Running and stuff

Getting closer to 20 mile weeks is such a blessing in my life.

Running: I’m loving the Altra’s and Flux shoes – my toes appear to be splayed appropriately and gasp I’ve had minimal pain. Definitely see the value in stopping running altogether for 6 weeks even if that stupid boot irritated me. I’m still taking maximum doses of Vitamin D to support bone health, can’t hurt.

For a long weekend, I made it to my favorite running place, the lake loop. Just kidding! This section was reserved for sharing how I got in a fabulous speed session around my go-to lake spot, but the weather was not cooperative. It went from 60° one day to 50° the next with a 30° wind chill. Alas, no run at all was accomplished. However, it will…soon!

Stuff: There’s 2 kinds of meetings I like: 1) meetings at coffee shops or ones that somehow include the expectation there will be coffee and 2) meetings I have coined the “Walk & Talk”, preferably when it’s gorgeous outside. Clearly, I just like coffee, and walking.

Other stuff: Mini continuously tries to give me makeup tutorials. I think she’s telling me something. Then, she steals my eyeliner which I have this massive rule about not sharing makeup. Alas, I have since purchased her own eyeliner. Again.

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I ask you –

How’s training for anything or nothing going?

Is your weather typical for February? The trees have started blooming from the unseasonably warm weather. Spring will be rough.

Tell me your preferred meeting venue!

(The post Running and stuff first appeared here at Running on Fumes.)

RoF – Caffeine Injected

And, on the island, I do island things. Like visit coffee shops and such. I know I’ve only mentioned this one as part of other blog posts, but it definitely deserves its own place in the Caffeine Injected series!

Cafe Karma

As they have two locations on the island, I had to visit both. The original location, address mentioned below, is more traditional, smaller, and cozier. The second location is modern, spacious, and includes the option to order boba. And German chocolate cake – don’t do it. It’s a trap to make you fall in love.

Introducing Cafe Karma, a coffee shop on the beautiful South Padre Island. Specifically located at 5200 Padre Blvd Suite 101, South Padre Island, TX 78597, many of their drinks pay homage to island flavors, like coconut and mocha.

Cafe Karma started as a partnership between two men who served together in Afghanistan. What a way to reconnect. Today, they’re making espresso drinks, affogato, and other signature drinks. The original location also serves Blue Bell ice cream. My favorite. I’ve been visiting Cafe Karma for many years, each island visit. They have a few sugar free options which I enjoy, of course. Mini chose a coconut frappe, which she appeared to love! My spouse didn’t love his drink, it had hints of caramel and pecan but somehow those didn’t work too well together.

You can find out more about Cafe Karma by visiting them here. Stop by, grab a drink, and tell them Running on Fumes sent you!

Want to see more?

If you or someone you know owns or frequents a favorite coffee establishment and you’d like to be featured (or nominate them to be featured), please comment below!

Cheers to the Caffeine Injected series!

(The post RoF – Caffeine Injected first appeared here at Running on Fumes.)

Winter Texan Recap

As a water baby, being near the ocean sets my heart free. Ugh. Mushy. Yet I’m serious. Despite being a little saddened by the inability to run along the waterfront, this winter vacation was a true joy.

Bird’s Eye View from the Port Isabel Lighthouse

You’ve heard my jokes about a bikini and snow boots, now there’s a bikini and a walking boot! Well, all but one day because it was actually a lot cooler than expected. However, it was really nice to sit pool and oceanside with warm southern air and sunshine.

How I longed to run or just get up and walk the island – but I took it slow and rested. A lot.

Although my runner’s heart longed to join the many people outside each day taking up space on the expanse of road dedicated to pedestrians and cyclists, I returned home after a week feeling rested and full of seafood specialties. And so much coffee!

Vacationing at a traditionally summer locale during the winter is a must. Less traffic, no wait times, new places to eat and visit that you’d never consider during peak season, and an overall quietness to the island. Highly recommend! South Padre Island, you’re perfect.

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I ask you –

Is it common for you to travel to your favorite place during the off season?

What is your best holiday memory?

Tell me about your vacation spot!

(The post Winter Texan Recap first appeared here at Running on Fumes.)

RoF – Caffeine Injected

It’s been too long since I shared a new coffee establishment!

Trinity Street Coffee Bar

There was an ice skating mishap that resulted in a Black Friday jaunt to a gigantic mall replete with a (real) ice skating rink. Of course, there’s not enough coffee in Texas to make me not need an extra dose of caffeine so I googled and found this hidden gem in downtown Decatur.

Introducing Trinity Street Coffee Bar, apparently a local favorite. Not too far off Hwy 287 (110 N Trinity St, Decatur, TX 76234) it exists on a sleepy square of other reputable establishments, like a burger place and antique store, among others. If only I’d had more time to explore. They also host a whiskey club, wine club, and social run on regular days of the month. And they’re open late!

For my order, I got my usual latte made with heavy cream and sugar free vanilla. Turns out they roast and sell their own magical beans! Indeed, it was a delicious cup of coffee; not too bitter or burnt tasting like many of the places I’ve tried. Clearly it was pretty good because I usually wait until at least the 2nd try before posting.

