MeMeMe

I Did Something!

2011-09-07T14:16:00.001-07:00

On Monday I swam across the Columbia River. I’d have this event on my radar for years and this year, doggonit, I finally did it. The swim is not a race, so not timed and no ranking of finishers. (I part love that and hate that.) I timed myself and based on how many people I passed I probably won it. Won the whole damn thing. Here are some pics:

Found this on my way out of the cabin the morning of (at 5 a.m.).

Sporting my Michigan suit given to me by a good friend that was on the diving team, probably 10 years ago!

The Sternwheeler, that we jumped off of on the other side of the river.

That morning I decided to do the swim in my wetsuit. I was sick, a little nervous, hadn’t trained AT ALL – this was my blankie. I’m so glad I wore it but honestly I probably didn’t need it. Hard to say, but man did I float!

Swimmers getting geared up before boarding the boat.

Hey, its 6:30 in the morning, what more do you expect?

On the boat, ready to party!

Pretty views of the morning river (Josh took these while I was on the boat).

Here you can see the Sternwheeler cozied up to a barge. This is where we docked to jump. The tiny boats to the left formed a boat lane that we had to stay inside of.

Sighting was, to my relief, very easy. We went in a diagonal from the boat to the shore and headed toward a very obvious large green highway sign. The current was altered by the Army Corps of Engineers upriver somehow to make it better for the race. I think this means that they held back water so that the current didn’t rip us out of the course, but I’m not sure. I can say that my watched showed my finish time in just under 24:00 for 1.1 miles. That’s smokin’. Which means there was a nice current that helped assist w/the ride.

They had people jump off in waves of 10 and I was in the 33rd wave, so a LOT of people ahead of me. My friend Keith, who signed up the morning of (and also hadn’t trained), was the last person to jump off the boat. We met up at the end, took some pics, then had breakfast and bloodies!

Super gorgeous day, well-run event and really fun. It was much easier than I’d expected so I am glad that I dragged myself out there. I’m not even sore! If you’re looking for a fun swim, try this one next year.

Event website: http://hoodriver.org/events-festivals/chamber-events/cross-channel-swim.

Marginal Success

2010-12-15T13:58:00.001-08:00

I ran three times in Florida, which I’m considering a marginal success. I went slow, and still not far but I got out there and did it. I am starting to psyche myself out about my knees. They hurt/ache a lot. Is this because I’m starting to run again? Because I am heavier than I was when I last was running (10# more and 5% more body fat!)? They creak and snap with every step up the stairs. Not to mention many other times throughout the day. I have an appt with a local ortho doc but it isn’t until mid-January. I’m just hoping that all these years and miles haven’t fucked me up forever. Please keep your fingers crossed for me! Has anyone else gone through this too?

Since I’ve been back from Florida (three days) I’ve somehow dropped the running from my calendar. Tomorrow is another day though so I’ll make sure I get out tomorrow.

As for the above-mentioned weight/fat gain, I am starting to get really pissed about that too. I keep saying I need to get myself back on track but just haven’t been able to. I desperately want to maintain a healthy lifestyle – now and until the day I die. I do not like ruts like this at all. I can feel it taking its toll on my mentally and physically so it is time for a plan. Here goes…

What I want to accomplish:

Lower my RHR (resting heart rate)
45 minutes of cardio 4x/week

How I’m going to do it:

I know with consistency I can do this. Here are some of my grand plans…join the gym down the street from me, start spinning and swimming in the pool. Take tennis lessons (after buying some really cute outfits). Run? See what the doc says. Continue with yoga! Maybe add in a few weights.

I want to reach these goals by Feb 2011. Is that so much to ask of myself?

**********

Here are some of my pictures from FL (my dad broke his collar bone):

Running Fail

2010-12-06T09:51:00.001-08:00

I moved my 7 miler from yesterday to today since I had a full day yesterday and wanted to be home. We got our xmas tree on Saturday night and I really wanted to decorate it before leaving for FL.

Well, I had a small window to make the run happen this morning and it didn’t. I was up for about 3 hours last night in the middle of the night for no reason and still had to pack this morning to leave by 10 a.m. So that’s what happened. I’m trying to be accountable here!

Most of my day today will be spent at airports and in the sky. I am looking forward to seeing my family this week, including and especially my adorable nieces – Amelia Violet and Eleanor Violet (Millie and Nellie)! It has been months since I’ve seen them so I know they’ll be different. I wish I could see them every day.

Amelia with me on our last visit in Michigan – I took her to play pinball for the first time!

Eleanor on our last visit in Michigan – happy as a little clam!

I had a mini-yoga retreat yesterday at my teacher’s house in the woods. He has a neat little yoga studio separate from the house that he built himself. I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to have that. The meeting was with the other teachers in training and mainly discussion. We were each given assignments and he lent out books from his big yoga library. I am kind of excited, my assignment is all about yoga for women (before, during and after your menses and pregnancy!). I am hoping to turn mine into an all out presentation that I can do for an audience. I have a few very thick books that I’m going to lug in my carry on, so I have to make sure to read them!

Plan is to run in FL and I have all of my gear with me. The weather is supposed to be cool by FL standards – mid-60s and sunny, which is perfect for me! I’m also going to yoga quite a bit there but need to buy a mat as soon as I arrive.

Have a great week!

So Far So Good

2010-12-03T16:17:00.001-08:00

I’m doing well with following the plan so far:

After observing how SLOW my pace is now and that is doesn’t actually correlate well with the pace/HR chart I had from 2 years ago I decided to repeat this week’s plan for several weeks in a row. This will give me a little better base to launch from.

I’m also going bananas on the yoga, which is awesome! I started doing some vinyasa again this week and finding that my wrist may not be ready for so many chaturangas yet.

Yesterday I went to THREE yoga classes. Kind of psycho but not really. The first one was a Yin class (very chill), then 1:15 of vinyasa, then my intermediate Iyengar class later on in the day. I also ran 4.5 miles. Wheeeeeee! I was expecting to be HELLA sore today but luckily I wasn’t. I did, however, sleep over 10 hours and needed to drag myself out of bed. I guess my body isn’t so used to the movement!

I’m feeling great this week! Hope you are too – happy weekend.

eedo

This week’s plan

2010-11-30T16:38:00.001-08:00

All I did was change the dates on my schedule from 2008! Sure, things may be a little different now (not starting in the same shape, not training for a half), but who cares? I THINK THIS IS GREAT!

I just put everything on my calendar. The above doesn’t include all of the yoga that I am doing. Seeing as yoga is my new career, it will take precedence over running if necessary. I’m going to give doing both a shot and see where we are in two weeks.

I have sore legs from yesterday. And a sore upper body as a result of a twist heavy yoga class last night. Everything is sore and it feels great.

I leave on Monday for Florida thru Sunday. I’m going to have to find a yoga studio nearby or be really dedicated with doing my own practice. Running should not a problem while there though.

I am going to need to dust off the old heart rate monitor, which I haven’t used in a while. I’m kind of excited!

I made an appt with a knee doctor and am looking forward to hearing what he thinks is going on w/my knees. They’re really crunchy and don’t move as well as I want them to. Hopefully he tells me all I need is to do some exercises that will cure everything! I do not want surgery. He’s also going to look at my elbow that I cracked falling down the stairs almost a year ago and hopefully my wrist too.

I’m all fucked up!

This post is so poorly written but I don’t care. Hopefully you didn’t either! To make up for it, here is another random picture…

My favorite running buddy!

Biyeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

Comeback in effect!

2010-11-29T12:52:00.001-08:00

I did it! Not only did the three miles go well, but the FOUR miles went well. I made a point to go very very slow and not stop unless I had to for traffic.

I forgot how much I missed by not running: seeing Mount Hood covered in snow, increasing my heart rate, waving at other runners to name a few. It really does make me feel like a part of my community by running around my neighborhood.

I eeked out a pace of about 9:30 which is good enough for me right now. I think I am going to start back on the program I used two years ago when I really started back into running from basically scratch. I still have the daily plan that extends for a couple of months while I was training for a half marathon.

I’m checking out a new yoga studio today in Portland: Sunset Yoga Center. Hopefully my body stays fresh! I have started teaching at Rushing Water Yoga in Camas on Wednesdays @ 5:45 – it is a beginning Iyengar style class that is *FREE* through the end of the year! I picked up another person’s class there on Sunday, so had the opportunity to refine the same sequence. It is so helpful to teach the same sequence twice and honestly the 2nd time is much better. If you’re in the area, please come by and check it out! I still have my other blog dedicated to yoga so check that one out too: http://emilyolivayoga.blogspot.com/.

(Thank you for the THREE comments I received between these two posts. That really motivates me and reminds me how great my running friends are. Love you guys!)

*****

Some photos for you….

Yoga + Beer =

Thanksgiving at our house this year (Josh wearing my grandma’s apron):

Comeback

2010-11-29T10:42:00.001-08:00

Oh dear lord, stop me. I’m about to go out for a run! And yes, I’m obviously procrastinating because who stops to update a deserted blog before going out for a run.

Me!

I’m procrastinating because I’m scared. Isn’t that ridiculous? Some part of me just doesn’t believe that this person has run 3 marathons and is terrified of a little 3 mile jog. I can see how beginners can hate starting a running program.

So, the goal is this: just go out and do it. Run slowly and simply plan to finish the run. That is all there is to it. If I go fast (which I know I will) I’ll die and need to stop and feel defeated.

That’s it!

Hope all of you real runners out there are getting along well…

-Emily

Yoga Retreat

2010-11-15T13:25:00.001-08:00

I just returned from a week long yoga retreat last night. It was a teacher training retreat focused on Yin Yoga. You can check out the description here.

There is so much to write about the experience and I hope to have a fuller post on it someday (right!), but for now I’ll show you our typical day:

6:30 – wake up
7-7:30 – seated group meditation, typically done in silence
7:30-8 – free time, but I typically did my pranayama
8-9 – breakfast
9:30-12:30 – morning yoga session
12:30-1 – free time
1-2 – lunch
2-3:30 – free time
3:30-6 – afternoon yoga session
6-7 – dinner
7-8:30 – evening yoga session

That is 7.5 hours of yoga, meditation and discussion a day. That is a lot of yoga-related activities. I met some wonderful people. I spent time in a quiet beautiful place tucked into the woods. I ate good vegetarian meals every night. I soaked in natural hot springs. I was more introspective than I’ve been in quite some time. I came out as the same me, but a more settled me than the start. I have come a long way in 33 years but especially in the past year and had time to appreciate that.

I am so happy I did this and I would recommend that all of you try something similar at some point in your lives.

Namaste.

Just Breathe - Pranayama

2010-11-05T15:51:00.001-07:00

As part of my regular yoga practice, my goal is to do pranayama at least once every day. Right now I’m targeting 20 minutes for each session, but will build on that once I can prove I can make it a habit. For now this is an achievable goal.

I’ll get more into pranayama later – the how, the why, the origins and different methods. For now I’d just like to log what I’ve done.

Today I did a cycle of the following:

5 minutes of regular breathing
5 minutes of deep ujjayi both in and out
5 minutes of viloma 1
5 minutes of regular breathing

Ujjayi is “wind in the throat”, where you produce a quiet hissing sound in the back of your throat. There is a bit more to it but that’s about the gist of it.

Viloma 1 is breaking your inhale into 3 parts with a pause inbetween each. Exhale is regular uyajii. During the pauses during the inhale you are to continue expanding your lungs. This part I find tricky – how do you expand without breathing in more air? Somehow I think I’m making it work.

I have a feeling after today’s session I may have some soreness in the muscles between my ribs. This will be a good sign!

Regardless of what the books and philosophy say, I like doing pranayama and I like what it does for me. I don’t meditate, so this is kind of a quiet meditation session for me. I shut everything down, get myself in “advanced” savasana and just breathe. It sounds so simple (and maybe kind of boring) but every day that I do this I feel tremendous the rest of the day. Am I just happy because I accomplished something off of my checklist? Or, are there really psychological and physiological benefits?

Summer 2010

2010-11-04T10:15:00.001-07:00

A few months back, I stopped posting here because my focus was less on running and more on other crap that, honestly, no one wants to hear about. I’m constantly trying to figure out how to better organize myself and be more efficient, but feel like those attempts always manage to fall short. I started a blog that only I could read – mainly I liked the format of the blog and wanted to use that to keep myself organized. It is a nice tracking device and to do list that you can organize with pretty links and background images. I kept up with that for a while but stopped doing that as well. I can’t believe I still have not come up with a foolproof way to make me organized and sane. I’m almost 33 for god sakes!

I also started a yoga blog, but intend on using that as a tool for reaching out to students and developing a “business”.

So, without rambling more (ha!), those are the reasons I haven’t been blogging. But, I miss it a little and miss you a lot! So, here I am, for the time being at least.

I tried looking back on old posts to see where I left off so I could provide some updates:

My Bangs: They’re starting to grow out and I’m happy! Life with bangs is kind of tough, esp for a girl that likes to spend 0 minutes on primping. But in other hair news, I recently went a little darker… Not sure if I love it but it is what it is – a change.
My Mom: Ugh. She is doing okay but her chemo started off really tough. She got very very sick after the first treatment and ended up in the hospital. They changed the formula and it got better after that. Instead of a family trip in August, we decided it wasn’t a good idea, I went to visit them at their house.
My Yoga: Really really great. On my yoga blog I put together a list of what I’d accomplished over the past few months. I used it as part of a request for donations for Living Yoga, but I’m so glad I documented it all in one place. If you want to see that list, please click here.
My Running: Non-existent. It makes me sad too. After I healed from the marathon I did a few really fun trail runs in Forest Park w/Josh. We had a blast, but for some reason stopped doing them. Then, after a longer break, we decided to run just a few miles in the morning first thing. We kept up with that for about two weeks and stopped again. I’m not quite sure why. Although I was in great shape from yoga, I had lost a lost of cardio fitness, and running was not easy. It is so humbling to go from marathon-ready to that shape. Not easy.
My Garden: So much fun – we built raised beds and I planted a shiteload of tomatoes there. Because of the colder temps, many of these ended up green but its all good. I have many lessons learned to incorporate for next year. I could go on for novels about the garden, but I won’t…
Travel: I spent 4 weeks in Italy, London and Spain. So much to report on there! I’m hoping to dedicate an entire post (or many) to this trip.
Fun Stuff: Lots of fun summer activities and now ready for the fall stuff. We had a garden party/BBQ that I’ll post pics of below. It was classy for many hours until late-night started and all hell broke loose. At least no one called the cops.
Injuries: This deserves a post of its own. I’m scared about the condition of my body. My knees especially – they’re kind of f’ed. The crunch around on every step/bend and after all of the walking in Europe, I can tell something ain’t right. Aside from that, I have ganglion cysts in my wrists and my left wrist has been bad for a while. I can’t really do downdog for long or anything else that puts weight on it. Makes me very sad. I’ve had this for many years but it usually doesn’t matter that much. However, now with yoga, I NEED my wrists to be okay! Other, less urgent things are: bunion – one is starting to bother me; right elbow – I slammed it falling down the stairs 11 months ago and it still hurts. I suspect there is nerve damage or a little bone fracture, so I need to find out what to do about it. I’m taking action on all of this by going to a doctor, so will report back after I’ve gone.

That little report was obviously not in order of importance, nor did I cover deets, but it is something. Something to get me started FGS! Now, w/o further ado, here are some pics!

I treated my mom to a spa day before her surgery in June.

After my mom’s surgery (she looks pretty good!), about to head back to Portland.

Yoga night at my house (followed by Champers!) with the girls.

Fun times at the lake.

4th of July @ the lake.

My little peanut/niece Eleanor in Michigan in July

Taking my other niece Amelia put-putting in Michigan in July.

Alisa’s bday lunch at Veritable Quandary with PDX peeps.

Classing it up on the Columbia River

Classing it up at New Old Lompoc in Portland

Being outdoorsy near Mt. Jefferson in July

Coast trip August

Backyard BBQ in August

All cleaned up for wedding in September

Amazing camping trip near Bend, OR in September (this deserves a post of its own)

Garden booty in September!

Back to the scene of the crime (Chicago) for our 1st wedding anniversary in late September.

Our perfect little family home at sunset in October…

Meetup with Petra in London in October.

Bullfight in Madrid in October.

Wow – going through my summer pictures again makes me realize how much I did and how I should never take anything for granted. That was nice. There is so much more to be said and posted here, but this is about all I can muster for now.

Peace!

Back

2010-11-03T18:41:00.001-07:00

I am starting to feel a little “over-sharey” after returning from a big vacation, so you may see some more posts coming soon. At least I hope so. I always liked having a place where I could just throw stuff down without feeling like it had to be 100% perfect. That’s how I tend to get about everything in my life and I can’t stand it! I swear I get nothing done.

That’s another story, right?

I landed last night after 4 whole weeks away from home, away from everything I know. I have never vacationed like that before and what an experience. I saw so many places and things that I’ve only heard about or seen in books and online. I traveled with friends and met up with friends after a long break or for the first time ever. I slept in many many beds with many uncomfortable mattresses and pillow and may have incurred permanent back damage. I ate food that I’ve had before, but like never before – pizza and pasta are an example. I got to attempt to speak Italian and actually communicate with the little Spanish that I know.

It was wild and I hope to recap more here soon!

Letting Go

2010-08-26T12:30:00.001-07:00

A stranger whispered to me the other day, "what happens if you don't try so hard?" And it is still tumbling around in my head.

I have a new blog! (Emily’s Yoga Blog)

2010-08-25T18:42:00.001-07:00

Hi peeps!

While I’ve been busy avoiding running/swimming/biking and any/all discussion on such topics, I have been YOGAING. New word. I started a blog for the hell of it. Sort of a home base for people that are all “who are you?” And I’m all:

http://emilyolivayoga.blogspot.com/

Check er out, subscribe, bookmark, whatevs! I hope you are all well. I’m still reading about you on the internets…

LYLAS,
Emily

Lost

2010-06-29T09:31:00.001-07:00

Oh people. Where have I gone? I wanted my first post back to be epic but I will not make any promises or even attempts at that. This is going to be just about what I can type out in the 4 minutes I have before I am scheduled to study. (I’m trying to be more structured with my fun-employment, more on that later.)

I am about to start my 4th month in my new life, away from my job. I have gotten a lot accomplished, but not nearly as much as I’d hoped. I couldn’t sleep at all last night and ended up going to bed with the birds chirping and sky lightening. I think I’m feeling a little anxious with the lack of routine that I have. I decided to attempt to be more structured, but in a very productive way. I tend to get bogged down in the details, then overwhelmed, then sometimes give up. Aside from the benefits of being detail-oriented, this is not such a good trait. Someone said to me recently – use your faults to your advantage. I’m still trying to figure out how that can work for me as my faults still seem like my faults. I’m trying to embrace certain things but I do tend to get frustrated with myself.

There is no other way to say this next thing, so I’m going to just say it. My mom has cancer. It still feels really weird to think/say/type that as my family just isn’t the “cancer type”. Wouldn’t that be nice? This all started a couple of months ago and a lot of action has taken place since. Summary: annual mammogram found something, biopsy was done, cancer was detected, surgery for lumpectomy scheduled, surgery showed cancer had spread to lymph nodes, further biopsy after surgery showed it had only spread to ONE lymph node, “the plan” for treatment was laid out…chemo starts on Thursday, radiation after that.

I have been trying to count my blessings since this arose and I think I’m doing a fairly good job. I am close with my parents, but they live 1500 miles away. I’m making a better attempt to communicate via phone and even set up skype/webcam (could be my demise?). My family emails each other all day every day, but it is not too personal – weather, what we did, etc. I went back to Michigan for the surgery, am going back for 10 days again in July while my sister is out too, then we’re planning a week rental on Lake Michigan in August.

The trip home for the surgery was, to put it bluntly, not good. I was alone, no husband and away from my house, stuff and timezone. None of us expected the cancer to have spread – we thought they’d scrape it out then do radiation and onto a somewhat normal life again. I’ll never forget the feeling in the waiting area when the surgeon came out to tell us. I was with my dad only and felt completely heartbroken and above all SCARED. Even though my family is close we don’t get too super emotional and this was a time when my guard just came down. Seeing my dad upset too wrecked me. The rest of my visit was really really hard for me. I’m glad I was there for my parents sake but behind closed doors I was a wreck. Lots of tears and thoughts and feelings that I’ve been avoiding all of my life.

It wasn’t until a few days after I got home, when the results of the biopsy of the rest of the lymph nodes came back with good news, that I started to feel relief. I truly had been expecting the worst possible news so was shocked at this. So happy.

She still needs to go through chemo and I know that will be really rough. It will be a huge lifestyle change for a while, especially the losing the hair part, but a necessary part of getting better. The 10 year outlook for her type of cancer, with this treatment, is very very positive.

Everything is going to be okay, she is going to be okay and I am going to be okay. This all opened my eyes to the fact that my parents are getting older and aren’t going to be around forever. This concept of losing people is terrifying to me and I’m slowly trying to face that bit by bit. My adventures in yoga and in life are helping me along and making me better able to cope with roadblocks like this. I am growing and that is good.

I’m not a huge risk taker and this isn’t a huge risk, but the situation of the past few weeks prompted me to carpe diem just a little bit and make a tiny, non-permanent change:

BANGS! Fringe has not graced my forehead since 1989 so I kind of feel like a new woman…and sorta like the old too:

(Someday I’ll post my Boston marathon report. I’ll also post about my recent less major trials and tribulations including yoga, garden, travel, volunteering, etc.)

