2 Miles and a Song, Brought to You by Mickey!

I believe it was in our freshman theology class that Mickey and I declared that were are PFFs. What is a PFF, you ask? That would be a "primary friend forever," which is obviously one tier below BFF. So now, more than 10 years later, we are still primary friends, because we don't go all willy-nilly into this, and forever is forever, so there. Our friendship initially stemmed out of our good fortune of having many of the same classes and tending to end up sitting next to each other in the alphabetical order assigned seating typical of the LC classrooms. Often we would pass notes to each other with very important contents such as the starting lineup for the Phillies, Dikembe Mutombo's full name and the lyrics to "King of New York" from Newsies.

Yup, that just happened. And if you say you didn't just enjoy watching that, you are a liar or you need to re-evaluate your life. Christian Bale and Bill Pullman singing and dancing? How can you not love it?

Mickey ran cross country in high school, which at that point was a foreign concept to me. Little did I know I would end up running around like a nut all these years later. He also played guitar and made up songs. I have a few Mickey originals in my possession, such as "Bubble Wrap," and once he wrote on about me. Anyone who stole music from me while in college just might be lucky enough to have heard the greatest song ever made "Natalie." It's still on my iPod, and I listened to it during my two mile run today. The lyrics go a little something like this:

"Natalie
Just saying her name makes me have to pee
But I go to the bathroom happily
Because it's Natalie"

(Mickey then plays the guitar for a while and makes some bass-line sounding noises so he sounds less like a one man band. Also you can hear him getting get in instant message over AIM at one point.)

"Natalie
She had to wash her dog because he rolled in crap-a-lie"

This is a true story. I was talking to Mickey online that day when he told me he was going to record and send me a song, and I said something along the lines of "brb my dog just rolled in crap and my mom is yelling at me to come help clean him up." This is especially great, because now Spottie is immortalized in song too.

All clean! And looking dapper!

So today, I ran 2 miles for Mickey. It's pretty cold out, which I'm not pleased about, but it was still enjoyable. Some of it was with Back on My Feet, and sans music. But after we split off I listened to his request, and to "Moves Like Jagger" by Maroon 5, because it refers to Mick Jagger, and I figured that's kind of like Mickey, and he has sweet moves.

This is exactly what Mickey looked like at the prom.

I haven't seen Mickey in a very long time (this seems to be a running theme with my amazing sponsors...), but hopefully in my time home before going to Tanzania or after I come back we can change that! If not, my door is always open for my PFF in Boston!

Natalie

Two and a Half with Some Country for Bill and Cindy!

I have had the pleasure of knowing Bill and Cindy (and their kids!) for my entire life. They are great friends of my parents, and as a have been staples at a variety of Kratz family events, such as graduation parties and weddings. They must really like us, since after all these years they hang out with my parents. This might be related to the fact that I am rarely around... hmm....

Cindy and Bill are also fans of fitness! Cindy does Dr. Drill, as do my parents. This boot camp is no joke. I've been to their guest sessions and trail runs and got my butt kicked. Bill was a member of the first Ragnar Team Ludicrous Speed, as Pizza the Hutt.

You're Delicious

Cindy and Bill didn't have any special requests, but my mom suggested I listen to some country music for them. During the winter, this genre typically falls by the wayside on the old iPod, but with summer and good weather on its way, I gladly threw together a playlist. I had a lovely run with Keith Urban, Toby Keith, and even a little Rascal Flatts. Try not to have a good run when you are starting off with this one:

For my route, I went with the standard Somerville 5K route (so they got a little more than the 2.5 they donated for!). Every single 5K in Somerville follows the same route, and goes by my house. So, I actually started and ended at my house, and ran it in the opposite direction. I still managed to make a wrong turn though, since I'm so used to going in the other direction. Also it may have been because I was so excited about this song:

Like my parents, Cindy and Bill are very much enjoying their relatively new roles as grandparents, and I love seeing new pictures of them with Chase on Facebook! Bill is a volunteer fireman, and it looks like he is having a pretty strong influence on the little guy. I just creeped through their daughter's album of his 3rd birthday which featured a firetruck bouncehouse, a firetruck piñata, and an actual firetruck. (Hey Dad, for my big 2-6 I want a CPA-themed party, with a cake iced to look like a 1040.)

