Kelocity.com

A runner with an appetite for adventure!

Laurie Takes Chicago March 28, 2011

Filed under: Chicago,Guest Post,Running — Kelocity @ 9:44 pm
Tags: , , , ,

My little sister, Laurie, is in grad school and living in Chicago at the moment. My college days consisted of making movies and watching films, but she’s studying chemistry, pharmacy and biology (clearly I didn’t get the brains in my family).
CapeCod_Cathy 112
Funny how neither of us lives in Boston anymore! (Picture circa 2006)

This past weekend, one of her High School friends visited while she was on Spring Break, and they signed up for a Chicago City Running Tour.
025

They did the 5K option, but they offer all lengths (even up to a full marathon tour of the city!) It’s run by a crazy runner, Marlin, who has completed over 60 marathons (and one in every US state!) He leads runs throughout the city that combine a great cardio workout, with a sightseeing tour.
018

On the day they went, they were the only two participants. Bonus: Marllin takes photos of you throughout the whole run!
014

They also offer tours in other cities around the country (Boston, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, DC and Charlestown — No Los Angeles yet, but I hope they expand out here!)
031 023 

They hit some of the best spots in Chicago, makes me a little jealous, it’s such a great city. He gave them history about all the landmarks as they passed them.
012

Run, Laurie, Run! (Make a sister proud!)
022

The Sprint to the finish! LOVE this picture!
040

Not a bad way to spend a morning! I’ll have to remember this company when I’m in a new city. So cool!
010

If you’re interested, check out their website.

City Running Tours didn’t compensate me for this post, in fact, I’m pretty sure they have no idea I even wrote it. I’m just proud of my sister and really excited about such a cool concept.

Would you consider doing a running tour of a new city? Better than hitting the gym, right?

 

An Unplanned Mud Run March 27, 2011

Filed under: Running — Kelocity @ 10:31 am
Tags: , , ,

When I woke up this morning, it was raining in LA. I decided to meet my group for a run anyways. I really didn’t expect anyone else to be there, but surprisingly, eight other people came! It was a delicate run though, there was mud everywhere and it was very slippery. The little river nearby completely flooded and when the water receded, lots of stuff was left behind.

We were particularly worried about this little guy! We found him in the middle of the road! He was missing one claw, but was still doing his best to shimmy to the side of the road. We named him Sebastian.

190548_1914784639024_1524204464_3000013_2106603_n

By the time we were done (4.8 miles later), we were covered in mud.
2011-03-27_10-57-59_792

Now I’m in sweatpants trying to warm up. I think I might go make a cup of coffee (with Bailey’s Chocolate Creamer of course!)

 

High School Friends are the BEST! March 26, 2011

Filed under: Friends — Kelocity @ 7:00 pm
Tags: ,

This week, two of my oldest high school friends were in LA. I’ve known Mike and Billy since 1997, and it’s so great that we keep in touch now. We met up for lunch and dinner and it was SO nice to catch up. Every time some East Coast friends come out to visit, it makes LA a little less lonely for me. SO glad we were able to catch up!
IMG_4885
Mike, Erika, Billy and me!

We had (and still have) a great group of friends from High school. This was during my new years party in 2001. (Remember Y2K? lol)
n13002083_32274879_7621

PS. Blogging about the past would be SO much easier if we had digital cameras back then.

 

Coffee that tastes like Dessert!

Filed under: Review — Kelocity @ 2:37 pm
Tags: , ,

We are both daily coffee drinkers. We both have aluminum travel mugs that we take to work with us almost every day. When we got our Keurig a few years ago, it changed our lives – seriously!
IMG_4862

It made it so easy! We usually order new k-cups every few months, we take our coffee pretty seriously.

Moral of the story? We love coffee. When Bailey’s asked if we’d like to try their new coffee creamers, of course I said yes!

Logo.Positive Group Image

A little bit about Bailey’s Coffee Creamers:

  • BAILEYS®, the #1 liqueur in the world, introduced a new line of super-premium coffee creamer products to select retailers in January 2010. After an expanded line of flavors and geographies was announced in September 2010, the creamers were expanded to the West Coast in March 2011.
  • Products were developed based on over three years of research, testing and consumer input.
  • There are seven flavors currently on the market: French Vanilla, Hazelnut, Caramel, The Original Irish Cream, Crème Brulee, Toffee Almond Cream and Chocolate.
  • They are made by HP Hood LLC
  • They are non-alcoholic

They sent me three flavors to review: The Original Irish Cream, French Vanilla and Chocolate.
IMG_4846

Each one has 40 calories or less per serving, which is pretty good for the amount of creaminess and flavor it adds.
I’ve been tasting these all week long, using my beloved Dunkin Donuts as the base.
IMG_4856 IMG_4860

The very first day, I tore into the Chocolate. Hello! Mocha!
IMG_4868

IMG_4872

I made this a tad too light (I blame it on trying to take a picture while I poured!) But it was delish, tasted like dessert!
IMG_4873

Poured into a to-go mug for the road! I was wishing for more when it was gone. It was so good!
IMG_4874

The next day, I tried the Original Irish Cream.
IMG_4875IMG_4881

Didn’t make it quite so light this time, it was really good, but not as decadent as the chocolate. Just a really good basic creamer.

IMG_4884

This morning, I turned my attention to the French Vanilla. YUM!
IMG_4912

IMG_4907 IMG_4909

IMG_4915

This added just the right amount of sweetness. For someone who used to like coffee black, I don’t think there’s ever going back now. I really like these creamers. They’re Lactose-Free too, which is awesome because too much milk sometimes turns my stomach.

They’re made by Hood Milk, which also makes my FAVORITE Hoodsie Cups!! OH. MY. GOSH. I miss these so much. They don’t sell those on the west coast, but I really wish they did!!!!!!

~~~~~~~~~~

Bailey’s Coffee Creamers are available in most states, and are continuing to expand. They’ll be available in California on May 1st.

They are always doing research to add more flavors too. I think a chocolate mint would be awesome!  You can even BAKE with it! Check out these amazing recipes!

Click here to get a coupon or enter to win a trip to Ireland! If you try it, let me know what you think!

Bailey’s provided me with this product for free for the purposes of reviewing it. All opinions stated above are my own.

 

Mac & Cheese, but not! March 24, 2011

Filed under: Cooking,Food — Kelocity @ 6:07 pm
Tags: , , ,

I (really) like Trader Joe’s Sweet Potato Gnocchi. It’s easy and delicious.

If I was by myself, I could easily eat that whole package. But that’s probably not a very good idea. Instead, I took some cues from Amanda and Andy and decided to bulk it up with veggies and split it among two meals. This is why I like to hang around with Smart People.
IMG_4887

The gnocci has a butter and sage sauce, but when it’s heated up, the gnocci kind of gets a little mushy and it totally tastes like Mac & Cheese.
IMG_4886

Mix it with some crack Frank’s Red Hot and you’ve got yourself a meal. MMmm!
IMG_4892

We go through hot sauce like nobody’s business, so we stopped fooling around with those little bottles. Go big or go home.
IMG_4900

Now I’m stuffed. And luckily I have a great lunch to look forward to tomorrow. Winning!