On a perfect day in October 2008, Marines, with full professionalism and precision, helped runners find their places near Arlington National Cemetery for the Marine Corps Marathon.The starting gun fired and the sound of running shoes on pavement combined with spectators cheering, pacers shouting instructions, and runners chatting with friends. Three miles into the race, I heard quiet come over the noisy crowd. I looked to my left and saw the incredible sight of the morning sun slanting through dense fog, the spires of Georgetown peering down upon us. As the hush turned to applause and cheers of hundreds of people around me, I looked to my right to find what had really caused people to quiet with respect and applaud with encouragement, enthusiasm, and pride: a member of Team Semper Fi.

A Marine, wearing a specialized prosthetic for running, had fought beyond the loss of his leg, beyond his recovery, and had made his way to the start of this event, where I know he inspired everyone he passed. As I prepare to run a marathon in Antarctica, I know my course will be difficult, but it will be nothing compared to the challenges and triumphs of that young man.

I am so immensely proud to be raising awareness of the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund (IMSFF), so that other Marines can have the support and services that they need after suffering injury and illness while fighting to protect our freedom. The IMSFF serves Marines through several programs, including family and medical support, transportation, housing assistance, specialized equipment, transition assistance and therapeutic arts (more details here).

Please support this amazing (c)(3) non-profit organization (EIN 26-0086305). All donations are tax deductible and even the smallest contribution can help with the vast needs of those recovering from injuries sustained during their service.

You can donate here. Thank you for your consideration and generosity.

Dear Pittsburgh,

I have been a resident for two and a half years. You have helped me attain an education in affiliation with one of the best psychiatric hospitals in the country and your dirt cheap housing prices allowed me to buy a condo for a quarter of what it would cost in my beloved DC. Although not my preference, I find it endearing that people speak "[Pittsburghese|http://www.pittsburghese.com/]"  and that a "Pittsburgh salad" is a salad with french fries on it.

The bridges are pretty......

It's also nice to be in a city where people love their football team.... a lot. 

However, we must have a little talk about the weather situation.  Snow is very pretty, I will agree. And Dippy holds a dear place in my heart. He is so handsome yet he only wears his signature scarf in the winter.

But the weather service tells me the following:

"LOW PRESSURE WILL TRACK ACROSS THE OHIO VALLEY TONIGHT. SNOW WILL INTENSIFY THROUGH THE EVENING. SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF TWO TO FOUR INCHES CAN BE EXPECTED.

BEHIND THIS LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM BITTER COLD ARCTIC AIR WILL MOVE INTO THE REGION THURSDAY AND REMAIN INTO FRIDAY NIGHT. THE COMBINATION OF COLD AND WIND WILL BRING WIND CHILL READINGS FROM 15 TO 20 DEGREES BELOW ZERO.

A WIND CHILL ADVISORY MEANS THAT VERY COLD AIR AND STRONG WINDS WILL COMBINE TO GENERATE LOW WIND CHILLS. THIS WILL RESULT IN FROST BITE AND LEAD TO HYPOTHERMIA IF PRECAUTIONS ARE NOT TAKEN. IF YOU MUST VENTURE OUTDOORS... MAKE SURE YOU WEAR A HAT AND GLOVES."

Now, it's very nice of you, Pittsburgh, to try to help me prepare for Antarctic conditions. Running in snow, cold and wind may be beneficial. This being said, conditions in Antarctica are expected to be a downright balmy 10 to 30 degrees Fahrenheit with a little wind and possible snow flurries. Not even snow, just flurries. So, dear city, please back off and warm up so that I can train in warmer temperatures that will more accurately reflect what running will be like on Antarctica without putting myself at risk for frost bite and hypothermia.

I appreciate your consideration,

Kat

PS- Go Steelers!

I love sales. For me, there is nothing more gratifying than getting something for less than I "should" be able to. It's like a legal version of stealing. Being honest with my sale addiction, I wanted to share a website that is like my crack:

Steap and Cheap

Earlier this year, I snagged a Sugoi Response Jacket, which retails for $125 for just $45! And I got free shipping because they incorrectly advertised that the jacket came with a hood. Their customer service was incredible and I don't run without this jacket. It's logged hundreds of miles with me in cold, snow and wind and has been very good to me. I plan to bring it to Antarctica for the marathon.

