Pic of the 757.
Chris
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
New Job
In case you have not heard, I have a new job. I will be flying the 757 for Omni Air International out of Tulsa. I will be a first officer flying international all over the world. I am excited.
Pic of the 757.
Chris
Pic of the 757.
Chris
Marathon: Quick Overview & Results; 1 of 2
On Saturday, October 17, 2009 I began my 1st marathon. Just over 4 hours later, I completed it.
With the constant support of my family and friends, I completed the most exciting, lengthy, yet rewarding race I have ever run. I cannot thank each of you enough for your support as I trained and competed in this race.
My "bib" number is 986. I was SO excited when I saw my name printed on the green bib! Of all the races I have run, I have never had my NAME printed on my race number. I was SO excited. While Chris did not understand my enthusiasm, I assured him that when I was delirious after about 20 miles, having my name on my bib would be a good thing : )
My "unofficial" results, according to the KC Marathon website is:
Time: 4:09:58
Overall Place: 670 (out of 1557 total participants who completed the marathon)
Mile Pace: 9:33
I am pretty darn proud of myself! I had a few goals for this race, including:
1. To FINISH (hopefully run the entire race) ----COMPLETED
2. Goal Time: 9 minute mile pace--making entire race about 4 hours--Nearly Did It! (missed it in the last few miles! drat!)
Post Race Thoughts:
I don't know my exact train of thought when the race was over, but it went something like this:
I COMPLETED A MARATHON! (sigh of relief!)
Hey-I beat the 4 hour 10 minute mark!
Woah! That WAS a long race.
Maybe marathoners ARE crazy. Nah! I'm done!
Glad it's over.
Although---I feel remarkably good. Maybe I should do a bit of a cool down?
Water?
T-shirts?
Medal?
Cool.
Where do I go?
Where are the balloons and my family? (Chris was holding a handful of helium balloons throughout the race so that I could easily spot where my supporters were!!)
Oh-hey-There's Alyssa and Whitney
Hmm...my legs are kind of sore--I need to stretch.
AH-FOOD!
: - D
It was not long after that I saw Chris, my parents, his parents, and a few of our friends. I am sure glad that Whitney and Alyssa (friends of mine from high school) found me because after the race, while I was feeling remarkably good, I had no idea where I should go to reunite with my fam/friends. It was not long before we found them all. I was greeted with smiles, hugs and many congratulations. Thank you again!!!
After I warmed up and chatted with family for a bit, we departed for the "Bonar Suites." (This is the name I like to call my sister's inlaws' house. Her inlaws' names are Bobby Ann (Erik's Mom) and Vern (Erik's Dad)) Vern has already gone down to Arizona, where he and Bobby Ann "winter" because it's too darn cold here ! Must be nice to chase that sunshine and warm weather when the snow and cold begin here in the midwest. Bobby Ann was still in town during my marathon and she was more than hospitable to house Chris and I during our stay in the KC area.
We headed back to the Bonar Suites so that I could clean up and take a much needed nap. While I rested, Chris and his parents as well as my parents visited and relaxed. When I awoke, I was HUNGRY! I downed some pasta to hold me over until the bbq with our friends.
Around 4 pm we met with a number of friends. Both of our parents FINALLY got to meet some of our KC friends as well as some of our college friends they have not seen in a long time. We had one of the best times we have had in a long time. I hobbled over to greet our friends as they pulled up--but it was SO wonderful to see them all! Our friend, Nick, ran the 1/2 marathon that day as well, so we talked about the race and when we each hit "the wall." We also got to visit with Tricia and her husband Clayton, two of my dear friends from college. We chatted with some family/friends of mine (the Ponnuru's) from Wichita--who now live/work in the KC area. They even brought their two beautiful daughters, who were SO adorable! We were also excited to have our dear friend, Cheri, come to the bbq. She is so much fun to fly with and we miss her dearly!
Despite my slow-moving self and the aches and pains, the day could not have been more perfect. I think Chris and I both said it was one of the most fun days we have had in a long time. The support was overwhealmingly wonderful, not to mention the quality time we got to spend with our friends and family. At the end of the day, I was sad it was all over. I didn't know how such a wonderful day could end so quickly.
And the answer to the question I keep getting:
Would I ever do another marathon?
On October 17th, I said I was unsure.
