Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Wordless Wednesday
Early morning runs through our Nation's Capitol, taken with my phone, while travelling for work.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Wordless Wednesday
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| One of the white boards in my office....do you save and/or display your race bibs? |
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Vancouver Lake Half Marathon Race Report
Run for the Bling of it!
My first race report, bullet style.............
This past Sunday I ran the Vancouver Lake Half marathon for the 3rd or 4th time, forgive me I can't remember; but it will be the last time I run this race.
On the positive side:
Happy running; my February event is the Heartbreaker 1/2 marathon; a new event and looking at the course, a tough event.
My first race report, bullet style.............
This past Sunday I ran the Vancouver Lake Half marathon for the 3rd or 4th time, forgive me I can't remember; but it will be the last time I run this race.
On the positive side:
- I PR'd (27 seconds, but a PR nonetheless)
- It is dirt cheap; $30.00
- It is pancake flat
- I have tons of running peeps who also run this event
- It was a perfect winter day this year which in OREGONEASE means - it didn't rain
- It is a small event; less than 400 finishers
- It is a FAST crowd
- It's a well supported 1/2 marathon in January, in Oregon
- My training has been totally and completely in the toilet; a PR has restored my confidence
- There are tons and tons of homemade cookies at the finish, made by the members of the local running club who put on the race
- I've done the race multiple times, it is time to move on
- It has too many out & backs; I saw the same stupid park, roads, etc. more times than I care to count
- It is a FAST crowd
- I didn't have any fuel with me and I started to feel it around mile 11; by mile 12 I was running on sheer will power, my energy stores were 100% depleted. I don't think I've ever been that hungry/out of fuel at an event before
- A 10:00 a.m.start; killed the whole day
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| My Bling |
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Perspective
I made an assumption yesterday and I am ashamed.........
I was out for a run with some of my wonderful running friends yesterday morning. It was cold and icy, but felt great to be running and spending the morning with these wonderful ladies. We were nearing the end of an 8-mile loop; with a couple of my friends refueling and heading out for 8 more. We stopped under one of the bridges along the Willamette River as a couple of folks needed to use the porta-potties; this is an area where there are almost always homeless people milling around. That being said, I always feel safe and it is a heavily travelled area. My friends were going in to the porta-potties and one by one they kept coming right back out and moving to the next porta-potty - there wasn't any toilet paper :-)
I was standing aside and heard a couple of homeless people trying to get our attention; I totally and completed ignored them - I assumed they were either pan handling or heckling us. After my friends had checked all four porta-potties and found no toilet paper one of the homeless guys came over with a roll of toilet paper for my friends to use; his name was Allen.
He explained to us that the company who maintains the porta-potties for the city always leaves extra toilet paper with him for this exact reason. He had been trying to get our attention to help us, not hurt us.
We spent the next 10 minutes or so talking with him. It turns out he is a vendor for Street Roots which is a non-profit, grassroots newspaper; they assist people experiencing homelessness or poverty by creating income opportunities for them. The vendors purchase the paper from Street Roots for .25 and sell the papers for $1.00; making .75 cents per copy. I have walked past these vendors a hundred times and never bought a paper.
As we continued to talk with Allen we learned that the current issue featured a story about Dave Dahl from Dave's Killer Bread; I'm sure most of us have heard of Dave's bread - it is awesome. I had no idea of his story though. We wrapped up our chat with Allen, thanked him for his kindness and compassion, & finished up our run.
When I got back to the car I found a dollar and ran back to buy a paper from Allen; I think he was surprised to see me. I read the paper last night and was surprised about how much I enjoyed it. I intend to pick up a Street Roots each time I see a vendor now.
My horizons have been expanded and my faith in human beings has been restored. I will look at people differently now; thank you Allen!
I was out for a run with some of my wonderful running friends yesterday morning. It was cold and icy, but felt great to be running and spending the morning with these wonderful ladies. We were nearing the end of an 8-mile loop; with a couple of my friends refueling and heading out for 8 more. We stopped under one of the bridges along the Willamette River as a couple of folks needed to use the porta-potties; this is an area where there are almost always homeless people milling around. That being said, I always feel safe and it is a heavily travelled area. My friends were going in to the porta-potties and one by one they kept coming right back out and moving to the next porta-potty - there wasn't any toilet paper :-)
I was standing aside and heard a couple of homeless people trying to get our attention; I totally and completed ignored them - I assumed they were either pan handling or heckling us. After my friends had checked all four porta-potties and found no toilet paper one of the homeless guys came over with a roll of toilet paper for my friends to use; his name was Allen.
