Keefers in Panama

As many of you know, my parents go away for a week at Christmas time. Mainly because they like the warm weather and they also enjoy taking a break when mom is out of school and Dad's work has slowed down. Here are some pics from the trip. They did some cool things - things I haven't even done yet! :)

This is a picture of my parents with "Chubby" he was our waiter for 3 different cruises collectively - once in the Caribbean when we went with my parents, this year when Jarod and I went to Italy and now when my parents went to Panama! How cool is that?

I think mom may be a little sick on the para sail.. I know I'd be having a nervous breakdown!

I'll post pictures soon of our Christmas adventures! :)

Life After "the test"

The test is finally over! I took the Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) this past Saturday after months and months of studying! I can breathe and enjoy getting ready for Christmas. Many of you have asked how it went so I wanted to give you the details. I studied for this exam for the past 4 months - the last 2 months being really intense! My strategy going in was to go through the exam, answer what I could, take a break when I got through it the first time and then come back and take the exam again. - this is what Jarod did for the CPA and it worked well for him. I needed all the help I can get! :) I also brought peppermints to suck on - apparently they stimulate your brain during a test.

Day of the Exam!
I got up at 5am Saturday morning (12/13) with just enough time to read through my notes one last time and grab some breakfast before my co-worker met me at my house..we were off!

6:15 - on the road, headed to the Westin in Washington DC.
7:00 - all parked and headed into the Westin to take the test. We are supposed to be there by 7:30.
7:40 - they start signing people in. We had to all go into one large conference room and sit in rows of tables - there were probably 500 people there taking the test and only one person could go to the bathroom at a time - yikes!
8:30 - they started reading the instructions.
9:04 - start the test (4 hours to complete)

I opened the test booklet and the first 5 questions I wasn't familiar with... total confidence buster! :( But, I determined to press on. At question 130 I wanted to cry. I was so frustrated b/c I had studied so much and I was really struggling on the questions! I finished my 1st time through the test at 2 hours so I got up and went to the BR and gave myself a pep talk- much like I do when I'm running races! I told myself to get it together and get in there and focus. I came back to the test with a much more positive attitude which I am sure helped. :)

I went through the entire test again and it took me right up to the 4 hour mark. I felt completely exhausted and pretty deflated, but I gave it my best!

I wont know the results for 6-8 weeks. Everyone is asking how I did - I say I don't know but I wont be surprised if I have to take it again.

The question is.. what will i do different if i have to take it again? I guess read the book more and less trying to memorize. They say there are 6 or so different versions of the test and it just depends on whether or not you get an easy one or a hard one.

Well - I'll keep you posted even if I have to take it again - hopefully not though.

Thanks for all of your prayers.. I definitely felt them at about the 2 hour mark! :)

Pictures from some of our races

1st Half Marathon (13.1 miles)

What/Where - FAUQUIER HALF MARATHON in Warrenton, VA.

Jarod and I completed our 1st half marathon yesterday. Our friends Grant and Susan ran with us and both placed in their age group - great job guys!

It was a beautiful day for a run - about 50 degrees and sunny. The race was truly a community race with only about 200 participants! When we got to the race we were able to park right downtown (much different then the Army 10 miler) and walk up to the starting line. The race started in Old Town Warrenton and proceeded out into the beautiful countryside where we passed farms, pongs, cattle, horses and beautiful house. Between miles 9 and 10 there was a HUGE hill but after that relatively smooth sailing. The race was much hillier then we expected, but overall a really great race. After that race I was starving - this has never happened to me before. I guess once you go over 11 miles you need food! Good thing they had a HUGE continental breakfast for us at the Fauquier Springs Country Club. I think we all had at least 2 plates of food - that's a lot of running we did! :) We ended up having pretty good times for us - especially since Jarod had a sinus infection and had never run more then 10 miles before and I have never done more then 11. Here are our times.