I am ALIVE

2010-05-18T09:41:00.001-07:00

Hi there. I am alive and well and wanted to post an update. Honestly, nothing big is happening but I’m staying very busy. Loving spring and the start of summer. Here’s a bulleted update of my latest adventures/thoughts:

Boston Race Report: Total procrastination. But now that I’m using Live Writer the writing and editing is a lot easier. I have a first draft! All of the pictures are in this draft post and I’m adding the narrative as I go. It is hard to be inspired to write this report – I want to include everything but the more time that passes I worry that I’m forgetting things… Oh well, it is what it is, right?
Health:
- Continuing weekly goals are eating well, taking vitamins, sleeping well, drinking less. For the most part is has been a success…
- Run 35 miles per week – this was my goal distance after I recovered from the marathon. I have not been achieving it, more like 5-10 miles per week or 1-2 runs per week. I’ve found that if I’ve run it makes my yoga practice less successful as my legs and entire body is tired. I really do need to find a way to incorporate running back into my lifestyle so am trying to play around with ways to make this happen. I.e., instead of running before yoga, do it immediately afterward to give myself optimal recovery time. Unfortunately this is a catch 22 as right after yoga I’m exhausted and hungry. Something has to give.
- Swim 3x/week – I started off really well with this, taking advantage of the 50 meter facility that I have access to. However, in the last two weeks I have not swum at all.
- Bike 3x/week – This is a clear fail as I have not biked once! My intention was to hit up spin class until the weather cleared but I haven’t done that either. Partially due to the same issue the running presents with yoga. Is that just an excuse? Probably a little bit.
- YOGA! Yoga has been going great. I started into it pretty intensely the Thursday after my Monday marathon. Since then (April 22nd) I have only missed a couple of days on the mat. I got a monthly membership to Yoga Pearl and been hammering away there almost daily. I am really getting a lot out of it which I will explain in detail later.
- Analysis: I need to work more on incorporating something cardiovascular into my routine.
Work: I do not miss it one bit.
House:
- I have a whole list of house projects that I’ve been chipping away at…boring stuff (pricing out blinds, pricing out new garage door, finishing paint touch ups, painting old furniture, organizing my closet). I’m making progress so I’ll give myself a score of 3 out of 5.
Garden:
- Take/post monthly pics – done for May! (see below for a couple)
- Make raised beds – this has been an ongoing process that seems to be taking forever. Do we use wood or stone as a base? How much soil do we need? What is the best value, who delivers it, etc. It is exhausting and replicates our process when taking on projects like this, including planning trips. Hence, we never travel. Bite the bullet people and make it happen!! I have tomato starts that I did from seed that need to go into the ground soon. I have other places I can put them but I want my damn raised beds! HOPING to get this done by next Wednesday. HOPING.
- Start lettuce, radishes and carrots in the ground. I started the radishes then the slugs came and nibbled away at most of them. I created a moat of slug control around it and some radishes appear to have survived. They’re still tiny though and I’m watching them daily to see if they’re growing. Damn slugs!
- Grow peas – I started these weeks ago outside and they’re already growing tall! I created teepees from our downed bamboo in the back. I can’t wait for the blossoms and harvest! Slugs were an issue here too but the bait/poison I laid down seems to have done the trick.
- Plant annuals on front walk – I bought a tray of starts from a local high school that has a horticulture program. Everything was half off and it is neat that the kids started everything. However, the tray still sits while I wait to find the *perfect* spot for them, then weed out the areas I want to put them. How come I’m so slow? I’m trying not to focus too much on the landscape architecture part of it and just have fun with it but it is hard. So many options!
- Start up sprinklers – we have a built in system and I’m not sure when we need to start them. Anyone know?
- Slug control – the slugs are rampant here and they’re disgusting. Not to mention they eat everything up. I hate them! I worked yesterday for an hour around 2 hosta plants that they’ve devoured already. I snipped off all of the swiss cheese leaves (most of the plant, sadly) and created a bait/poison moat around those too. I hope they grow back! There is a lot more work to do on slug control…stay posted
- Analysis: In general our garden is thriving. Our home’s previous owners were avid and the perennials they planted are in full bloom. We have so many beautiful iris varieties coming up right now it is amazing. The peonies in front are about to burst out. I am loving it and can’t wait to keep working on it. But it is work, and a lot of it.

Peas on 5/3/10

Peas on 5/9/10

Slugs!

Slug lunch

NE bed on 5/3/10

NE bed on 5/9/10 (as of May 18th, today, it is even MORE spectacular! Need to post another pic!

Volunteering/Outreach:
- Lunch Buddies – this is a program I started three weeks ago. I basically am paired with an elementary school kid to act as a mentor and meet up with them at their school for lunch weekly. So far it has been great! My buddy is a super cool and mature 3rd grade girl. We even did a field trip last week together! I jumped on this late in the year, but I’m glad I did it. I’m hoping we can be matched next year too.
- Living Yoga – This is a great local program that I’m excited to be involved with. I started a couple of weeks ago. My intention was to volunteer teach in one of their programs, but ended up working in the office. I’m still going to participate in their teacher program – there is a facility near me that they teach at and I’m signed up for the teacher training in July – but in the meantime will help where ever they need me. Last week they asked me to help with an exciting fundraising campaign for them that is coming up soon. It is their first year doing it and I’m super excited to help develop it. I used to work in NFP and am hoping to leverage that for Living Yoga. We have a luncheon this Thursday to kick it off and I’ll give more details soon!
Travel:
- Book Italy tickets – We’re planning to go in September and NEED TO BOOK TIX. Need. Must.
- 3 new hikes in May – So far we’ve done one day hike in May. I’m planning to go on a one-night camping trip with a friend this weekend if weather permits. I am so excited and a little terrified!
- Book trip to Michigan – Waiting on some more information but hoping to have tickets booked by the end of this week to go in June.
Fun stuff:
- JT visit
- Wedding help
- Cirque du Soleil
- Oregon Symphony Beethoven Festival
Yoga:
- This is honestly the most important part of my life right now and I’m trying to focus all of my efforts here. This is the first time I’ve been able to deepen my practice this much and I’m having trouble laying out the plan for improvement. With running, swimming and biking there is usually a clear path or plan that you can easily find and modify for your own needs. With yoga it is a bit different. I’m trying to listen to the advice to create my own home practice but this is really hard. I enjoy going to class but can’t get myself to have a meaningful practice at home. I am working on it though and keep reading more about how to make this happen. The yoga itself deserves its own post which I will put up soon. I want to report on the different studios, classes and teachers I’ve gone to and what my plan is for teacher training. I have a lot of really good stuff started and can’t wait to see what happens next in this new path for me!

That’s about it! Sorry if this was the most boring post ever. Hope you’re having a great week!

Inbetween Stuff

2010-04-29T22:42:00.000-07:00

I am totally behind the ball on writing my Boston race report but that doesn't mean I can't post anything right?

I have done 10.5 hours of yoga in the past 7 days (and that includes 2 days of being out of town). I feel great. Sore and tired but great and fired up for the next steps. I am also trying to branch out and find some opportunities to begin practicing more, learning more and even TEACHING. It is very exciting.

Anyone in Portland want some free yoga classes? Seriously - let me know!

I have run twice since Boston. First time on Monday (one week after the race). A really nice and easy 4 or 5 miles that felt great. Today I ran 3.6 miles around my Willamette Riverfront loop after my 2nd yoga session of the day. I have to admit that my right knee started feeling a bit tweaky and is still sore a few hours later. Damn! Might be the excessive yoga...speaking of which. I hope I don't get injured.

But honestly I can feel my body transforming with this yoga stuff. I wonder if/when it will go away and become easier for me. Hoping it tempers out somewhat but I want to stay challenged. I am really liking it.

Weather in Portland has been more dynamic than usual - spurts of hard rain followed by bright sun and rainbows. Reminds me of the midwest and I love it.

Blazers lost tonight and are out of the playoffs. Bummer.

Ok, bye.

Boston Update (quickie version)

2010-04-24T07:13:00.000-07:00

I ran the Boston marathon!

I finished in 3:57:03. The race knocked my socks off - I was expecting crowds and support but nothing like what I saw. I had my name on my shirt and felt like a rock star. I've never experienced anything like that before. I high-fived no less than 875 kids and cheek-kissed 2 Wellesley girls. The weather was gorgeous. I ran an even steady and easy pace until Mile 20ish when my legs cramped up. The last 6 or so miles were very difficult but I finished the race. Of course I wish that hadn't happened but it made me feel human and alive and I'm proud of myself for pushing through it. I have my suspicions to the origin of this demise but can get into that later. I'm going to write up a race report early next week with all of the details.

Thanks for reading!

Emily

Boston Marathon Eve

2010-04-18T11:34:00.000-07:00

Well, it is almost here - the day I've been waiting to come for months. I have to admit I am super fired up and ready for action. Last night I couldn't fall asleep because of all of the excitement - thoughts running through my mind like crazy.

Yesterday I slept in then went to the convention center w/my sig O. We got there early afternoon and ended up spending a lot longer than anticipated. It took me a while to get into the swing of things, but before I knew it I was signing up for contests, taking samples, pictures, buying crap, etc. I ended up getting the official Boston jacket for 2010, plus some fun shirts for my supporters out here. I also found a great t-shirt made by New Balance that I'll have to post a picture of.

We got out of the convention center about 3:30 and had a small lunch (including beers!) at The Pour House before heading back home. I had only a short while to get in my 4 mile run so ended up going only 2 miles down heartbreak hill. I guess I went down to Walnut Street (which is mile 19 of the course). I did a bunch of analysis on the hills that basically amounts to me making them smaller than they are. I think it worked!

After that we made a pasta dinner and my uncle (who is also running tomorrow) came over to celebrate. We had your basic salad, pasta w/tomato sauce and veggies and some bread. I had a sip of wine but am otherwise holding off until the race starts. When we drove my uncle back to the T we drove the entire 4 miles back down and up the hilly part of the course so it was good to see that again. At some point, however, it becomes futile to keep looking at it. I'm not Ryan Hall, I just need to go out there and run my race.

I tried going to bed early but probably fell asleep around 1 a.m. local time. I did wake up at 10 so I guess I got in my sleep. Waking up at 5 a.m. tomorrow is going to be a bear...I am going to put myself to bed around 8 or 9 tonight and just read until I get tired.

On my agenda for today:

-relax
-stretch
-hydrate
-attach chip to shoe
-attach bib to top
-fashion a name tag for my top (I'm on the fence on this but have been convinced by my sister that I MUST do it!)
-cut out pace band
-charge Garmin
-ice shin (it has been flaring up again)
-set alarm
-finish packing my bag
-pack up bag for Josh for the finish
-run thru the meet up plan w/my peeps
-go to bed early!

Is that thorough enough?

I have completed my plan for tomorrow morning and my "marathon plan" for the race. Here we go:

Race Day Schedule:

5:00 - wake up, shower, coffee, eat, drink limited water (don't want to have to pee on the bus), body glide up, dress
6:00 - drive to T station
6:30 - arrive downtown at shuttle buses, meet up with Susan, board buses
7:30/8:00 - arrive in Hopkinton
8-9:15 - bide time, stretch, hydrate, eat a little more, take pics, beam with pride, etc. (try not to freak the F out)
9:15 - take bags to baggage bus (take off all non-throwaway clothes, more body glide, Gu, tylenol)
9:30 - head to corral 13
10:00 - start race!

Race Plan:

In general, here is the race plan....

In case you can't read it, I've separated the race into 5 sections: Zone, Settle, Wellesley, Hills and End. I wanted to note some bullet points in each section, so here they are:

Zone (Miles 1-4):
-don't go out too fast!
-watch Garmin & ease into it
-DOWNHILL

Settle (Miles 4-13):
-FLAT
-find stride
-save legs for later
-take nutrition/water

Wellesley (Miles 13-16):
-keep pace @ W.O.S. (Wall of Sound aka the screaming ladies)
-take nutrition/water

Hills (Miles 16-21):
-eat/drink at start and end
-head down and grind it out
-remember I-205
-catch breath inbtwn hills (1-1.25 miles btwn each hill)
-Mile 19 - family meet up
-end of hills is real halfway mark

End:
-shake em if you got em
-finish strong/nothing left
-soak it in!

I am really excited for the finish and to eat/drink my face off. I really hope the race goes well and I finish feeling not too terrible. I know it is going to hurt, and probably pretty badly toward the end but I've been there before and know I can push through it. I suspect the most difficult part of the race will be pacing myself through the downhills and not going out fast. Then of course the hills will be a little nasty with the finish being the nastiest part of it all.

Despite the challenges of a race like this I am really looking forward to knocking it off my life list and making myself and people I know proud. I'm going to relish in the pain and struggle knowing not everyone has the luxury of participating in such events. It really is a privilege and I intend to make myself worthy of it.

I might write more later depending on how nervous or bored I am...until next time! (Oh, if you want to track me, my bib is 13523.)

I Am In Boston

2010-04-16T18:24:00.000-07:00

I arrived tonight after a relatively uneventful direct flight from Portland. Weather as I arrived is exactly the type of weather I'm used to in the Pac NW. And I love that. Race day should be 55*, partly cloudy w/some chance of rain. That's exactly how my qualifying race weather was so bring it.

On the flight there were many many Boston runners, including Barb (that's all I got from her) that I sat next to, also running her 1st Boston. She and I chatted a bunch about our training and plans for the race. I usually am not one to conversate too much esp on a long flight but this was great. Everything started to sink in. I read my book and remained calm.

My sister picked me up and I've been cozily tucked into her house for the evening. I got to see my little nieces and it is just good to be here all around. We ate pizza for dinner and I sadly abstained from beer. I think it is time to start the cleanse.

Through a random contact my sister has, she acquired a DVD bootleg of the official John Hancock Race Preview for the 114th Boston marathon. We watched it and were both crying by the end. (Lame, but how can you not?) I am going to watch this video no less than 5 more times before Monday. It is a great run through the course, with a video of the entire race from start to finish, not leaving a mile out. There are voice overs of interviews with various people that have advice and lessons learned about the course. How perfect.

My better half arrives at like 2 a.m. tonight and tomorrow I plan to get my race bib while my BIL gets his for the Sunday 5k. I have never been crazy about these big race expos (I have a friend pick up my Chicago bib for me in 2007) but I think I'll do a lap regardless. This is Boston FGS. I brought my vintage 1979 running mag and will try to get pics from those featured within (Grete Waitz, Bill Rodgers). I think they'd get a kick out of seeing this 30 year old publication.

I also plan to do an EASY run backwards down HBH (heartbreak hill) and then walk back up it. I'm staying at the top of it which is quite convenient. I keep trying to marginalize these hills by examining them physically, driving them, analyzing the elevation profile, comparing to my long run elevation profile. I just want them to disappear!

My usual 20 mile route goes across a looong gradual bridge that climbs 210 feet over less than 1.5 miles. I usually hit this around my 13 mile mark. I think the series of hills that spans miles 16-21 in Boston climbs 275 feet. So this should be nothing for me. Right? RIGHT!

I hope my magic taper worked.

I need to give a shout out here to all of the European runners that are not able to make it to Boston. I am completely devastated for you and feel your pain. I wish I had something conciliatory or encouraging to say but I know how I'd feel if I were in your place. Just hang in there, and you are missed here.

One of those runners that is unable to make it is my friend Petra - I was so excited to meet her in person on race day and take the bus together. I know you'll get your chance to run Boston at some point in time but I will truly miss you on Monday.

More from the battlefield tomorrow. I'll try to take pics of the people scoping out HBH tomorrow, it should be interesting.

FIVE DAYS TIL BOSTON!

2010-04-14T20:40:00.000-07:00

Again, way too late on the posting once again but better late than never.

First, my last post was in reference to my final day at work, which has now passed. I put in a lot of effort in the last two weeks that I'm proud of, but it almost killed me. I am so glad it is done. I have been having a wonderful retirement thus far and know it is only going to get better. More on that later...

The Boston marathon is 5 days away. I leave Portland for Boston on Friday and have a few days to acclimate to the time zone. I have been training for this race since just after christmas. I had intended to do an 15 (ish) week training program but hiccuped a few weeks in and had to adjust. Actually, the reason I wavered is because I got sick. When I returned I solidified a 10 week program that was very similar to my Portland training. I truly think that anything beyond 10 weeks for me is tough to commit to and stick to. I love the concept of pre-training build up and think I'll employ that should I ever run another marathon. This is something that I believe Pfitz uses and I think Jen used it in her current training cycle. It compartmentalizes things a bit more and puts less pressure on a bigger plan.

I would like to type up the whole training plan and record my results, but that ain't gonna happen. Maybe some time later, but for now I'll say this:

1. I did the best that I could and am proud of that
2. I completed several long runs including 2 x 20 milers
3. I am relatively injury-free
4. I am slower than I was for the Portland race
5. I didn't push it on my speedwork like I have in the past

Touching on some of the above....

Long runs:

Week 1 - 11 miles @ 8:16 pace
Week 2 - 8 miles @ 8:24 pace (must have shortened this run?)
Week 3 - 13 miles @ 8:35 pace
Week 4 - 15 miles @ 8:29 pace
Week 5 - 18 miles @ 8:43 pace
Week 6 - 12 miles @ 8:09 pace
Week 7 - 20 miles @ 8:34 pace
Week 8 - 20 miles @ 8:43 pace
Week 9 - 16 miles @ 8:27 pace

The two 20 milers I just ran what was comfortable, not like training the last time. Last time I started at a good clip and it felt good but hard. I'd decided to push it for the whole run and if I died at the end so be it. I'm glad I ran that way because it helped indicate to me how fast I could really go and helped dictate my race pace. This time around, however, I wasn't feeling as ambitious and was definitely feeling slower. I was okay with trucking along at a pace that felt good. The last mile of my Week 7 20 miler was 7:22 because I decided I had energy left and wanted to use it. The last mile of my Week 8 20 miler was 7:36, same thing. So I think I maybe could have pushed those runs more. I guess I'm just feeling a little more comfortable and less pressured to run fast for the time being.

I had a really bad tempo run early on in the training which salted my attitude toward speedwork for the whole cycle. (This is where having a coach would have helped me out but I won't go there.) Again, I'm feeling less pressure for speed so I didn't take my tempo runs super seriously. I also cut short my track workouts if I wasn't feeling it. My build up before this training cycle was two months of eating and drinking (post-Portland marathon) so I just didn't have much speed in my body left hanging around. My build up to the Portland race was a full 10 months of dedicated training and racing including focused speedwork and triathlons.

There is probably a lot more I could get into on my training since I haven't divulged much in the last 10 weeks. However, all are bygones for now and the next important step is to....

Set My Goal!

I had a mini crisis last night about how the hell I was going to run this race. All this time I've been telling everyone "no, I don't have a goal time, I just want to have a fun run." At a certain point, however, this has to mean something. I am a numbers person and I can't just get into my corral w/o a race plan in mind. I haven't been laboring over my paces at all or put much though into it so I started stressing out. I contacted my old friend Coach Shawn who helped walk me through everything. We talked today for about an hour and it was great to be able to bounce this off of someone that knows what they're talking about. The plan is to start off with an 8:30 pace (8:20 or 8:25 is okay too, but only if I'm feeling it) then reassess at the halfway point. If I am still feeling really good kick it up a bit or if not stay on pace and if I'm feeling bad it is okay to drop back. As I've stated to numerous family/friends/waiters/waitresses I JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN. (Is that such a crime?)

I am mostly worried about my ego getting in the way. Now that I've thought it through I am confident I can run it free of worry about my time and comparison to myself and others. I'm definitely going to enjoy everything and soak it all in. It is a fun race and I'm proud that I made it there.

Next on my worry list is logistics and packing....stay tuned!

Going The Distance

2010-04-01T12:36:00.000-07:00

Let me briefly say that I am in the final stretch and it literally feels like the end of a track race. (Had to tie in the running here somehow.) I'm giving it my all and feeling like I can't possibly push any further. Body and mind are squeezed to their limits but the finish line is right there. Just a bit ahead.

It will be interesting to see if I vomit into the grass at the end but I do know for certain I will be so very relieved.

Many many more posts to come in the next week, month, year.

4 Weeks Left!

2010-03-21T19:50:00.000-07:00

So many things to discuss.

1st, the most important news that has been weighing on my mind for a long time now. I QUIT MY JOB. Yes, I did. I never thought I'd be the type of person to walk away from a job, especially when things are like they are, but I did it. A lot of hemming and hawing went into this but I am so glad the decision is made. I am going to pursue a totally different career path and probably lifestyle. I'm going to become a certified yoga instructor with the intention of opening a studio in Vancouver, WA. A change like this has always been in the back of my mind and the timing was right to make it happen now. I have been really unhappy with my job for a long time for many reasons. It became evident recently that things were not going to change anytime soon. All of these factors in play made it a lot easier to make this choice. My last day is either 4/2 or 4/9, but I'm shooting for 4/2. I'm transferring all of my projects to other people which has also been rough. Even though I put my notice in over a week ago I am still waking up in the middle of the night worrying about work. I really hope this ends, and soon.

The best part of this is that the teacher training doesn't start until the fall so I am going to have a lot of free time between now and then. I'm the type to worry about everything and one of my fears is that I'll become a lazy, bored, overweight alcoholic. That's not very positive is it? The good part is that in my 32 years I've learned that I actually do have control over everything and there is NO WAY I'd let any of that happen. In my spare time I've been writing up lists galore and it is helping me look forward to it.

