You want this Tech Toy

My German readers probably don't get the intended pun of my headline. Or maybe some of you don't watch the show?
Anyway, I have a Tech Toy that I absolutely adore, indespensible since Google or any other mapservicing for that matter refuses to map out the area that we live in and where I train. Gives me all the stats I think I have to have and even gives me a virtual running buddy!
What is it? The Garmin 305 Forerunner. It features a highly sensitive GPS receiver and a robust heartrate monitor. It lets me track the length of my workout, the distance, speed, calories burned (not so important but wth), I can save my routes and so much more. If interested, visit www.garmin.com look for the Forerunner series. It rocks.

Paul

Paul has a cold but seems to be getting better. I hear from him (or better read) daily.

Ready? About!

No clue what that means?
Okay, I will share, why else am I blogging? After years of not setting a foot on a vessel under sail, I am heading for the ocean again!
It looks like I found a sailing club (inviting & affordable) and an oportunity to crew for a regatta in the middle of March. So I will be back on the water, under sail soon!
This week-end we are expecting temperatures around the 70's and sunshine. I will have to tend to my yard, the new doors will be delivered on Monday and then construction can start. We are building the deck to the kitchen first (15 foot 10 inch square plus stairs into the backyard), then we are taking out the large kitchen window and putting in french doors and downstairs we are changing a door into Frenchdoors as well and installing a ceiling fan on our covered porch. Preparations should keep me busy, I will have to sneak a long run (10k) into the week-end.
3 weeks until my next race, the Shamrock 5K benefitting the March of Dimes foundation. In April my employer is organizing a 5K run & walk and I have big plans for May. I am heading to Orlando for the Minnie race. Minnie isn't exactly Minnie as it is a 15K course at World Disney World.
Is that enough news for the week?
Valentines was uneventful, Girls came home with too much candy, they gave out uncool things (Emma-Louise had Playdough and Christel-Ann pencils and erasers).

Winter in the south can be tough!

Real tough!
I went running yesterday in shorts and t-shirt. Today we put the top down on the convertible and cruised to the beach. Emma-Louise was a real trooper, she climbed the tallest Lighthouse in Georgia by herself. 178 steps.
Enjoy a picture of a really rough winter day in Savannah:

Results are in!

I have the results, nothing glorious, but I will share:

551st overall place (out of 1185)
26th in my age group (out of 59)
246th women total (out of 720)
31min 18 sec "Chiptime"
31min 21 sec "Guntime"
10.06 min per mile

Race

It's done! And I don't even have my time! I forgot my watch at home so i will have to wait until the official results are posted before I will know.
I do know that I did not stay under 30 minutes, that was my goal. I woke up sick and took some Dayquil, didn't have any voice, but figured I'm running not talking. Then some genius marked a course KM course with "milemarkers" so at mile 1 I thought I was only at 1km (surely the longest km ever!!). Then right before the 2nd mile marker my ipod gave up on me. Yes it would have been smart to charge it *sigh*. And the 2nd mile marker also seemed awfully far. I kept pacing myself and since I am not familiar with the backstreets of Tybee I had no idea where I was at until I was on the homestretch. But pacing myself paid off, because the last 500m or so I was able to sprint.
Here is a picture of Tomomi and I just before the race.



The weather conditions were nothing short of perfect! No wind, clear skies, sunshine and cool. After the race it started to warm up and that was very nice!
I decided that this blog will not just be about Paul, the deployment but I will also write a little bit about running and hopefully see some progress in time and distance. My goal: Half-Marathon next year in Tybee together with Paul!

A quarter 'til week-end

And I have it figured out!

Here is what's going on:

Kerstin 8:00 am "Run Tybee"
Christel-Ann 9:00 & 10:00 am Cheerleading at the YMCA
Emma-Louise 10:00 am Pizza Party at Chuckee Cheese.

First things first: I promised myself that I would never set a foot into a Chuckee Cheese. Emma-Louise is not going to the Party. BTW Who in their right mind has a Pizza party for 4year olds at 10???

For the rest, I will be leaving the house by 6 in order to be at a friends house by 6:20. The Girls willk stay with my friends husband. What a coincident, Georg is German and works for our research and development center, we actually have almost the same extension! Mine is 5814 and his is 5148. His older daughter cheers with Christel-Ann and his younger daughter and Emma-Louise like each other a lot. He will take all 4 Girls to the YMCA. My friend Tomomi and I as well as her parents (who are flying in from Japan tonight) are driving out to Tybee. 2872 registered runners...where to park? One of the ladies that works around me lives on Tybe and I asked her if she knew of a good place. And she offered her house which is across from the startline! Woohoo! We will have it made! Everything came together beautifully. I was sweating that schedule last week, but it all worked out!
Saturday afternoon will be spent taking it easy.
Sunday is Church, we are in a sermon series about Roommates, bad dates and great mates. Gateway now offers 2 services and the 11 o'clock service is perfect for us for the moment. I just can't do 9:30 on a Sunday, the Girls finally enjoy to sleep in, and so do I!
In the evening we are going to Gateways' Super Bowl Party, that will surely be fun! And then we are back to the routine of our week.
Have a good one y'all!