All posts by Lauren @ mostly i run

About Lauren @ mostly i run

Wife. Web Developer. Kitty Momma. Runner. Singer. Triathlete. Shoe Collector. Blogger.

cashless

life

When I was growing up, my parents kept a tall mug on top of my Dad’s dresser. Whenever he deposited their checks (this was way before direct deposit!), he would take out however much cash they thought they would need until the next pay cycle, and stash it in the mug.

Whenever their wallets were running low, they would grab a few bills from the mug. Since there weren’t ATMs either, this was the easiest way to get money!

Nowadays, I carry very little cash. I use credit cards for everything, but it’s not a bad thing. I’m a responsible credit card user. I don’t spend more than I can afford, and I pay off my balance in full each statement.

Since I’ve been constantly training lately — meeting friends for a run, heading to the pool, going for a ride — I got into the habit of putting my  most-used items in a small change purse that attached to my keys. No need to bring my wallet and/or purse, I had everything I needed. License, credit card, pool pass and maybe even a little cash sometimes.

When I went on vacation a few weeks ago, I didn’t even bring my wallet, I just stuffed a few more things into my change purse.  I continued using this as a downsized wallet for a week after vacation, too.

Then last Friday as I was heading out the door for work, I pulled my keys out of my purse and it was gone. My little change purse wasn’t in my bag or attached to the keys. But there was an empty ring still attached where it used to be.

I tried not to panic as I dug through my purse and searched my car, carefully scanning the pathway between my porch and driveway.

I was pretty sure I knew what happened.  The night before, I had to pick up a few things at the supermarket. As I was leaving, I dropped my keys in the parking lot.  And after I picked them up, I held them in the same hand as my grocery bag, heavy with jars of pasta sauce.

If the drop didn’t break it off, it could have given way as I crossed the parking lot, keys in hand.

Rather than heading off to work that morning, I went back to the store. I retraced my footsteps in the parking lot and searched the lost-and-found, but it was gone.

At this point, I had been using my mini-wallet for a while and it was pretty stuffed. I knew exactly what was in there …

I immediately called my credit card companies (I was carrying both Visa and Discover cards) to issue new numbers.  (Totally quick and easy, by the way. Unfortunately this must happen a lot!)

Also lost: my FSA debit card (Can you believe charge $5 for a new card?), pool pass with four more swims left, a $5 bill, my ATM card, and a Visa gift card that still had about $85 on it. Yikes!

Once all the cards were taken care of, I headed over to the MVA (Maryland’s version of the DMV) to replace my license. Twenty dollars and 30 minutes later, I had a new license and headed off to work very late.

I had no money with me.  I did have a Panera gift card in my actual wallet (still safe and sound!) just in case, but one of my co-workers covered me for pizza.  My boss lent me $20 for gas to make sure I could make it home … it was going to be close! Of course I could have also gone to the bank and filled out a withdrawal form, but the branch of my bank nearest my office isn’t all that convenient. And the area is a little questionable. And there are usually long lines with people cashing their checks on Fridays …

At least my husband’s ATM still worked so we could get some cash for the weekend, but we had no credit cards since we use joint accounts. D’oh!

And then on Sunday, the supermarket called. Somebody had turned in my change purse.

Everything was still inside. Sure all the credit cards were canceled. But the $5 was still there. And even better, the Visa Gift Card! Untouched, still wrapped in a receipt as I left it. I’m thankful that it was turned in! Too bad it was found after I canceled all my cards, but I had to do it. Better to be safe!

We have survived all week without our credit cards. I can’t believed how unsettling it’s been. Not that I usually buy a lot during the week, but I like to know I can!

Thankfully, the new Visa and ATM cards arrived today. The others will be here soon.

Ahh. I feel better now.

race report: iron girl triathlon

i like to run., triathlon

Yesterday was the Iron Girl sprint triathlon in Columbia, MD. It was my third time racing in this event, and once again I loved it!

I got to bed early on Saturday night and managed to get a good amount of sleep before my 3:30 a.m. wake-up call. I was pretty well organized with everything I needed packed and ready to go, but I still needed the hour I gave myself before our departure time to wake up and prepare myself for the day!

A friend and I were on the road by 4:30, giving ourselves plenty of time to get through the pre-race traffic. The main road into the park tends to back up. We think we arrived earlier than last year since traffic wasn’t too bad. We were parked and headed to the transition area around 5:30 a.m.

And it started drizzling a little bit.  Uh oh!

It wasn’t too bad at the time, but I was glad my choice of transition bucket had a lid! Last year I used a kitty litter bucket (like this one) and it worked out great, so I did the same this year. Big enough to hold everything I needed, easy-to-carry handle, and doesn’t take up too much space.

