Half Marathon, Part 2

Dave did this one solo, but on Sunday he ran the White Rock Half Marathon. It was his first time running this one and said he really enjoyed the course and was really pleased with his time of 1:42. Not bad to cut 11 minutes off his time from a month ago. It was a really well done race and I was able to cheer him on at three different places along the route. I forgot to take the camera, but if you want, you can go to www.sportphoto.com, click on "Dallas White Rock Marathon" and then enter his bib number 6634. Pictures should be posted there tomorrow.

Winter comes to Texas

After temps near 80 on Wednesday, a cold front came through that night with heavy rains that set us up for a nice wintery day on Thursday. Temps were around 30 with sleet and snow (yes, SNOW!) off and on throughout the day. Of course, most of it has already melted today since it's going to be in the 50s. But it was fun while it lasted. Wesley actually liked playing in the snow on the deck, which is so strange because he won't step foot outside if the deck is wet after it rains or the sprinklers run.

The Half -- We did it!

This past Sunday, Dave, my sister and I all completed our half marathon. Whew! We had a really fun weekend leading up to it, and the race itself went well for all of us. Dave did it in 1:54, and that's after not really training and only getting 4 hours of sleep the night before. Susan amazed us all by doing it in 2:01, and I cut 13 minutes of my time from last year to do it in 2:25. I also ran the whole thing without walking, which really surprised me. But Susan and Dave really encouraged me to try to do it, so I did. We're all ready for some much needed rest now that our training is over. I'm definitely relieved there are no 10-mile runs in my immediate future.

Fair Food

Dave and I took the day off Monday and ventured out to the Texas State Fair. It was Dave's first time going without having to work an event. We ate our way through it, trying as much as we had the stomach for: corn dogs, Tornado Taters, fried Twinkie, fried Nutter Butters, fried mac and cheese, and a Donkey Tail (hot dog and cheese wrapped in a tortilla and fried). The fried mac and cheese was our favorite. Someone told us the fried Coke wasn't worth it, so we passed on that. And the next day we were wishing we would have passed on a few more things. Needless to say, our run on Tuesday morning was a struggle!

If only we could all sleep this well

visit from parents

My parents and I went to Austin last weekend for the Iowa State vs. Texas football game. We were some of the very few Cyclone fans there. But despite the heat, the storm and the loss, we had a great time and really enjoyed Austin. The night before leaving for Austin, we all celebrated my birthday and one of our favorite restaurants near by, Agave Azul.

Dogs and their toys

Training update

I'm in my fourth official week of training for my half marathon in Novemember. So far I've done all of my training and have been very pleased with my progress, but this week I've already started to feel burned out by it. But as Dave pointed out, I still have 8 weeks to go, so I better get over it quick! I'm up to 5 miles for my long runs. My 5-mile run on Sunday was tough, but I was able to do it without stopping, which really surprised me. Today I did 3.5 miles and tomorrow I'm going to make up the cross training I skipped yesterday. I'm so thankful for the cooler weather we've had recently so I can get outside to do my runs instead of relying on the treadmill at the gym. But now that my runs will start getting longer I'd like to try to find some new routes. Any one have any recommendations for routes or good trails in the Dallas area?

My sister's the one who encouraged me to do another half, so it's been great to have her for accountability and encouragement. Unfortunately she injured her foot last week, so her training has been on hold for a while, but we really hope she can pick it up soon. Since she was the one who talked me into this, there's no way I'm doing it without her! :)

Keeney Summer Tour 2006 comes to a close

Our summer of travels came to an end this weekend with a trip to Nashville to spend time with some of Dave's family. Dave brought along his video camera to document Nana and Papa talking about their world travels while he was in the Air Force. What a special opportunity. We also got to see Dave's aunt and uncle and cousins and we even got to see my cousin Dan who lives in Nashville, too. We really enjoyed spending time with all of them, and I've really liked getting to travel to Nashville over the years.

My latest project

Thanks to the help of a devoted mother-in-law, I just finished an update to my once-sad dining room curtains. We took the four bland linen window panels that I had hanging in there originally, sewed two panels together for each side, and then cut off the bottom to add a suede accent fabric. I'm pretty pleased with the result and even Dave likes them, too, despite his general apathy toward sewing projects. :)

Family fun

Over the last week we enjoyed a visit from my Aunt Jane and cousin Jenna, both from Minnesota, and a trip up to Kansas City to see Sue, Doug and the kids. Fun times with all. Dog park and shopping with Jane and Jenna, and the zoo and pool with Sue and the kids.

More Belize

Here are a few more Belize pictures:
- San Pedro Town
- Beware!
- Dave and a prized Belizean Belikin beer
- Red-footed Boobie Birds on Half Moon Caye
- Our hotel, Corona del Mar