Chase's cake

I will also accept a W-2 cake

So thank you for a lovely run, and for all of the awesome times over the years you guys! Hopefully I'll see you before I head to Tanzania, but if not I'll have to make sure to catch up with you and tell you all about it!

Natalie

5 Coffee-Fueled Miles for Lindsay (And Her Uncle Sean)!

First a quick update - my flight is (finally) booked! I'm heading out on May 18, and I'll fly back home August 3. I'm vaccinated (even though seriously almost passed out after the 4th shot to the arm), my malaria meds are waiting for me at CVS, my visa is in the works, and my practicum is approved! 

The program is really just 8 weeks, but I am staying an extra two to work at SIC's office organizing baseline data they have collected on their Community Health Worker program. Unfortunately, this will eat into some of my free time while I'm there (we have a week break, but I'll be at the office), which means no white water rafting in the Nile for me... I'm actually okay with that idea. That sounds terrifying. I don't want to get eaten by a hippo or something. 

Not today, hippo.

BUT I'm very excited about the practicum. As part of my MPH, I need to complete one in order to graduate. While working with data may sound boring to some, this is pretty much what I'm good at and like to do. It's a great fit with my epidemiology (and maybe biostats...) concentration too. I think it will be similar to what I did in my former (employed) life. Only I'll get to apply it to something I really care about - public health! So once I have the baseline data set up for SIC, the idea is that they can just keep collecting data annually, and use it to monitor how their CHW program is going. Hopefully, I'll still get to to go Zanzibar while I'm there, and I have kind of high hopes in going to the Kenya marathon (and running the half!) but we'll see. 

BACK TO BUSINESS (aka the running log):

Today's run was brought to you by the cutest almost 1 year old in the history of the universe - Lindsay! (with a little help from her Uncle Sean...) Lindsay is turning 1 on May 16. I'm going to miss her party (which I was very upset to find out), but I won't be missing her actual birthday! In fact, I'll be home that whole week, since I'm flying out of the beautiful Newark airport!

Ah, I can smell the smog already!

I can't say enough great things about this baby. She's pretty good at sharing and lets me play with her toys when I hang out with her in VT. She might get this from her uncle, because he (along with his brother and my sister) lets me use his house... And sometimes his bed when he's not there. Don't worry Sean, I shower... usually... Lindsay is also pretty good at eating and drinking out of bottles. So is Sean! So am I! Man, we are like three peas in a pod!

Sean is the one that's like, "See ya later guys. You're weird."

So, typical for a Friday (and Monday and Wednesday for that matter), I met up with Back on My Feet for our early morning run with very little sleep in my system. I still have very little sleep in my system - can you tell? One of my teammates and I took off with a pace much faster than usual, and wound up losing the group without really realizing it until we got back. But we had a great talk about grad school (he's thinking of going back), and moving, and being away from home in strange places for a long time. He's a Marine and was in the Middle East for a while. After everyone circled back up we went to Dunkin' for our monthly coffee social (my last until August!). I'm really going to miss the team this summer, but they are so excited for me, that I get even more excited to go. So I was already pretty wound up when I got to the run, and by the time I ran and had coffee, I was in a great mood, and maybe a little jittery from caffeine. 

After departing from Dunkin', I was still a little short on mileage, so I logged a few more on the old bike path. Since it was a little later in the morning (due to the Dunkin' detour), I saw a lot of people out heading to work and thought to myself "Suckers!" But then I got home and started working on a paper and thought about how I have no income and started a running extravaganza to help me pay to volunteer. Maybe I am the sucker? Nah, despite the lifestyle change and looming papers and finals, this is definitely and upgrade.

So thanks, Lindsay (and her lovely Uncle Sean!), for a great caffeine-fueled run. 

Natalie

Listening to the Boss for Nancy!

