State Cup champs!

So I know I blogged from Greenville, and then I never gave you the final results! Dylan got a great birthday present- his soccer team won their last tournament of the season, the South Carolina State Cup! The boys played some GREAT soccer and won the final match 2-0 against the number one team in their division. 

I am finally starting to feel more comfortable with soccer photography. While still not my strong point, I think these came out better than the last batch!


















Check this out- here's a shot on goal in the finals...

... here's the ball soaring over the keeper's hands...

... and here is the post-goal celebration!




I love this of the boys running to celebrate with their families after the final whistle blew.















Congratulations to Dylan and his boys on the victory! Judging by the endless stream of congratulations and compliments Dylan received from team parents, opposing coaches, and complete strangers, I have a feeling that his super coaching skills had something to do with it.

For now, the team trophy is being proudly displayed on our mantle. No word on how long it will stay there.

Is Sports Illustrated hiring?

Doesn't really matter, cause I wouldn't get the job. I don't think you can have a true appreciation of how fast a soccer game moves until you try to photograph one. (Unless of course you are playing in it.)

With Dylan coaching this season, I've taken the opportunity to work on my nonexistent sports photography skills.

We spent last weekend at a soccer tournament in Mt. Pleasant where he coached his U-16 boys to a super second place finish. We had some serious rain the first day, and with all the soccer games going on the fields turned to sludge. The boys were FILTHY, as were my feet on the sidelines. I faced several challenges photographically- the weather varied from black clouds and splattering mud to blinding sun, and I fought the whole weekend with odd shadows and angles on the field, a lens that always felt too long or too short, and some speedy soccer players whose next move I could never anticipate.

This weekend's game in Columbia was slightly more successful. The mid-afternoon sun was bright white, but at least I felt that I had a better grasp on which camera settings work best and how to better capture the action.

Anyway, I still need lots of practice, but here are a few from both weekends!

For real- mad hops










I love these next two shots, pre- and post-goal




Dylan and (most of) his team in Mt. Pleasant

On a side note, a zoom lens is a great substitute for binoculars! I am sure I looked very official and impressive with the camera glued to my face the whole game, but in reality half the time I was just watching through the lens.

That's all for tonight. Go Phillies.

A Dam Good Run

Me, spell something wrong or use bad language? I think not. But I can't help it because I really DID have a good run! This morning Wes, Sara and I did the Lake Murray Dam Run to Irmo (part of the annual Irmo Okra Strut- don't ask). 

I finished in 55:55, my best 10k time since 2004. That might not be super for some people but that was great for me! Besides the marathon I really haven't run any races recently, so it was fun to get out there.

The first two miles of the course are across the Lake Murray dam. It was a dreary morning, but still pretty to run with a lake view. Sara took off and had a great run herself, finishing four minutes before Wes and me.

Wes can now officially call himself a "runner"- this was his first event. He trained for a whopping one day (Thursday), but did great! He got his very own race number and finishers' medal. We are so proud of our little Wes.

This was right after the race with my handy point-and-shoot. My parents came out to watch us and my dad grabbed a couple action shots. If you're lucky, I'll post some.

And the rule is that you have to wear your medal for the rest of the day. I mean, really, you will never put it on again, so why not get as much use out of it as possible. 

After taking a nice nap, I've been working on editing photos all afternoon, so more posts are soon to come. Side note, hope the Gamecocks do well tonight. Wish it wasn't pay-per-view...

The Dirty Henrys

Take a lot of mud, four friends hyped up on Red Bull, and a soldier we love, and this is what you get:


Saturday morning Wes, Sara, Mary and Ryan sloshed their way through the US Marine Corps Mud Run. Besides being fun, it was a small way to honor our good friend Kirk Henry who's in the Air Force and currently serving in Afghanistan.

Dylan, Katherine and I headed over after our morning run to cheer them on. They looked so clean and happy in the beginning...

...and then this happened.

The 4.2 mile course has over 30 obstacles. Not your typical roadrace, but they still finished in under an hour!

Thank goodness they had each other to hug, cause we really were not interested.

We're really proud of you guys! (High-five to Mary for breaking her thumb- hardcore.)

And we're even more proud of Kirk for serving our country. We are praying for you and can't wait till you get home in November!

Meet the Kiawah Team

I think the best part about our pre-run photo shoot Wednesday night is the fact that a large running club meets at the same river we do. So the whole time Dylan took pictures while we tried to do a fun jumping pose in the parking lot and I laid on the ground to photograph Katherine's shoes, we had quite the audience. You kind of got the feeling as they stretched in their spandex and eyed us with slight disdain that they might have had their shoes tied a little too tight for their own good. Like, "Wow, clearly those girls are not serious runners. There is no fun in running. Hey, let me tie my shoes some more." 