Not only do I love Steep and Cheap, I also love their partner sites Chain Love for biking equipment and accessories, Tramdock for skiing and snowboarding and Whiskey Militia for.... well,  Whiskey Militia is a site I'd use if I had a 14 year old nephew who snowboards. I lack such a nephew, so I rarely use the site. I also don't bike or ski regularly enough to benefit from frequenting the other sites. However, Steep and Cheap recently updated their format so that the current deals for the above websites are shown on Steep and Cheap's sidebar. While checking Steep and Cheap today, I stumbled upon an awesome deal on Tramdock. A Smartwool long sleeve v-neck shirt for $25 ($29 and change with shipping)!

This bad boy retails for $60 and the retail gods smiled on me because I was looking for a Smartwool shirt online today, just hours before.  I should also mention that I love Smartwool. 

Their cuffed beanie has kept me warm in many very cold, snowy and/or icy runs. Even when it gets wet it keeps me warm and doesn't stink. The only thing that could be better is if it had a hole for my ponytail so I don't look like a man when I'm out on runs. Yes, I know Nike makes beanies with ponytail holes.  But I love Smartwool (their socks are awesome, too).  And I got it on sale at REI. Speaking of sales at REI, they're having one now. I looked around for some deals and was able to snag an IllumiNITE jacket for $25. Yes, you read that right. $25 with free shipping to the store and it retails for $85.

If you're not familiar with IllumiNITE, they have some awesome illumination technology that makes the jacket look normal during the day, but is super reflective at night:

So, having been inspired by an acquaintance who has her own frugal fashion blog,, I thought I would make my own Active version. Enjoy!

I haven't posted since the Marine Corps Marathon and now that I'm in full swing training for Antarctica, it is probably time to get back to this blog.

Part of the reason I haven't posted is because this is a running blog and during November and December I did a lot of everything, except running. I survived finals, successfully defended my Masters and escaped to Europe for a week long vacation with my boyfriend.

Chris and I at Munich's Hofbrauhaus

There were also the holidays, a nasty cold and a stomach virus that prevented me from eating for three days (and kept me eating only toast and bananas for a few days after that). Some of these things were good (Germany! Prague!), others were bad (stomach virus) but all negatively impacted my running.  Importantly, I'd been able to maintain a reasonable base after the marathon, running 5 miles several times a week, including tough hill workouts, but my long runs had been lacking.

Net result: 0/4 long runs completed. This has never happened. Ever. So here lies the problem. What happens when  an overachiever falls behind (I'll be the one to say it: WAY behind) on her goal? Based on my experience, a combination of freaking out and pushing ahead like crazy. After not being able to run 14 miles, I decided that I had lost all my fitness and conditioning from the past two years of running and if I didn't kick things into gear immediately then I'd never be ready for Antarctica. Hi, My Name is Kat and I'm Neurotic.

The next few days looked like this:

This left my now-dreaded long run for Sunday. I was going to try to repeat the 14 miles that have been plaguing me. Or at least have felt like they've been plaguing me.  I go out to North Park, my favorite five mile loop, with Chris and meet Jen, who is planning to run 8. I plan to run SLOW. Psychologically, I NEED to finish this run. If I need to run as slow as I ran my 10 miles, that is fine with me. Our first five mile are 9:37 to 9:47 pace. Usually on a good training day, I'll run my long runs at 10 min/mile pace. We are running too fast. I verbalize that we should slow down. We do, a little, maybe 5 seconds a mile, and although I feel good at mile 8 when we split from Jen, I am terrified I won't be able to keep this pace. Chris and I trudge along, and the second his toe crosses the 14 mile mark, he is done, but I felt good enough to finish the last loop around the lake to make the run a solid 15 miles. Not only did I run 15 miles, my last mile was my fastest mile and overall, this was one of the fastest long runs I've had to date. One heck of a comeback run to cap off a 40 mile week. 

So I learned a few things:

• If I miss some runs, I'll be okay. The rest may have even done me well.

• Nutrition is key. I know I flopped on my 14-turned-10 miler because I hadn't eaten in days. Before my successful 15 miler I ate very well and I don't doubt that had something to do with my performance.

• Running with a partner is the way to do runs. I run faster and it feels easier. Awesome.