When I think of Nancy, I think of two things. The first is safety. Nancy is a pretty cautious person, and when she donated, my mom told me I had to run her 5 miles in a safe area. In all fairness, I generally run in safe areas, although not always in the safest ways. Once while running I got bitten by a dog and almost hit by a truck within about 2 minutes. I need to pay better attention to traffic or else I'll end up like Regina George in Mean Girls.

Spoiler alert - she survives and becomes nice

So I told Nancy that if she hadn't donated so much, I would do her run on an indoor track, but 5 miles is pretty painful on a 1/7 of a mile (seriously? who designed that?) oval.

Yeah I could do this for about 45 minutes without barfing for sure...

I also hate treadmills, especially in the weather, and couldn't bear to do that either. The other thing, or rather person, that Nancy makes me think of is the man, the myth, the legend, the Boss. Yup. Bruce Springsteen.

Straight up dreamboat

So I also told her that while I would be doing her miles outdoors, I would be sure to listen to Bruce for it. And then she responded with an amazing message.

"I'm cool with you kicking back and listening to Bruce without the running. You need to conserve your energy for all the work you will doing this summer.  Stay safe and have a great time!"

So you know what I did Tuesday while working on my paper? Put on the Bruce playlist on youtube and rocked out to some great jams, like my personal favorite, "Rosalita."

Unfortunately, I am missing out on going to Jersey this year, but I guess that's okay, since I've been there about a million times, and this will be my first time going to Africa.

While listening to this amazing music, particularly "Born to Run," a typical running song for me, I started getting fed up with my paper. So I did what any normal person would do in that situation and put on my shoes and went for a run. So look at that, Nancy! You got your 5 miles anyway. And I looked both ways and crossed at crosswalks (most of the time) and watched out for cars and dogs and everything!

So thanks for the donation and the great music, Nancy! And I very much appreciate your offer to just rest. But it looks like I'm a tramp, just like the Boss, and was born to run!

Natalie

10 for MB, Who Also Loves Africa and the Earth

On Saturday, I logged some miles for yet another Cavanaugh girl, Michelle (MB). Clearly, this hall produces some amazing individuals. Or amazing individuals get sorted into it, like in Harry Potter.

"Cavanaugh!"

MB and I had a fair amount in common in our studies, being of the science nerd persuasion. I distinctly remember studying with her for a Calc II exam, while our Arts and Letters friends made fun of us. They thought they were so clever, but we knew they would end up living in a box with no marketable skills.

Home of an A&L Major

Home of a Science Major

Ok, so we didn't end up in a mansion in the OC and our friends didn't end up in boxes. BUT we got gold tassels on our caps at graduation, and theirs were white, so that's good enough for me. Also I would pick math over paper writing any day of the week.

We were also a bit different in our early years at ND. I used to waste a lot of electricity and throw out plastic. And then I told her that I was going to concentrate in business and make a bazillion dollars and not help people. I said a lot of this solely to get on her nerves, because I am a jerk like that, and would get a sick pleasure out of seeing her all riled up. But she is anything but a jerk, and didn't give up on me, and here I am, unemployed, going to Africa, getting my MPH (after she mailed me a book on epidemiology), having high hopes to save the world, recycling, and... RUNNING.

Yup, while my mom always encouraged me to run, MB got me to do my first half marathon - Notre Dame's prestigious Holy Half. She also showed me some sweet running trails on St. Mary's campus. Running the trails with MB was always a joy, and I when I think about those routes, I always remember when we turned a corner, and you could see the river through the trees and she goes "This is my favorite part!"

I seriously found this on a google search, and I think this is the part

And everyone else, I hope that clears up why she put "Kratz loves africa and the earth!" on my donation site... MB you have helped (shoved? coaxed? tricked?) me down a long path.

I just was about to sign off, and realized I didn't even mention my run. I got fed up trying to write a paper (how appropriate) and went for a 10 miler on Saturday evening. It was beautiful, but a little windy when I was along the Charles. I didn't listen to much music, but I did listen to some podcasts, including Radiolab's one on guts... as in the digestive system. And I won't go into it the gross details, but I will share this, because it blew my mind, and if MB hasn't already realized this, I think she'll appreciate this fact. Ready?

