finish, it also quickly settled in that these pros, who began the race in a wave that started an hour and fifteen minutes after us, had managed to pass me in the last minutes of the race.

thus, our goal for 2007 was set...to "beat" the pros to the finish.

and we did! team wildphins finished in 3:00:23, 8 minutes before the winner crossed the finish line with an incredible time of 1:48:48.

shruti - getting ready to jump into the COLD water at monroe harbor

well done, shruti! here we are waiting in the transition area while brandon biked

brandon, after completing his bike down LSD (and yes, he did wear a helmet)
displaying our medals after a strong finish (i'm still pretty sweaty here!)

why wildphins, you ask? when we found that brandon's creative team name "more cowbell" was already taken, we opted for a tribute to the mascots of our alma maters!