Denver Rock'n'Roll Half Marathon

The Denver Rock'n'Roll Half Marathon has come and gone. This was my first half marathon. I can say with great pride that Todd and I kicked its butt. When we were first discussing doing the run we decided that our goal would be to keep a 10 minute mile. If we kept that pace, after 13.1 miles our time would be just over 2 hr. & 10 min. I thought I could be happy with that especially since it was my first half marathon. As the weeks ticked by we talked some more about our goal and decided to change it. We thought a half marathon in 2 hrs or less would be a better, more challenging goal. The day was finally upon us so off we went to Denver to run.

Here's a brief summary of how it went ...

The morning started off very cold, the temperature at start time was below 50 degrees. Once we got to the race site we stood in line at the port-a-potties for at least 20 minutes. Turns out while we were waiting the race officially began ... whoops. Lucky for us they gave every runner a device that clocked each person individually. It started my time as I crossed the start line and ended when I crossed the finish line. We ended up starting the race about 8 minutes late, but there were still many people starting behind us. Once we got started we kept a 9 minute pace. For some reason (I'm beginning to think its due to the cold weather) around 1.5 miles I got a stitch in my side. I think its kind of crazy that I got one that early in the race, but eventually it went away. Miles 2 through 7 came and went, they were all pretty uneventful in my opinion with the exception of seeing some of our friends Mike Schroeder and Ryan Bach (they were there for moral support for their girlfriends). About mile 8 we had slowed the pace down to about 9:20/mile. My knee was killing me to put it mildly. It was about that time that I was starting to get thoughts that I might not be able to run the whole thing. Lucky for me, Todd wouldn't let me quit. Around mile 11 all we had left was downhill for the remainder which Todd informed me of, which didn't really make me any happier. At that time per Todd's suggestion I started listening to my iPOD - his logic is I run faster when I listen to music. He was right, we picked up the pace slightly. Mile 12 came next and for some reason my knee was no longer in pain instead I was a getting pretty light headed. I think it was due to my electrolytes being out of whack from all the running. Whether that was the reason or not, I only had 1.1 miles left and I had to finish!! Once we could see the finish line we started to sprint, grabbed each others hand, and finally crossed the finish line together. As soon as I stopped running my knee was in more pain than at any other time during that race - I can't even put words to it. But, thankfully it was over. We each received a medal, got a bunch of free snacks, and met up with some other friends that were running it. By the time we were leaving the race to head back to the car we found out our official race time. We didn't end up beating our 2nd goal, but we were pretty dang close ... we finished at .... (drumroll please) .....

2:00:17

I can honestly say that I'm happy with that time and I think Todd is too.

Todd and I

Todd, Me, and TJ

I can now say that I've run a half marathon!! I don't think I ever will again, but who cares. The first one is the only one that matters. Todd on the other hand has started training for a full marathon, the New Orleans Rock'n'Roll in February. I think he's crazy.

My favorite time of the year

Fall is my favorite season. Besides Thanksgiving and my birthday the next best thing is the leaves as they change colors. Todd and I went to for a stroll the other day across the Big Dam Bridge in Little Rock.

Here are a couple of pictures I took to show off the leaf colors

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Its my favorite time of year .... Thanksgiving. Well, in a little over a week. Either way Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday. Some people might think I'm biased because I was born on Thanksgiving, but I don't really care.

To get into the holiday spirit (& because we are having people over for dinner tomorrow night) I found a recipe for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip cookies. After I finished the batter I thought I better make a few just to make sure they tasted good. Final outcome ... Delicious Success!!

I found the recipe on foodnetwork.com and after reading some of the comments I made some recommended modifications. Here's my recipe ....

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups canned pumpkin puree

3 cups flour

2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

2 cups (1 12oz bag) of milk chocolate chips

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Using a mixer, beat the butter until smooth. Beat in the white and brown sugars, a little bit at a time, until the mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time, then mix in the vanilla and pumpkin puree. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and pumpkin pie spice. Slowly beat the flour mixture into the batter, adding a little bit at a time. Stir in the chips. They recommend to make the cookies about the size of a tablespoon. Bake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until the edges are brown.

A couple of things to note ...

I used a fork instead of a mixer

You can use pumpkin pie mix instead of pumpkin puree

I used bread flour instead of all-purpose flour

You can use semi-sweet chocolate chips instead of milk chocolate chips

I used 1 tsp of pumpkin pie spice instead of 1/4 tsp ground clove

Lastly, these are kind of cake-y cookies, don't expect them to fall and spread like normal chocolate chip cookies.

Enjoy!!!

So Long Cheyenne

This post is alittle late, but better late than never ....

Its hard to believe that my time in Cheyenne has come and gone. When I moved out there 4+ years ago I didn't have a clue where life would lead me - how long I'd live out there for, if I'd like it, if I would make any friends, or what the job would be like. Looking back I can say with certainty that I would be the where I am today without Cheyenne.

Moving to Cheyenne did many things for me ....

- I was finally living on my own (translation - no financial help from the parents)

- I bought and paid off my very first car

- I worked in a job that didn't pay half bad

- I now have a second cat (that is super whiny) named Cowboy Ottis

- I learned how to ski

- I climbed the highest peak in Colorado (Mt. Elbert)

- I made some lifelong friends that I will never forget (you know who you are!)

- Most importantly, I met the man that I would one day call my husband

Now one last goodbye to Cheyenne some of my favorite memories by pictures (in no particular order) ....

Snowshoeing with Todd in Dillon, CO

Skiing - every winter

Getting engaged at the top of Mt. Elbert

Going to the Rockies vs Padres and sitting in the Rockpile

The Muddy Buddy in Boulder, CO

My wedding day

AF vs Navy & a night out in the Springs

Snowmobiling with Liz and Jared - especially when I crashed my sled and Liz got lost

When Todd and I went as Britney & K-Fed for Halloween

The TwiHards winning the Beer Pong Tourney at the 3rd Annual National Corndog Day

Redneck Squadron Party

Murder Mystery Dinner

The Melodrama during CFD

Hiking Canyonlands & Arches National Park with Sue & Jackson

Our first trip to Deadwood, SD

I'm sure there are alot more memories to be shared, but these are some of my favorites that I have the pictures for. Both Cheyenne and the friends I made there will always hold a dear place in my heart.

So Long Cheyenne. You will be missed!