There is no time in my life I think I'd be able to follow this path. Soon we'll have kids crawling all over us (maybe 2 years or so?) so the time for this change is now. Reading this article helped push me toward my decision. There are a lot of other factors that helped justify this as well so if you're struggling with the same decision let me know if you want to talk more! I am very fortunate to have saved up money and to be able to lean on my husband, who is 100% supportive and on board. I wouldn't have put us in this position if we couldn't manage financially.

I am really excited about the yoga path and have a lot of ideas. I'm planning out what I will do over the summer to prepare for the training (practicing a LOT, learning & reading a LOT) but I am also planning beyond that. I'm going to write a business plan for the potential studio and work on outreach stuff too. I really want to donate teaching to those that don't have access to it. I'll share some of those thoughts as I move forward and probably look for feedback. There are two local yoga NFPs and I'm hoping to work with one of them over the summer. I also want to find a studio that I could volunteer at so I can learn more of the business side of running a studio. If anyone reading this has resources that you could point me to that would be awesome. I'm talking yoga teachers, studio owners, etc. I'm trying to talk with everyone I can right now, doesn't matter where they are located.

There is so much more I could ramble on about but that's about the gist of it.

I AM SO EXCITED.

On to training. Boston is 4 weeks from tomorrow! Training has been going so-so lately and I've cut a lot of runs short. I'm just so tired. And sick of it. I started feeling sick a few days ago and was worried how that would affect my 20 miler today. For the first time I planned to go out relatively early and just get it over with. I ended up leaving at 10:40 after a breakkie of coffee and 2 pieces of french toast with peanut butter and syrup. Damn good meal. (I have also been eating like a hog lately and loving it, despite its disgustingness.)

I set out with no goals other than to not have to call someone to pick me up. I went out easy so my legs would get tight early. Lately they've been starting to hurt really early, like mile 7 or 8. I end up pushing through it and generally it goes away, or I get used to it, but it sucks. And it worries me. I'm always worried.

I'm not going to go through all of the splits but I was basically all over the board from 8:20s to low 9:00s. I ended up averaging 8:35 which I felt was quite impressive for where I am in my training. I was expecting to go a lot slower. And it felt...okay. Like, yes, it was hard, how couldn't it be, but it was not worse than shorter long runs and actually better than any of my long runs so far. I'm not even really tired now? Isn't that weird and awesome? When I was nearing home (I did a 20 mile loop from home) I had to stop at a light and saw I had 0.7 miles left. I felt like I had a lot left in my tank so decided to go fast until I hit 20. I ended the run with a 7:30 mile. TAKE THAT!

I don't know who I'm talking shit to - perhaps my persona that doesn't think I'm good enough, smart enough and doggone it no one likes me! So take that you fool.

Babies, Doobies and (of course) Nancy Kerrigan

2010-03-11T18:41:00.001-08:00

I just ran 12 miles in cold pouring rain on a THURSDAY. I don't know why but doing it on Thursday makes it feel even more nonsensical. My fingers a numb and swollen and making it hard to type. I am so glad this run is done. I've gotten in the habit of skipping at least one important run per week and so far I've done all right.

Well, ok. Yesterday I had a 10 mile VO2 Max run that I was promising myself I'd skip. But I made a plea bargain w/myself and did the 5 x 1000 repeats on the track and ran home. So I only ran 5.6 miles but i still did the speedwork. It all worked out very well and both parties were pleased.

I do have an injury that's been nagging me and going up and down on the pain scale. I have a shin split in my inner left ankle that smarts like the dickens. (That is a term that my Wisconsin grandma would have used.) Last night for about 5 minutes it felt like someone was taking a baseball bat to it. It was ridiculous. Then immediately it went back to a level 2 pain. I don't get it. Anyway, I'm trying to ice it at least once/day and just ignore it. Isn't that how we're supposed to deal w/injuries?

Tomorrow is d-day and I really need to smoke a doobie to calm myself down. Too bad I don't smoke doobies. I guess I'll opt for a glass of wine.

Is it just me or is everyone getting pregnant right now? I am so happy for everyone but I think I'm still in denial about growing up. When will this end?

PS - my run tonight was at a decent pace. I don't know the total average but I'd guess 8:20? I felt strong and good despite the cold and damp.

That's it for now. Biyee.

6 weeks left?

2010-03-07T21:03:00.000-08:00

Wow - time has been ticking on by with barely a moment to stop and take inventory here. Actually, posting here has been one of the many To Dos HOMH (hanging over my head). Just a few moments ago I took an inventory on all of the things hanging over my head and RIFBAM (reasons I feel bad about myself) and it wasn't pretty. I won't share it with you!

I have had some good runs lately but did miss a big one last week - my tempo run...what was I thinking?? So I feel bad about that but only marginally compared to other stuff in my life. My 18 miles today went well and I finished in 2:37, which is an 8:43 pace. I've been doing a lot of yoga lately too which is great, but I feel a little bit like its kicking my ass and slightly hindering my running. And then the running is hindering the yoga. My legs shake in some of the poses because they're so damn tired. My body won't twist like it should because everything is so tight. My masseuse that I used in prior marathon training was injured in a car wreck (sorry Kurt!) and I haven't had the chance to find someone new. I need to get worked out! I might do a spa massage this Friday if I'm feeling fancy.

But anyway, I'm definitely taking it a lot slower this training cycle. Just trying to focus on having fun and not being too serious. And to not stress out about not being as fast. And also being fatter. See? What is wrong with me? No stress....who cares about a few #s. Perspective FGS. So, anyway, I want to have fun during the marathon and as Jen says, just run my victory lap. I'm not going to requalify and who knows if I'll even get close to a 3:40. I do take the training somewhat seriously - how can you not in order to commit to so many miles/week?

There are some things that I've been quiet about recently that I hope to be able to open up about soon. (Sorry, not pregos.) I've been trying to meditate and make decisions on big things and it all may be coming to fruition soon. Stay posted! I think I'm getting my shit in order and that feels good, but it is a bit of a struggle to get there and I'm hoping that ends soon.

Now: the weather. Cause who doesn't like news about the weather? It has been pretty nice here lately and everything is popping out of the ground. We have a glorious cherry tree in front of our house that is blossomed PINK all over right now. It smells great and is pretty amazing. I've been working out my plan for my vegetable garden, even taking some classes to edumacate myself. The downside to buying a house with intensive landscaping is the work. Josh and I spent at least 5 man hours cleaning out and weeding a small section of it on Saturday and it honestly feels like we got no where. We did generate a tightly packed "yard waste" container provided by the city. Like, the huge ones. So we must have made somewhat of a dent? The best discovery were the several petite dog turds that lay exactly in the center of some of our decorative grasses. You know the kind that fluff out from the middle. The little bastard seems to have taken a liking to the comfort of those grasses and his point has been made. It is kind of funny but also really GD annoying!

I'm just babbling now and not even going to re-read for edits. Sorry folks! Time is of the essence. Have a great week....

eedo

8 Weeks Left

2010-02-22T15:50:00.000-08:00

8 weeks til Boston? Yikes. For some reason I feel way more unprepared than I was 8 weeks before my last marathon.

Sunday I ran 15 miles and it was uuuuh-okay. Not great. Weather was gorgeous and I ran from home down to Lake Vancouver and Frenchman's Bar. I got to watch the OBRA time trials that were going on beside me and that was interesting. I listened to my ipod the whole time. My legs started feeling sucky around mile 10/11 but somehow I managed through the end. I thought they'd get worse, but then kind of just stayed the same, maybe even loosened up a bit. I had issues with my feet getting numb and think its the new shoes. I wonder if I ordered the wrong size or what. No matter how much I loosened up the laces they still felt numb and tight.

I don't feel as strong as I did 8 weeks before Portland but my same 15 miler then was at a 8:31 pace and today's run was 8:29 pace. So I guess not bad?

Below are some fun pics from my Chicago/Boston jaunt a few weeks ago:

This is what I do afterhours in Chitown:

Can you tell I was having a blast?

This is in Boston, pre-heartbreak hill run with my brother in law. Don't we look tough? Notice I'm wearing 2 pairs of tights - one full length and 3/4 then over that. It was COLD out.

11 mile fun run

2010-02-18T20:25:00.000-08:00

11 miles on a Thursday!

Another awesome weather day...I can't stand it. But don't be too envious, I'm sure it will return to nasty gray very soon. I left around 3:45 and had a nice run. I still haven't found my pace yet in general so I think the miles were sporadic. I made a point to take on the hills, which I'm going to try to do more in anticipation of Boston's hills. My miles:

8:47, 22, 13, 13, 45, 27, 18, 07, 23, 9:18, 7:54 = 8:26 avg

Yep, all over the place. Whatever.

I'm obsessed w/48 hours on WE, RHWOOC and can't wait until RHWONYC. I went to my first gardening class tonight and it was so-so. I am super fired up about setting up some raised beds for vegetables.

I am so fucking excited that tomorrow is Friday. Beer thirty! Wine O'Clock! Bottom's up! Rock out with your cock out!

8 mile Tempo Run

2010-02-16T21:08:00.000-08:00

I did my 8 mile tempo run today in gorgeous weather. Despite my lingering soreness I was fired up to get outside and away from my computer. There was SUN! And it was warm! And there are crocuses coming up in my yard!

(Side note: we first saw our current house in about May/June last year, so have no idea what kind of crap is growing right now - I can tell there are daffodils, irises, hyacinths and some other stuff that I can't ID. It is so awesome.)

My stomach was still somewhat full from lunch (ate at noon, went running at 3:00) but I kind of settled into it. After the first two miles (8:27, 8:35) I went into my 4 tempo miles. I guess I was aiming for 7:45's, or my half marathon pace. Whatever I ended up putting out was hard and hurt. I just pushed through, hoping to find a comfortable clip and found it for about 2.5 miles...that's when I decided to give myself a break. I rarely cheat on runs, esp. tempos, so I feel quite bad about this. However, I was ready to finish the 1.5 miles after my minute or so rest! I ended up doing my tempo miles at 7:24, 7:34, 7:36, 7:59. You can see I pushed it too fast and was definitely slowing down for the last mile, even after my little break. The last two miles were ho-hum and I stopped at my husband's office with about a mile left. 8:46, 8:39 were the last two miles.

Total = 8.16 mi/8:09 pace

I am feeling so-so about this run. It wasn't great but it also wasn't terrible. I have plenty more of these ahead of me so I'm going to put this one behind me and move on to the next.

So now...some pictures for you.

This is my celebratory pickle martini post-haircut. My husband made this for me - doesn't it look psychadellic? If you like dirty martinis or dirty gibsons, or pickles or just vodka you should try this. The next night I actually had a beet infused vodka martini at a bar. Yum! I think I might try to do some of my own home-infusing of vodka: pineapple, beets, capers, mint...what else?

This is my holding my sweet new niece out in Boston. This was my last day there and she really got cute sweet and cuddly with me right before I had to go. I was in heaven holding her!

Me pre-hair cut:

Back at it

2010-02-15T21:18:00.000-08:00

I am back at it again and it feels good.

Very short summary:

Jan 17th - concluded Week 3 of marathon training; got sick
Jan 18th-24th - felt like complete ass, no way I could run
Jan 25th-29th - started feeling better but was too busy with work (and still tired) to do anything.
Jan 30th-Feb 8th - TRAVEL. Work/pleasure to Chicago, Madison and Boston. Managed to get in a measly run in Chicago and two in Boston.
Feb 9th - Marathon training begins again...

I had kind of freaked out about missing so much of my training but then remembered I still had 10 weeks left until Boston. I trained for Portland in 10 weeks, so why not just follow that plan? So that is what I am doing and so far so good. I'll recap in more details later, but my "first" long run of 13 miles went fine, although I was very sore afterward. We had done an uphill hike (first one in months) the day before which definitely contributed to the soreness. Poor me, I treated myself to a post-run massage! It was great and now Monday is over with and I'm looking forward to a productive week.

Work news...why not? It seems like I've been talking about this a lot and only just now did it hit me that someone that I work with could possibly read this? I guess they could but I really don't let anyone know that I write here, so how would they find me? I guess I'll be a little shy about what I am thinking - basically, I'm making progress toward finding a resolution to my woes. It is exciting me and I love being excited. More later.

I am also excited about all of the other things that 2010 will bring. We have so many travel ideas and plans in place already that I can't stand it. This summer expecially will be filled with a lot of hiking, local travel and hopefully backcountry camping. I love nature!

Oh yeah, I also cut about 12" off of my hair. It is short, really short. But it has made running a lot easier so I'm happy.

Hope you had a great Prezzos Day,

Emily

Let’s Try This Again

2010-01-27T20:28:00.001-08:00

Not working. I put it out there and it didn't work.

Which is 100% my fault.

Here's what happened. It got late and I got frustrated and tired and couldn't make myself do it. Sometimes I look back at when I was really consistent with training and romanticize that it was easy and I had no issues with getting it all in. So I imagine it should be that way now too. But it wasn't and it isn't now. It is HARD to make yourself training a lot. Heck, it is hard to make yourself train a little. It takes a lot of mental attention and stamina and accountability.

So I need to try harder and that's what it comes down to.

Putting it Out There

2010-01-26T20:03:00.000-08:00

This is really exciting for me to post twice in one week so I'm going to go ahead and do it.

I am having problems getting back into the groove of running. After having last week off I am finding it tough. Plus, I still feel a little sick. Plus, I haven't been sleeping well. Plus, I am really busy at work. Plus, I just ate a box of Triscuits for dinner. I know I know, I suck.

Today was supposed to be my revival but all of the above factors stopped me short and here I am at 8:00 p.m. getting ready to go to bed. With no miles under my belt. So I'm going to try to give myself some slack and give it til tomorrow to get started. I can still complete my good workouts in the remaining days of the week. So....here is my plan:

M = bikram (done)

T = nada

W = 9 mile tempo

Th = 5 easy

F = 10 miles

Sa = 4 easy

Su = 17 miles

(Did I just type 17 miles. Shite. What have I gotten myself into??)

I was thinking today about the marathon and for the first time I was like, I can't believe I ran that fast. Cause I can't! Right now that is so far away and my body is no where near that right now. I guess it gives me a little hope to know I have potential but it is still kind of depressing.

I mentioned above that work is really busy right now. I hate to sound like a broken record but I am trying to make it work out for me. I think my job is pretty interesting but there are a lot of politics and some of the people I have to deal with just totally suck. Over the past few months the workload has picked up considerably and there are a lot of things happening at the same time. A lot of stuff to keep up with. I'd rather focus on this than have to deal with shitheads with low IQs. I've gone through a couple of hard bouts but have been managing to bounce back. I guess I'll keep up with this cycle until it gets the best of me. I'm researching some other ideas that I will share with you today

SAHM (need kids 1st)
elementary school teacher
letterpress craftswoman
antiques dealer
yoga instructor

This is not all inclusive, so let me know if you have any ideas! As for the teacher part, it is something that just hit me recently. I haven't had a lot of time to really digest it or talk w/my teacher friends about it though, so let me know your experiences on teaching if you have them.

My hair has been on my mind a lot lately, perhaps because of its proximity to my cerebellum but more likely that I think it is trying to asphyxiate me in my sleep. It is really long. It is become a pain to comb through when wet and really a pain when I run and there is any precipitation. I am going to do locks of love which basically means a big chop which I think will be pretty liberating. Strangely though I had a revival of love with my locks last weekend and think I'll keep them around for a while. It is kind of fun to have something extra to toss around and drape all over my torso. Of course my desired cut is like Heidi's but will be a tough blow when I come out still looking like me.

***********************************

(Some recent pics above post-run and the gnarly knot resulting from the hair + moisture. Can someone who uses blogger please tell me why when I post pictures, they always are placed at the top of the post and are really hard to drag and drop into the desired location? I can't copy/paste anything either, including the pics. And, when I upload a pic it takes anything I've already typed and makes the spacing different, like 10 line breaks inbetween each paragraph. It really chaps my ass and if you have any advice or solution I'd be forever grateful [and so would my ass]. I'm running on IE 8 if that makes a dif.)

Is it time?

2010-01-24T19:12:00.001-08:00

I figured I should check in here. Lately I've been feeling a bit off balance and thought a little touch base/writing was in session for me.

(This is likely going to be a ramble.)

Let's start backwards. Today was my 2nd annual Vancouver Lake Half marathon. I didn't finish the race, in fact I didn't even start it. Monday I woke up starting to feel sick and within a matter of hours I was sick, exhausted and miserable. This wasn't a quick one - it lasted quite strong through Thursday, then has been tapering off since, but not quickly. I never get sick and was miserable. I have no tolerance for it and had a really rough week. I feel my decision to not run at all this week was wise and I'm ready to get started again. It sucks that I had to take a week off but it is what it is (IIWII).

I am having issues with my job. Surprise! Things had been going relatively well for about a month and my projects are really starting to take off and I'm actually enjoying it a lot. I have a lot more responsibility this year and actually feel comfortable with it. Great! Not sure how to say this indirectly, but I'm having some people issues at work. And it really got to me on Friday - I ended up sobbing away most of my afternoon all alone at home. Things happened at work and in my already weakened state I just lost it. Luckily I work from home but I am still not happy it had to come to this. I don't want to have one person cause me to leave my job but I am seriously considering it. However, I'm not ready for a career change, scared of it all and not sure what to do. It is a real big bummer. I wish more than anything I had the cushion to take a year off and do whatever I wanted - travel, take classes, volunteer, etc. I just don't think I can do that, plus even if I could live off of Josh I'd feel pretty guilty. I don't want to sacrifice my happiness anymore, however, so something will need to change. It is making me super depressed.

Training! Guess what? I'm training to run the f'ing Boston Marathon. I set up a 16-week training program that I started the week of xmas. I'd been sailing along very smoothly not missing any runs and do a good amount of cross training. Then last week I didn't feel right, skipped an 8 mile tempo run, bounced back briefly, then ended up getting sick. Another bummer! I am hoping that by Tuesday I am totally back on and okay, although I am definitely still a little sick and not 100%. Training in the winter is really tough - little daylight, shitty weather and low motivation. I plan to push through it.

Next weekend I will travel for 9 days, going to Chicago, Wisconsin (briefly) for work, then Boston to see my sister and my new baby niece - Eleanor. I am soooo happy to get to see everyone but also a little scared about what the travel will do to my motivation and drive to get in my runs. The 17 miles I have scheduled next Sunday is going to be ROUGH to do in Chicago, esp if the weather is cold and I'm uber hungover. Once I get to Boston I'm looking fwd to running along the race route some and getting many miles in. I guess I'll just have to allow myself to be a little flexible and not be disappointed if I miss some workouts.

Going back to the work thing one obvious question to consider is when am I going to start popping out babies. I've been thinking about it a lot. Part of me thinks I NEED TIME but part of me is really starting to feel that desire. I don't think there will necessarily ever be a "perfect" time to start a family, but I do need to think through it (and of course consult my husband on it too). I can see myself being a GREAT stay at home mom....so who knows.

Leaving you with a pic of me with my dad at my post wedding BBQ. I love this picture. The picture at the top of the post was last night having sushi - my first venture outside for days...can you tell that I'm happy to be alive? Yes, I may be pasty and gauntish but I'm outside! (BTW, my hair is a rats nest and going to locks of love as soon as possible.)

Have a great one.....eedo

2010-01-04T11:20:00.001-08:00

Things I want to write about:

1. 2009 recap
2. 2010 intentions/goals/motto
3. Marathon training (just started again!)
4. Specific run/workout recaps
5. Goals for the week
6. My career
7. Pictures
8. Travel

But I can't because I'm lazy and just not feeling it. Someday and somehow I will get this out there to the universe.

Biyee

5 Things

2009-12-06T19:25:00.000-08:00

5 Things I did this weekend:

1. Foraged for mushrooms
2. Ran around at the farm
3. Chopped wood
4. Chopped down an xmas tree for $10
5. Setup xmas decorations at home (including outside lights!)

5 Things I googled today:

1. Edible mushrooms
2. Bath salts bulk
3. Oregon flea market
4. Hummingbird migration
5. Internet radio station

5 things I watched on TV today:

1. Real Housewives
2. Top Chef
3. The Hills
4. Jersey Shore (what's with this Guido shit?)
5. Sunday Night Football

5 things I did not do but should have done:
1. Run
2. Work out
3. Work
4. Call my parents
5. Finish uploading wedding pics to facebook

Yes, I am a 32 year old woman and relatively have my shit together. That is all I have to say about that.

CONGRATS TO ARON ON HER BQ TODAY! She deserves this so much and I'm so happy for her. Congrats to all the other ladies that did CIM today.

This coming week is insane work, hopefully some girls nighting, bikram and maybe running? And, I'm heading to Michigan to see my parents next week. I'm really happy right now.

Have a great week!

Update

2009-11-25T10:48:00.000-08:00

I have nothing especially interesting to say, which is why I've been absent.

My body hasn't been up to par running-wise since the marathon. I'm pissed, but trying to deal with it by taking it easy and doing more stuff like yoga. I started bikram again and it feels great!

I signed up for a half at the end of January so hope to be ready in time for that.

My friend JEN rocked IMAZ on Sunday and I couldn't be prouder.

I am really excited for the holidays, traveling to see family, spending it in my new house.

I have been married for two months!

I registered for Boston in time so am definitely doing that in April. I will be getting another niece in Boston soon so going out to visit the new person in February...my sister lives on heartbreak hill, so I'll be testing out the goods there. Fun.

I went on my honeymoon in Hawaii, it was great

I'm trying to learn how to compost but right now I basically just have a pile of moldy mush (any tips?)

