Running...Running....

The Couch to 5K training is going well, I think! I'll be starting on the week 4 workout this week so I'm almost half-way through the program. If I stick with it and make sure that I keep my workouts consistent I think I'll be able to do it.

I bought one of those Nike+ SportBand thingies to help me track my progress. Sure, I can get on MapMyRun after my runs to figure out how far I went but that's kind of annoying and it doesn't keep a history. The Nike+ thingie will allow me to upload my runs so that I can keep track of progress online. I also synced up my Nike+ profile with Runner+ which gives a little better tracking than the Nike+ apparently. At least that's what my friend Kris says! So, hopefully with the tracking, consistent workouts, etc I'll be able to easily meet my goal.

I'm also super excited because I can once again fit into the jeans that I was fitting into before I gained weight again! Sure, they're a little snug around the waist, but that'll change soon I hope! It's really a great measurement of my progress that I can fit into them again. I'm seeing my hips and thighs shrink which makes me very happy. Apparently I wasn't imagining the weight loss afterall!

It's probably not hurting that I'm also taking adult swimming lessons. I took lessons when I was a kid to get me to the point where I wouldn't drown, but I kept getting fried in the sun so I quit. Now I want to be able to do lap swim for a workout and it wouldn't hurt to have a stronger stroke in general. So, I decided to take adult swimming lessons. I feel like I've already improved a great deal in the 2 one-hour sessions I've had. If I keep that up and am able to add swimming to my workout I'll be in great shape.

I'm excited! Tune in later for more updates!

I've set a goal...

...I'm going to run a 5k.

I've always hated running. It's just never really been something I enjoyed. I ran distance in track in high school but that's because I wasn't very fast and distance was something I could do, and in a small school you're in every extracurricular activity. There's also the issue of my boobs. They're not small and without the assistance of a pretty supportive sports bra running just hurts.

I've been trying to shed some weight and nothing seems to be working, so I decided to man up and try running since it seems to work for a lot of people. I know myself, however. So, to ensure I keep running, I signed up to run the 5k Road Race that's part of the Des Moines Marathon in October. I figure this gives me plenty of time to train for it so I don't die and it's in a cooler time of year so I won't pass out from heat exhaustion. Also, I turn 30 in December so it's a good goal to set for a milestone year. "I will run a 5k before I'm 30." I already paid the registration so if I go back now I'm wasting money. So far I seem to be doing okay.

I'm using this program from Cool Running called Couch to 5k. It eases you into running so you can gradually build up your endurance and so your joints don't suffer as much. Thing is, I really hate clock-watching while I work out and I know that if I had to remember which segments I'm walking vs running I'd lose track and my workout wouldn't be as effective. I decided to hunt for podcasts that would help and to my great pleasure I found some! The original is from Robert Ullrey and it's great!! It is a series of songs that are perfect for running and he pops on to tell you when to switch from walking and running and also gives you some encouragement along the way. It's fantastic. It eliminates the clock-watching and makes the workouts go faster. It's also really good to have someone come on and tell me to loosen my shoulders or run on my heels as I start to get tired.

I'm hoping this works for me. I'm not too terribly far along on my training but it's going well so far. My goal is to run the entire thing but I've heard that's rare for first time 5k runners. But, if I can do it, it'd be awesome. Also, I'd like to see some weight come off. I think I'm seeing progress but I could be overeager and imagining things. We'll see.

Wish me luck! I'll try to post updates regarding my progress as I go.

Obama '08: Next Steps

Election time is coming up quickly and I'm so excited! I've never been as involved in a political campaign in all my life as I've been for Obama. I've always been very politically active but in more of a "get your asses up and vote" kind of way. Never for one particular candidate. Sure, I did some door knocking for Kerry last time around but that was for the greater good, not because I was super involved in the campaign itself.

I lived here during the last election, but wasn't familiar with the caucus process, didn't have my heart set on a candidate, and therefore didn't participate. I've always been a registered Independent because I vote by issue, not by party (even tho I definitely lean to the left). But this time around, I switch my registration so I could caucus for Obama. I went to more events, rallies, house meetings, and volunteered more than I even thought possible. I've always been so disheartened by the process....but this time it's different. I feel a real change, a momentum, and I see real potential for healing in this country on the horizon. So, I got off my ass and threw the spare time I had into the campaign. I was greeter girl at our precinct caucus (see photo in logo above....thanks www.logobama.com!) which meant that I welcomed and gave stickers to the huge number of Obama supporters that packed our caucus location well beyond fire code limits. From there I decided I wanted to be a delegate. So, I got elected delegate from my precinct and off I went to the celebration rally downtown.