He explained to us that the company who maintains the porta-potties for the city always leaves extra toilet paper with him for this exact reason. He had been trying to get our attention to help us, not hurt us.
We spent the next 10 minutes or so talking with him. It turns out he is a vendor for Street Roots which is a non-profit, grassroots newspaper; they assist people experiencing homelessness or poverty by creating income opportunities for them. The vendors purchase the paper from Street Roots for .25 and sell the papers for $1.00; making .75 cents per copy. I have walked past these vendors a hundred times and never bought a paper.
As we continued to talk with Allen we learned that the current issue featured a story about Dave Dahl from Dave's Killer Bread; I'm sure most of us have heard of Dave's bread - it is awesome. I had no idea of his story though. We wrapped up our chat with Allen, thanked him for his kindness and compassion, & finished up our run.
When I got back to the car I found a dollar and ran back to buy a paper from Allen; I think he was surprised to see me. I read the paper last night and was surprised about how much I enjoyed it. I intend to pick up a Street Roots each time I see a vendor now.
My horizons have been expanded and my faith in human beings has been restored. I will look at people differently now; thank you Allen!
Monday, December 27, 2010
Random thoughts
What a busy fun filled few days I've had. Here are some photos from my sister-in-law's annual Christmas Eve party.
On Christmas morning we headed back to my sister-in-laws for gifts and breakfast; I think everyone had a great time and was happy with their gifts. That afternoon we went to see Gulliver's Travels (so so movie) and then had Chinese Food to dinner; my husband is Jewish so we "blend" holiday traditions. We laughed about it and look forward to next year.
On Sunday, I participated in a Pacific Northwest Operation Jack run in Tigard, Oregon. This was also my run for Katye's 12k of Christmas virtual run. First off, I SUCK at pictures at races; please forgive me and I forgot my "virtual bib". The course was a loop, just shy of a mile and open for 6 hours; everyone was asked to run a minimum of 6.1 miles in honor of Sam's 61st marathon, a couple of folks did 30+ miles. These folks are my heroes. The conditions were terrible; it was 39 degrees, pouring and windy for the entire morning. Going into the event I decided I would shoot for half marathon distance, I started out by myself (it was a very small event) and I gutted out the first 7 laps. I was seriously thinking about stopping but I met two great gals & we kept each other company and got through my 15 laps (about 14.25 miles). It was the slowest miles I have done in months; I probably shouldn't be too hard on myself my training has been terrible.
On Sunday, I participated in a Pacific Northwest Operation Jack run in Tigard, Oregon. This was also my run for Katye's 12k of Christmas virtual run. First off, I SUCK at pictures at races; please forgive me and I forgot my "virtual bib". The course was a loop, just shy of a mile and open for 6 hours; everyone was asked to run a minimum of 6.1 miles in honor of Sam's 61st marathon, a couple of folks did 30+ miles. These folks are my heroes. The conditions were terrible; it was 39 degrees, pouring and windy for the entire morning. Going into the event I decided I would shoot for half marathon distance, I started out by myself (it was a very small event) and I gutted out the first 7 laps. I was seriously thinking about stopping but I met two great gals & we kept each other company and got through my 15 laps (about 14.25 miles). It was the slowest miles I have done in months; I probably shouldn't be too hard on myself my training has been terrible.
I was reminded this morning that Boston is in 111 days; I must get serious about my training. Here's my plan for the next two weeks, it is fairly ambitious I hope I am up to it:
Monday - 6 miles
Tuesday - Rest
Wednesday - 6 - 8 miles
Thursday - 6 - 7 miles. Warm up 2 miles. Run 2 x 1 mile @ 8:25. 2 minute jog rest between the miles. Then 2 x 200, hard. 2 miles cool down.
Friday - Rest
Saturday - 6 miles
Sunday - 10 - 12 miles
I'm going to work on 2011 goals and a race schedule this week; stay tuned and have a Happy New Year!
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Terrific Tuesday
I'm working to get things sorted out and back to some sort of normal existence. I'm adjusting to the whole grandparent idea and I know it will be awesome to be a grandma. Here's a photo of the parents to be, they are very excited and looking forward to becoming parents:
I'm also keeping my perspective on the flood; it is an opportunity to do a little remodeling, get some fresh paint, do a little purging, etc. Here are some photos, it's hard to get a perspective of the water in the dark but you will get an idea:
I'm working to get back on track with working out; I went for a 4-mile really fun run last night to look at Christmas lights and then to dinner with friends.