I had a brief love affair last week with Robert Pattinson after receiving my December issue of Vanity Fair. Damn you, vampires!

Portland Marathon 2009 Race Report

2009-10-21T17:38:00.000-07:00

Garmin overall course map

Garmin chart (green is elevation and blue is pace)

I am a slacker when it comes to reporting on my races, no? Well, I’ve finally gotten the chance to sit down so here it goes…

Background:

This is my second marathon. My first was October 2007 in Chicago, the infamous hot/humid race that was cancelled midway due to people dropping left and right. I never did a report on this race because I was so pissed and sick of thinking about running. I did the Hal Higdon training plan and I vaguely remember only loosely following it. I slacked off on a bunch of runs because I had done an 18 week program that just seemed to drag on. I decided to really focus on the long runs toward the end and I did. I think I was conditioned pretty well and my goal in Chitown was to break 4:00. I think I would have easily done it. However, due to the awful conditions I finished in 4:55 – I walked half the race.

I stopped running for about a year after this. I got so burned out and I’m kind of an all or nothing girl, so I just stopped. I think I got in a few runs but nothing consistent. Then last summer I moved to Portland and something kicked in. I watched my husband finish last year’s Portland marathon and walked away inspired. I needed to redeem myself for Chicago so I signed up for Portland 2009 on the day of the 2008 race.

Then I started running. I went to the Niketown group runs and really struggled through any type of 8:xx pace for 3 or 5 miles. I couldn’t believe how hard it was getting back into it. I met some really fantastic running-minded folks that made training seem more alluring. I started using the blog again. I met Shawn and brought him on to help me train for a half in January. We started with a two mile time trial on Duniway track the day after my birthday. It was hard but I’m so glad I have that benchmark to show me how far I’ve come.

Fast forward through a bunch of races over the winter, spring and summer. In July I finished an Oly triathlon, then took two weeks off before starting to focus on the marathon again. This ended my coaching with Shawn, who had since moved to Austin. I decided I was ready to do this on my own, but still having great support from a ton of experienced and encouraging friends. I used Jen’s Pfitzinger book to create a training plan. I only had about 10 weeks to work with so had to re-formulate the plan to fit to my situation. I created a marathon mantra too. Dork!

My consistent running for about a year really helped my training this time around. I had some off days but for the most part feel like I rocked it. I had a couple of really good long runs that gave me huge confidence boosts. I had initially given myself a goal of 3:30 for the race, but knew deep down that would be nearly impossible. I wanted to shoot big so I could have no worries in finishing under 3:40:59 (Boston-qualifying). When I was doing the happy birthday half with Jen I told her that no matter what happened in the actual race I felt like I accomplished my goal. I really truly was feeling great about life and running at this point.

The week before the marathon I had a bunch of family and friends in town, then got married at a remote location outside of Portland. This took up a lot of time, emotion and energy and was luckily happening during my taper, but I definitely didn’t get in all runs as planned. Oh well. It was an awesome time of my life and I couldn’t be happier. I really think that the marathon training helped the wedding planning and vice versa.

After the wedding we spent a few days in Bend, OR just decompressing and relaxing. My parents came back for a night before heading back to MI and they went to pick up the race packets with me, which I thought would be fun for them. It was fun, they are pretty cute and I think it is funny that I still get slightly embarrassed at their “I’m-from-Wisconsin-Emily’s-Mother” schtick. (My sister lives in Boston and told me she was spreading the word to all of her friends that I was trying to BQ – I was pissed at the potential jinx!) Anyway…Friday at the expo was good, it wasn’t as crowded and went quickly. I still did get a little shaky, with the realization of the race settling in. This is probably where I started to get nervous… I ended up purchasing arm warmers (Asics) from Fit Right NW. Weather forecast was high 40s at the start and I just wasn’t sure. I’m really glad I bought them.

My mom and I went to Salvation Army to get throwaway clothes for the start. I opted for some snazzy side-snap basketball pants and a hoody (half off!). I spent Friday night at home getting my entire package together. I’d been waffling on my fuel belt and ultimately decided to ditch it. I’d have Josh meet up with me at various points with my Gatorade mix and I’d just jam the shot blox within my two sports bras. Another good decision. I put together my mix then poured them all into disposable mini-sized bottles that had a spout at the top. It was actually kind of difficult to find the right bottles but I’m also glad that I did. I get obsessed about this kind of crap so I’m glad I had it all taken care of two nights before the race.

Speaking of crap, I also put together a marathon diaper bag. In drumming up my worst-case scenario I imagined crapping myself, so to leap that hurdle I bought Wet Ones and put them in a large Ziploc bag along w/a second pair of shorts. I instructed Josh to carry this with him in the case that I’d need to change along the course. I was 75% joking, but also 100% serious. What is wrong with me?

I also decided to ditch the HRM as I don’t really use that during racing or ever afterwards, only for novelty. I wasn’t going to chafe myself up over 26.2 miles for nothing.

The day before the race I literally sat on the couch with my feet up all day. Our friend who lives in Denver, but stayed in Hood River for a month over the wedding, came out to our house. He’s a great runner and was happy to help be part of my support crew for the day. It was great to have him come to occupy Josh’s time the day and night before the race. They went out that night and I got into bed around 9:00 with a book. I surprisingly fell asleep and slept well until my alarm went off. Crazy - I am usually a horrible sleeper!

Race Morning:

I decided to wake up at 3:45 to simulate my usual long run days, running many hours after I’ve woken up. I’m just not a morning person and I found this was the most comfortable way for me to get my runs done. What can I say, I am lazy? So I figured I’d suffer this one morning, plus I knew I’d have no problem getting up and fired up right away.

I woke up right on time and fixed myself some coffee as well as a bagel.

Race Strategy:

My initial goal was 3:30 but as I got closer to the race I knew this would be a stretch goal. 3:30 is an 8:00 pace so I figured that’d be easy to go by and calculate throughout the race. I printed out a pace band for 8:00 miles. My plan was to not go too much faster than 8:00 miles during the first half, then at the half analyze how I was feeling and either kick it up or slow it down. Just run my own race. No headphones, nothing but me myself and Irene. I knew no matter what I would be in pain in the last 6 miles and I had mentally prepared to push through that physically, emotionally, etc. I felt confident.

Start Line:

Josh and Aaron dropped me off in the dark morning streets buzzing with people running around here and there. I wiggled my way toward the starting area and decided I need to pee one last time, so got in line for a portajohn. The lines weren’t that long but it was slow slow slow going. After about 10 minutes I really started to get annoyed. I was like 15 feet from the front and no one was moving! I was also about 5:00 or less before the start so I knew any chance of getting near the front was gone. I finally got in and out and headed a little ways over to the start. Sure enough, crowds just absolutely crammed in together into a tight fenced off area. I found the entrance to the fence on the side and again wormed my way as close in as I could. I decided there to take off my throwaway stuff and start w/my shorts, shirt and arm warmers. I was nervous but super excited to get started.

And They’re Off!

I was in the 2^nd or 3^rd start wave…I crossed the start line about 2:00 behind the real start. Surprisingly I didn’t have to weave too much. It wasn’t like Chicago where there were literally mobs of people just shuffling through the start. I did my usual sneak around the sides on the curbs and cursed those spectators with their cameras right in my grill. Was I encroaching on them or vice versa? Regardless, the first mile or so was kind of interesting with all of the dodging.

I kept trying to repeat to myself to take it easy and not start off too fast. I promised myself and others I wouldn’t do this.

I got a photo from Kristen whose husband was quick firing random shots at the start and captured one of me! Crazy since we don’t know each other and her husband especially doesn’t know me! She left me a comment after the race and said she knew right away it was me when she saw the pic. Isn’t that awesome? I love it! This is the only pic with my arm warmers up, as I ended up rolling them down into badass wrist bands a few miles in.

The first 6 miles are so are a loop South from downtown, then back up. I was just focusing on finding my pace during these miles and trying to enjoy everything going on around me. People weren’t very packed in but I was definitely surrounded by people – noticing that some were chatting with their running partners and some were already wheezing. I wanted to just keep it slow and go my pace. There was somewhat of an uphill on Mile 3 that slowed me down but for the most part I had to hold myself back. Running felt sooo easy but I knew if I let myself go I would pay for it later in spades. So I just tried to slow down. I took these moments to shake out my arms and keep my upper body limber since I knew everything would feel bad later on.

Somewhere around Mile 5 Zach appeared on his bike next to me with his camera in tow. He took some pics and I felt like I was in really good spirits at that point, just again trying to keep my pace right on. I thought I lost him for a while then he re-appeared, this time taking a video from his phone. Crazy guy! I apparently should not be recorded during a race as my profanity reaches a fun level. Sorry children!

Mile 1 = 7:40

Mile 2 = 7:57

Mile 3 = 8:15

Mile 4 = 7:35

Mile 5 = 7:40

Mile 6 = 8:00

Taken by Zach around Mile 5

Another one by Zach at Mile 5

First Run + Yoga

2009-10-21T11:42:00.000-07:00

I finally went running yesterday! I accepted Jen's request to accompany her on some of her final workouts before the Ironman and am so glad that I did so. I'm usually not the run w/others type of girl (I know, I suck) but we had a great time. Kept an easy nice pace and chatted the whole way. Weather was great and it was also fun to be back on the river path. I missed Springwater!

7.2 miles
8:51 pace

Then about an hour afterward I headed to my first yoga class in a while. I figured it'd be perfect right after my first run since the marathon. Alas, it wasn't. It was okay, but my hips and all of my old lady joints were already hurting from the run. The instructor ("Sweethome") did some chanting then silence....and silence.... I was beginning to think she (or I?) may have fallen asleep but then we leapt into some crazy stuff. Seriously - 0 to 150 in no time. All of a sudden I was contorted, I mean TRYING to contort into some crazy sheisse. Regardless it was fun and I'm glad I got out.

I'm sore today and going to attempt for a 3-4 mile easy run around lunchtime. I need to get outside of my house. For those of you that don't know I work from home and I am starting to hate it. I am having a big crisis w/my career and need to make something happen.

Intermission

2009-10-19T19:50:00.000-07:00

I am desperately trying to write my race recap. I'm stuck in this weird rut of doing absolutely NO training and it is taking me over. Not in a good way. Once I get this report off of my shoulders I think I will be able to move on. In the meantime, leaving you with photos of recent randomness.

Portland Marathon 2009 Results

2009-10-05T12:47:00.000-07:00

3:33:04!

I was going to do the whole race recap and pictures thing but I don't have enough energy for this now. Later, though, I promise! Short story is that I did it and came pretty close to my tip top goal. It was fun, it was hard and it was worth it. The post party wasn't bad either.

Long story later!

Marathon Eve

2009-10-03T14:50:00.001-07:00

Ok, so I better post. Since the marathon is tomorrow. I really didn't want to get myself all riled up and I thought staying away from this would help. Well, I wrote an email to Jen earlier today that captured pretty much everything going through my head. So here is that email:

Damn.

I temporarily forgot that this GD blogspot won't let me cut/paste so screw it. (Does this happen to other people? I think it is f'ing ridiculous!) Here's the synopsis:

I'm ready
I'm a little nervous, but okay with that
some last minute things to attend to
but otherwise excited!

The taper has worked its magic I think cause I'm like one of those horses waiting for the start of a race, nostrils flaring, etc. And I have a long pretty ponytail!

This is the link where you can track runners. I'm bib #104.

Good luck to everyone else too!

Just Married (Part 1 of ?)

2009-09-30T13:59:00.000-07:00

*WOW*

My wedding weekend was truly the best days of my life so far. I don't think I can express how much love and happiness I felt in these days - from the act of getting married to sharing it with family and friends, watching worlds collide, amazing weather, amazing landscape. Everything was really amazing and I just never imagined I would feel that good.

But let me step back. The days leading up to the wedding were exhausting. I do not do so well with sleep when faced with stress. This event and all of the planning was stressful. I had my parents and sister come into town early, we had a ton of last minute stuff to handle and we were packing for the wedding which was an hour away. Wednesday, Thursday and even Friday morning were rough. I almost fell asleep in the hairdresser chair before the wedding.

Friday morning I woke up earlier than I'd hoped and decided to head to the grocery store to get coffee for the house. I came back and my "helpers" were still sleeping (friends from college/pseudo bridesmaids), so I chastised them, then ignored them. The best part of the day started off by running to the rental house where my groom was staying to pick him up for a run back to my rental house. I snuck out the back door to meet him as I just didn't want anyone to get in my way. (Including my BQ Uncle Tom who had 17 miles planned for that day and will not stop talking about running.) I was so excited to get over to see him that my first mile rang in at 7:05. Slooow down pony! I got there and was greeted by several hungover housemates and my blushing groom. We chatted for a while and then ran the 2 miles back to my place. It was great to have these 20 minutes together to discuss the final logistics of the day and just be alone. Weather was already shaping up nicely - bright and sunny just warming us up. We snuck back through the backyard and had some private time on the teeter totter. Yes, a teeter totter. An adult-sized one! Anyone could have looked out the back window would have seen the two of us soaring toward the sky alternately just laughing the whole time. But they didn't and we had another moment alone.

Notice the purple teeter totter in the background. What a fun way to start the madness of the day.

This is all that I can muster for now....but more updates on the big day to come.

Life Couldn't Be Better

2009-09-17T20:30:00.000-07:00

It is one of those weeks. Today I pushed myself out the door to fit in my VO2 max workout at the track. I knew I probably wouldn't fit in the 8 miles but at least wanted to do the 5x600. I love track workouts. It was cool and nice out but I was running on less than 3 hours sleep and had eaten like crap all day...and ate right before I left. I felt good about going for it though. I ended up barfing at the track after 4 intervals and walked home clutching my stomach after only 2.83 miles. Feeling not so great and in bed now but happy that I'll get like 11 hours of sleep after this tylenol pm kicks in.

I lost my 2nd and 3rd toenails today and wondering how the F I'm going to get a pedi next week. I am getting married in a week. Exactly a week from today I'll be in the middle of my polenta at my rehearsal dinner in Hood River. I'll be surrounded by friends and family that have come from afar all for little old me and my honey. Right now I'm finishing up a bunch of awful details like ordering wine, picking up the ring, find an outfit for the rehearsal dinner, choosing our first dance song, finalizing details and timelines with all of our vendors, cleaning up the house for my family's arrival on Saturday. No wonder I couldn't sleep last night.

I haven't quite wrapped my head around the fact that I'M GETTING MARRIED and that I'M GOING TO BE MARRIED. I can't visualize everything about the ceremony and the feelings even though I've tried. I'm very happy about what is to come though and trying to ride that through a couple of tough days. Life right now couldn't be better. Thanks for letting me share.

*********************************

Me multi tasking today - working, working out, erasing tan lines. Can anyone help me figure out how to get rid of these damn triangle lines on my chest? They're from like one day months ago and I've sat outside in this stupid strapless top for the past few weeks and they're still there!

End of Week 7

2009-09-13T17:51:00.000-07:00

Monday: Off day

Tuesday: Off day

Wednesday:

10 miles VO2 max workout. This went well. I headed down to the track to start my 4 x 1200 repeats. I wanted to hit around 5:20 per rep, which is a 7:00 pace. I hit 5:04, 5:06, 5:13 and 5:02. I stuck to the program this time and felt pretty good. I finished off the miles around town to end with 9.76 miles @ an 8:22 pace overall.

Thursday:

Happy Birthday Half Marathon with Jen! It was her bday not mine and you can read all about this run here. From my perspective this was just an awesome day to run and to do it with a friend on their BDAY was just that much more fun. Plus, I have to pat myself on the back for the race numbers and timing chips. It was so funny to watch Jen open it and wonder what was going on. I now know that Jen is quite gullible and will use this to my advantage in the future. On another note, I pooped in the woods during our run. My first time! HAPPY BIRTHDAY JEN!

Friday: Off day

I'd originally had 10 miles scheduled for this day and Thursday was originally off. Because of the 13.1 with Jen I took today off.

Saturday: Off day

I was supposed to do a 4 mile recovery run today but it would have been impossible to fit in. I went to Hood River to tend to many last minute wedding details, then another bday celebration with my fiancee! Honestly, I don't know if I could have done 4 miles anyway - it was HOT HOT out and I was extremely tired.

Sunday:

20 mile long run.

No way around it, this run sucked. I did my usual Marine Drive run that I've done twice before. I should have at least run it backwards to spice it up a bit. But I didn't. It started out hot but right away I could tell today wasn't going to be like last week or the week before where I just locked into a sub-8:00 pace and went for it. I tried to concede to this gracefully and managed to take my mind elsewhere for several miles.

Potential reasons for my failure on this run:

1. Weather - too hot
2. Nutrition/fuel - not enough
3. Beat up body
4. Lack of sleep the past few days
5. Mind elsewhere/not mentally focused
6. Jinxed myself
7. Low points happen in each training cycle and I'm just getting mine

The weather was only really hot at the beginning then cooled off a bit toward the middle of the run. I would guess it was in the 80s when I started, then cooled off about 10 degrees toward the end. Not much of an excuse, but I could feel it at first.

Nutrition. What was I thinking? I did not plan this out well at all. I ate an english muffin with jam at around 10:00 and nothing else (but coffee) before I left at 1:30. Wait - I did have a Gu right before I walked out the door. Right away I realized that I should have had something more, but there was nothing I could do about it at that point. I had Gu chomps with me that I took around miles 10 & 13, but I only had a few each time and didn't even finish the package. My stomach just wasn't feeling like eating and I knew it was a bad idea to not finish the stuff, but I couldn't make myself do it.

My body is pretty tired. Last week one of my toenails came completely off and I could feel it on this run. For the most part it doesn't hurt, but it just makes me feel like I'm breaking down a bit. Strangely, my back was sore toward the end of this run, my legs felt tired, just a general tiredness overall. I guess that is to be expected at this stage of training, but seriously what would I do with a training program over the 10 weeks that I'm doing now? I'm too old for this. My usual sore points in my hip and knee flared up earlier than normal, so I was finding myself need to change my gait every so often to alleviate this. I'm also riding the crimson wave high tide and think my body is just a little bit depleted of everything right now.

Sleep - I've been so fired up about wedding plans and house guests and other stuff I just haven't been sleeping well. I'll be dead tired going up to bed, then when I turn off the lights my mind won't stop. I need to get more.

Mental focus - I simply wasn't as focused during this run like I was for the others. I had a lot more negative thoughts during the run than I normally do, but managed to distract myself with wedding planning. It worked for a while, but when I went back to thinking about the run I was just annoyed. I knew it wasn't as fast as I've been and that sort of bummed me out.

Of course during my run with Jen I told her how pleased I'd been with my training thus far and totally jinxed it. Ok, so I don't really believe in this, but maybe I should start.

Or maybe this is just an expected low point that everyone encounters in their training cycle and I'm just hitting mine? Overall I should not be too pissed about this run, it was still a pretty decent pace and I finished it. I'm going to put all negative thoughts out of my brain and just move forward.

TOTAL = 20 miles @ 8:28 pace, avg HR 171 bpm

***

The next couple of weeks are going to be bananas. I don't know if I'm going to have time to post here, so you'll just have to trust that I'm doing my runs and tapering properly. My parents and sister are coming in to stay with us on Saturday thru Wednesday, then we head up to Hood River from Wednesday-Sunday for the wedding activities. I think Josh and I are going to do a "mini moon" in Eastern Oregon from Sunday-Wednesday, so I'm basically out of pocket for a while.

One of my wedding guests booked her tickets for the wrong weekend but when she found out said she couldn't change her plans, so she's going to come up the weekend before the wedding anyway. WTF? She told me this a few days ago and I've been ignoring the topic all together. I should offer for her to stay at my place this Friday night but I have soooo much to do. I wanted to see her, but at the actual wedding, NOT THE WEEKEND BEFORE. How does this happen? Also, some guests have not RSVPed yet or responded to repeated bugging by both of us. How rude, right? The damn event is less than two weeks away for god sakes.

I'm blown away by all of the last minute stuff we have to handle. I was an insomniac again last night thinking about everything. I finally got to sleep around 2:00 a.m. If this persists, I am not giong to survive the next few weeks. I am so excited for everything but also so sick of planning and making decisions. I am really looking forward to life in October when I'm married and have finished the marathon. I'm going to take it REALLY easy then. Lots of pampering, drinks, food and non-wedding stuff.

My next few weeks of training look like this:

Week 8:
M = off
T = 8 miles VO2 max
W = 5 easy
Th = off
Fri = 4 easy (however, Jen and I are going to run across the St. John's bridge to test out the only elevation point in the marathon course)
Sa = 8-10k race (will probably just do something else)
Su = 16 miles

Week 9:
M = off
T = 7 + strides
W = 8 w/3 VO2 max
Th = off
F = 5 easy (wedding day!)
Sa = off
Su = 12 miles

Week 10:
M = off
T = 6 easy
W = 7
Th = off
F = 5 easy + strides
Sa = 4 easy
Su = 26.2 - race day!

Sorry no pics this time - I swear I will have a load in the next month or so. For now, this is all I got.

End of Week 6

2009-09-07T08:02:00.000-07:00

Wow - an entire week has passed and I haven't had the time to write. Let's see if I can address everything in an organized manner....

Training Recap

Monday - off day to recover from Sunday's 15. I did a great job today by doing nothing! I was starting to get stressed about not going into my pre-wedding freakout "I need to get buff arms/shoulders/back" phase yet. To address this I asked anyone if I could borrow some type of DVD that would get me motivated. The Gazelle came through! She brought over her Shred DVD for me to borrow for the next few weeks. We took a tour of the house and talked shop for a while. She also surprised me with a sweet housewarming gift - a garden reference book that is totally awesome. Thanks GOC!