Since it was raining, I didn’t lay that much out like I normally would. Instead, I reorganized my bucket, layering everything in the order I’d need it. I may have lost a little time in transition doing that, but I’d rather have dry shoes!

I got body-marked, pumped my tires, ate my peanut butter sandwich, and headed towards the swim start to hit the port-o-pots a little after six. No line that early! We didn’t have all that much time to kill. The transition area closed at 6:30, and the elite athletes were in the water at 6:40. Once waves started going I decided I needed one more restroom stop. There was a line this time, but not so bad. My wave was at 7:01 and I had plenty of time.

I was happy to have an early start time. It’s hard to have to wait around watching wave after wave of women start. But this year, it was time for me to get into the water before I knew it!

I know I’m not great with open water swimming, but I think I’m getting a little better. Not faster, it seems … but I felt fairly comfortable the entire swim. Usually I feel a bit panicked and have to breast-stroke a lot to regulate my breathing. Sure I still did a good amount of breast stroke, but this time it was more to sight or when it got too crowded to swim comfortably.

Halfway through the swim it started raining. While it doesn’t matter when you’re in the water, I would be on the bike soon. Riding in the rain isn’t fun. And I’m afraid enough of the fast downhills without wet roads!

I hoped for the best as I finished my swim…

Swim (1K / .62 mile): 30:09
2009: unknown (since they lost all my split times (grr), but I’m guessing it was in the 30:40s based on photos of other girls in my wave.)
2008: 29:57

I happily got out of the water and took my time getting to my bike. I probably should have run, but I wasn’t that concerned about transition times. I also like to rinse and dry off my feet. If I wasn’t such a princess, I’m sure I could transition quicker!

T1: 5:55
2008: 6:33 (But I lost my helmet!)

It was still raining. I’m actually glad my husband and I got caught in the rain on a ride last week, otherwise I wouldn’t have known I preferred wearing rain-soaked sunglasses to getting raindrops in my eyes!

We had to climb a short, steep (and wet!) hill to get out of transition. A little tricky in bike shoes! But I was quickly up and on the road.

I was familiar with the hilly course from the past two years so nothing came as a surprise. I tried to let go on the hills despite the wet roads, and actually it wasn’t too bad. I took the turns very cautiously, but I think I did pretty well on the hills!

I was definitely not enjoying the rain, but thankfully it let up a bit towards the second half of the ride. Usually you dry off during the bike ride, but  not this time!

Bike (17.5 miles): 1:13:27
2009: 1:14:43 (Garmin time, actual time would probably be a little bit slower.)
2008:1:24:16 (on a slower bike)

I changed into dry socks at transition — my feet were soaked and I was happy to have packed an extra pair. They wouldn’t stay dry for long with the on-and-off rain, but at least I was comfortable at the start of the run!

T2: 3:57
2008: 3:31

Some triathletes dread the run. Not me! I took off at a decent pace, but it’s a hilly run and my calves were screaming at me. I gave in and walked a couple hills, but I still managed to beat both of my previous times by a lot. I think marathon training helped me out here. I was able to move quicker on my tired legs!

Run (3.4 miles): 30:50
2009: 34:16 (Garmin – should be pretty accurate)
2008: 34:44

Overall: 2:24:16
2009: 2:28:14
2008: 2:39:01

I’m really happy to beat last year’s time, even in the rain! But I was a little disappointed when I saw the official results online. They posted incorrect results at the event and for a few hours, I thought I really killed last year’s time with 2:19:16 instead!

I had a blast. Registration opens for 2011 on November 1!

weekly winners: my happy place

travel, weekly winners

weekly winners badge
August 8-14, 2010

Hi! I just got back from a great week at the beach. Every summer my husband and I drive down to one of our favorite places — the Outer Banks, NC.

We’ve been staying on Hatteras Island every summer since 1998. We used to go with a group of friends, which shifted to a different group, which eventually ended up being just the two of us. It started getting too hard to work with everybody’s schedules. That’s fine with us!

We had a relaxing week reading on the beach, eating great food, and enjoying the sunset from our soundfront rental home. We had great weather, too. While quite a few nasty thunderstorms rolled through, none kept us indoors all day. I also fit in a lot of running and a couple bike rides (more on that later).

For now, just enjoy some of my favorite photos!

hatteras lighthouse

hazy sunrise
75* + 100% humidity = foggy camera lens

kiteboarders

storm 081210
This is not a black and white photo!

sunset 080910

sunset 81010

sunset 081310

I love the sunsets. See a few more over here.

Visit Lotus to see more Weekly Winners!

fourteen miles

i like to run.

My long run on Saturday was 14 miles. Last week’s long run was the same distance along the same route. It just felt a lot harder the second time!