The body is a torus. Your insides (at least the digestive parts) are actually your outsides. We are walking donuts.

Least gross image to display the concept.

I just had to share, and I hope you liked that science fact, MB. And if you didn't, I'm appalled, because then I don't even know you anymore. But you clearly know me - and that I love Africa and the earth.

KRATZ

Three Mzungu Miles for Sarah

Sarah and I both went to nerd camp as high-schoolers at ND, but I don't think we knew each other. So let's say we go way back to freshman orientation, when we were lucky enough to be lottery-ed (not a word, but I'm making it one) into the greatest section of all time - Cavanaugh Hall 3A (later to be known as the 3A Baller Shot-Callers). I believe this name was created around the time of the Bling Fling SYR, when we decided that we needed to decorate the section instead of doing homework. The result was some signs that spelled out "We're Blingin'," unfinished problem sets, and the most epic paper chain of all time.

Paper chain was frequently used on birthdays. I don't know where it wound up, but I like to think it's somewhere in the depths of Cavanaugh, not unlike the lost city of Atlantis.

Because she hails from the east coast (Delawhere?), Sarah and I managed to see each other during the summer sometimes, which was awesome. Once I went to see her, and my main memories of the trip were getting attacked by mosquitoes when I walked around the park she was working at, watching Flight of the Conchords for the first time, and going to the beach, where the ocean stole one of her flip flops and she swore (which she didn't do often so I found this incredibly funny) and had to go buy new ones. ALSO she lived right by Lewes, so once when I was on vacation with my family, she took the ferry to Cape May and it was lovely!

WAAAAY better than a Carnival Cruise. 

Like many of my ND friends, Sarah has spent some time in Africa too - Uganda and Ghana. Now she lives in Chicago which is too far away for my liking! But I like her, so I'll let her do what she wants I guess.

Yesterday I ran three miles for Sarah with BOMF, and it was a little rough. Well actually we got a little lost on our 3.5 plan, and wound up doing four. This wasn't my fault, seriously. Also in the middle of the run we went to the T station in Porter Square to do the steps. I opted out of this part, and stood there, wearing one my teammate's weighted vest (he decided to go without it for the steps), watching everyone else come up with another teammate and a guard. The guard wasn't worried about us skipping out on the fare and then hopping on a train. She was laughing at the crazy people who decided to run up the 199 steps at 6:30 in the morning.

This is ONE of the flights there

Despite avoiding the stair part, my quads are still hurting, but it was great to get back in the saddle and see the team. Yeah, I had seen most of them on Monday after the marathon, but that's not the same because we weren't running together. Also I was delirious from the heat and the high of finishing. Which is a different kind of delirious the team usually gets from me (the kind where I'm just tired because I stay up late). It was also a beautiful morning, and it's getting light out earlier, so I'm no longer leaving my house in the dark!

So thank you, Sarah, for the lovely run with my team. I can't wait to do some more miles as a Mzungu, and to tell you all about it when I get back!

Natalie

PS While writing this, I decided to look at our friendship on facebook, and this is the picture Mark Zuckerburg hand picked (that's how it works right?) for our page. And I've always liked this one.

Oh snap, who's who?

A Backwards Mile with Bob Dylan for BHP

Today I did a very special run for Andrew, aka Blonde Harry Potter (BHP for short). I knew I was in something great when I received a facebook message from the day he donated saying "I'll come up with something specific for you to do soon." BHP likes to do crazy things like bike across the country. No joke. He biked from the Atlantic to the Pacific in the summer after graduation.

All credits to BHP for this picture... I hope he doesn't mine that I nabbed it off of facebook!

He was also in the ND Juggling Club. And on the crew team. And is now in med school. He's pretty much good at everything, and is an incredibly nice guy to boot! We met in the ND Dublin program as well, so that just adds to how cool he is.

Anyways, given his track record of doing kind of odd things, while I did not anticipate his exact task, it did not surprise me much. So today, for BHP, I ran a mile. Backwards. Listening to Bob Dylan. Because Katie was still in town, I had someone to document it! Also I had someone to lend me an iPod with Bob Dylan on it... Sorry, BHP... I don't actually have any Dylan. I know. Pathetic. And she lent me some cool shades too, which I hope BHP appreciates.