Tuesday - 6 miles with strides. I didn't take along my Garmin, just as I love to do on my recovery runs. Ran this with my HTB and it was great!

Wednesday - This was my big 12 mile tempo run with 7 miles @ tempo. I did two miles warm up then went into the tempo. I started off too fast again (1st mile was 7:23) but then settled back into three consecutive 7:51 miles (what is that?). But my HR was really increasing and this was a LOT harder than my 12 miles at this pace on Sunday. After the 4th tempo mile I was seeing stars and decided to slow down. Next mile was 8:10 and then I was just done going fast. In total I did 9.63 miles instead of the 12. I finished up the last 2.63 miles at a really easy pace. I don't know what happened - it sucks that one day it is easy and then a few days later it is much much harder. At this point I was just hoping that my 20 miles on Sunday would go well. I think I've conceded that it is just fine if these mid-week runs aren't totally perfect. As long as my long runs go well, then that's what's really important. Of course, I'd love to hit every workout on the head but I'm not going to beat myself up about this.

Thursday - another off day. NAILED IT.

Friday - 12 miles. I took this at an easy pace around the hood. We had guests coming over for dinner so I ended up cutting this short a bit. I ended with 10.8 miles @ a 9:08 pace.

Saturday - this was supposed to be an easy 5 miles, but I figured I'd only do it if I really had time. The past few weeks I've missed this easy 5 mile run and it has worked out fine. Yes, probably not the best idea to blow off the recovery runs but it is also okay to want to keep my legs fresh. Who knows though, right? In any case I didn't run at all today. I ate well and did not drink (ok, one beer while watching football, but that does NOT count!) and got to bed early. PS - Go Blue!

Sunday - the big 20 miler. I was a little scared about this one and briefly toyed with pushing this to Monday. The weather here was really sketchy: rainy and windy and cold. At around 10:30 I ate my standard bread meal of an english muffin w/jam. I had some coffee, which fired me up. I decided at noon I would get the run done today and was out the door by 1:30. (Sidenote: I love the long run days where I can take my time preparing for the run - mentally and physcially. Lounge around the house, nibble, drink coffee, slowly wake up, etc. Is this going to bite me in the ass on race days where the gun actually goes off at 8 a.m. or earlier? I hope not. But honestly even if I wanted to change my habits I can't and I won't! I love it too much!)

Before I go on, I need to apologize for the deep dive I'm going to take in recanting this run. But it was a big one and I want to remember it all...

When I headed out it started raining again less than a quarter mile from home. No big deal. I saw a clock with the temp posted - 67* and rainy, perfect running weather, right? I think so. I'd decided to do Marine Drive, the site of my previously successful 17 mile run a few weeks before (8:15 avg pace). I like this route because it takes me across the I-5 bridge over to the Oregon side, then along a nice path by the Columbia River, before it heads across the treacherous I-205 bridge back into Washington. You exit the 205 bridge at about the half marathon mark and based off of where I finished the 17 miler the last time (about 3 miles from home) I figured I could make it a loop and end up at home with 20 miles done. The stretch after the bridge back to home isn't very exciting (residential), but it is familiar and I like that.

Back to the run.

I didn't have any strategy except to get started and see how I felt and adjust from there. Obviously I want to be successful on these long training runs, but if my body is only feeling 9:00 miles, then so be it. But yesterday my body was feeling more like 7:40ish miles and it felt great. I knew that this pace was probably too fast and would come back to haunt me toward the end of my run, but I didn't care. I decided to just lock in (like last wknd) and see where it took me. Honestly, I wanted to see how long I could sustain this until my body broke down. I know, not the typical strategy for a training run, but it felt good to me. And honestly, this pace felt EASY...I was not busting my guts to get this done. So I decided this would be a test run and might hurt toward the end but I was totally okay with that. Fun!

Miles 1-10 were superb....I really do love Marine Drive and going right by the airport and water. It was quite windy at times and rained off and on. I actually really loved running in the rainy parts. My pace for these miles was 7:48, :59, :46, :36, :50, :41, :47, :45, :43, :40.

After this is the turn onto the 205 bridge where for three miles you are on a sidewalk in the middle of 12 lanes of really fast traffic. It is kind of bananas. There is also an elevation gain that for me feels quite significant. The last mile is tough! Seriously, the last mile on this bridge feels never-ending and just when you think you've crested the bitch, it keeps going. I've done this twice now and just try to put my head down and grind it out.

It was at about this point where I could feel the faster miles taking their toll. Miles 11-13 were 7:52, 7:54 and 8:27. I glanced down at the half mary mark and the time was exactly 1:42:40, two seconds above my half marathon PR time. Whoa.

The last 7 miles I went significantly slower and was pretty okay with it. I had to remind myself a few times that this wasn't the actual race, race day I'd have more training and a full taper under my belt and would be feeling a lot better and putting it out there even more. This was a training run and I shouldn't kill myself. I went with what was comfortable, which turned out to be 8:04, 8:25, 8:12, 8:33, 8:21, 8:06 and 7:57.

Total run = 20 miles, 7:58 avg pace, 170 avg bpm

I finished about .75 from home and walked the rest of the way. I also want to note my nutrition on this run: right before the run I took a Chocolate Gu and a bunch of water. I didn't dive into my belt bottles until about mile 5 and ended up finishing just about all 6 bottles at the end. At mile 10 I ate an entire package of Gu Chomps blueberry/pom flavored with 180 calories. They taste good but were a bitch to chew and swallow all. I think in the future I'll wait until the half marathon mark to eat all of this.

I'm really pleased with the strategy I took on this run and the way it worked out. I definitely learned something about my body and how I run. I have another 20 miler next weekend which is perfect for me to execute more strategy! Now I know that if I'm having an on day on race day I can definitely achieve my goals, and that is a huge confidence boost.

I took a 10 minute ice bath after the run followed by a hot shower, stretching and trigger point. I basically laid on the couch the rest of the day catching up on my DVRed shows. It was awesome.

Another thing to note is that I didn't pull out my ipod until the last 5 miles. I've been really good about not using it on most of my runs but I'm glad I brought it with me yesterday because it did help pull me through.

Injury Report

Nothing major to speak of, but some expected areas of interest to note. My feet - of course my feet are well callused, but there have also been some fun blisters that have cropped up recently. I was really surprised to see a blood blister on the inside of my left big toe when I took off my shoes yesterday. What's that? I also have blisters on the heads of my 2nd and 3rd toes on both feet. Then my 2nd and 3rd toes on my right foot are blistered under the nail, which means they're black and probably going to fall off. One of these actually hurts more today, which is odd cause I thought they'd run their course.

I have gone to the sports masseuse twice now and plan to go a few more times before the race. It is really awesome, because this guy understands athletes and really grinds on me the way I like it. (Stop.) At the first appt he could tell that I have issues on my left leg - in my hip/butt, down the IT band to my knee. It is nothing major, just something he recommended I focus on with stretching. Showed me some good stuff that I swear I will start doing more often. These spots get more sore toward the end of my long or hard runs, but I don't even really recall this being too much of an issue on my 20 miler yesterday. Hmm, maybe it is working?

Another negative thing is my stomach issues. I didn't experience anything until after yesterday's run, but when it hits, it really sucks. Bad. I honestly don't think I have any massive issue that can be treated, so I don't see the point in going to the doctor about it. (Plus, I'm scared they'll do bad things to me. Stay outta there!) But honestly, I think this is something I'm going to have to tough out and hope it gets better.

Marathon Readiness

I'm feeling pretty good about the race and comfortable with my training right now. Like I mentioned some of my mid-week runs haven't been 100% but they're still pretty good and I feel like I'm getting out of it what I need. I really don't have time or energy right now to fuss about training or the race. I'm too busy freaking out about our house, upcoming family guests, and our wedding...

House Updates

The fucking painters aren't done. They've been actively working here for about a month now, I think. They were supposed to finish on Thursday but didn't. Then they were supposed to come back Friday to finish it off but didn't. They said they'd come back Saturday but I said no - I want my f'ing holiday weekend to myself and I'm sick of these jokers being around. So I think this week they'll be coming back and finally putting a nail in the coffin.

That said, the colors we chose look awesome. I'm really pleased and can't wait to finish everything off with blinds, drapes, rugs, furniture, etc. We have a long way to go, but have at least seen some options that we like and will be ordering away in no time.

Wedding Updates

I'm getting married in 2.5 weeks. Wow. I feel like we still have a lot of stuff to make decisions and take action on, but it is really fine. 2.5 weeks is a long time! My parents and sister come out the week before the wedding which will be nice, but we also want the place to look nice for them. I'm trying to take advantage of the holiday today by doing some crafty things for the big day. I am so excited and nervous for it all!

Ok, I think that will have to be it for now. Happy Labor Day!

Start of Week 6

2009-08-31T03:59:00.000-07:00

My new colors! Sad thing is that under the purple polish - three of my toes are actually a shade of purple/black...yep, they're going to fall off.

Above, me running on my Thursday "12" miles in the nasty heat again. Not a great run.

My feet after a great 15 miles on Sunday.

Thursday I had to do a treacherous 12 miles after my stupid 10 miles at the track. It was another hot one and the best I could do was to leave at high noon. The forecast was hot & sun and I knew it was going to only get hotter as the day progressed. It would have been ideal to go 1st thing in the morning, but I have a penchant for NOT running in the a.m.

I decided to try the Burnt Bridge Creek trail in Vancouver. I did not have a good run. It was way too hot and I didn't love the route. It just seemed so much longer than I'd imagined. I ran into some stomach issues and was able to use a bano at the turnaround point. I ended up having to walk a lot so didn't get in the full 12 miles of running. It was another quite miserable run under my belt:

Miles: 10.8

Pace: 9:20

HR: 154 bpm

Friday was an off day and I was delighted to enjoy this. Unfortunately, I also enjoyed way too many glasses of wine...

Saturday was scheduled to be 6 miles with strides. I had every intention to do this but at the end of the day didn't get it done. Feeling sluggish from the night before and taken over my wedding tasks didn't help.

Sunday I had 15 miles with 12 at race pace. Of course, I got cranky beforehand thinking about how much this was going to suck. I hate it when I do that to myself. I managed to completely turn around my attitude pre-run and ended up really enjoying this run. I did this one on Springwater again - two loops around the river path (about 6 miles total) and then another out and back to the end of the 1st part of Springwater. I decided to start off with the 12 miles at goal pace and do the last 3 at whatever pace. I nailed it! I was going to allow myself to have my goal pace of around 8:15, which is slightly slower than my first-announced goal pace of 3:30, or 8:00 miles. I've been thinking about this goal a lot more and trying not to focus too much on it - I'm stressed out enough with wedding plans I just don't need this hanging over my head too.

Back to the run...my mile breakdown is below, but have to note that mile 1 had to be skewed. It may not have been because it is actually downhill, but I'm going to add on a minute just to be safe:

6:29 (97 bpm)

7:38 (172)

7:55 (171)

8:03 (173)

7:55 (175)

7:54 (176)

7:48 (176)

7:49 (176)

7:52 (176)

8:18 (175)

7:42 (176)

7:46 (179)

Adding on a minute to mile 1, this comes out as a 7:51 avg.

Total Miles 15.1

Avg pace: around 8:00

HR: 170

It took me a couple of miles to hit my stride but once I did I realized it was comfortable and just locked in. My left hip and knee were the only places to feel tight toward the end, but nothing major.

I learned two important things about performance factors:

1. I perform much better w/o sun and heat. (It was overcast and probably in the 60s when I ran.)

2. I perform much better w/o having anything to drink the night before. Most of my long runs have followed at least a few cocktails/glasses of wine. The two runs w/alcohol the night before have been my best.

I have a lot of stuff going on this week and am starting to get really antsy and nervous about the wedding. Where has the time gone? We are crossing things off of the to do list but there is still a lot left and I'm scared. I have a massage again this week with Kurt. I need to keep doing a better job at stretching and trigger pointing. I feel like there has been a lot of info that I haven't posted here related to running, but I just can't find the time right now...bummer.

Runners EFFING Colitis

2009-08-26T19:37:00.000-07:00

Not a good run for me today. I did about 2 miles before settling in at the track for 1000 repeats. It was hot and that was getting to me despite having plenty of water at my side. I tried through the first few intervals not to stop and take the recoveries as 2 minute jogs but I just couldn't do it. I ended up making concessions on the run to get through it (longer recovery, saying I could only do 800s if I had to, saying I could stop short of the 5 intervals if necessary). That worked really well and my intervals got much easier, however, before my last 1000 my stomach issues kicked in and I ended up having to go home.

I'm bummed about the whole stomach thing, it really bothers me that this keeps happening but I don't think there is anything that can be done about it. I've done some research and don't think I have anything super chronic like IBD or Crohns, and for anything less there really doesn't seem to much that can be done for treatment. It is always only running induced for me too. I hate it!

Interval recap: 4:11, 4:23, 4:17, 4:06

Picture Post

2009-08-24T17:56:00.001-07:00

I had some issues with my camera card connecting with my computer, so I figured I owed some pics. This is a mish mash of a bunch of recent stuff:

Wedding crafts with the Barnes'....

Jen busting a move. (Isn't my sideyard cute?)

Go Zach!

My wearing my only strapless top in attempt to get rid of those white triangles you can see on my chest!

My little wedding invite station - complete with wine.

Pretty roses and dahlias from my garden along with my computer screen background of raspberries from my garden!

Lilies from my garden - they smelled wonderful in the house!

A fun arrangement of a spiky dahlia with poppy seed pods popping out.

Rando deer figurine (old Avon perfume bottle?) I found at the thrift store. I love him!

Where I make things happen.

Location of my first "long" run (13) outside of Salt Lake City. Kids were jumping off of this bridge into a murky river - it was HOT.

Me, completely wilted, after a hot a miserable 13 miles in the desert.

Going out the door on my 17 mile run the weekend before last (capping off Week 3 of training).

Back home after the 17 miles - this was just an awesome run and I felt GREAT afterwards. I was jumping around and totally energized. Not how I felt this week, but hopefully it comes back sometime soon!

That's it. Are you happy now?! :)

Cliff's Notes

2009-08-23T19:45:00.000-07:00

Ok, so a lot of stuff going on and if I don't lay it out there right now it is never going to happen and then I'll disappear and everyone will cry.

Last two weeks recap: I did most workouts and most went well but a couple not. Last week was actually great despite missing some recovery runs. Wow. Then this week was a bit tougher with the travel to Seattle and heat and soreness. My long run this week (today) was 18 and good pace (8:38) but felt much harder than last week's 17 at 8:15. Go figure. I had my massage on Friday and it was awesome. I learned some things and am going to go back at least every two weeks. The massage could have contributed to the soreness I'm having right now.

Long runs coming up are 16, 20, 20 15, 12 then RACE DAY. I am pumped, but also relieved that I'm not too strung out on achieving the 3:30 goal, or even the BQ for that matter. It is a week after my god forsaken wedding for god sakes.

I had a great time today after my long run...felt like sheiyt for a while, then napped and felt a whole lot better. Jen and Zach came over for wedding crafts and cheese and wine on the lawn. It was awesome...but now I'm home alone, slightly buzzed/tired and ready for nighty-night.

Looking forward to another week in the life. Hope you're having a good one.

eed

17 Fabulous Miles!

2009-08-21T09:52:00.001-07:00

Just a quick check-in here... I've been in Seattle all week for work and unable to catch up on anything! I did just want to briefly drop in to say that my long run last weekend was fantastic. I will give details later but it was the best run I've ever had, really. I felt great the entire time and totally great afterward. I want every run to be like this. The best part is that I performed really well and averaged 8:15 miles...not far off of my goal race pace. 4 miles were sub-8:00.

I can't say how much a run like this boosts the confidence. On the flip side I'm now worried about what comes next...can I keep this up? Not going to worry about that too much.

I have my first sports massage today and am kind of terrified. I'll report back.

My training this week didn't go that great but after my perfect week last week it is okay. I'll touch on all of this later. Being away from home and eating work travel meals didn't help either. I way overdid it.

Hope all is well in runnerland!

eed

11 Miles Hanging Over My Head

2009-08-14T15:15:00.000-07:00

I may be acting overly dramatic, but my runs seem to just HANG over my head all day leading up to them. What's up with that? It literally ruins my mood. Once I get out there it isn't that bad, but the anticipation sucks. Does anyone know how to get over this?

All I want to do tonight is finish my wedding invites and play scrabble and drink wine. Is that such a crime?

I can't postpone this run until tomorrow because that would put me at 11 miles on Saturday and 17 on Sunday. No bueno. I have to do this tonight, hands down.

I have been majorly manic about wedding stuff lately and it is killing me. I feel like I am buzzing high level all the time and it is only going to crash. I'm definitely acting glass half empty and sick of it.

Sunday night I drive to Seattle for work until Thursday. I'm planning to do my 17 miler on Sunday morning but haven't picked out a route yet. Suggestions? Not too far, since I have to drive up to Seattle later that day. While I'm there it will be nonstop work crap. They're even forcing us to share rooms (embarrassing) so I literally have no downtime. I even have to sleep with one eye open. My one goal is to do 12 miles on Wednesday, the only night we do not have dinner plans. I can already tell my team is annoyed that I have to do this since they're trying to plan something during that time. This is when people who just don't get it really bother me. Guess what people - you better start getting it. At least empathize for one tiny moment will you? Maybe it will do you some good so you eventually, one day, can hope to run more than a mile without stopping for a break.

I'm such a whore, but seriously...I hate work get-togethers like this. And I'm also dreading my 11 miles that I have to do today. But while I'm at it those old bitches that I overheard saying my irises looked like shit can suck it too. Guess what old bitches? I can see you, and I can hear you so get the fuck off of my lawn.

Happy Friday!

9 Mile Tempo

2009-08-12T20:19:00.000-07:00

Today I ran from home and ended up doing the loop across the I-5 bridge. I don't know what it is, but I energizes me: steel, concrete, trucks and cars zooming past me at 60+ mph, water far below, big sky, big boats, wind. It is all pretty exhilirating. And kind of scary...

I also did not bring my iPod. It is my effort to become more zen in general focused on running in specific. I do not want to feel dependent on it! I've actually done really well and not worn it on almost 100% of my runs the last couple of weeks.

I was supposed to do this run yesterday but just COULD NOT make myself do it! Instead I ordered in Chinese (I didn't even pick it up, I had it delivered) and drank wine. It rained yesterday for the first time and was cold and gray, so that might have contributed to it.

Anyway, down to the run...9 miles with 5 miles tempo (one more mile tempo than last week's 8 miler).

Miles 1-2: 9:02 (131 bpm), 9:11 (138 bpm)
Miles 3-7: 7:02 (175 bpm), 7:29 (178 bpm), 7:22 (180 bpm), 7:32 (183 bpm), 7:35 (184 bpm)
Miles 8-9: 10:00 (169 bpm), 8:32 (169 bpm)

Avg pace: 8:12 min/mile, 166 bpm

I knew last week I went to fast on my tempo miles but I guess I don't learn. That last fast mile was pretty hard for me to push out but I managed. Really, I don't mind pushing this hard - I like it. But now I'm starting to worry that something bad is going to happen - injury, mental breakdown, flooded basement? What do you think? Is it okay to sustain this type of speed on future runs?

Peace out!

Bach Party and Another Long Run

2009-08-10T16:08:00.000-07:00

(Pic from Sunday 15 mile run - me, and my man.)

Where to begin?

Let's see, last I reported was my Tuesday 8 mile tempo run, next run was 11 miles scheduled to happen on Thursday. Due to life going on I moved this to Friday thinking one less day of recovery before my long run shouldn't be an issue. I went during the middle of the day with perfect cool and cloudy skies. I ended up finding myself on a network of trails around Vancouver and was easily able to get in 11 miles. I had started from home with no real plan in place except to check out the area and I came across some good trails. Anyway, my run went like this:

Miles: 11.01

Avg Pace: 8:20

Avg HR: 170 bpm

It felt great!

After the run I rushed to get ready and showered. I had to head to pick up my wedding dress and do some other errands in Portland before meeting up at my friends house for pre-bach fun. I got my dress and had fun trying it on although I was about to pass out due to not eating anything. This wedding stuff is all starting to become real which is getting me happy and freaking me out all at once. Ahhhh! Planning a wedding, I've found, is very similar to training for a marathon - it is all that you want to talk about or think about and you're excited but nervous at the same time.

Anyway, I showed up at my friend's place and surprise, my fiance was there. I was like, what? He wasn't supposed to be around on my girl's night out. I brushed it off and started on glass of wine and garden tour when suddenly my BFF from Michigan jumped out from behind the tree! I had NO idea she was coming and was totally shocked to see her there. What a great surprise. Seriously, the night ended up being so much fun and I got to spend it with the PBRs! Everyone was in rare form and hopefully had a blast. Things got a little fuzzy toward the end of the night but nothing too out of control. I don't know how I did it but I ended up waking up early and going for a 5 mile easy run on the river front. Amazing. I spent the rest of the weekend relaxing up at the lake and having everything catered and taken care of by my awesome future husband.

Sunday I briefly considered postponing my long run (15) until Monday. I had consumed a bunch more wine on Saturday night and was still sluggish and hungover from Friday. But i decided in the long run it would be best to get it out of the way, do a different course than from home and not have to carve out 2+ hours on a Monday. I'm so glad I did. We ran the Historic Columbia River Highway route (a run Jen and Zach often do) and I ended up doing 15.2 miles. Stats:

Total miles: 15.2

Avg Pace: 8:31

Avg HR: ?? (forgot Garmin!)