It wasn’t the weather. It was a perfect day on my second 14-miler — sunny, not too hot, not too humid. Last week was much warmer and should have been miserable, but it actually didn’t feel too bad once we got going.

I’m blaming the tough run this weekend on a lack of sleep. I was out a bit too late the night before, and didn’t get to bed until 12:30 a.m. My group meets at 6:30 a.m. Oops!

For my first 14-miler, I probably started out a bit too quick for a long run. I couldn’t keep up the pace! I was also having some trouble. My hip flexors, particularly the left, started bothering me. I’d stop and stretch at each water stop and tried to keep moving, but ultimately slowed down a lot. I also had some numbness in my left foot — I loosened my laces around mile 11 and it got better, but perhaps the Brooks Ravenna weren’t as good a fit as I thought. This was the longest I’d taken them, and it wasn’t as hot during my other long runs in them.

For my second 14-miler, I started out slower. I’m sure my lack of sleep had something to do with it, but actually it’s probably a better training pace for me.  I went back to the Nikes for this run and didn’t have any foot trouble, but the left hip was acting up again. I made it through, but it felt like I was dragging.

But actually, both runs were pretty similar at the end:

Mile July 24 July 31
1 10:03 10:23
2 10:13 10:25
3 10:18 10:42
4 10:09 10:38
5 10:01 10:31
6 9:50 10:16
7 10:15 10:25
8 10:12 9:55
9 10:16 10:29
10 10:42 10:51
11 10:40 10:49
12 10:42 10:52
13 10:55 10:50
14 11:17 11:20
Total 2:25:36
10:24 avg		 2:28:31
10:37 avg

It’s interesting to compare splits. I seem to really like mile six. During the faster mile eight on the second run, I was chatting with some girls from our group. It helps to be distracted! We weren’t all maintaining the same pace, though, so I was often alone on the trail.

In the 14th mile, there’s a crosswalk across a busy road, so that explains the slow-down both times!

Overall, not bad. I’m happy with the paces, and I’d be thrilled to do either during the marathon. I just wish I wasn’t finishing in pain. (At least my knees are barely bothering me anymore. Hooray foam roller!)

It might be the shoes (oh, please be the shoes!)  … both my Brooks and Nike shoes are getting old. They should have some life left, but I tend to be hard on my shoes and retire them early, less than 250 miles. Both pairs are now over 200. I’ll continue adjusting to my Newtons and have a fresh pair of Nikes ready to go.  Hoping for the best!

new shoe review: newton motion

gear, i like to run.

I’ve been reading about Newton Running for a little while now, and I’ve been curious. I’ve always had a tough time finding running shoes that I love, and I know there are definite problems with my form.

These shoes promote a midfoot strike, and that really appealed to me. I do tend to land on my heels, and it’s not good. Could these shoes help me learn to change that?

The technology also intrigued me. Check it out! Little lugs on the sole add both cushioning and shock absorption. I often have sore feet after long runs, and I seem to whine about it more than my friends who have covered the same distance. I wonder if my feet are more sensitive. Maybe this is the answer?

The timing was right to give them a shot. I like to rotate my shoes, but only have one pair right now due to recent shoe retirement. I also decided the Nike Structure Triax that I had been using weren’t really right for me. The Brooks Ravenna that I bought more recently are a much better fit, but even they are starting to get old.

In the spring, I won a gift certificate for a free pair of shoes (no price restriction!), and a couple weeks ago I went in for a fitting. While I had my eye on the pricey Newtons*, I still went through the process and tried on all the salesman’s recommendations. Ultimately I didn’t care about the price tag — these really felt the best!

Sorry for the bad lighting. They're actually brighter than they appear!

These shoes are super lightweight and fit great around my heel — even with my orthotics. That is often a problem. The fit around my foot is really good, too. I have kind of thin (but not narrow) feet, and it’s hard to find a running shoe that holds my feet steady enough without having to pull the laces as tight as they’ll go.

I’m following the recommendations and gradually increasing my mileage. Only one mile the first day, two miles the next. Currently my longest run in them is only four miles.  So far, so good! My first couple of runs were pretty slow, but I was able to maintain a better pace for my four-miler.

I still feel like it’s too soon to take them out for my 14-miler tomorrow — I’d like one more week of short runs before really putting them to the test. I’ll be sure to come back with an update once I start racking up the miles!

* This particular model retails for $175 – a lot more than I usually pay for running shoes. I’m willing to pay more if it makes a difference . It was definitely a plus to be able to try them out for free!

Disclosure: These shoes were free from a gift certificate that I won at a race. It could have been used to purchase any brand of running shoe. I have no affiliation with Newton Running and was not compensated in any way for this post.