Random Hallmark Moments: Track Catches Up with Me

   It's no surprise to anyone who knows me that I mayyybe tend to overdo things a little, all in the name of fun. And as if I needed a reminder, my fortune in the KC Star recently read: "You often push beyond normal limits, exhausting yourself. You need time to detach and relax." Oh yeah? Well, normal limits are for sissies!!!
   Track week for KCCC tends to create some late nights, and this week was no different. The earliest I left the stadium was 10:30, the latest 11:30, and each night I was never able to get to sleep before 1 am, given that I had to eat dinner and try to come down from my adrenaline rush every night when I got back home.

   This morning I awoke on the couch, in my track uniform (I had at least removed my shoes before reclining last night). The birds were singing and the room was bright... not a good sign. Checked my watch and... AAAAH!!! 7:45!! Exactly TWO HOURS after I normally get up to go to work. And I had a 9:00 group staff with my boss & team. Not good.

   I raced through my morning routine, bolted out the door, and arrived at work with a couple of minutes to spare. I jetted to my desk, dropped off my purse, and headed to the room. Through the peephole I could see that one of our senior managers had joined our meeting, and was talking. @#&*!!! Now it was going to look really bad that I was late... or was it?

   I gathered up my nerve and walked in, and immediately heard Paul talking about making fritters. What the...? Turns out he just returned from Italy and had taken a cooking class there, and was sharing his story. So when he looked at me, without missing a beat, I said, "Well, fritters are about the last thing I expected to be discussing in staff today." Everyone laughed. Crisis averted. Note to self: thank my lucky stars that I have a sense of humor (and so does everyone at work!)

KCCC Night 3: Hot Dogs and Broken Dreams

   Tonight we had all of our women's runners in place, so it was another night off for me. Since the dogs were pretty much alone at home for 15 hours on Monday, and 17 last night, I decided I'd let them tag along. They trotted into the stadium with me, right down the stairs and into the bleachers with our track team. Now we have 2 adorable, unofficial mascots! (Aside from me, I mean.)

   When the men's 100m relays started, the dogs got really into it—especially Taylor. At first he just watched intently. Several heats blew past us. Taylor watched, head darting back and forth. He stood up on the bleachers and leaned forward. I had to grab his harness and hold it tightly behind his shoulders to keep him from launching himself toward the track. Before long this turned into a crescendo of excitement that culminated in a tremorous Taylor emanating a series of loud, high-pitched whines and squeals. Everyone seated around us shot me weird looks. Okay, time for a time out.

  We jogged up the stairs, down the ramp, around the parking lots, through the open grassy area, down the street, past the long jump fields, and back again. It was 95 degrees and I didn't want to over-do it. But he was so pumped up that he wanted to run and run. As if to say, "Put me in, Coach! I can beat these guys!"

   We passed several killdeer, feigning broken wings. The dogs fell for it and jerked forward. I looked around as we jogged and spotted a couple of babies. So, so cute. And it took me right back to my childhood. I grew up listening to their alert cries.

Photo from Cornell Lab, linked above

   When I thought he was sufficiently tired (I know Aki and I were!) we headed back to our seats to continue cheering for the guys. He was great for a while, then gradually got too amped up again. I took him out to run a total of three times to little avail.

   As the sun went down, Taylor slowly started to tire. He greeted many little kids who were delighted to pet him, and he & Aki were great breed ambassadors. I passed out a few cards for MSIR, so I hope some Shiba adoptions will result.

   I was able to watch most of the races, and many people on our team did very well, placing in the top 10, winning medals and earning points. On a darker note, one of the men started dashing at top speed at the sound of the gun, and suddenly his foot moved in a way we all knew was unnatural—his lower leg flopped forward, and he fell—hard. He got back up, took a step and went down again. He got back up (is this incredible sportsmanship or utter madness?), took a short step and went down for the last time. A few people yelled, "STAY DOWN!", worried for his safety.