The first hour of this run just breezed by but the last 30-45 minutes started to get boring and taxing. I wasn't sore per se, but my muscles were just tired. Actually, more my joints than muscles. I didn't work out my hydration well nor my nutrition so next time I need to be better at that. I'm actually very happy with my pace too - this is the longest run I've done in probably 2 years and I went faster than I'd expected. I bet if I'd been better prepared I could have inched it up a bit and still felt comfortable. Although it is still scary to think that I'll need to run at 8:00 pace to hit my goal of a 3:30 marathon. I don't even want to think about that yet.

Ok, yes.

2009-08-05T16:32:00.001-07:00

Thank god it cooled down - my run last night was exactly what I needed for a little boost in my running self-confidence. I haven't had any good runs lately so I needed this, badly.

I did an 8 mile tempo run, with 4 miles to be at half mary pace, so for me around 8:00 min/mile pace. I took the first two miles really easy, like 9:00+ then kicked it in. I started off way too fast but then actually fell into a groove. (This is a groove I haven't felt in a while!) My 4 tempo miles were all within 5 seconds of a 7:30 pace, making my total pace for the 8 miles 8:18 and avg HR 164 bpm. Not bad for a warshed up hag like me.

Otherwise I've been busy cutting and arranging flowers from our garden. I don't know why I waited this long! They're beautiful and smell great. I can't get my computer to read my camera SD card, so these photos will have to wait. Also prioritizing items to be purchased for this house, which includes about every piece of furniture you could imagine.

On wedding news, my dress arrived! I'm going to pick it up on Friday, along with the jacket, and take along my 3 shoe options, get the dress altered, etc. The whole shebang. Then I go to my bachlorette party! I'm super excited for it all, I think its going to be great/fun/exciting/all of it. Saturday I'll head up to the cabin for some relaxing, sunning, swimming, and then LONG run (15m) on Sunday. I still have to figure out how I'm going to fit in 11 miles in the middle of the day tomorrow. Wish me luck on that...

One Week Down

2009-08-02T21:49:00.001-07:00

I am going to do a quick recap on this week's training to follow up on my mostly-successful goals recap. Look, I know its lame that I have to write down shit like "drink water", "sleep well", etc. But for some reason it works so whatever.

Monday I did my almost-8 miles in the 100+ degress weather. I think it got up to 105 that day and I really struggled.

Tuesday was off.

Wednesday I did 9 miles on the treadmill @ a pace a little under 8:26. I accidentally hit reset on the machine and it screwed me up a bit but I think I got in all 9 miles based off of the time that I ran. It was still pretty hot but fine.

Thursday was off for travel.

Friday I took off also since I was working pretty much all day. I didn't have a run planned anyway but it would have been nice to do some cross training.

Saturday I did a first-thing-in-the-morning 5 mile easy run. I think I ran like 9:30 miles.

Sunday (today) I did my 13 miles at high noon under 90* sun sun sun. I felt okay at first, but lost my groove after a while. God, this long run thing kind of sucks. How did I used to do these runs? I kind of don't like them. Can I quit in my first week of training? In short, my pace was 9:10 but I don't even feel like that counts due to my frequent stops. BLEH.

I wore my fueld belt for the first time and it was so-so. Kind of felt tight but I wanted it that way so it wouldn't more around. I was really glad to have the water and actually surprised that it didn't bother me more.

First week down, next week is:

M = off/XC/yoga
T = 8 mile tempo run
W = off/XC/yoga
Th = 11 miles
F = 5 miles easy
Sa = off/xc/yoga
Su = 15 miles

Have a great week!

Goals Recap

2009-08-02T21:28:00.000-07:00

1. Follow training plan - yay! I did it!
2. Complete some of the training checklist items. Again, success:

-I made contact w/the massage guy, next step is finding a good time to schedule some sessions.
-Bought a fuel belt that fits me + Gu flask.
-Entered EVERY workout in my Outlook calendar.
-Training plan posted at desk.

3. Find long run (13 mi) course to do near SLC. Done.
4. Drink lots of water. Done! In this heat it was impossible not to. Well, actually it was possible since I've been in AC most of the time, but I forced myself to do it. Yay me.
5. Take vitamins - semi success. I think I missed two days, but this is a vast improvement.
6. Get decent sleep. I had some bad nights with the heat but tried really hard (our AC doesn't work as well in the bdrm).
7. Stretch 15 min/day. Done!
8. TP 15/day (while home). I actually did this. Amazing. And amazing.
9. Eat healthy and log food. Semi success here too. Of course being on the road from Thursday-Sunday its been hard.

So there. Gotta set some more for this coming week.

Two-A-Days

2009-07-28T11:29:00.001-07:00

(How sweet is this little toadstool that popped up in our yard just hours after mowing?)

No, not workouts, posts. This is getting a little out of control with my posting incessantly isn't it?

I am feeling a bit of the after effects of yesterday's run - a little sore in the hips and hungry. I'm so lucky to have AC in this house because it is already up to 100 outside again. I'm actually cold right now and have my fleece on. Yeah, I kinda suck.

I found some suggestions for places in run in Lehi this weekend. Lehi is just outside of Salt Lake City and I'll be there over the weekend overseeing a site turnover for work. I'm kind of nervous about this since it'll be my first but hoping we can get it done smoothly without a hitch. It will be busy but I think I'll have some downtime on Sunday when I can do my run. Hopefully early in the day to avoid the heat there.

Today I have no run planned so may go to the gym for weights or something. I am definitely going to stretch plenty today to get out these kinks. I need my body to be ready for the long runs. Tomorrow I do another 9 mile run then am meeting up with the local PBRs for an OWS at Klineline Pond. Taking my wetsuit for another ride! Then Thursday is a travel day to Utah with work over the weekend.

I am slowly whittling away at my weekly goals to the left. I am also making progress on the wedding. We have our invites in production and am supposed to pick up my envelopes tomorrow so I can begin addressing them. We're a bit behind with this so I need to get rolling and can hopefully get some done alone in my hotel room this wknd. I also ordered TWO pairs of shoes online with the consult of the Gazelle. Thanks Amy! I also ordered some crafty goods online that will be incorporated into the ceremony. I've made some good connections of other brides-to-be and they've been letting me bounce things off of them and give suggestions. I am getting closer to the decoration decisions for the reception and how to do our ceremony. There is SO MUCH TO DO. I just hope my dress comes in next week so I can start w/the alterations. I got a short dress and am going to make it even shorter!

Ok, that's it. I'm done. (For now.)

HOT.

2009-07-27T20:22:00.000-07:00

I did my 8 miles in 100 degrees today (ended up going 7.29). Never ever again. Treadmill next time! I do not do so well in the heat, my body just can't handle it. I even ran with a fully frozen bottle that was warm by the end. My face is still beat red.

On a scale of 1-5 this was a 2, not receiving lower marks because I did not shit my pants, throw up or pass out. But honestly, it came close a couple of times. I was supposed to include 10x 100 strides, but only eeked out 2. It was miserable and I stopped a whole lot.

Miles = 7.29
Avg Pace = 9:01
Avg HR = 176

I'm going to try to put this one out of my memory rather quickly. Not a great way to start training again!

Week One - Day One

2009-07-27T14:19:00.000-07:00

Immediately I regret the following:

1. Deciding a fast goal time
2. Announcing this goal time
3. Choosing this training plan
4. Signing up for the marathon

It is 100 degrees out! I haven't even gone out running yet and I'm dreading it. Truthfully it has been really nice not following a plan or having a race looming. I have to shift my attitude on this really quickly if I expect to stay sane!

I had a great weekend and got to spend time blowing it out partying one last time for a while. I'm definitely going to be aware of how much I drink in the future, esp if it is going to be this hot out and dehydration is an issue.

First week and I'm already changing around my training plan. Originally I had my runs on T and Th but since I'm traveling on Th I switched it to M and W. Should work out fine. Wish me luck during my 8 mile run on Week One Day One!

Portland Marathon Training Plan

2009-07-25T09:47:00.000-07:00

I'm doing it! I signed up the minute I got home after watching Josh run it last year. I did my first marathon in 2007, the infamous Chicago race that was cancelled mid-race due to heat and no more available ambulances or water. Yep, that one. I sucked terribly, the actual act of running (and a lot of walking) in that heat/humidity and the fact that I trained for months for a bust. After that race I stopped running all together for a long long time. I maybe got in one run a month for like a year.

Then last summer I moved to Portland and decided to refocus and start up again. I found awesome support and a great running community right away. My coach and friend, Shawn, helped me get back into it and really focus on hard work and smart training. Sadly, he's moved away...back to Austin. But I still have his guidance, advice and support although I suppose now he's not my official "coach".

I also was lucky to connect with Jen and Zach, who had also just moved to Portland. I had a thin relationship with Jen through Martiza, who I worked with when living in CA a few years back. I met Jen I think only once at an allnight drink-fest at Maritza's apt, but then we also connected via email to discuss marathon training in 2007. (BTW, I owe this blog to Maritza as she convinced me to start it back in 2006.) But Jen and Zach also introduced me to the other PBJ/PBR'ers: The Ambitious One, Gazelles on Crack and Junk Miles, and ..... am I forgetting anyone? I always forget someone! Anyway, knowing these folks and keeping this electronic journal has spiked my interest in running to levels I haven't seen. It is fun and I'm healthy and motivated.

So where was I going with this? Yes, the marathon...watching last year's Portland race made me want to try another marathon. Even though I think it is crazy. Honestly, running more than 10 miles is simply insane but it is what we alls gotta deal with. The f'ing marathon. So, here we go...

My training plan starts Monday, with an off day. The race is 10 weeks away and happens the weekend after my wedding. I have a ton of stuff going on this summer so I know it is going to be challenging to stay on track. I hope this blog, and you, can help me through it.

Below is my training plan:

It is basically ripped right from the Advanced Marathoning book otherwise referred to as the Pfitz plan. I took the 12-week 55-mile plan and shaved off a couple of weeks (I think one from the 1st and one from the 3rd mesocycle). I put it into excel with only a very brief summary of the run showing, then details in comments under the cell. This way the plan doesn't look so daunting. I also added my big events, or travel in colors. These will be the days where I have to carefully plan out the training so I don't miss anything!

I also created a marathon mantra. I was up late one night worrying about this race a few weeks ago and decided to just write down all of my worries, since that usually helps. I made a numbered list, then wrote down all of the actions that I could take to avoid that worry coming to fruition. I only have control over so much, so I'll take whatever action I can and let fate guide the rest.

Want to see it? Want to see my marathon mantra? Of course you do. (You'll need to click on the screen shot to have any chance of reading it.)

My favorite advice is from Jen to cut down miles if necessary. I like this! And also from Shawn, to get weekly massages. I could prescribe to both of those things.

I'm going to do something I don't think I've done before and let you all know what my goal time is. I decided not to be wishy-washy about this this time around. Last race I simply wanted to finish, preferably under 4:00 but I really didn't care what my finish time was. This time I'm going to go for a 3:30 finish. I want to go fast, think I can go fast, want to qualify for Boston (to run with my uncle and past my sister's house), so there it is. I'm going to hopefully test this goal pace during my training and go into the race knowing the course, knowing my body and knowing I can do it. I'll be sad and disappointed if I don't hit that goal, but its not the end of the world.

So, what I need to do now is:

1. Enter Week 1 training into my Outlook calendar

2. Post the training plan at my desk

3. Buy a Gu bottle and fuel belt (if Josh's doesn't work for me)

4. Schedule some massages

5. Make yoga, stretching, trigger point and ice baths a priority

6. Set weekly goals (again)

7. Buy salt tablets

8. Research about 6 more long run courses

9. Smile

10. Relax

11. Take it easy!

Anyway, I am super excited to get going. I know the weeks are going to fly by! Feel free to comment on my plan/mantra and general craziness.

eed

2009-07-24T17:49:00.000-07:00

Wow, I have a brazillion things on my mind that I need to suss out here. Life is crazy, crazy good but crazy. I am grasping onto summer by my fingernails but for some reason it keeps evading me. Must sit down with calendar and think about how much time is left. Weather is great but there are so many other things that are happening that....well, I'm a bit busy. I'm going to try to sum it up with - you guessed it- a list:

Blue Lake Race Report:

I never wrote this race report. I think I had something going on that following week but in general I wasn't just all that excited about the race. Building up I had been pretty psyched and the morning of I was outta my gourd. But a few minutes after the race my enthusiasm waned (it may have waxed a bit too but I really can't remember). I was supremely annoyed and it probably had a lot to do with a certain monthly occurance that affects my ability to put it all into perspective. Pull it together Chicago!

Anyway, the race was fine. It was a good intro into the world of triathloning. Swim was fine, nothing interesting there. Bike was totally not interesting. The run sucked. Much harder than I'd expected. Feet were numb and my gait was off. It was a new sensation and in the future I'll definitely be doing more running bricks if I decide to continue w/tris. It was fun to do w/my friends but the weather was cold at the end and I got the chills and wasn't feeling it.

Hagg Lake Recap:

Much more fun than Blue Lake. And harder! I've never beat myself up about a race beforehand as much as I did here. Timing was EXACTLY one month after Blue Lake (see what I'm getting at?). But all of my woes occured (and hard) before the race. Once it started I was Happy McHapperson, Stupendous Sally, Molly Mc....you get my point. I had fun and that's that.

Triathlon Recap:

My only regret is not really training well. I missed a lot of workouts and didn't really put that much into them. I think I could do a lot better in the future. It was nice to get a reprieve from running, but I also missed JUST running. Swim and bike workouts are just more logistically challenging. Kind of annoying. I'm not sure yet if I'll pursue this in the future - stayed posted.

The New House:

This is the craziest part of this summer so far. We took 3 years to find a place and moved in w/in less than a month of the 1st viewing. Talk about whirlwind. Since living at home with my parents in HS I've pretty much only lived in the center of action. Downtown, bright lights, big city. (Save for Telegraph and Alcatraz for those that know the area, but I was w/in walking distance of BART and Rockridge and could see the entire SF skyline, both bridges and the ocean from my window! And the gang violence! That counts right?) Anyway, I haven't lived in a house-house since junior year of college. We're not in sub-divisionville now or really isolated but it definitely feels different. I feel much more vulnerable in a way. A crack whore in Capitol Hill/Seattle is less threatening than a crack whore on my sidewalk. Picking my roses. You know? Anyway, it is also really fun - I can't tell you how much I missed grilling! And for some reason I feel much more entitled to make and drink cocktails - like the French 76 that I'm drinking right now out of a martini glass! It is also nice to have peace and quiet and grass and stuff. We get to pick out paint colors and buy real grown up furniture. Yay! Of course all of this means more decisions and STUFF which is sometimes more stressful than exciting. Trying to keep it all in stride. This is an evolving thing and I plan to keep you posted.

The Wedding:

Holy fuck, I'm getting married in two months? Do you think it might be time to think about sending invitations? Yes, so that one is the drama this week, along with the other 49 items on our to do list. Basically, we're screwed. But we have the venue, photographer, dress and jacket so I'm sure we can pull it off, right? This is another "exciting time of your life" event but sometimes it turns out being just downright stressful. I'm also trying to keep this in stride and will keep you posted!

Two Weeks of Freedom:

I guess I just had two weeks "off"? Sucks because I didn't laze around as much as I thought I could. I ran and swam a lot, but I also pranced and partied and traveled and drank a lot too, so I guess its a win for me. Bottom line is that two weeks goes by really GD fast.

Marathon Training:

So my next thing, aside from the wedding and setting up house, is to run the Portland marathon. I think I'm really excited. I think I can do it. I've written up my training plan and had it reviewed by two professionals (my coach and Jen). I am almost ready to publish it. I did a fancy spreadsheet along with a mantra - all of my concerns and what to do to prevent them from happening. I'm psycho. I'll save the details for another post, believe me, it is going to be some revolutionary shiz. Imagine - another training plan! Posted on a running blog! Seriously, hold on to your hats and seats MFers cause this is going to be a wild ride.

Love ya, mean it.
Emily

I Have Potential

2009-07-23T08:31:00.000-07:00

Before I post anything else I must brag about my most recent acquisition...

A custom Elizabeth Dye bolero for my wedding, made from my mom's wedding dress!

E Dye's blog post about making this piece.

Isn't it just about the most darling thing that you could imagine? I mean, honestly. My mom dropped off this dress when we met up recently and we had fits of laughter trying it on. The dress was quite lovely in 1969, but not on me, and not today. (I'll publish those photos in a different post.)

I took the dress into E. Dye, who owns The English Dept, in Portland and she was like, "yep, no problem." She got some info on what I liked, I tried on some of her other creations and she said she'd do a designers choice. I love her work and trust her and was not let down.

If anyone has the need for a custom wedding, or really anything, please contact her. She's on Etsy as well and has many many accolades. I met a girl at the wedding I went to in Tahoe this weekend that's from Chicago and found out that she's been in contact with E. Dye for a custom jacket too. Needless to say, she is a great designer and a very easy person to deal with. For all of this gushing I think I must admit a crush!

Great Weekend

2009-07-20T15:08:00.000-07:00

Wow, my weekend was super fun but the outcome for me today is being distracted, not ready to work and having liver failure. My camera battery died on Saturday which is probably good since I don't have proof of some of my ridiculous actions. Like dancing. A lot. I am really really sore from dancing which is odd since I wasn't even this sore from doing an Olympic tri last weekend. I'm glad that I don't remember many of my moves.

More to come later....weekly goal recap and this week's goals. Also - only one more week until I start marathon training!

Tahoe: Awesome

2009-07-17T12:13:00.000-07:00

I've been to Tahoe before in both the summer and winter, but this trip has given me the chance to really enjoy it more than ever. We're staying in a house right in front of the lake (I'm looking at it right now) and it is close to everything. I can't believe I lived so far from this in the midwest growing up - I've concluded that I'm definitely taking my kids everywhere (once we have them).

So back to the training. I got in a nice morning run on Wednesday before leaving which was really nice, but I think I already reported that. Thursday I had most of the day to myself. I went on a nice run at high noon that could be summed up with the following H's: heat, height, hills. It was nice and hot and I ended up taking some wrong turns but overall felt strong. I had no real plan, just to go out and run and when I stopped the Garmin back at the house the mileage read 7.77. And I'm in Nevada. Hello slot machines!

After the run I went down to the beach then ended up at the pool. There were three lanes blocked off so I decided to get in some laps. However, the second I started they took out the lane markers and everything was taken over by a bunch of tiny little people called "children." Little bastards! Anywho - I got a lot of sun without getting burned and really enjoyed the day.

Last night was the rehearsal dinner that turned into a who-can-drink-the-most fest. I did not win, but I think Josh might have. Poor guy...he convinced us to leave the post-dinner party and go to the casino. He passed out on the way to the casino then proceeded to play blackjack for a few hours. Gambling is not my thing but I was a good sport and stood by the boys while they wasted away their earnings. I do like to watch so it was pretty fun but eventually became very boring. We got home around 2ish and I think it was the last Tecate before bed that did me in. What is wrong with me?

Woke up this a.m. feeling really headachy - obvi from the alcohol but I think also elevation and dehydration played into the mix. I brought my wetsuit along and have been really wanting to use it. The beaches here are all really hard to access - everything requires a pass or payment to get near the water. I don't know my way around very well either. I did a little sleuthing, emailed the contact for the Reno Triathlon Club and a very nice man wrote me back with a suggestion for a place to swim right by where we're staying. I convinced Josh to go with me and keep an eye out so that I didn't drown. This OWS thing is pretty new to me and going alone is especially scary...BUT, I did it!

And let me tell you, it was awesome. This water is crystal clear and blue, almost like a tropical body of water...but really cold. I think I could have gone without a suit but it would have been stupid. It is pretty cold, around 55* I think. Back to the scenery...there are mountains on every side of you and beautiful sand below. It is quite spectacular. I suited up and swam out to the "no boat" buoy and did a long lap across the bay. I went out and back, about 30 minutes total. I really didn't want to leave, but we had to get Josh to a groomsman function.

So, bottom line is that I got some physical activity, shocked the hangover out of my system AND have the rest of the day to enjoy this beautiful playland. Wedding is tonight and I'm going to try my best to not blow my top off with wine/beer/white russians galore.

HAPPY FRIDAY and have a great weekend peeps!

(sorry this is so rambling and poorly written...i think i might still be hungover after all)

Heading Out

2009-07-15T11:39:00.000-07:00

(Keeping with the picture posts - this is my ID card for the Naperville Parks District - Centennial Beach. This was my absolute favorite part about summer - going to "the beach" which was a big rock quarry with a sand and play area for kids. This is where I learned how to swim. I was a pretty strong swimmer back then despite my unusually small stature. I could keep up with the big kids and moved to the next levels quickly. I remember my joy when I passed the swim test that would allow me to go into the deep end. I felt so damn grown up and responsible. I went almost every day in the summer with my mom and just kicked it. Good times.)

It is almost Friday at 5 pm for me! I'm heading out in about an hour to catch a flight to Reno to start a long wedding weekend at Lake Tahoe. I am really excited. I plan to get a little work done, and a lot of relaxing. Josh has wedding party duties so I get a lot of alone time which I'm excited about. I found a yoga joint near our rental house that also has massages....yay! I am also being ridiculously eager in bringing my wetsuit. The only way this will be lame is if I do NOT swim in the lake. I must do it! There is a tran-lake swim (forget the name of it) going on this weekend, where teams of 6 do a relay sans-wetsuits 11.5 miles across the lake. Sounds awesome and crazy and I'd love to watch!