Needless to say, next time I’m headed toward anywhere east of Texas, I’ll be stopping by! You can find out more about Trinity Street Coffee Bar by visiting them here. Stop by, grab a drink, and tell them Running on Fumes sent you!

Want to see more?

If you or someone you know owns or frequents a favorite coffee establishment and you’d like to be featured (or nominate them to be featured), please comment below!

Cheers to the Caffeine Injected series!

(The post RoF – Caffeine Injected first appeared here at Running on Fumes.)

Out & Abouts

The truly funny part about the title of this post is that it’s significant in the military realm to indicate ensuring the base populace is not out doing nefarious things during the witching hours, aka being kids as kids will be. For me, it just means a week or so of constant activities.

Starting with Oktoberfest in Muenster! Mini had the time of her life with the help of a very popular aunt duo. I received about an hour of uninterrupted time to myself to peruse the wares and engage in a rather inappropriate but oh so funny conversation with a pre-mental health/post-correctional facility turned earring designer vendor. I saw his uterus and his boo-bies. Don’t ask.

It’s finally feeling fall-ish in North Texas so every chance to run is on my list. Thus far, I make it out about 3-4 days/wk. Heaven on earth. The 40s are encroaching – I can’t wait!

Finally, I stayed up late one night to facilitate the usage of my facility for something called Midnight Madness which really just looked more like a lot of amateur basketball players going hard for a few mins, then walking a lot. The real problem stemmed from my decision to accommodate this event while also conveniently forgetting I had another event the next day and would be suffering from a severe lack of sleep. This is how I take breaks! Which turned into an even longer night than anticipated when ego overtook common sense and involved the use of uniformed officers. Exactly what I needed at 1am.

With the addition of my wingwoman, we made it through a very long week. And witnessed the eclipse!

Wingwoman!

Indeed, the Women’s Conference was a welcomed reprieve from the movement of real life. I had an incredible day with incredible women of faith and love; and I got to spend quality time with my sweet niece who I’m still struggling to understand is now an adult. Love is watching the people you adore grow up and into themselves.

Rise Up!

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I ask you –

Have you partaken in an Oktoberfest?

Did you see the eclipse?

Tell me about your week!

(The post Out & Abouts first appeared here at Running on Fumes.)

A Girl Can Dream

As there are some travel plans during my month long holiday break, of course I took the opportunity to see if there were any nearby races. I can’t help it. There weren’t; however, it made me contemplate a training plan. I’m consistently running 12-15 miles per week now and I feel strong. Running throughout the summer really established a great base albeit difficult to circumvent the Texas heat. Yet somehow I did it. A few moments were touchy but I think I excelled at staying hydrated and playing safely.

But I’m leary of the incredible inflammation that comes with a training regimen. And I really don’t have the necessary time to devote to it with my school schedule. My knee is in a good place, too, so I can’t fathom disrupting the work and maintenance it requires to stay healthy.

Notwithstanding, this course load is rough. It’s only one course. Anything statistics related is my Achilles heel. Even when I am the professor what he envisions, it doesn’t end well. Maybe he doesn’t know either. All I do know is there’s about 3 weeks remaining and I’m counting down the days.

Returning to running, I’m consistently making it out for a few miles a few times a week and then usually a long(er) run on the weekends. Like I said before. My plan is to maintain this schedule during the winter and spring then see what next summer looks like. An immersive dissertation year will be upon me. We shall see.

I may not be sleeping or dreaming as much as before, but soon enough they will return.

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I ask you –

What kind of mileage have you been running or walking lately?

Do you typically dream?

Give me some advice for when I’m not sleeping well!

(The post A Girl Can Dream first appeared here at Running on Fumes.)

How’s It Going?

For seemingly no reason at all, last week literally kicked my arse. Team No Sleep – I was averaging 4 hrs of sleep per night, my Garmin was almost on the fritz with the what-is-wrong-with-you? Weirdly I kept having this recurring dream about a bobcat. I’m clueless. When I finally exhausted the bobcat dreams, it progressed to gummy bears. I give up.

Volleyball – I spent more time on the ground than I did upright and my body bore the marks. Even with knee pads, I tore open my knee from a previous week’s injury sans kneepads. Note to self – purchase better kneepads. My grandmother would be appalled. She had this thing about women having pretty knees. As a teenager, I made a wildly inappropriate joke and she was not pleased! Nonetheless, I think my second career as a knee model is doomed. My body looks and feels like it got run over. There was one point in the game when I fell on the floor and the ball wasn’t even near me. How, Kel?! Obviously in volleyball the object is to stay low but I just … fell. Who needs hips anyway.

Teamwork

By the end of the week, the events really started to ramp up. We hosted a run/walk/remember 5k so, of course, like a good little overachiever, I planned to run it knowing well enough I had blood work following it. Hydration? Psshhhh. So I devised a plan to bribe a friend to be my water girl during the run so I could ensure I stayed hydrated. Conflict of interest? Maybe. More importantly, the blood work part of the day never materialized because it was FASTED blood work and I drank my coffee, ate breakfast, downed electrolytes, and did all the things one should not do before fasted blood work. Alas, I had to reschedule. More to follow.