   He had broken his lower leg They took him away in a stretcher, and I don't have an update—but I am sending good thoughts that he will mend quickly, and that KCCC will award a gold medal to him for his determination.

   Our relay team, in the second to last heat, did very well. We all stayed to watch the last heat to see how we'd fare in our division. It was a bit of a blowout: at least 4 of the 5 teams beat our time. Better luck next year!

   Our spots were full, everyone showed up and did their best, and we had a great time... with no broken bones on our crew. I'd call that a great day. Good job, everyone!

KCCC Night 2: the Mile & Mile Relay

    I was slotted for the Mile tonight, with fellow flag football player (using the term "player" loosely when referring to myself) Amie B by my side in our heat. We started together and she finished a few seconds ahead of me. She was my rabbit... And a good one at that!

  In the end, I placed 14th in my age group, and 8th in the A division, which will add a couple more points for our team. I completed the run in 7:41 & change. Slower than last year, but not last. I kicked it into high gear in the last 100 m and flew between three girls before they even knew what hit them. Not my best performance ever, but I feel good about it.   (Photos coming soon...)

Got A Bike; Now Where's the Mountain?

What's this in the back of my car?

   ♩ ♪ ♫ ♬  Joe and Mary loaned me the mountain bike that their son outgrew, and they brought it to track with them today, and met me in the parking lot for the exchange. I finally finally finally have a bike to try out, before I decide what I want and take the plunge for myself. Super, super excited!!!  ♩ ♪ ♫ ♬

KCCC Night 1: the 400m dash

   Due to all the new (and faster than me) recruits, I was off the hook tonight and was able to kick back and enjoy watching the runners. Jan, and especially Anique and Allison did awesome, placing 4th and 5th, and earning points for us. I'm hoping they all had enough fun that they'll want to join us again next year and will tell their friends!
  Got a great chance to hang out with Janet and get to know her (and her adorable corgi, Izzy, virtually) better. She's hilarious and I had a blast talking with her all evening.
  Corporate Challenge is so cool because although I've been with the company for nearly—gasp!—14 years (my anniversary is June 11!), the majority of the people I know are in our 1000-strong Creative Division. So it's a great chance for me to meet people from Finance, Inventory Planning, and yes, even HR (although with as much irreverent fun as I have at work, you'd think they'd know all about me already & possibly have me on constant surveillance).
   There's nothing like the experience and adrenaline of hanging out at the track, cheering on your—and everyone else's—team, running your hardest and trying to beat your personal best. We all work hard but it's so enjoyable too. Yes, running is enjoyable, I said it. Not easy for sure, but we have a good time.   (Photos coming soon...)