I felt so invigorated after last night's ride that I decided to get up this morning and run. I did about 5 miles around the hood, down past officer's row and to the landbridge and back. It was a great run! I think I averaged 8:28 miles and it felt really easy. Saw a lot of other runners getting their sheeyot done before the day starts. It is a bright beautiful day and I'm looking out right now at my garden with tons of bees and butterflies flitting around.

I don't think life could get much better.

Have a great weekend!

Tuesday Bike Ride

2009-07-14T19:10:00.000-07:00

(Charm given as a senior gift for track in high school. Found this when I was at home last time. [I am going to try to post as many random shots as I can since I have taken so many pictures lately. Doesn't it make things more interesting?])

I rode my bike today! This was the first time I think ever that I've just hopped on it and gone out with no real plan in mind. It was fun! It is a gorgeous day out and I was glad to enjoy it on the bike.

My tire was almost totally flat after the race so I needed to find a place to fill up since my pump is broken. I found a local bike shop right near our new house and it was perfect! Guys working there a little off, but what can you do. Aren't all grease monkeys a little off? (If that is offensive I apologize.)

I headed briefly through town out towards Vancouver Lake/Frenchmen's Bar. It is a nice road with plenty of shoulder and little traffic. After passing through a couple of stoplights you're on open road. I took the left before V. Lake to head to F. Bar. I've done one ride out this way before, but I just stayed on the road and went to the end. This time I went off into the parking lot that takes you to more paths and an entire beach with like 20 volleyball courts set up on the Columbia River. Wow. There weren't that many people out there and it was quite pretty. Just a couple of boaters out waterskiing in the late day sun. I saw this huge tanker out there and realized that I HAD been here before. It was the turnaround at the Vancouver Lake Half Marathon I did in January. It was the boat pictured here. Guess I didn't recognize it without all that snow.

I don't know how far I went but I was out for 50-55 minutes in all.

I love being able to leave home and get on a route like that without having to deal with any of the city bullsh-t. I feel like my little adventure in a new city has begun. I thank my stars every day for living out in the NW. As a midwestern girl all of this beauty and nature wows me everytime.

Gotta run - need to put some maters and squarsh in the ground before we leave for CA (er, actually NV) tomorrow. I can't wait to be in Tahoe and enjoy another wedding and beautiful long weekend in the West!

Weekly Goals (7/13/09)

2009-07-13T12:43:00.001-07:00

Yes - I do have goals!

This is the first time I've posted weekly goals since March this year. I was at the point where it was just too much to maintain and I wasn't really following them anyway. I've decided that since tri training is over for me I will refocus on these weekly goals. Fresh start!

I was quite overzealous this week and have included items beyond my world of physical prowess. Most of this stuff I'm probably not going to accomplish this week but I wanted to at least try for a good start:

HEALTH:
1. Get lots of sleep
2. Take vitamins
3. Drink a lot of water
4. Eat healthy food
5. Track food
6. Stretch and/or TP daily
7. Behave in Tahoe
8. Yoga – go at least 3 times (find a place in Tahoe)
9. Abs - something
10. Arms - something
11. Draft marathon training plan – get feedback

HOUSE:

1. put more stuff away
2. organize storage/bsmt
3. contact prev owners
4. figure out garden
5. pull straws for who cleans up the dogshit in the lawn
6. buy grill
7. decide when to have bbq/party
8. send out change of address email

WEDDING:

1. INVITATIONS!!
2. house rental
3. planner contract
4. figure out florist
5. figure out music
6. figure out officiant
7. figure out dessert
8. send out thank yous from wedding shower

Hagg Lake Olympic Tri Race Report

2009-07-12T07:14:00.000-07:00

Quick summary: I can't believe I actually did this race, let alone finished, let alone had an good time (finish time and enjoyment time).

(Some pictures at the end but they're all in reverse order and I don't have time for blogger's hijinx today.)

Race Morning:

Luckily my alarm did its thing and I was up at 5:15 a.m. I ate two pieces of toast with butter, had coffee and tried to house water. Josh got a pass from me on this race so I wrangled my friend Anne into coming for support and photography. I left for her house at about 6 a.m. and there I stopped inside to use the bathroom really quickly. The ride out was long and I started to worry about having to take a dump, you know, the usual pre-race worries. I must have talked with Anne about this for 20 minutes and described my woes to her in detail. She laughed at everything I said which is why I like to hang out with her! It took a while to get to the race site but luckily we didn't get lost. I found a spot right before the main parking lot that had a bathroom and by then I knew it was time. I was sooo relieved to get that out of the way! Got down to the parking lot, lucked out on a good spot, ran into another mutual friend doing the race, pumped my tires and headed to the start! I think I arrived around 7:30?

Race Site Prep:

I got marked up and carried my gear to my rack. I was number 27 and I Jen and Zach were 24 & 25 so I knew we'd be close. I found their stuff - VERY neatly laid out but they were no where to be found. I set up right next to Jen because I wanted her good vibes and organizational skills to rub off on me. She walked up and didn't realize it was me setting up and said hi to me like I was a stranger. (She later told me that she was simultaneously thinking "who is this bitch?" and "I wonder where Emily is" at once. I love it.)

I nervously put my laces back into my running shoes and got everything else set up. I had intended to use the new Yankz that I bought but realized this morning that my engineering skill level would hold me back from figuring those bitches out. I decided to put the original bad boys back in. Stick with what you know! I unveiled my shiny new wetsuit, put cap/goggles on, had everything set out for me when I returned.....ready to head down to the water!

Race Strategy:

I will interject here with my race strategy. I had none. If you read this site you know I was really freaking out about the race and almost backed out of it. I also considered doing the sprint instead of the olympic. So the last week was really bad for me mentally, worrying about dropping out, worrying about actually doing it. I knew I wasn't prepared and there was nothing I could do about it this late in the game. I was not excited about letting myself down. But by race morning I had sort of reached a Zen state and was really okay with it all. My plan honestly was to take everything slow and just try my hardest to finish. Low expecatations baby!

Race Start:

I walked down to the start and found Jen right away. We chatted and posed for pictures (by Anne) while the men started. Some ladies overheard me saying that I was extremely ill-prepared and nervous and they were like "you had us fooled!" I think they may have mentioned that they were intimidated by us which was very flattering (must be our muscular shoulders and look of gritty determination??). I asked Jen how I should pace myself during the swim. Probably not the right time to think of this 2 minutes before the start but whatever. Her advice was very technical: go slow the first lap and go faster if you can the second lap. This seemed like the best thing I could have heard!

We both sort of slid into the water to get a little warm up in. Yes, we literally slid as the floor of the lake was slimy slimy muck. Yuck. We wished each other a final good luck before they counted down the seconds....

Swim:

The swim was great! I did not freak out at all and think I managed the crowds well. I finished the swim in 30:27 and honestly think I could have gone a lot faster. My effort level during the swim was really low and I was barely kicking at all - I wanted to save my legs for the rest of the race. I felt very fluid in the water and comfortable and methodical. I thought about the fact that I was there at all and *really doing this* like *right now*! I smiled quite a bit at the thought and it really put me at ease for the day. I love my new wetsuit too. I kicked it in just a little in the final stretch but coming out of the water I felt super duper.

T1:

3:48....argh! Ok, so a little faster than Blue Lake (4:05) but WTF? I want to go at least a minute faster on this. Ah well.

Bike:

The bike is two loops around the lake and is pretty gorgeous. Oh yes, and hilly. But I think I've decided that I like a hilly route better - makes it more interesting for me and I seem to pass people on the uphills. Again, I had no strategy on the bike, but my competitive nature took over a little. It is fun to pass people! It is not fun to have people pass you. I noticed that my front tire was starting to get flat and I was praying that it could just make it through. The first lap had a lot of people on the course, but the second lap was dead. For most of it I didn't see anyone behind me or in front of me. I almost thought I'd taken a wrong turn. There is a little out and back turnaround section and I saw Jen both times - literally a minute or less behind me. I was hoping she would catch up with me so we could push each other, but I knew it would definitely happen on the run. (Foreshadowing.)

I had two water bottles, one with Gatorade. I only drank about half of the Gatorade while on the bike, which is more than I usually take in. I also sucked down 4 Shot Blocks like a ravenous woman. I'm glad I brought them with me.

The second part of the loop was so lonely that I started heckling the race volunteers so I could have some interaction. Then when I started seeing runners I heckled them too. I even had a brief exchange with a tall drink of water on his run that was funny. (Yes, I am engaged but it is okay to flirt sometimes.)

I don't know if I could have gone faster on the bike? I am bad at gauging this. I can tell you toward the end my quads were starting to scream. I started thinking about the run...oh god, the run. I knew based on Blue Lake that the run was going to be the most painful part, the place where I could fall apart. I decided that once I got off the bike I would erase all memory of the bike and pretend that I was on fresh legs. Seemed like a good plan.

I rolled off the bike in 1:31:28.

T2:

2:08 - whatevs.

Run:

My legs felt like lead the first mile but then actually warm up and started feeling okay. I'd been really worried about having my feet go numb this time. That happened in Blue Lake and was terrifying. It ruined my gait and I just could NOT run. It was really awkward and painful. So this time I made sure to have my laces loose and hoped for the best. It worked better this time around but I still did have some numbness. Gotta figure out a way to get rid of that!

I hate the run of the triathlon because it is the hardest leg, yet should be an area in which I excel. I was having such a fun time in this race that I didn't want a slow run to piss me off. I just decided to not worry about the run time, just worry about having a good time, enjoy it all (and try not to walk). There are some pretty big hills on this run and towards the top of them my legs were burning and screaming in pain. I was really hoping not to have an all out cramp fest until at least the race was over with. I kind of started shuffling and not really running. However, at the 5k mark I saw that I was under 24:00 which was absolutely amazing to me. Honestly I'd hoped to run 10:00/miles so this was a surprise. That 5k was faster than the damn Blue Lake 5k - wtf!?

Somewhere in here I passed Joel, who I met through my coach Shawn. Joel has a blog that he updates with his training and I was SO happy to see him. I started thinking about this post, where he mentions meeting like-minded people (me, Jen, Zach) and for some reason I started to cry! Not full on tears but choked-up happy crying. It was awesome - I knew I'd reached the state I wanted to be in! I hoped that it would come again at the finish because I love that shit.

I also passed Zach and my friend Ian and gave them both high fives. It was awesome.

I knew Jen was close behind and I wanted her ass to catch up to me. I knew she would and a little after the halfway mark we were side by side. We talked a bit and I mentioned "a plan" then a few minutes later Jen was like "um, what is the plan?" I was clearly not thinking straight but told her we needed to start picking people off (despite the fact that there were not many people within sight in front of us). It was around this time that I realized how much pain I had in my legs. (Do you ever do that thing where you can ignore something until someone you know comes around? That's totally how I am with running and why I don't typically like running with people. If they're there I have the potential to bitch and moan about something and then that makes me focus on it.) It could have been the realization OR the fact that Jen was hauling ass and my trying to keep up was too much. I saw the big hill in front of me and I excused her from the dinner table. That little girl took off like a stallion and did start picking people off! It was so fun to watch it all go down and I can only hope to take some credit for it. (I can't, but I can still pretend.)

Despite the pain the run was great and I knew I was almost there. I rolled down the final hill with a huge smile and feeling of accomplishment. Not everyone can do these races and I know how lucky I am. After all my turmoil over this race it was done and I actually did well. That felt good.

(Run time was 49:45)

Post Race:

Ate some crappy post race food with fellow participants and friends. The sun came out and everything was light and warm and happy. The ride back home took way longer than expected but I had good company so all was good. I was kind of loopy/delirious so that was fun too. Spent the entire rest of the day EATING and DRINKING and rolling around in my own personal victory!!!

Lessons Learned:

I'm in better shape than I think I'm in.
Next time prepare better.
Don't stress out so much.
Make sure your tires are inflated fully.
Try out new gear/equipment in advance.
Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. (Just kidding - I just heard that weird chick from the Real Housewives of New Jersey say it and it cracked me up.)

Next Steps:

I started thinking about my next steps last night. I love fresh starts, new beginning and formulating a PLAN. Right now I'm in full gear and can't wait to get ready to GO GO GO! Coach Shawn demanded that I not run for 2 weeks and then start marathon training. I don't know if I can stick to that but I can try. I do know that I want to spend these 2 weeks doing a lot of yoga and weightlifting and potentally biking. I'm going up to Tahoe next week (Wed - Sun), so I'm sure I will get some running in there. I am pumped.

Overall, life is great and I'm happy to be alive.

Finish time: 2:57:29

Random Rambling

2009-07-10T10:03:00.000-07:00

Hi! Me again.

Wanted to report my recent runs (this will be brief):

I didn't do anything on Sunday, Monday or Tuesday. Rock on!

Wednesday I was supposed to do my 100 on 100 off track workout but due to time delay and dinner plans I shortened it and only ended up running about 2.5 miles total. I did a 7:59 pace and had an avg HR of 161bpm. It was a good chance to explore my new neighborhood a bit and I went to a local school track (elementary, junior high, high school? don't know). The track was basically dirt but it sufficed. I got a stomach cramp toward the end which sucked since I don't normally get those type of stitches.

Thursday I was ready to go out for a 45 minute bike ride + 20 minute run - my final brick before the race this weekend. What I didn't anticipate was not being able to find my bike shoes or helmet. WTF? I guess that's what happens when you move but seriously? I have a race this weekend and need this stuff! I searched for about an hour before calling it off to go for a run only. I wanted to do around 6 miles but ended up doing a little over 7. I ran from home, through downtown where an outdoor concert was kicking, then over the I-5 bridge (scene of bow and arrow suicide attempt a couple of weeks ago that I forgot to write about), then back to WA and down the river path, then over the new landbridge and back home. The run was great and I felt strong = 8:08 pace/avg HR 161. If I'd stopped at mile 6 my pace would have been ever faster since I slowed down in the final mile.

I think if I were just training for the marathon right now I'd feel in great shape and ready to keep improving. My running feels pretty strong (what I've managed to get done). However, I have this little triathlon tomorrow that is really throwing a monkey wrench into my confidence and planning. I made the decision to do it. All of the comments really helped - especially those that said it was okay to not do it. That made me feel like less of a quitter for even considering bailing. I do not think that doing the race is a safety issue. I think it is simply going to be one very hard badass workout and I'm up for that. If something happens during the race that puts my health at risk for the future I'll stop. I've never gone for the gold or podium finishes here so it doesn't really matter in the long run. I did buy a wetsuit and quick laces too, so I have all of the tools in place.

However...if I can't find my bike shoes then this all may be moot!

This has been such a ramble-fest! But I'm not done...

I love living in a house, we are having so much fun this week. I have spent hours unpacking and am almost done getting everything out and organized. I will definitely send pics. We have a TON of furniture and stuff to buy so its not going to be Home & Garden magazine ready for a while. We also want to do some paint and possibly a few other improvements. I'm just really happy to have all of my stuff in one place. I love having a garage, basement and yard (except when finding dog shit on the lawn). There have been a lot of fun little trials and tribulations over the past few days that I can share later too.

We now live in the same city as Josh's parents, which is totally fine. They really keep to themselves and I knew it wouldn't be an issue with having to see them too much once we moved over here. However, I KEEP running into them! Monday they were having dinner al fresco at a restaurant near us and we stopped and talked to them. Totally random. Then we had a planned dinner with them on Tuesday night. Then last night when I was running I ran into them on the sidewalk. What are the chances? Its not like this is a really small town with no where to go. Anyway, it was just weird to have that experience in this first week. Maybe a little too much too soon? I don't know!

Now, on to marathon training. I am doing Portland this October, which occurs a week after my wedding. I have been thinking about how to tackle this training plan since I'll be doing it without a coach. I borrowed Jen's book by Pete Pfitzinger and have looked at the training plans a bit. I should also probably read the book to get a better understanding of the methodology. It seems like a good plan to follow and I just need to gauge whether I can complete the training. I am going to take 2 whole weeks off of running starting next week, then I will dive into the program. That leaves me only 10 weeks! I'm hoping that I have a good enough base to jump into the training, but I really have no choice. Last night I wrote down a list of my concerns about the race, then started writing an action plan to eliminate those concerns. I am such a f'ing dork. But seriously, writing lists and thinking things through really helps me.

Much more to come here in the next few weeks; some draft post ideas that I plan to tackle:

My 2 weeks off
Blue Lake race report (finally!?)
Hagg Lake race report (pending participation :))
Tri training/season recap
MARATHON TRAINING
House updates - first week in, planned improvements
Wedding planning updates - yay!

Happy Friday everyone!

Thanks!

2009-07-08T07:00:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to quickly check in to say thanks for the comments and advice. (Especially from those that don't normally leave any comments.)

I am really enjoying this week as a new homeowner and coming closer to making a decision about the weekend. I feel much more relaxed about whatever I choose to do and I think vetting it out here has helped...so thanks!

More to report in a few days - for now, COFFEE!

I Moved

2009-07-06T09:43:00.001-07:00

We moved over the weekend into our new place and am so happy! We started Friday by finishing packing and loading everything onto our truck. Since we couldn't get into the new place until Sunday we decided to spend a homeless 36 hours at the cabin.

While at the cabin I decided to do an open water swim and survived 10 minutes, maybe 15. I panicked and thought I was going to drown or get eaten by the large fishies in the lake. I'm stupid. Maybe I went too fast, but I had to stop. My tweaked my wrist while moving and the swim didn't help. I sat and sulked for 3 hours after this and decided not to do the Hagg Lake tri this coming weekend. Then I think I talked myself back into doing it but only "for fun." Then I think I decided that these races cannot be fun and the only way I could walk away feeling good was to not worry about finish time/performance. Who can do that though? Hopefully me. I have completed approx 33% of my workouts over the last month. And the last two months about 66% of my workouts. I'm not in good shape anymore and I can feel it.

I did a 6 mile trail run later on in the day that was so-so. More negative thoughts about racing and performance. I briefly considered throwing in the towel on training for the Portland marathon (October 3rd) and on training anymore all together. I doubt I'll go that far, but honestly my mind isn't made up on this weekend's race. There is a lot of crap that I have to do to get ready (buy wetsuit, laces, actually go to the race, etc.). I'd really rather be on a hike or setting up my new house.

Yesterday we moved everything into our place. It is so fun and exciting and all I want to do is unpack and get everything put together. We slept like rocks in our new bedroom - dead from the day and no outside noise. It was awesome.

So....anyone have thoughts and want to weigh in? Am I a huge pussy if I don't do the race? What about if I do the race but take it really easy?

Reset

2009-07-01T19:44:00.001-07:00

I am in need of an emotional, mental and physical reset. The last time I did anything was on Saturday and I think this is the longest I've gone w/o training in a while. I got a new 2-week training plan (my last) from Coach Shawn, but I honestly have not even looked at it too closely.

Monday night I spent a long time going through my stuff and it brought back a lot of memories. I was up until the wee hours of the morning and only slept a couple of hours before going to the airport again. Last night I'd been up over 24 hours before I went to sleep. I only got another few hours until work worries woke me up at 4:30 a.m. and I started working. I've been on my ass in front of the computer for like 15 hours straight. Because of all of this I decided to scrap any running/biking/swimming to do a little reset.

I'm catching up on an episode of The Bachelorette to wind down then taking a Tylenol PM. I plan to get at least 13 hours of sleep tonight. Wish me luck!

I have also started thinking about what is going to excite me next in this realm of my life (training). Do I want to keep biking and swimming? Or do I just want to run? Do I want long distance, middle or short? Do I want to race or just use training to stay healthy and sane? Pursue something new or just stick with the known?

Lots of things to consider and that excites me. I am really excited about training for the marathon. I'm taking off two weeks after the race next weekend before I start. Going to take that time to decide what the plan is. I can't wait to start yoga again. Yoga will be integral. Lots of other stuff too. (I have a damn wedding to get my ass ready for too!)

Sweet dreams.

Breather

2009-06-27T22:23:00.000-07:00

I needed to pop in to post about the weight currently on my shoulders:

I AM A HOARDER.

I never realized this as much until tonight. Yes, I've always known that I have a lot of stuff and love to carry it all with me as I move from state to state, time zone to time zone. BUT. Today, going to through all of my crap at my parents house just put me into ultra-panic zone. How did this happen? I must have saved every piece of paper I've ever written on - seriously. I have all of my school work from pre-school through college! WHAT? What is wrong with me? I have every note that I ever received in junior high and high school. HUH?

As I grew older I realized that I love finding and collecting unique things from thrift stores, garage sales, etc. I'd buy things just so no one else could have it, even if I didn't need it. Then when ebay hit I was all "I'm going to make a fortune!" I've been an ebay seller since the 90s. For real. Someone had 3 boxes of old magazine to get rid of? Sure, I'll take them and sell them individually on ebay! Needless to say most of that never happened, although the ones that I did sell got me some nice cash flow back in the day. eBay is fun and exciting, but that's not the point of this story.

The point of this story is that I have a ton of shit. And it is in Michigan and I live in Portland. And as much as I thin it out there is still a ton. For example, I think I just uncovered approximately 60 pieces of milk glass alone tonight.

As a result of all of this sorting of old stuff I have found some killer old photos of myself and my family. I will definitely scan and share!

