Happy Valentine’s Day to my amazing husband. Thank you for loving me with a whole heart every day.
You’re going to be an amazing dad soon! I fall more and more in love with you as time goes on. 
And thank you for the GORGEOUS roses you sent to my work yesterday. That was quite the surprise. Thanks for making me feel special. I love you! 
We have a fabulous date night planned for this evening. Can’t wait!
Happy Valentine’s Day!!!
Well, it was that time of year again!
2011 marks my SEVENTH time doing the Nike Women’s Marathon. I did the full in 2005 and then the half in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010. And here we are again! I can’t believe I’ve been running for 7 years.
Irving and I drove up to San Francisco late on Friday night and arrived into the city at 1am. We fell asleep right away and woke up Saturday bright and early, just in time to hit up the expo as it opened.
I have to say that after being at that expo 7 years in a row, the appeal has worn off. I’m not interested in the overpriced apparel, gimicky nike + promotions and hour long waits for free stuff. Nike has a captive, vulnerable audience and they’re not ashamed of taking your money and making it clear who their sponsors are. If you were a first timer, I’m sure it’s just as amazing as you’d think it would be. But for me, I think I finally got a little bored with it.
The best part? Seeing my friend Niki (who was running the full!)
And getting free Keurig Coffee and Tea from their truck across the street (not affiliated with Nike).
I grabbed my goodie bag and a few samples of Ghiradelli chocolate and left the crowds behind us in search of lunch.
We met up with Irving’s mom and grandmother, who were nice enough to trek into the city to see us. We had a great meal together and hung out for the afternoon.
After they left, we went in search of pre-race snacks and then hit the sack. We had an early wake up call the next morning! But since our hotel was LITERALLY right at the start line (we could see the corrals below us from the window!) we got to sleep in a bit longer! Score!
Oh, didn’t I tell you? I had company this year! Irving decided to walk the whole 13.1 miles with me! I was so excited! I had fun showing him the ropes where to check our bags, how to fuel before the start and how to get pumped for the race.
It was unseasonably warm this year! Didn’t even need a long sleeve at the start! (This was me in 2005… I had on two shirts and a trashbag to keep warm!
Anyways, before we knew it it was GO TIME! I told Irving to keep to the sides when we started or else we’d get trampled (since we were just walking it this year). But as soon as we started he took off running and it felt good.
The surge of energy lasted about .2 miles and then we began to walk, but at a brisk pace. We held a steady 17 minute mile for almost all of it.
This picture is so funny because everything is in focus except for Irving. haha.
The miles were ticking by and we were chatting the day away. Irving grew up near San Francisco but we walked through parts he’d never seen before which was super fun.
I love San Francisco. If I do this race again, it is because you just can’t beat these views.
Oh, good morning Golden Gate Bridge! (There was ZERO fog!)
A little while later and we were at Mile 12! You know what that means? CHOCOLATE MILE!!!
Then we rounded the corner and headed to the finish! Here we come!
Crossed the finish line hand in hand! (Can’t wait for the Pro Pictures!) And got my Tiffany’s Necklace handed to me by a firefighter in a tux. Mmm Hmm! (Oh, Husband is with me, darn!) Jk! Kinda.
This was my 12th official half marathon (and 16th endurance race total). Whoop! Just Five more races needed towards my goal of completing 20 endurance races before I’m 30 goal!)
Wanna see THE NECKLACE?
Here she is! [FRONT]
[BACK]
Let me just add that to my collection of Tiffany’s Race Jewelry. This makes my heart happy. I’m so proud of these.
The finisher’s shirt was pretty rocking this year. It’s a lightweight dri-fit and I love the yellow color. I actually don’t think I have a yellow drifit despite my huge collection.
Official time: 3:45:51 (average pace of 17:14)
Another 13.1 under my belt. done and done.
I had been dreaming of going to Emerson College since 7th grade. It was my first choice school and the only school that I applied to. I knew from the beginning that I would love it. I was elated when I got that thick envelope in the mail congratulating me on my acceptance. Right after high school graduation I spent the whole summer getting ready to move in. I did the usual Bed, Bath & Beyond trip and came out with lamps, rugs and some plates and forks.
Move-in day was a mixture of emotions as I settled into my new life as a college student! A week went by with a few parties, orientation and class schedules, but on September 14th, I met a guy who I thought was really cute and funny. We had seen each other in passing in our dorm building, but started chatting at a party that night. We talked for hours and hours. I really wish I could remember that conversation, but it was interesting enough that we started hanging out on a daily basis. Soon, we were inseparable.
This week actually marks 10 years from the day we first met. One decade of loving (and being loved by) my college sweetheart. 
10 years of inside jokes, cross-country road trips, international travel, Sunday morning coffee, evening walks and constant inspiration.
10 years of feeling like the luckiest girl in the world.
Irving and I have now been together for more than a THIRD of my life. (And don’t think I haven’t already done the math and realized that we will have been together for HALF my life by the time I’m 36!)
Who knew that 10 years ago, my dream of going to Emerson would eventually lead me to the man I’d later call my husband.
Emerson is notorious for playing cupid. And I’m glad to be a part of that statistic! 
PS. Only Emersonians will actually understand the humor in this shirt. 🙂
I can’t wait to write a post like this again in 10 more years… and then 20… and then 50! (Kelocity.com will still be around then, promise!)
Any other college sweetheart love stories out there? Please gush!
I ate out a lot this week for some reason. 99% of the time, I bring my lunch to work, but lately I guess I’ve been lazy. But the food and the company has been great, so I can’t complain.