Shot Put was starting when I arrived at the track

KCCC Flag Football

   I have never been good at team sports where balls are used. Honestly I've never been able to get over my fear of the ball itself... don't like it being hit, kicked or thrown my way. I can barely throw or catch. And I really don't like to let my team down, so individual sports like running are more my speed.
   But I also strive to be a good sport, and to help where I'm needed. So when Bess asked me to fill in for her on the flag football team, I agreed, knowing how much I appreciate those who help me out with our track roster.
   I put in about 2 hours of practice last night, and last Thursday night, scrimmaging against SHB in the Liberty Memorial field. It was fast. It was fun. It flared up intense hip pain from last year's injury. But I loved getting to know Damon, Amie, Kevin and the gang, so I tried my hardest and stuck it out. Brittney, Caroline, Shereal from SHB were a ton of laughs too.
   Tonight the matches were held at Mid America Sports Complex, west of 435, among the 24+ softball fields. We met as a team and chatted excitedly, warmed up, and took the field. I was playing defense, so that my lack of throwing and catching skills would be less of a hindrance. My chief job was to rush the quarterback over & over and to try to look as fierce as intimidating as a 5'1", 98 pound woman can look. Damon yelled, "HUNDRED YARD DASH! HUNDRED YARD DASH!!!" from the sidelines to spur me on.
   We won the first game against JOCO (Johnson County, KS government) easily. We were so on our level and playing well as a team that I got a false sense of security about the upcoming games. Janet was there as always, taking photos and cheering us on.
   Twenty minutes later, we began game two, against  Children's Mercy Hospital, who apparently don't understand the meaning of "mercy."  They weren't as athletic as we were, but they had their strategy down and called plays at the line without a huddle. They played fast and intensely, and absolutely throttled us. Yes, the people caring for your sick children are cruel and ruthless football players!
   So in order to stay in it and have the chance to play on Sunday, we needed to win our third game against KCMO (Kansas City, MO government). We were in it the whole time, and lost by a point. A measly point. One of their ladies caught a ball that I should have been able to defend, and it led to a touchdown that changed the balance of the game. Cue it!
   While I didn't expect much from myself (yet played as hard as I could), the hardest part was seeing the disappointment and frustration on coach Damon's face. He noted that at least we learned what we need to do to win next year, and I admired his observation and determination.
   Track starts Monday, and my hips are hurting so much now that I'm actually hoping I won't have to run. But as always, I'll hang in there and do my best.

Random Hallmark Moments: Challenging

   I use a Nike+ with my iPod Nano to track my running—mileage, speed, calories—the works! It's very cool. (Thanks, Mom.) If you're on Nike and want to challenge me to a race, I'm "shibarunner." Let's see what we can learn from a couple of recent runs, shall we?

Running alone:

"Running" (yes, in quotes) with two Shiba Inu:

   I do love running with them, but based on these scientific results I am guessing it's not helping me prepare for the KC Corporate Challenge track meet next week... Nor is it helping for Dog-n-Jog on June 12th, come to think of it. I need to tell these mutts to MUSH!

   Speaking of Corporate Challenge, I got suckered into joining the co-ed flag football team, and have unequivocally proven that I. SUCK. AT. FLAG. FOOTBALL. My greatest contribution to the team seems to be trash-talking, which I enjoy very much despite my complete lack of skill. So hopefully in that, I have served an important purpose. Hopefully a better (and safer) purpose than blocking opposing team members by accidentally being in the way and not being capable of moving out of the way fast enough to keep from being trampled, sometimes by my own teammates, for which I also am quite gifted.

   We scrimmaged against a crew from Shook Hardy & Bacon for 2 hours last Thursday, and 2 hours tonight. Through this I have learned that law school better prepares you for sports than art school.
   Our first (and hopefully not last) game is at 6:35 pm tomorrow. It's a fun way to blow a Friday night—or a knee! Wish me luck at getting out with both legs intact, because I want to run track, not be in traction.

KCCC: YOU ARE GOIN' DOWN

   My coworkers are getting saucy... Aaron created greeting cards using Danielle's hilarious photos. They're sitting at the guard station so Hallmarkers can sign them as they're coming in to work, and we're going to mail them to our biggest competitors (Sprint, DST, Cerner & Garmin). My headshot is on the back (wearing my snowboarding helmet and goggles). I think someone is going to get their @** kicked, and it may not be Sprint, DST, Cerner & Garmin!

Kansas City Corporate Challenge: Game Faces

    Hey Sprint, DST, Garmin and the like, if you're wondering who's going to clean your clock this year, it's us.

(Looks like I'm ready for roller derby. They have that in corporate challenge now, right?!) That's Danielle, Aaron,  Kamaron, me, Tom, Bess, Ralph, Tom and Lory.

   Seriously, how about Danielle's handiwork on this promotional poster? She had a bunch of us meet at the gym in our official shirts and all the random gear we could carry, she took our photos, and then composed them into these awesome, vintage-looking shots.

Bravo, Danielle!

   I'm looking forward to the events starting up in May... hoping to run the 5K, any of the track events, and maybe tug of war, too.

GO TEAM!!!