Today: I can undoubtably say: not anytime soon--but maybe one day again.
After putting in over 4 months of training, it was well worth the training--but very time consuming. For now, I will stick with the shorter runs (that is 1/2 marathons or less!) I will remain optimistic that when I do another marathon, I will have gaines valuable knowledge about training/support--both of which are immensely important to a race like this.
So--Mr. Larson...I don't know if I will be shooting for Boston...but the next marathon I run will be one big party!
Until then,
~Robin the runner
With the constant support of my family and friends, I completed the most exciting, lengthy, yet rewarding race I have ever run. I cannot thank each of you enough for your support as I trained and competed in this race.
My "bib" number is 986. I was SO excited when I saw my name printed on the green bib! Of all the races I have run, I have never had my NAME printed on my race number. I was SO excited. While Chris did not understand my enthusiasm, I assured him that when I was delirious after about 20 miles, having my name on my bib would be a good thing : )
My "unofficial" results, according to the KC Marathon website is:
Time: 4:09:58
Overall Place: 670 (out of 1557 total participants who completed the marathon)
Mile Pace: 9:33
I am pretty darn proud of myself! I had a few goals for this race, including:
1. To FINISH (hopefully run the entire race) ----COMPLETED
2. Goal Time: 9 minute mile pace--making entire race about 4 hours--Nearly Did It! (missed it in the last few miles! drat!)
Post Race Thoughts:
I don't know my exact train of thought when the race was over, but it went something like this:
I COMPLETED A MARATHON! (sigh of relief!)
Hey-I beat the 4 hour 10 minute mark!
Woah! That WAS a long race.
Maybe marathoners ARE crazy. Nah! I'm done!
Glad it's over.
Although---I feel remarkably good. Maybe I should do a bit of a cool down?
Water?
T-shirts?
Medal?
Cool.
Where do I go?
Where are the balloons and my family? (Chris was holding a handful of helium balloons throughout the race so that I could easily spot where my supporters were!!)
Oh-hey-There's Alyssa and Whitney
Hmm...my legs are kind of sore--I need to stretch.
AH-FOOD!
: - D
It was not long after that I saw Chris, my parents, his parents, and a few of our friends. I am sure glad that Whitney and Alyssa (friends of mine from high school) found me because after the race, while I was feeling remarkably good, I had no idea where I should go to reunite with my fam/friends. It was not long before we found them all. I was greeted with smiles, hugs and many congratulations. Thank you again!!!
After I warmed up and chatted with family for a bit, we departed for the "Bonar Suites." (This is the name I like to call my sister's inlaws' house. Her inlaws' names are Bobby Ann (Erik's Mom) and Vern (Erik's Dad)) Vern has already gone down to Arizona, where he and Bobby Ann "winter" because it's too darn cold here ! Must be nice to chase that sunshine and warm weather when the snow and cold begin here in the midwest. Bobby Ann was still in town during my marathon and she was more than hospitable to house Chris and I during our stay in the KC area.
We headed back to the Bonar Suites so that I could clean up and take a much needed nap. While I rested, Chris and his parents as well as my parents visited and relaxed. When I awoke, I was HUNGRY! I downed some pasta to hold me over until the bbq with our friends.
Around 4 pm we met with a number of friends. Both of our parents FINALLY got to meet some of our KC friends as well as some of our college friends they have not seen in a long time. We had one of the best times we have had in a long time. I hobbled over to greet our friends as they pulled up--but it was SO wonderful to see them all! Our friend, Nick, ran the 1/2 marathon that day as well, so we talked about the race and when we each hit "the wall." We also got to visit with Tricia and her husband Clayton, two of my dear friends from college. We chatted with some family/friends of mine (the Ponnuru's) from Wichita--who now live/work in the KC area. They even brought their two beautiful daughters, who were SO adorable! We were also excited to have our dear friend, Cheri, come to the bbq. She is so much fun to fly with and we miss her dearly!
Despite my slow-moving self and the aches and pains, the day could not have been more perfect. I think Chris and I both said it was one of the most fun days we have had in a long time. The support was overwhealmingly wonderful, not to mention the quality time we got to spend with our friends and family. At the end of the day, I was sad it was all over. I didn't know how such a wonderful day could end so quickly.
And the answer to the question I keep getting:
Would I ever do another marathon?