Anyway, let me introduce you to Katherine, who begins every training run with the words, "I hate you" and ends it with, "Hey, you know I don't really hate you, right?" I like to call this picture I Am Too Hot For My New All-Black Running Clothes.

And this would be MaryO. This picture is titled Seriously Are You Really Taking My Picture Right Now.

On the left is our other friend Mary, the fourth member of the Kiawah team. She is way speedy and has done a half-marathon, a sprint triathlon, and several other runs. She's doing most of her training on her own cause she's out to compete. We're just in it to finish.

Anyway, Wednesdays have become interval/speed training days, which neither Katherine or MaryO like. But other than Katherine threatening to push me in the river a few times, I think it went well.

The true test will be this Saturday. We're running five miles, and since I am back in town there will be no room for Katherine to trick MaryO and say, "Hey, let's run one mile and then walk the other four- Karin won't be mad, I promise." Wish us luck.

When she says "hate," she really means "love"

I was greeted this morning by the words, "When I woke up, I hated you a lot in my heart." 

She then continued, "After a few minutes of getting dressed and brushing my teeth, it subsided a little. But I just thought you should know." 

Well, good morning to you, too, Katherine. We met at the river for a four-miler at 8am (really, not that early when it comes to running.) Anyone that knows me knows I am not a morning person, but I didn't hit her or anything. I just smiled and told her how happy she was going to be for the rest of the day after she ran this with me. 

I was worried earlier in the week that Hurricane Hanna might affect our Saturday run, but the sun was out and the birds were chirping. 

We've finished Week 2 of our 1/2 marathon training plan, and I have to say I am impressed. MaryO is a better runner than I ever realized, and Katherine has been more committed than I ever expected! All in all we are having a lot of fun and I am way excited for the mini "racing season" we have lined up with all the girls in the group.

Now, after a full day of cleaning the house, it is time for a nice Saturday football-nap before dinner at Five Guys! And can I just say that I love the "runners can eat anything" rule. Ok maybe that is not technically a rule, but it really should be. 

The challenge is on

Ever since Dylan and I finished our first marathon in June, I have been dying to sign up for another race. This week I signed up for the Kiawah Island Half Marathon in December. (Dylan isn't running, but he will be cheering loudly!) I'm pretty excited. So excited that Dylan and I decided to make a fun winter beach weekend out of it and invite all our friends. I had also just decided to train for an October 8k with my friend MaryO (so many "Marys" in my life- I have to keep them straight somehow), so she decided she was up for the half, too. And it just got better and better. Not sure of the final count, but most of the group not only plans to go to the beach, they also signed up for the race! Some are runners, some are not, so it will be interesting. Enter Katherine.

Katherine was one of my college roommates, one of my bridesmaids, and is one of my best friends. Katherine likes to take naps, watch The Office on her iPod, and drink Yuengling. Katherine does not like being hot, being cold, or running long distances, and gets bored every four minutes. But when I told Katherine about my half-marathon plans, she quickly replied, "I'm in! Hey how long is a half marathon?" And that is why we love her. Because really, why would you need to know the distance before you sign up? She's also notorious for impulsive decisions and impulsively changing her mind. ("I'm moving to Switzerland! I'm moving to Denver!") She's already endured a little trash-talking from those who don't think she'll see the training through. She HAS, however, paid the registration fee- a good sign.

Training commenced this week. We had a little whining, but she made it through two runs and overall still seems very excited. I continually remind her about the t-shirt and medal she will receive when she finishes the race- it's great motivation. (Although I would like to think the best motivation is the quality time we will be spending together on our Saturday long runs.)

Anyway, overall I am so happy that most of my best friends are going to get to spend a weekend together at the beach AND we get to run!! Be on the lookout for a future post featuring each of our fabulous team members.

We did it!

On Sunday, June 1, Dylan and I became official marathoners, completing the San Diego Rock 'n Roll Marathon in 5 hours, 33 minutes, and 52 seconds. Not lightning speed, but we finished alive and on our feet.

Besides the enormous sense of accomplishment we feel for running 26.2 straight miles, we are so proud to be a part of Team In Training and what they are working for. More than 3,400 runners of the 21,000 in the San Diego RNR Marathon were Team In Training participants. Together, we raised over $12.9 million for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society through this event alone. Dylan and I still have a few weeks to meet our fundraising commitment to LLS, and it means more to us than ever to contribute to this great cause. (If you thought you missed your chance, it's not too late! http://www.active.com/donate/tntsc/DKCurtis .)

As for our future running career, we're taking a little hiatus- maybe a week- and then we are looking forward to hitting the road again on a lighter running schedule. Somehow, through all this, my reluctant husband has turned into a full-fledged runner! Although he is perfectly content having completed his one and only marathon and has no plans to sign up for another, Dylan has come to appreciate the joy of running in and of itself. He just prefers smaller increments wearing cleats and kicking a ball down a field. : )

I’ve posted some pictures below of our whirlwind weekend in San Diego!