Being a delegate is a long process. People seem to think it's just about casting your vote for your candidate at conventions and that's it. Oh no, my friends. You have to vote on the party platform as well which can take forever and then you get to do candidate oriented things which can also take forever. You do this at each level of the convention process: country, district, and state. At district people start vying for the chance to go to the national convention. I had decided early that I didn't want to go to the DNC, but would instead work to help people that I thought deserved it more than myself. Even more people are sent to DNC from the state convention which, unfortunately, had to be rescheduled this year due to the Floods of '08 so we had pretty low attendance. But, we got our jobs done and now it's onto the general election.

I'm doing what I can to help make sure Obama is elected. Volunteering, housing volunteers, talking to friends, sporting Obama gear, etc. I'm truly excited about the potential for this year and everywhere I go it seems like other people are, too. I'm so happy to see so many people with Obama bumper stickers, shirts, buttons, etc. I hope that you Obama supporters out there will do the same!

I'm fired up and ready to go!

Summer Music Festivals Rock!

Des Moines, you outdid yourself this time! Okay, Des Moines Music Coalition, YOU did outdid yourself. But without the support of the city it would have failed. It says a lot about the the city that it'd back such a huge event in the heart of the city. It should go far toward your goal of attracting and retaining young professionals in the state. Okay, enough of the serious stuff.

80/35 Music Festival was outstanding! This 2 day music festival took place in the Western Gateway Park in Des Moines and it was the perfect setting. The big green space with the Des Moines skyline in the background and the clear blue skies overhead were wonderful and added to the already cool vibe of the event. The mainstage occupied the majority of the green space in the park, but there were a variety of vendors along the side streets as well. The mainstage was for ticketholders only but the two side stages and all of the outside events and vendors were free to the public.

Also in the mainstage area was a DJ stage that featured a variety of DJs during and in between shows on the mainstage. The diversity in the musical acts at the festival provided entertainment that would appeal to almost anyone. Jamgrass (Jam Band + Bluegrass = Jam Grass), Hip Hop, eclectic rock, indie, jazz, etc. Also adding to the fun was the people watching that was awesome due to the variety of people drawn to the festival by the diversity of the acts.

Oh, but one of the greatest things about the festival is something that other festivals around the country could learn from. Reasonable prices! First of all, they didn't sell shitty beer. They sold only beer from Olde Main Brewing Company in Ames, IA. One quick note...micro brews all day will mess you up. But it's a sneak attack. I was all good all day....then I had that one last Scottish Ale and it pushed me right over the precipice from tipsy to wasted. In talking to some other friends of mine, they had some similar experiences. Which, actually, isn't a bad thing. It would take me a whole lot of $5 Bud Light 16oz beers at most festivals to even hit the tipsy stage. The first day of the festival, I spent $20 on 6 beers and that's all I needed. It definitely snuck up on me though. Anywho, the moral of this story is that 3 for $10 beer, $1 water, huge pulled pork sandwiches for $4, much needed popsicles for $1, the list goes on. They didn't price gouge the festival-goers like most festival organizers even though with blazing sun and minimal shade they could have easily scored lots of cash from dehydrated people. The simple fact that people could afford the festival made it that much more appealing. A two day pass was only $40 and I managed to make it through both days with food, beer, and CDs and only spent $60 more. That to me is a successful event. Oh, and they let us bring in our own bottled water....smart.

Even pale redheaded people can have fun at outdoor concerts. Thanks to diligent sunscreen application, I walked away with only minimal sunburn! Not bad for someone that can fry in 10 minutes outside without sunscreen. :) The photo on the left is of me (bottom) and my friend Jess. This was on day one before we had spent much time outside, but I ended the festival only slightly more pink than I started. Good times had by all!

Overall, the festival was fantastic and I look forward to the 2nd annual festival next year. Great Job Des Moines Music Coalition! I'm excited you guys got such a huge turnout and I'm excited to see what you guys come up with for next year!

I knew I'd suck at this....

When I started this blog I was fairly certain that I'd suck at keeping up with it. I was right.

It's strange. Ask anyone that knows me and they'll tell you that I spout off random stories and thoughts pretty much all day long. But when I sit in front of the PC and try to think of things to blog about I always second guess myself and decided that what I have to say is likely not interesting to the masses. Hell, it's probably not interesting to the people that know me either but that doesn't stop me from telling the stories. Oh well.

In all fairness to myself...this is true of most blogs out there. I really don't care about the content of blogs for the most part. There are some exceptions, but mostly I really don't bother reading because it's inane, self-serving, and usually badly written....no offense to bloggers out there. Mine is inane, self-serving, and badly written, too. :)

Anyway, I just wanted to apologize for not writing anything for a while. A long while. I'm going to throw out a few blogs....they may suck, they may rock. Either way, I'm blogging. Go me.