Kadie - 2 hours and 18 minutes
Jarod - 2 hours and 20 minutes

That's the last race for the year...now we are focused entirely on studying! Kadie is taking the C.I.S.A. December 13th and Jarod is going to take the GMAT either December or January. Our exercising and training will continue throughout the holidays and kick back up once we finish our tests! :)

Half Marathon

Jarod and I have signed up for a 1/2 marathon (13 miles) race November 9th. Stay tuned for the results! :)

Sprint Tri

Swim, Bike, Run! That's the Tri way!

This weekend I completed my 1st triathlon with my good friend Becci and the support of our directors of logistics - our hubbys! It's amazing how much coordinating goes into this event. Basically how it works is everyone sets their bikes up in a set area - also known as " racking your bike" before the race starts. Along with your bike is everything you will need to complete the biking and running parts of the race. So, things like tennis shoes, socks, t-shirt and pants/shorts, helmet, towel, water, etc. have to be out under your bike b/c the time it takes to get all of that done counts against your overall time.

So, we were in the 500s out of 650 participants - so near the back. The race kicked off at 8am and Becci and I didn't go until a little after 9am. They split the pool in 1/2 with 8 total lanes. Odd #'d people were on the left, even #'d people on the right. Then you had to swim down and back in 4 of the lanes, so 8 one way trips (total of 400 meters). Then you pulled yourself out of the pool and ran around the building (mind you it's about 65 degrees and you're wet and in your bare feet) to the bike set up. Once you reach your bike, you dry off as quickly as possible, put your shoes/socks on and whatever clothes you want to wear. Put on your helmet and gloves and get moving! You have to walk/run your bike out of the bike area but once out it's full speed ahead!

The bike ride was nice, we had to go 13 miles and most was flat or downhill, but there was about 3 miles (between 7-10 miles) that were all uphill and really tough. The scenery was beautiful and I was surprised by how extremely friendly everyone was (spectators and participants). At the end of the 13 miles, you come back to the bike rack section. You get off your bike, walk/run it in, re-rack it and then get ready to run.

The run was really nice. It was only 3.1 miles. I was surprised though at how tired I felt. I normally run 9.5 - 10 min miles and I ended up doing those miles around 10.5 min each. The course was through a small community and relatively easy - they must've known we'd need it after doing the other 2 events. :) The end of the course brought you back to wear the bike rack area was but right before was the finish line. It felt great to finish!

I definitely recommend everyone at least try a Tri. It was a very interesting experience for me. I think next time I'll feel more comfortable b/c I've got one under my belt. They haven't posted times yet but when they do I will be sure to add it to this blog.

Another experience to check off my list! :0) Now the question is, should I go ahead and do a 1/2 marathon now or wait until the spring??? stay tuned! :)

RESULTS ARE IN- I did much better then I practiced!! :)
KADIE BLANEY ALEXANDRIA VA

Swim time - 10:10
Transition 1 - 5:30
Bike - 47:56
Transition 2 - 1:11
Run - 31:26
Overall time - 1:36:11

Jarod (the Gazel's) 1st 10 miler!!

Jarod and I did the Army 10 miler yesterday. It was awesome! Not only was this Jarod's first 10 mile race, but it was also the 1st time he has ever run 10 miles..ever! He did great!! This is the first race that I've ever run where it was PACKED!! all 10 miles. It was tricky running around people for 10 miles, but it made the race go really fast. The weather was perfect - little humidity and around 65-70 degrees. I had a few technical challenges (like my shoe laces coming undone - that never happens!) and our friend Becci that ran with us has asthma, so at mile 9 I had to stop and get her inhaler out, but despite all of that we finished in under 10 minute miles!! :)

The race was really beautiful. We ran around many of the key sites in DC - the Washington Monument, the White House, the Mall and much more. At the end of the race, there is one final turn and then you can see the finish line. I decided I would sprint so I pulled away from Jarod and about 1/2 way to the finish line he passed me and beat me by a few seconds. (if only i had longer legs).

I would recommend the race because of the awesome views and the fact that it was relatively flat. However, since there were so many people I found myself getting very frustrated dodging people for 10 miles. All in all, we had a great time and were feeling very good when we finished! Here are our times.

Jarod - 1:37:54 (9.47 min/mile pace)
Kadie - 1:37:56 (9.48 min/mile pace)