Today I ate at Sweet Butter in Sherman Oaks for the first time. It was a little pricey, but definitely worth it. The atmosphere is fun and the food is incredible. We had a nice leisurely lunch outside today. Even though it hit 104* in the valley today, it sure didn’t feel like it under their awning with an arnold palmer in hand. 
I got an artisan grilled cheese that was to DIE for. I consider myself a grilled cheese connoisseur and I have to say this was hands down one of the best I’ve EVER had. It had a high quality cheese with heirloom tomatoes inside. Delicious. The shoestring fries were kind of meh, but I ate them anyways. I’ll eat anything with ketchup. I am already scheming up a trip back just for more of that grilled cheese. 
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I haven’t seen much of Irving this week. We’ve been working opposite schedules and he’s often going to bed when I get home and he’s gone by the time I wake up. In order to catch up on life, we took a trek downtown for a change of scenery. In the car ride there we had a “brain dump” where we just chatted about miscellaneous things that happened during the week. We are both independent people, but after a few days, we really crave each other’s undivided attention and need to reconnect.
We really do make a great team. Case in point this week… Irving started a load of laundry. I came home and threw it in the dryer. He came home and folded it. We never communicated once about it, but we’re like a well oiled machine and make such a great team. Love you babe! 
Dinner tonight was at the Palm Restaurant, courtesy of American Express (who sent us a gift card for some reason! Score!) 
The food was great, but I just don’t understand fancy restaurants. The décor was nice, the food was great…. but it just didn’t feel special for what you get for your money. I don’t know, guess I’m just one of those girls who isn’t impressed by fancy menus and white linen table cloths. I felt so out of my element. 
It was a great evening though. Nice to get out together and enjoy downtown LA. 
Do you like fancy restaurants? It’s fun to get dressed up and catered to, but I’m definitely more at home with Olive Garden. At least they give you chocolates when they hand you the bill. That’s always a winner in my book.
Today is our SECOND wedding anniversary!!!!! 
Happy Anniversary, Irving. These past two years have flown by, and I love and appreciate you more every day we spend together. Thank you for giving me a life filled with fun, travel, laughter, Menchies and Love. I need you in my life more than you know. I’m so lucky to call you my husband.
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We celebrated yesterday with a day filled with Southern California adventure. We started with breakfast at the corner bakery. We sat over cups of coffee and talked about current events, politics and some future travel plans. This is what being married is all about. It was perfect.
Oh, and we split a brownie after too… at um… 10am. Hey, it’s our anniversary!
Traditionally, the 2nd anniversary gift is supposed to be “cotton”. We were racking our brains all week thinking of something small we could get to celebrate two great years together. We decided on new beach towels! Our current ones are seven years old and were from the clearance rack at Target. Time for an upgrade!
Success at Macy’s! Two extremely plush and oversized beach towels! 
His & Hers… they are so soft! 
We didn’t really have any plans, so we kept driving up the One-Oh-One towards Oxnard and the Channel Islands. We found a beautiful marina and pulled in to walk around for a bit. 
We pretty much decided that it would be awesome to live on one of the canals there. All the charm of a marina, without the touristy crowds. 
We crossed the street, kicked off our shoes, and headed to the beach! 
I was very surprised to see sand dunes there! That’s such an East Coast thing! 
There weren’t too many people there, despite the hot weather. It was nice to enjoy the sea breeze hand-in-hand. 
Hi Seagull! 
There’s Mr. Seagull again! 
After my calves had enough of a workout on the sand, we drove over to the Channel Islands Visitor Center to learn more about the islands. Someday we’ll get to go kayak and camp there. It’s a set of islands 11 miles off the coast that is supposed to be gorgeous. It’s on our list! 
We headed over to the Pacific Coast Highway and drove for an hour towards Malibu. 
Hey, are you following me? 
We chose to eat dinner at the Beachcomber Café in Malibu. It’s a popular restaurant right on the pier. We bought a LivingSocial coupon a while back and figured it was time to cash it in. 
Let me just say that we were not impressed. It’s one of those places that is way too popular for no good reason. The hostess and staff were slow, rude and confused. But we just laughed at the comedy of errors and had a great time anyways.
At first they seated us in an interior table (even though there were a few water front tables available). 
But we sweet-talked the waiter into finally letting us jump over. Much better! 
We had great views of the pier and the crashing waves. 
We started with the artichoke and spinach dip that was baked and served with bread. 
Irving got the Kobe burger. I was a little jealous. 
And I ordered the filet mignon chopped salad. It was pretty good, but nothing special.
But I admit, I was saving up for dessert! Let me introduce you to this! 
S’mores sundae! It had ice-cream, toasted marshmallows, chocolate sauce and whipped cream. And it had graham crackers along the edge. YUM! 
What a perfect day. It’s nice to not have an agenda or specific plans. Sometimes it’s fun just to wing it and hit the open road.
Happy Anniversary Darling!
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Read about our 1st anniversary here!
Hi I'm Kelley! I'm a 30-something cancer survivor and a self-proclaimed world traveler. I am originally from Boston, but now call Los Angeles my home. Traveling is my passion, but I also love running marathons, watching soccer, eating cupcakes and planning future adventures with my Husband. In June 2012, I became a mom to a beautiful baby girl named Adele. Our lives are forever changed and we couldn't be more excited!
Email: Kelocity@gmail.com
By popular demand, here are my Nike Women's Marathon recap posts!
2011
2010 - Race
2010 - Expo
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
Kelocity.com 