Bucket List

I have only just started my bucket list but here are a few of the items on the list:

1) Harvest a cranberry bog (Ok who am I kidding I really just want to wear the wader boots!)



2) Go zorbing in New Zealand (with Z of course!)



3) Kick ass and take names in the STP with J



4) Learn how to snowboard

5) Sail in Greece (Anyone want to join me?)




6) Watch an Olympic rowing event

7) Run a marathon (CHECK! Maybe some day I will run another.)



8) Take an amazing photo, frame it, and hang it up on my wall

9) Attend a World Cup game

10) Make a list of the top 5 people who have influenced my life and send them a thank you


What's on your list??

What's On My Running Mix Today?

I am always seeking out new music...especially for my running mixes. Sometimes my mixes are more rap heavy, sometimes they are more pop heavy, sometimes they are more alternative heavy, and sometimes they are more rock heavy. I guess it all depends on my mood the day that I start my new mix. Here is what I currently have on my running mix:

August in Seattle

After conquering the NCLEX exam I spent the month of August at home in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. My time at home started with a week trip to San Francisco and Santa Monica, CA with Z. The trip was bookended by Sounders games (surprise, surprise) in Seattle and then in L.A. When I returned I filled my time with Dr's apts, seeing my good friends, and MORE SOUNDERS GAMES! Here is a series of pictures representing my time in Seattle. I wish I could put in words how much everyone there means to me and how much I miss the PNW. I will be back!

Quick Run Down...

The end of my first year of school was crazy and ultimately I fell behind in my blogging. So this posting is going to be a quick overview of what I have been up to this summer.

1) This year brought its fair share of challenges. One of which included the death of my aunt. Her illness took us all by surprise, and certainly didn't leave us with a lot of time to process what was happening. In June I flew to Santa Fe to attend a lamb roast in her memory. It was an informal event but was truly a great celebration of her life.

2) Celebrated the nation's independence with an all American past time....Red Sox baseball! It was a lot of fun...although the Red Sox played pretty poorly. And what a scorching hot day it was. Finished the celebration with a BBQ and fireworks on the Charles.



3) In July a group of my classmates and I made a weekend trip to Jackson, NH for some hiking. Our intention was to hike Mt. Washington, unfortunately threats of thunderstorms kept us from making the hike. Instead we went on a couple shorter hikes and for a dip in the swimming hole.



4) After that weekend I pretty much lived in coffee shops...staying cool in the A/C and trying to complete thousands of practice questions for the NCLEX exam. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the NCLEX, it is the exam that nursing students sit for in order to obtain their nursing license. What a tough exam! But I passed and can now officially add the letters RN after my name.
Kate Sortun, RN.

After the exam I made it home for a month break before starting up my second and final year of school. I will try to post on my time in Seattle soon.

I Do More Than Just Run!

While I have come to love running and have run many races over the last year, I have also committed myself to exploring other sports and fitness activities. Recently I found a spinning class that I have greatly enjoyed being a regular at. And with the help of a personal trainer for a few sessions, E and I have developed a series of circuits to benefit our running. We primarily use free weights and have learned how to incorporate the Bosu ball into our workouts.



More recently E and I have taken on the challenge of tackling hill repeats...namely the infamous Heartbreak Hill. We have only run hills a couple times thus far, but have a weekly hills date set up. Wednesdays at 8 am. We found a stretch of H.H. that we run 6x. Definitely a challenge to get myself out of bed for the 8 am hills...but man does it feel good when it's all done. I enter my day high on endorphins, knowing that I have already accomplished a lot while most of my peers are probably still sleeping.

Personal goal: Be able to do a pull-up!!