Pretty much twins.

So my playlist consisted of "Like A Rolling Stone" and "Mr. Tambourine Man" ... and another song I didn't know. Again. I know. Pathetic. I surprisingly only got through 3 songs, which just goes to show you how long Bob Dylan songs are. It took me about 15 minutes to do a mile.

But what wasn't pathetic was that I ran around the softball field next to my house about ten times while Katie (and another guy who was doing sprints and stuff there) watched. I almost fell once, but managed to stay upright.

I've read that running backwards is actually good for cross-training and recovery! So this was an excellent chance to try it out. Unfortunately, my lack of self-control got the best of me, and I later ran 2 miles forward, so now my quads hurt more than before. But maybe I'll try it again sometime. Although, I'd need someone to videotape it, because I somehow felt like less of a weirdo with this girl present.

She sort of accidentally took this picture when my iPhone switched to facetime.

So thanks BHP for the donation, and a really interesting and fun run! I'm sure you are doing well in med school, and I know you are going to be a great doctor some day with your highly functional brain, and your big heart (figuratively speaking), and your great attitude!

Hopefully we can see each other soon!

Natalie/Fat Cat

Boston Marathon: Fueled by Liquid Schwartz

Okay, I'm going to try to keep this one relatively short. The problem is that I had SEVEN AWESOME PEOPLE DONATE FOR THE BOSTON MARATHON. So between the greatness of my fabulous siblings/siblings-in-law/niece, and the amazingness that was Boston Marathon 2012 this will be hard.

To start BIG thanks to Michelle, Carolyn, Elaine, Pete, Mike, Derek, and Lindsay! You guys are amazing. I couldn't ask for better people in my life.

Growing up with my 3 older sisters and little brother was an interesting experience to say the least - probably more so for Pete than the rest of us... Our childhoods consisted of a lot of kickball/wiffle ball in the back yard, frequent viewings of quality movies such as Spaceballs, productions of plays for our parents (...did anyone else notice that they tended to be written, casted, directed, and starring Michelle?), and lets not forget the amazing Christmas movies we made for mom, under the careful guidance of dad. Seriously, we NEED to get those converted to DVDs. Somewhere, there is a market for those gems.

Needless to say, Mike and Derek are brave men for deciding to become a part of this crazy family, and I'm very happy to be able to call them my brothers-in-law. I know we (or at least I) can be a lot to handle and I think they enjoy the shenanigans, or at least pretend to very well! I don't think Lindsay is aware of her amazing genetics/environment yet, but nature or nurture, that girl is going to be a champ.

Oddly enough, running was not part of our young lives, except for monster tag on the front porch, and by default in various sports. But in the past couple of years, we've all embraced it. Last summer, we had our first annual Kratz 5K in Cape May. Unfortunately, I will be missing the second annual, since I will be in Tanzania for it. I will be attempting to run a 5K on the same day though... we'll see how that pans out. All of the genetic siblings and I (and our parents!) did the Ragnar Relay Florida Keys in January of this year, in the second appearance of team Ludicrous Speed!

I'd photoshop Derek and Mike and Lindsay in, but I'm not good at computer stuff...

This is the closest I have to all of us... 

I think we need to get a full family picture at some point...

Obviously, getting full family pictures is difficult for us... Michelle, Mike, Lindsay, Carolyn, and Derek are in the Philly area, Elaine recently moved from Florida to Arizona, Pete goes to school in New York, and I'm up in Boston.

So, as you may already know, yesterday was a bit unseasonably warm. The Boston Athletic Association was encouraging people to run slower than planned or even defer until next year. To put this into perspective: Boston NEVER lets people defer. This was serious. Last year, I was so cold walking to the starting line that a stranger gave me his space blanket going "You need this more than me." This year, I'm pretty sure I was sweating before we started walking from the Athletes' Village to the start line.