As for running, I'm keeping up. I did 10 miles today, yesterday I did an 8 mile tempo run, the day before that 5 miles easy. The day before that I did a track workout before flying to MI, the day before that I did spin class and the day before that I did something equally as fun (but I can't remember). Last weekend, however I did an awesome bike ride - 50 miles, the longest I've gone yet. And it was really hilly. I was scared beforehand that I wouldn't make it or wouldn't be able to keep up, but I was pleasantly surprised!

Tomorrow is my wedding shower and I am really excited. I get to see a bunch of people that I miss and they're all there for me. I'm embarrassed about the gift-giving aspect, but what can you do? This is tradition I guess and I can't complain about a bunch of free stuff, can I?

Ok, it is 1:35 a.m. and I need my beauty rest.

Hope life is well...

Emily

PS - please send organizational vibes my way so that I can sort out my "stuff" issues!

The American Dream

2009-06-19T21:44:00.000-07:00

Still not ready to do my race report...so I will give you some random thoughts.

I did some good working out this week, but also had some fails. I did a trail run on Monday that was cut short by a mile due to bad stomach issues. Walking was the only thing that helped, so that sucked but at least I didn't blow my wad on the trail. Gross.

Tuesday I did a solid swim workout followed by a spin class. Wednesday I traveled to Utah and didn't do anything. Thursday I did another swim followed by 1:30 spin. Then this week's biggest fail was Friday. I was supposed to do an 8 mile tempo run and just couldn't make it happen. I'm doing a 50 mile ride today and probably a 30 minute swim.

Upsetting stuff happening at work yesterday that makes me want a new career. However, I don't know what my calling is or what I even like doing anymore. It is kind of depressing, to tell you the truth.

I am going to Michigan on Wednesday for like a week for my wedding shower and family fun, but it is going to affect my training. Whatever! At this point I've dug myself into a little hole so its really another drop in the bucket. I am looking forward to it!

Problem is that we have an apartment to pack and a move to complete. Another problem is that I have no boxes nor desire to acquire any. Or to pack. Sooooooo. Here we are!

So I will leave you with some race pics I got from my friend....

Ah, this photo explains a lot:

That is my future husband checking out the picture he just took of me. I can hear him saying to himself "Picture taken? Check! Now I'm going to stuff my face with more ranch sunflower seeds and concentrate on breathing, blinking and allowing my heart to pump blood." (I swear I am much more appreciative of him than that - it is just fun to make fun on this, especially when his favorite thing to do at these races is to eat doughnuts while I'm struggling past him. I promise he is an athlete in his own right [he did the Portland marathon last year, has done Mountains to Sound twice, runs, plays hoops, tennis, etc.] but he just doesn't get into the races as much as the rest of us...)

I love this last picture - with my friend that I've known since college and have lived in both Chicago and Portland with. We are both so excited to start this race and not even self-conscious about what DBs we look like!

Blue Lake Tri Pre-Race Report

2009-06-15T14:51:00.001-07:00

I am done with my (sort of) first tri but don't want to write up the report yet.

Big surprise, but I am in a FOUL mood. Total negativity streaming from me and more negativity toward myself that I'm acting this way. PMS, chemical imbalance, what have you, but this shit better end in a couple of days.

A quick summary of the race would be this: I finished and had a pretty good time. I was really excited before the race and during the race was in pretty good spirits. I'm happy about the swim and the bike, but not my transitions or the run.

I'll post the full report later, hopefully before I forget, but have some pics below to wet your whistle:

Good job to everyone else on their races this weekend!!

Race Week!

2009-06-10T20:49:00.000-07:00

Thanks for the nice notes! We are really excited about the house, but now I'm wondering if I should have waited to announce until all of the inspection crap was over and done with. But I think that everything will work out. Stay positive!

I had a good run yesterday with Jen - we met at the track and although I was scheduled to do easy fartleks we just ended up running 4 miles on the track together pretty consistently. Round and round and round. I took some cute pictures, including some really good ones of Jen, but I'm having issues with uploading right now. Soon!

Today I did a 1,000 yd swim in the pool. I have NO idea how fast I swim. I hate that. So since today's was kinda easy to measure I did. I finished the 1,000 in 18:00 and finished the 800 in 14:30. I noted the 800 time because that is what our race is on Saturday. I didn't even stop, just caught a glimpse of the clock while breathing. I have no idea how that pace will play out in the race - I may freak out...there may be many many factors that go into it. I guess that is what the triathlon is all about and something I'll just have to get used to. It is fine.

I'm easy. Easy like Sunday morning.

Right.

Three more days to the race and left to do: fix bike tire/wheel (what is that actually called), test said device out, decide on the uniform, figure out what to do with my hair during the race, mentally prepare, carbo load, determine goals, chill out, set up my bike in the transition area, deep breath, dive in...

The Big News

2009-06-09T14:18:00.001-07:00

We bought a house!

We have been looking at homes for several years (in several different cities) and finally bit the bullet. For as slow as our search was, the actual offer to move in process is going to be lightning fast. We put in an offer last week, negotiated a bit and came to an agreement. Our inspection was yesterday and if all goes well we close on 6/30 and move in the next day! If all goes really well we will get to move in sooner.

Some very random thoughts since I could just go on and on....The is the first place either of us has owned. I love old homes. This one is in pristine condition. The garden is unreal and may kill me. Possibilities are endless...

The only small kicker is that we're moving out of Portland. I have loved this town from the first day I visited so, even though we're just moving a few miles away, it is hard. We're not technically in the burbs, but we're in more of a residential area. This will be the first time either Josh or I have lived outside of "the city" since high school. I am a little freaked out about how we will react. But we've talked through it over and over and this is the best option for us right now. I'll still work from home, or take up a small space out of Josh's office (which he is much closer to now), I'm closer to the Gorge and getting out to the cabin, there are tons of places to run and bike in Vancouver (the city we're moving to). There are huge tax advantages to living in WA vs. OR. Plus we're still really close to Portland and plan to keep up with all of the social stuff we've always done.

For those of you local people (Alisa, Jen, Amy, Erika, etc.) I will host a party ASAP! I can't wait to furnish and decorate this place and start acting like a real adult.

Anyway, thanks for caring enough to let me share - I'm really pumped!

Home Again!

2009-06-07T21:41:00.000-07:00

I am baaaack!

Feels so good to be home, sleeping in my own bed and doing my normal running route. I got home on Friday and have some training from last week to report, but first want to write about my kick-ass run tonight. I did 10 miles, and boy it has been a while since I've run that far. I felt really relaxed today about getting in these miles and didn't fret when I decided to push off my start to later on in the day. I knew that I wasn't going to bail on this run at all. I was actually looking forward to it. I ended up doing my normal river front route and since there is a festival going on I decided to loop through that area twice, which I normally don't do. I felt like I was cooking and didn't really think too much about time - I'd turned off the auto lap on the Garmin so I wasn't seeing each and every mile pace. I'd look down occasionally and do a little math in my head and was surprised at the pace I was managing to kick out. It was odd because it felt relatively easy and smooth so I just held on and tried to keep it up. I could tell toward the end that my body was hurting a bit, but I really held the pace well and finished 10.02 miles in 1:15:56. That's a 7:34 pace!! My avg HR was 170 bpm. Aside from the first and last half miles I didn't stop at all (those were due to stoplights).

This was a huge confidence boosting run for me and I'm happy it turned out so well. I had some pretty crappy runs in DC and was beginning to think I wasn't in the game anymore. Today's run reversed that thinking and I'm totally excited about the triathlon on Saturday.

Now, back to the future: I got in late on Friday night and woke up early for an open water swim clinic put on by the race organizers in the lake we're swimming for the race. It ended up being a 3+ hour clinic with a wetsuit for free and some lunch for free. We had a local tri stud teach it and it really helped me. We went through sighting, congestion, starts, buoy turns and probably more. It was damn cold out but we toughed it out, despite a lot of downtime soaking in the water listening to the instructions. Our last little test was to do a beach start and sort of mock race down the length of the small swimming area, then run out, run up the steps to a fake transition area and strip out of our wetsuit. I was the first one out of the water! WTF? There were about 20 men and 20 women and I'm still not quite sure how that happened, but I know I went where I was supposed to and didn't cheat dammit. I got up to the fake transition area and they were all like - what? You're out already. So, that was another confidence booster for me to store away until the race.

After the swim we sat around and talked then went for a bike ride on the race course. In total we did about 20 miles in about a 16mph avg. Some of that felt slow but a big part of it I felt like I was going really balls out. There was a cross wind but it was still discouraging. Something weird is happening with my bike but I don't blame that. I am a little bummed that I'm not faster on the bike portion but we'll just have to see what happens on race day. (I also came home to realize my back tire is totally deflated and since I have no idea how to fix that I'll probably recruit someone to help me this week - any taker?) Beyond the bike, I have no clue how I'll perform on the run. My 5ks this year have been in the 21/22 range but what will it be after the swim+ride? No clue. I just hope I don't totally break down and get a lactic acid bitchslap at any point. This race is totally a test for me but I think its going to be fun so I am just going with it.

I have questions and issues on race apparel that I will save for a later post, but to sum it up WTF? Why is everything so tight and gross-looking? Why do I require a size large?

Also for another post is HUGE news in my life. I can't wait to talk about it, but will save for later when I have more time to devote to details.

I've been slowing catching up on everyone else's blogs, so I'm sorry if I don't leave any comments for a while. I'm getting there, but mainly so glad to be home.

Have a great week peeps!

Haggard

2009-06-01T18:35:00.000-07:00

We have slaved all weekend and I'm nearly comatose. Last night we took a break for dinner during which I had 3 glasses of wine + 2 French 76's + 1 glass of wine + 2 shots of tequila.

Then when dinner (with our client) ended we all went back to the jobsite and did a final walk together for 2 hours and finished at 1 a.m. With all of that alcohol in my system. Then got up at 6:30 a.m. - 5 hours of sleep. Today was not the best - so tired and a little headachy.

SURVEY BREAK: Who thinks I have a drinking problem?

(Please leave responses in comments. Just FYI, everyone else drank just as much. Oh, and it was fun.)

On Saturday I got in a really fast 5.5 miles that I wish could have been longer. I had to really squeeze it in before dinner and am so happy that I was successful! Sunday I woke up early to get in as much as I could (4.2 miles) before starting work again. Today is an off day (thank god).

I am really impressed I was able to get those runs in but to tell you the truth they were tough miles. Not sure if its the travel but I just feel sluggish and off. I've also been eating my face off and not happy with myself. I feel gross, tired and sucky.

I am so happy to be done with our move and can't wait to spend some time with my parents in Baltimore, then back to DC to hang with my friend. I guarantee that we will drink lots and lots of wine and spend hours and hours catching up! Friday is a full day of travel then waking up Saturday to do my first open water swim! I don't have a wetsuit yet so may have to tough it out Alcatraz-style.

Speaking of the swim....I have a triathlon in less than 2 weeks - are you kidding me? I'm going into this for the fun factor and experience and am really excited. I know I could have done better with training but I think it'll be neat.

Details from 5/16 Ride (Carson, WA)

2009-05-30T13:22:00.000-07:00

I got the deets on the ride that I did with friends a couple of weeks ago, verbatim from friend's email:

24.5 miles total
1:25 total (this might be off depending on how it stopped itself when we stopped) - but its approximately right. i didnt intervene like i could have if i wanted exact numbers.1st 12m out.
average of 16mph - keep in mind this was hilly up, 2nd 12m back - average of 21.5 mph (this was downhill mainly, however, we had wind on us - i bet we would have gone 24mph average with no wind....or about 20mph had we not hit it as hard as we did) just my guess
i don't have exact elevation but shaun looked and we climbed approximately 1250ft. this is more than council crest from portland!

So, anyway. That's it. Above are some pictures from the ride at the turnaround point.

I'm still working away in DC! I am trying to figure out a way to nonchalantly sneak out of here to go run. It is in the 80s outside and I'm dying to get out!

Hope your weekend is going well.

eed

On the East Coast

2009-05-29T20:06:00.000-07:00

(Above is the track where I did my workout last Friday - it was quaint and right by the highest security prison in the world: PELICAN BAY.)

On Thursday I traveled from the far left to the far right coast of this great country of ours.

Today is Friday night and I'm SO F'ING tired. Yesterday was planned to be an "off" day for the travel but today I should have done a fartlek run today. No beans. We're managing a move for work and literally there is no downtime. There IS downtime but it is require that we hang around during said time of down. It really chaps my ass that this is the case, but I want to keep my job so...hence it goes.

I love DC which is why I decided to stay here until next Friday! My parents are randomly going to be out here this week so I will hang w/them for a couple of days. Then I will spend my final night w/a good friend from Chicago who moved to LA then just move to DC. It is going to be good times.

Until then I have no idea if I'll be able run at all. I am going to try to lay off the snacks that I brought but I can't make any promises.

I am so happy that it is basically SUMMER. I've got tris and weddings and travel and work craziness and sun and fun and BRING IT ON BITCHES.

Maje Recap

2009-05-26T16:59:00.001-07:00

(Us at the lake)

It has been a while, but honestly doesn't feel like that long. How come time keeps passing by so quickly? I'm writing this now, at 5 p.m. to kick off my swim workout that I don't want to do (surprise!). Last you heard from me I was about to venture to the cabin for the weekend. I'll attempt to recap my training below:

5/16/09 (Sat) - 1:30 bike + 30 minute run
5/17/09 (Sun) - off (skipped my easy swim)
5/18/09 (Mon) - off (skipped my easy run)
5/19/09 (Tues) - 1:30 tempo bike
5/20/09 (Wed) - 2,200 yd swim
5/21/09 (Thur) - off (skipped track workout)
5/22/09 (Fri) - track workout (skipped off day)
5/23/09 (Sat) - 1:30 bike + 4 mile run
5/24/09 (Sun) - 7 mile trail run
5/25/09 (Mon) - 1:00 bike

As you can see I skipped 3 workouts and only made up one. It has been the trend lately and sucks. I feel guilty about it and know there is not much sense in skipping workouts even when life gets in the way. I have plenty of time to do these and I'm not that wiped out physically. It is laziness and doesn't help.

The weekend of 5/15 I was away at the cabin and had a terrific ride on Saturday. I forgot my Garmin and am waiting on my friend to hand over the stats from her bike computer. It was a hilly ride in Carson, WA along a great road - not much traffic and good elevation, but not too tough. Weather was perfect and the scenery was great. I was with great people. It made me feel like I do actually enjoy biking. After the bike my training buddy (who is new to running) went along with me on the brick run. I vowed to stay with her but we ended up walking most of it. We got in around 20-30 minutes but didn't go too far. I still felt like I got in a good workout and was satisfied w/the results. Later on that day I did about a 4 mile hike in the woods and my legs still felt great.

*****

That Sunday we didn't get back home until late and there was no way I could do the swim workout. If I'd had a wetsuit I could have done an open water swim at the cabin, but I don't have a wetsuit yet. Bygones!

*****

Monday was a 6 mile easy run and for some reason I didn't do it. I can't remember why.

*****

Tuesday's ride was just what I needed. I did this solo in Vancouver, WA near the site of my half marathon back in January. The road was nice and very little traffic - I really had the space to open up and get in a good workout. The workout was a 15 min warm up of Z2 riding, then three sets of the following: 15 min @ Z4 + 3 min recovery + 5 min @ Z6 + 5 min recovery. I am still finding that my legs don't have the energy needed to get my HR up where the training dictates, but I pedaled my ass off and got somewhat close. I did the first interval as dictated, but then the last two I skipped the middle 3 min recovery and did 8 min recovery at the end. I found it REALLY hard to go fast, then slow down, then try to get my HR up really high in those 5 minutes of Z6. So I just tagged on the Z6 right after the Z4.

Set 1:

15 min @ Z4 = 17.4 mph/168 bpm
3 min recovery = 13.1 mph/131 bpm
3 min @ Z6 = 19.3 mph/169 bpm

Set 2:

15 min @ Z4 = 18.9 mph/162 bpm
3 min @ Z6 = 21.5 mph/173 bpm

Set 3:

15 min @ Z4 = 19.7 mph/162 bpm
3 min @ Z6 = oops - I guess I skipped this!

I think my out and back had ended so I cut off the final 3 min of Z6 so I could cool down and finish. TOTALS: 1:26:19/16.6 mph/152 bpm

*****

Wednesday I finally did another swim. It had been quite a while since I'd been in the pool - I think the last time was when I went head to head with Jerry Garcia/Santa Claus. That totally turned me off! So I decided to go to another 24 hour facility that was newer in hopes of finding a better pool. I did. My workout was:

Warm up: 300 swim, 300 kick, 300 pull, 8 x 50 IM order on the 1:30
Main: 3 x 500 time trial effort w/4 min recovery
Cool: 100 choice

I ended up skipping the 3rd 500 and the cool down since I suddenly realized I was really late to meet someone and had to jump out. My first 500 was 8:39 and the 2nd was 8:44. Good? Who knows? This swim helped me realize that I'm not doing myself any favors by missing these swim workouts. I'm simply not getting any better at swimming by not swimming. Crazy logic, right? Also, I'm not getting any better at running or biking by skipping my swim workouts either - its not like each time I've skipped a swim I've gone on a run or bike instead. It is basically a lose-lose situation. So hopefully I've whipped myself into shape on this one.

*****

Thursday I skipped the planned track workout so I could leave early for California. We drove all afternoon and ended up hitting the coast just in time for the sunset. I found a track to do my workout on the following day.

*****

Friday I went to Del Norte High School (go Warriors!) to do my track workout mid-morning. I had the day off and it was actually really fun to get out there. My workout was 2000 meters in 8:30 (6:50 pace) + 5 min recover + 2000 meters in 8:23 (6:45 pace). (At this point I realized that I forgot my Garmin at home, so no recording any HR info - at least I was on the track so the distance was known, but I was livid about this since I had several more workouts planned for the weekend...)

I did the first 2000 in 8:20 (splits were 1:36, 1:40, 1:41, 1:41, 1:40) and the 2nd 2000 in 8:27 (splits were 1:38, 1:44, 1:41, 1:45, 1:36). This was hard. I think speed is getting harder because I'm not running as much and possibly losing it overall because of the missed workouts. I don't know, but I don't like that it didn't feel good. Toward the end of this I was really hurting. I didn't puke (thank god!) but my heart and lungs felt like they were going to tear out of my chest. During my cool down I was thinking about marathon training and whether I had it in me to tough it out and try for Boston. I know I should just focus on the task at hand (i.e. my next triathlon) but that is hard. I got a little down on my myself and homey don't play/like that. Bleeee.

After the track workout we stopped in the redwood forest and did about a 6 mile hike before heading to Ashland (OR) for the rest of the weekend.

I gotta take a break and finish the Sat/Sun/Mon recap later. Off to find something that will inspire me for my swim workout tonight!

I have tons of pictures to share and will post them soon.

Dropping Out?

2009-05-18T19:07:00.000-07:00

Just not that into it lately.

Happy Friday!

2009-05-15T15:27:00.000-07:00

TOTALS = 5.2 miles/42:16/8:07 pace

This was a great run - unplanned but because I've screwed around w/two workouts this week I did this to not feel guilty. It worked! I didn't do my swim workout on Tuesday and today's bike workout is not going to happen. My bike is already on top of a car ready to head out to the gorge for the weekend. The weather is going to be fantastic so we decided at the last minute to go for it. I'm sooo excited.

My workout tomorrow is a long ride + 30 minute run. I'm excited for my first BRICK! Going to do the ride somewhere out there w/friends. Sunday's workout is an easy swim but we'll see what happens. What I really want to do is the Table Mountain hike - challenging and gorgeous! It is almost a whole day thing. I'm excited to relax and bbq and kayak and enjoy the nature and views. I'm so lucky to have this.

Weather here is perfect and beautiful. Today's run felt just right - perfect.

MeMeMe

I Did Something!

Marginal Success

Running Fail

So Far So Good

This week’s plan

Comeback in effect!

Comeback

Yoga Retreat

Just Breathe - Pranayama

Summer 2010

Back

Letting Go

I have a new blog! (Emily’s Yoga Blog)

Lost

I am ALIVE

Inbetween Stuff

Boston Update (quickie version)

Boston Marathon Eve

I Am In Boston

FIVE DAYS TIL BOSTON!

Going The Distance

4 Weeks Left!

Babies, Doobies and (of course) Nancy Kerrigan

6 weeks left?

8 Weeks Left

11 mile fun run

8 mile Tempo Run

Back at it

Let’s Try This Again

Putting it Out There

Is it time?

5 Things

Update

Portland Marathon 2009 Race Report

First Run + Yoga

Intermission

Portland Marathon 2009 Results

Marathon Eve

*Just Married* (Part 1 of ?)

Life Couldn't Be Better

End of Week 7

End of Week 6

Start of Week 6

Runners EFFING Colitis

Picture Post

Cliff's Notes

17 Fabulous Miles!

11 Miles Hanging Over My Head

9 Mile Tempo

Bach Party and Another Long Run

Ok, yes.

One Week Down

Goals Recap

Two-A-Days

HOT.

Week One - Day One

Portland Marathon Training Plan

I Have Potential

Great Weekend

Tahoe: Awesome

Heading Out

Tuesday Bike Ride

Weekly Goals (7/13/09)

Hagg Lake Olympic Tri Race Report

Random Rambling

Thanks!

I Moved

Reset

Breather

The American Dream

Blue Lake Tri Pre-Race Report

Race Week!

The Big News

Home Again!

Haggard

Details from 5/16 Ride (Carson, WA)

On the East Coast

Maje Recap

Dropping Out?

Just Married (Part 1 of ?)