Cats, Cats and More Cats
I spent much of this morning watching adorable cat videos with co-workers. I am so lucky to work with a multitude of vegetarian cat-lovers. We are really cool. Don't be confused.Later, I stumbled upon this video of Santito the cat and it melted my heart! Santito doesn't have use of his back legs due to being hit by a car. A guy named Wil is running the LA Marathon to raise money for Santito's rehabilitation, so he can walk again. I am a sucker for all animal-related causes so of course I donated. I thought I'd share with you, my fellow animal lovers (ahem, PAM!).
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| This is Santito. His incredible owners have taken such great care of him (instead of euthanizing him as suggested) and are raising money to rehabilitate him so he can walk again. |
{Quick link to donate: Help Santito Walk Again!}
Speaking of cats -- I've seen so many beautiful ones around the neighborhood lately! And yes, I take pictures of them. I am a self-admitted cat lady and proud of it! ;-)
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| Exhibit A |
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| Exhibit B |
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| And I got to cuddle with Frida, who I miss dearly! |
{Instagram: SoCalRunnerGal}
Changes
I got a new car yesterday! I finally said good-bye to the old gas guzzling Jeep and bought something so practical that I don't even recognize myself in it. A little Chevy Aveo. Super cheap. Super basic. Not super cool, but I don't even care. I guess this is what growing up looks like. |
| Buh-bye, Jeep! |
Stepping Outside My Comfort Zone
Tomorrow morning at 7 AM, I will be doing something I don't normally do. Something that scares me! I am running 20 miles with the San Diego Track Club's Boston Marathon training group. I am mostly an anti-social runner so this makes me a bit uneasy. The fact that everyone runs Boston qualifying times especially freaks me out. I qualified for Boston so I have earned my spot in this group, but I am still nervous that I'll be the slowest in the bunch. This is probably an irrational fear, but it's a real one. I may be a back-of-the-pack runner in this particular group, and that is okay!I am excited to geek out on all things running for 20 straight miles with fellow Boston bound peeps. I am also excited to meet potential training partners. This is definitely a very good move for me, but one I am apprehensive about.
Do you run with a group?
I am a very social person but prefer to run alone. Wish me luck!
Are you a cat person or a dog person?
I'm both!
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Posts
Ohhhh. Good question. I am an anti-social runner (and proud of it!), but I am considering going to a group run tomorrow morning to get to know more of the runners around me. And I know I can take it easy in that group. Good luck! I am sure you can keep up!
ReplyDeleteOoh! Look at us being social runners for once! I can't wait to hear how your run goes. Good luck!
DeleteI *was* an anti-social runner until I found the San Diego Running Meetup... There I met some of my bestest buddies.
ReplyDeleteBut seriously - San Diego Track Club runners are SUPER friendly. I bet you're going to love it!
That's so great to hear! Maybe I should try the SD Running Meetup, too!
DeleteI'll let you know how it goes. :)
I love to run with friends! I was apprehensive when I joined the VAVI running at the end of 2010 but I ended up making great friends. I really love the before/after part of it - socializing and stretching together and sometimes grabbing breakfast. Now I mostly train alone because my schedule/pace doesn't match and I miss the group atmosphere. I signed up for the North County Running Meetup but I never go to the runs! Maybe this week I actually will....although the fact that my long run has tempo intervals in the beginning makes me reconsider. See what I do!
ReplyDeleteGood luck training with the group tomorrow...hope it goes great for you! In my whopping 5 months of running experience, I learned that I love to run with a group....I'm particularly fond of them because they helped coach me through my struggles and anxiety about being a beginner (in contrast to you...an established runner).I understand what you mean though...since signing up for Chicago, I found a new group to train with (previous group is winding down)...right now my goal is just to finish, and at least one of these girls run under a 7 min/mile! Hoping it will be a good influence on me and not too intimidating! :)
ReplyDeleteOMG, you are too funny with your cat pictures! I love that you taking pictures of other people's cats, too!! I am definitely more of a dog person but mostly because my mom is severely allergic to cats so we never had one when I was growing up. But I really love all animals. I just can't get enough unconditional love. :)
ReplyDeleteI never run with groups and very rarely run with a friend. I am quiet when I'm with a new group of people so I would end up not talking to anyone and wishing I was just running alone. However, I did step out of my comfort zone a couple of times and go on group runs. Once was about 8 years ago when I joined a group that was on an 18 mile training run. I met three other women (none of them knew each other, either) and two of them became my closest friends! Can't wait to hear how it goes tomorrow for you.
Have a great run tomorrow! I run all my long runs with a group because I hate having to come up with long routes and planning water stops--- with a group, it's already set up!
ReplyDeleteOne of your neighborhood cats looks so much like my Raz I thought maybe you'd moved in next door! My husband cares for all the cats around our house (they are almost tame now so it's hard to call them feral anymore). I love both cats and dogs.
ReplyDeleteI've run alone, with one or two running buddies, and with big groups. I did my best training when I ran with a girlfriend who trained and raced at a similar pace. We ran many marathons together. Big groups usually break up into smaller packs of similar pace, so that works really well too.
Have fun on your 20 miler!
I am a super social person, except for when it comes to hiking or running. Both I prefer to do solo, mostly because I really am slow and not that I feel slow. SD track club is great, and as Neon Blonde Runner said, it's they're great with water stops ( I used to be the volunteer coordinator for the water stations) Have fun!
ReplyDeleteI hope you like running with th group tomorrow! I joined a running club about a year ago, and I prefer to run about half of my runs with other runners from the group and half of my runs solo. I enjoy both, depending on my mood. I have met a couple of my closest friends from the group.
ReplyDeleteWe are similar in that I tend to be an anti-social runner, but I too have found a Boston bound group and I'm running 23 miles with them tomorrow. It has been nice to train with other people, especially since we are going for the same time. I hope you meet some really nice people and enjoy the company, 20 miles is a long way to go solo, I've done it many times but, there is a mutual understanding among runners, so it's nice to have that energy along for the ride.
ReplyDeleteI used to hate running with others. I'd avoid it at all costs. I still don't think I'd like the group thing but I don't mind running with a buddy or two. Good luck. This sounds like it could be fun Kate!
ReplyDeleteAnd you know, I've always wanted a cat (dogs..I like them too but I like to travel more and that gets tricky) but my husband is allergic. :) I think it says a lot about people who have a heart for animals. Love this.
Oh my goodness, look at little Santito!!! There is nothing more inspiring than an animal's inner strength and drive. What a beautiful story. There just aren't enough happy endings in this world--it's so refreshing to see one in progress!
ReplyDeleteI am totally a cat lady so I'm with you on all of those photos - LOVE them. And yes I'm antisocial too. I run with one or two buddies but generally alone. Having said that, running 20M in company is a great idea, it's a long old road on your own. And you are TOTALLY deserving of being in that group - hey - you qualified just like everyone else! - and you are no impostor. Just go and enjoy. Chat the miles away!
ReplyDeleteI'm sort of alone, but I like to run actual racing events with people. I did just join the Houston Hashers, but only been to one event. Oh and I joined the Houston Striders running group, but I haven't shown up yet due to other personal stuff. Oh well.
ReplyDeleteI used to be a cat person, but now I am both a dog and cat person. I have one ginger cat and one mutt whom I love dearly. They have their quirks. I'm just a sucker for all things animal.