About 5 miles in, I was paced for a PR. Usually that would be good. But it was hot out, and I had been training in snow. I turned my head too fast at one point and got lightheaded. That was when I decided I had to really hold back. Luckily I had a great finishing time in Philly this past fall, so time wasn't a concern, because I had my qualifying time for 2013 already. The volunteers and spectators were great yesterday. There were water and Gatorade stops just about every mile, and then spectators were handing out ice and more water too. I had some boombas along the way (that's what Pete used to call them). And when I remembered, I yelled "LIQUID SCHWARTZ" at water and Gatorade stops, per the request of my lovely donors.

Once I had thrown any goals out the window (I decided that a PR was impossible, and a decent time was much better than a DNF), I started actually enjoying the race. I was running on Schwartz and high fives (and GU). I managed to see a lot people who had come out to see me and other people on my Back on My Feet team, and even remembered to yell a "Happy birthday!" to Noelle's mom! My parents, aunt, and friend Katie were all at the top of heartbreak with sweet signs, and I saw them too! At that point I felt like a million bucks. And then... I just about hit the wall.

The last four miles or so were brutal. I have never wanted to quit so badly in my life. Around mile 24, when I'm usually flying and feeling like a rock star, and I wanted to just sit down and cry. So instead of thinking about how my quads were on fire and every step hurt, I thought about my siblings/siblings-in-law/niece, and how much I wanted to be able to tell them that I managed to stick it out and finish strong. It probably wasn't the prettiest finish, and it wasn't my fastest, but it also wasn't my slowest! I crossed the finish line in 3:34:10 - still a BQ (although barely...)! Another BOMFer was watching at the finish line and managed to snap a picture... you can tell I was very happy to be done and seeing a familiar face... or I was delirious.

Not only did I manage to finish despite the heat, but so did everyone else from my BOMF team! We were all hobbling, sunburned, and tired, but so happy when we saw each other afterwards!

So a big thank you to everyone who made yesterday so awesome, especially Michelle, Carolyn, Elaine, Pete, Mike, Derek, and Lindsay! Even though you guys couldn't make it to Boston, you were in my thoughts and really helped me finish at the end! Love you guys!!!

Natalie

Two and a Half of Taper for Cheryl!

Cheryl has a special place in my heart as a fellow marathoner. Yes, I have a number of friends who have run marathons, but Cheryl is crazy like me and has run quite a few of them. I have to give her serious props, because she took on the Bay State Marathon, which I have dubbed as one of the ugliest courses of all time, and gets docked further points for its double loop. So you are running this:

Gross.

through this:

Double gross.

Seriously, you run on the highway with no support for significant portion. So props to you, Cheryl. This one is not making my marathon bucket list. 

Aside from her incredible ability to put up with less than desirable marathon courses, she is also one of the few Tough Mudders who did not ever seem like she wanted to murder me on the course last May. While she may have been just hiding her true thoughts, I never felt any bad vibes. And believe me, when you are tired, sore, numb from freezing on a mountain, and facing electrocution, having someone at least pretend not to completely hate your guts is a plus. Also, she was our team captain for Reach the Beach, and I must say, did an excellent job! She did an excellent job keeping us in line and on pace, all the while putting up with some terrible music! 

There was a lot of nonsense to put up with from point A to point B

So, being a marathoner herself, I'm sure Cheryl appreciates a nice taper run, which I ran this morning for her! I went out with Back on My Feet this morning (Cheryl runs with them too, but at a different location downtown), and we had a beautiful run. In case you didn't realize, today is Friday the 13th. I also only had about three hours of sleep, because I was working on a paper last night until about 2 am.  These two factors synergized into me walking into the door frame of my bathroom, and, only minutes later, hitting my head on my closet this morning.

At least this manatee could blame the glass...

I was a bit loopy during the run as a result, so while there was no music playing, we were singing. I'm sorry. I have to do this:

Don't get mad, no one made you push play on that. 

The run was a success, and I didn't run into any more objects today or get run over or anything!

So thanks for the support, Cheryl, and the wonderful taper run this morning, despite the rocky start...