Finally, I received a B+ on the paper I had stressed and stayed up countless hours writing with literally a miniscule of guidance from the professor. Not pleased. So, I sulked for a day and ate a pint of ice cream (keto, of course).

The next morning – back at it. Indeed, life does go on.

______________________

I ask you –

Have you been having trouble sleeping, too?

Did you forget to fast before blood work?

Tell me how it’s going for you!

(The post How’s It Going first appeared here at Running on Fumes.)

Girl’s Day Recap

While mini was enjoying her summer shenanigans, McK and I were planning things for us to do. Because of our genuine love for mini, we decided to wait on a few things and take mini on a girl’s day.

First up – Lip Lab in Frisco, TX

Actually – the first thing we did was eat lunch at Bread Zeppelin (catchy, right?). Hands down, best salad I’ve probably ever had. Mini got her salad stuffed in a baguette, which is the entire concept. As I don’t eat bread like that, I just got a bowl but I can see the draw.

Of course we visited a coffee shop. McK and I have been following the multiple locations of Ascension Coffee for some time – the location we really want to visit is in a converted church. Alas, we were near the Dallas Cowboys stadium so that’s where we went instead. I got the Keto coffee. Amazing. McK got a latte and stated it was delicious, Parts had a Salted Caramel Cold Brew. She said it was very strong but the salty flavor was nice. Amateur.

Mini told me to make certain faces. I obliged but she seemed a little grumpy at my interpretations.

Finally, the lipstick details.

I have jokes. No need to comment on my naming convention as I’m utilizing scientific research that states your ideal lipstick color is 1-2 shades lighter/darker than nipple color. Hey, it’s science.

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I ask you –

Have you ever designed your own cosmetics?

Do you like salt in your coffee?

Tell me your favorite coffee establishment!

(The post Girl’s Day Recap first appeared here at Running on Fumes.)

Let’s Catch Up!

I recognize I just posted about this on Monday and here I am acting as if it’s a very new development. Oh well.

Part of her 4-year plan included jiujitsu and she’s happy as a clam! A rolling clam with arabesque tumbles.

Work insists I wear this fantastic name tag so they know for sure what my name is when I tell rude people to shove it. I’ve never pulled the director card but I might as well now. Relatedly, I was grocery shopping mid-power crisis (more on that shortly) when a woman approached me and said “Are you Kelly?” Taken aback, I answered affirmatively and she stated her name. Of course I exclaimed Oh Hi! as if I knew exactly who she was. Then she said we worked together a time ago and I instantly remembered her. For such a large community, it feels so small sometimes.

Sometimes I think I’d rather be a fly on the wall but then someone says something incredibly dumb or ignorant and I open my big mouth. No name tag required. Therefore, on a related note, I recently found out a coworker thought I was a colossal witch with a b upon his first interaction with me. Funny – nearly every friendship I’ve brokered has started off with the exact same story. I guess you just have to get to know me. As a self-described clown, I can’t see how anyone would think of me negatively but if it results in great relationships with wild stories, I’m all for it.

Final photo. After a particularly hot 47 hours of no electricity, the incredible lineman and power company workers perfected their excellence and returned power to my humble abode. So dramatic, Kel. I frequented Chicka D’s, took many cool showers, and attempted to not get too angry at sacrificing everything in the refrigerator.

Alas, it was a grand excuse to finally throw things away.

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I ask you –

When was the last time you were out of electricity for an extended period of time? 2001. Ice storm. No power for almost 2 weeks.

How do your friendships typically begin?

Tell me how often you clean out your fridge.

(The post Let’s Catch Up! first appeared here at Running on Fumes.)

How Convenient

Somehow I’m supposed to say no to preordering the latest rendition of my favorite shoe. We’re pleased to announce the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 23 will be available in August. Just in time for fall training. I’ve narrowed down my color options, now to make the final decision.

Pink

Black on Black

New shoes sound awesome but you know what isn’t awesome? This heat. I’m simply counting down the days to my beach side vacation where at least the smell of salt water mitigates the humidity. I managed 2 whole runs last week – but one was sooooo good I couldn’t move well for a few days afterward. As a quad-dominant runner, it’s both a blessing and a curse.

Our new director arrived a short time ago. He will be referred to in writings as the Cali Cowboy because I’m so good at nicknames. At first, it was Surfer Boy but it turns out he doesn’t surf. On the bright side, McK and I didn’t get fired for our naming conventions. Within 2 weeks of his arrival, we received notice of resignation of a co-worker so now the Cali Cowboy has to play that role, too. He did previously state how he learns best by being thrown into the fire.

Welcome to the sh*t show, sir.

__________________________

I ask you –

Shoes: pink or black?

How is the weather in your area?

I should probably disclose my blogging interests before he reads about himself on here.

(The post How Convenient appeared here at Running on Fumes.)