On October 17th, I said I was unsure.
Today: I can undoubtably say: not anytime soon--but maybe one day again.
After putting in over 4 months of training, it was well worth the training--but very time consuming. For now, I will stick with the shorter runs (that is 1/2 marathons or less!) I will remain optimistic that when I do another marathon, I will have gaines valuable knowledge about training/support--both of which are immensely important to a race like this.
So--Mr. Larson...I don't know if I will be shooting for Boston...but the next marathon I run will be one big party!
Until then,
~Robin the runner
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Run, Eat, Eat, Eat, Run Eat, Eat, Eat,Run!!!
The last several months of training have been....indescribable. How does one put into words something that I have been looking forward to for SO long?
In high school, a teammate of mine from cross country took her senior year off to run a marathon with her mom. Additionally, my coach ran a marathon--and my teammates and I went to cheer him on. This past spring, Chris and I went to Boston to watch Heath run his 1st Boston Marathon. That was it--I had decided-THIS is the year for MY marathon. And I was going to make it my birthday present to myself. My loving husband was right behind me--Chris gave me a pair of running shoes and a pedometer! He's the BEST! He even went through the trouble to help me plan out some of my long runs...what a great coach/teammate!
I cannot be more thankful for the support of Chris, as well as our friends and family. Thanks to each of you for your constant support and encouragement every step of the way.
**There are text/email updates and I told one of my students about it--and I told him that he would be able to get updates on my progress throughout the race. He jokingly said-So it will text me when you get admitted to the hospital--with your room number and everything?! haha. Thanks ! I appreciate the good humor of my student and their support and sacrifice to have a flexible schedule in order to allow me to run and train for this marathon.**
Also, Chris had one more race present for me...another NEW pair of shoes! So I will be sporting some shnazzy blue Adidas shoes! (don't worry Heath-I did break my new shoes in!)
Also, Chris had one more race present for me...another NEW pair of shoes! So I will be sporting some shnazzy blue Adidas shoes! (don't worry Heath-I did break my new shoes in!)
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Where in the WORLD is Christopher Robin?!
These past few months have been just CRAZY BUSY! Where have we been? What have we been up to? Let's start off from today and work backwards:
**this upcoming weekend is my marathon--which I have been training for since the beginning of June! Yikes!
Last weekend, we went on a road trip to Indiana to visit some good friends of ours. It was supposed to be a "airplane" trip, but as luck would have it, there was a storm system that moved through. So, we decided to play it safe and suffer through the 12 hour drive there. However, the trip was WELL worth it! We got to stop through Joplin, MO. on the way through and visit another friend. It was such a fun trip and it was nice to get to see friends. On the way home, we stopped through Perryville, MO to visit Chris' Grandparents. Conveniently, we also got to see his brother Jeremy and (Jeremy's FIANCE) Ashley. I also got to meet Aunt Billie. Here is a picture of the crew below:
The previous weekend was Heath and Kristine's wedding. We had a great time celebrating with our dear friends. Heath went to school with Chris and I. Kristine is a close family/friend of my family, so it was an all out party with our close friends/family!! We got to see a number of K-State alumni. Here is a picture of the lovely couple and my darling husband and I:
The previous weekend was a blessed weekend at home--AMAZING!-- Oh-and I had a student pass his private pilot check ride. That was SO exciting because he has been working SO hard to complete this and it was so rewarding to see him succeed.
The weekend before THAT-Chris went to Reno, Nevada for the Annual Reno Air Races. One of the clubs on campus is called the Flying Aggies. Chris and other Flying Aggies road tripped the 33 hour drive there and the 27 hour ride home. I got constant updates about the Hoover Dam, driving through Vegas--oh-and my favorite was when I called and heard the amazing Bzzzzrrrrmmmmmm! That was the sound of the quick race planes zipping in and out of pylons, going roughly 500+mph at 50 feet above the ground! (that is a bit different than the type of air racing that I did....this was a pylon race, compared to my cross country air race)
Before that was football games, as well as a fantastic camping trip with the Laws crew. We went camping over Labor day. The "crew" consisted of Chris' parents, sister, brother and (at the time his girlfriend!!) Ashley. My sister came out for smores one night and it was a great opportunity to hang out and enjoy the beautiful, silent scenery before life got crazy busy.
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