Natalie

Thanks to Patrick, I Will Run No More Forever (...Today)

So far, Patrick is winning when it comes to task difficulty. Two miles is no problem. ONLY two miles for the entire day is a completely different story. He is well aware of my running addiction, and rule of thumb: If I'm not running at least a 5K, why go through the effort of tying my running shoes? Well played, Patrick. Well played.

Despite his difficult task and role of Major A-- (I'm going to keep it clean, because I'm sure many people read my blog to their children at bedtime!) in our Ragnar team, Ludicrous Speed, Patrick is a nice guy. When he couldn't run in Ragnar because of his arm being in a sling, he still drove one of the vans. That meant putting up with a van full of stinky, tired people, and not actually getting to run in the race. He even wore a sweet helmet.

Not Patrick, but he had the helmet!

So today on my super short run, it was pretty nice out. Cloudy, but it's up to about 50 degrees out there, so I got to wear shorts and a short sleeved shirt (actually, my Ragnar shirt from this year!). After watching Glee last night, I decided I needed to listen to "Hungry Like the Wolf/Rio."

I have a funny feeling Patrick won't be a huge fan of this...

So after exactly two miles:

Anyone else think my wrist/hand looks really weird here? The giant watch doesn't help.

I was on the far end of the baseball fields by my house:

So I walked, rather than ran, home from here. But I did listen to "Dynamite" by Taio Cruz during the arduous trek... because in case you didn't know, Patrick likes to throw his hands up in the air. But only sometimes.

Also not Patrick

Thanks Patrick! Hope your life is good out in gator-free Arizona!

Natalie

A Super 2.5 Miles for My Super Roommate Meg!

This morning, I set out for a fantastic run for my fabulous roommate, Meg. It's starting to warm up a bit in Boston, and it was a little cloudy at first, but cleared up around sunrise, which was almost as beautiful as her sweet face. I ran with Back on My Feet, so I didn't have any sweet music. But, if I had, I would have picked the following specifically for Meg. In fact, I am listening to these as I write now:

"The Final Countdown" by Europe
"Teenage Dream" Glee Version, of course
"Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy" by Big & Rich

Fun fact: Meg and I once sang that last gem at karaoke at Pub. The DJ (Jim) then announced "See you don't have to be good, you just have to have fun." We are not good singers. I'm surprised the TV didn't explode on Sunday when we were singing along with The Sound of Music.

Julie Andrews's reaction to my rendition of "Climb Every Mountain"

Meg is an amazing roommate, and we met through my former ND roommate, Katie R, who knew Meg from high school in the great state of Michigan. And who is coming into town in 2 days, and who I owe big time for getting me such a great roommate! I think we complement each other very well. For example:

Meg bakes, and I like to eat, and she is good at sharing. I also like math, so on Pi day she made this:

Meg is good at fixing/making things and decorating. I am good at breaking things and leaving all walls a blank canvas for her to decorate.
Meg is good at saving plants and growing things. I am good at forgetting to water or over-watering plants, so she has plenty of plants to rescue.

So easy a kid can do it... somehow I cannot

Meg also puts up with my messes (e.g. homework and notes constantly strewn about the living room), my stress levels, my deadbeat dinosaur who doesn't pay rent, and my occasional (I hope it's just occasional...) stench from constant running.

So, to sum up, this is Meg:

Except she'd probably be wearing MSU gear or soccer clothes

And this is me:

Only I'd still be in pajamas, and my room isn't this clean...

So thanks, Meg, for being an awesome roommate, and for the donation! (Even if your thoughts were "Score 8 weeks without Nat and she'll still be paying rent!")

Natalie

PS I'm sorry I wasn't able to race up a mud ice a mountain, as you requested. It's simply gotten too warm out! Shall I go ahead and sign us both up for another Tough Mudder?

Lovely Day for 10 Miles for Katie Day and Jeremy!

The first thing you must know about Katie Day is that she will always be "Katie Day." It is almost one word, and even though she is married, this will never change. (No offense Jeremy!)

I met Katie Day in the summer (or possibly spring, but whatever) of 2004. Both of us went to Notre Dame's Nerd Camp. Or, as Our Lady's University called it "Summer Experience." Now, as I found out when looking up the link, it is much bigger and called "Summer Scholars." We took the same plane from Philly to O'Hare, and then the bus to campus. The airline lost her luggage, and then we got lost on campus trying to find the dorm. Looking back on this 8 (I originally typed 6, and thought "holy cow!" and then realized it was 8 and my mind was blown) years later, I think this was a very appropriate experience for us to share. 

 

We probably looked like this...

As it turns out, both of use were heavily influenced by ND's Nerd Camp, and decided to go there for undergraduate. AND we got put in the same section of the same dorm! So over the course of four years, we had a lot of quality times. Like the time I drove her back from school for break, and my wipers broke, and it was pouring, and we had to stay at a Day's Inn in Ohio (she requested a Day's Inn). And the time the PHILLIES WON THE WORLD SERIES and we ran around Turtle Creek screaming.

BEST DAY EVER

This past summer, Katie Day married a wonderful man name Jeremy. I have only met him a handful of times - when he visited ND and at the wedding (hence the bias towards Katie Day in this entry, although the run was for BOTH of them!), but he has my seal of approval. They met in Uganda, which, if you ask me, is a strange place for a lady from Philly, and a gentleman from Minnesota to meet. I've been to a fair share of amazing weddings, but let me tell you, this was one for the books. Like the Kratz family, the Days love Jimmy Buffett, so the bachelorette party was in beautiful Camden, NJ at a Buffett concert. 

A few days later, the wedding was held in Ocean City, NJ. AND THEY HAD MACK AND MANCO AT THE COCKTAIL HOUR. But, I guess the best part about the wedding was that it was very clear that the two of them are great people and very much in love... 

(Not Katie Day and Jeremy. Also Mack and Manco is now Manco and Manco... weird)

So today, I ran 10 miles for both of them. It was a nice sunny day, and 5 of us set out together for an 8 mile run (it took an extra mile each way to get to the meeting place). We went through Cambridge and Somerville on a new route that I had mapped out. And - are you ready for this? - I didn't get anyone lost or runover. I am known for regularly getting the team lost/nearly run over by cars, so this was a big success! Afterwards, we went to Dunkin' to hang out for a bit, where we did hear some excellent jams, including this one:

So that one goes out to you two lovebirds! Thanks so much for the support, and I hope you two are loving life in MN!

Natalie

The Ledge (From Now On)'s 5 Miles

This morning, I ran 5 miles for The Ledge (From Now On) aka Brian aka The Flyin' Hawaiian. The Ledge and I like to do sweet stuff together, like watch Philly sports, talk about how Philly is better than Boston, drink Yuengling instead of Sam Adams, be Tough Mudders (even though he threatened to kill me during it because I had convinced him it was a good idea), run Reach the Beach, make up nicknames, and develop elaborate business plans (College in Pajamajeans). We also one time had an epic Day of Fun. This consisted of a variety of activities, such as a trip to Target's toy section, eating pizza, and watching Rocky II. 

Most of my run with with Back on My Feet this morning, but I did log about 2 miles solo, and picked some jams specifically for Brian. So the tracklist included "Gonna Fly Now" from Rocky, some Flight of the Conchords, and "Barbra Streisand" by Duck Sauce, which was a repeat track for our Reach the Beach van. "Gonna Fly Now" was particularly helpful as I was scaling a monster hill.

Slight dramatization

Back when I had one of those "job" things (that is, before going back to school), we used to work really close to each other. That was awesome, because we could meet for coffee/lunch/the happiest of hours. Once we went running after work, which was tough because he's faster than I am. And his shoes are jazzier, which make me self-conscious.

In case you cannot tell already, Brian is one cool dude. I'd say maybe even cooler than The Dude:

The Ledge > The Dude

But now we don't get to see each other as much, which is quite sad. We need to fix that. (Day of Fun Part Deux?)  It's awesome to have a Philly friend (phriend?) in this land of "steak and cheese" sandwiches and weird hot dog rolls. So thanks, The Ledge, for the support, and for being you (i.e., super cool)!

Natalie

(The Kratz/Carlos)