On the 26th I will be participating in an event to support Operation Jack; it is 6 hour event, run a minimum of a 10k or as many miles as you can get in within a 6 hour window. I had been hoping to do 15-18 miles but I don't think I'm quite ready. My new goal is 13.1 but you never know what the day may hold. I'm really stepping out of my comfort zone for this event as non of my normal running buddies will be there; I sure hope to make some new friends and I know I am supporting an awesome cause.
Take care everyone!
I'm also keeping my perspective on the flood; it is an opportunity to do a little remodeling, get some fresh paint, do a little purging, etc. Here are some photos, it's hard to get a perspective of the water in the dark but you will get an idea:
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| This is our family room, looking from the kitchen |
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| This is another view of the family room |
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| One bathroom, minus the tile. We're still waiting to find out if the tub has to go |
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| The view down the hall |
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| What is left of the "Duck" room |
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| You can now pass between the kids rooms, would have been cool when they were little :-) |
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| The front of the house as the water was subsiding |
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| The strength of the water pouring through the yard |
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| The water was about 3 feet deep at the peak of the flooding; that is our mailbox |
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| Another view of the Cul de Sac |
I'm working to get back on track with working out; I went for a 4-mile really fun run last night to look at Christmas lights and then to dinner with friends.
On the 26th I will be participating in an event to support Operation Jack; it is 6 hour event, run a minimum of a 10k or as many miles as you can get in within a 6 hour window. I had been hoping to do 15-18 miles but I don't think I'm quite ready. My new goal is 13.1 but you never know what the day may hold. I'm really stepping out of my comfort zone for this event as non of my normal running buddies will be there; I sure hope to make some new friends and I know I am supporting an awesome cause.
Take care everyone!
Monday, December 13, 2010
Pure and utter chaos
I am behind reading blogs, I am behind with holiday tasks, I am behind with work and my exercise routine is in the toilet and I may be getting sick........Right now I either need to laugh or I will cry........
To back-up.....I have been traveling a lot for work and it has taken its' toll on me in many, many ways. I generally really love to travel for work because that is the "fun" part of my job; working with customers, doing system implementations and integrations. etc. My normal time in the office is necessary, challenging but not the part of my job I like the best. I was in Chicago two weeks ago and Reno last week. I'll be heading back to Chicago in early January, Orlando near the end of January, Washington DC and New York in February - my husband HATES it so that makes it that much harder. As many of you know it can be difficult to maintain an exercise regimen on the road; my training is in the toilet and Boston is looming on the horizon.
Kick in the gut #1:
My step-son's girlfriend is pregnant; I haven't even met her. Meg has been through this situation and I hope I can muster all the support and courage that she did. This is not something ANY of our kids are ready for; we're heartsick, but will be as supportive as we can. I can't even begin to process all of the emotions I am feeling right now.
Kick in the gut #2:
Our home flooded last Thursday night; luckily we have flood insurance. We live adjacent to a "small" creek and it rained close to 2 inches in a little more than an hour; the creek just couldn't contain the volume of water. Parts of our home had 6 inches of standing water; other parts 2-4 inches. The entire first floor of our home is basically uninhabitable right now. We're STILL waiting for the insurance adjuster so come out, so we can't move things out, clean-up and try to settle in. We may be able to get displacement assistance, but it is not usually covered with flood insurance claims; it is covered with home owner's claims - isn't that weird? This flood could have been much, much worse; thankfully our family and pets are safe and sound, no one was injured. On a positive note, I had been wanting to replace the flooring in my bonus room; I will get to now :-) Unfortunately, we also will have to replace our less than one year old hardwood floors; along with four bedrooms of carpet; three tiled bathroom floors and I'm sure many more things that we don't even know about yet.
Both of these priceless little items happened during my business trip to Reno so my husband had to deal with most of it himself; he is a saint.
I had been registered for a half marathon yesterday; even though my life was in shambles and my training less than stellar I decided it would be good for me to go run the half. It turns out it was a great decision; I took it really easy, saw a million friends and got out of the house & away from reality for a few hours. I treated this a a long, slow weekend run and it felt really good to get a few miles in. Isn't this logo and medal cute? Don't you just love my race number too......
Have an awesome day everyone!
To back-up.....I have been traveling a lot for work and it has taken its' toll on me in many, many ways. I generally really love to travel for work because that is the "fun" part of my job; working with customers, doing system implementations and integrations. etc. My normal time in the office is necessary, challenging but not the part of my job I like the best. I was in Chicago two weeks ago and Reno last week. I'll be heading back to Chicago in early January, Orlando near the end of January, Washington DC and New York in February - my husband HATES it so that makes it that much harder. As many of you know it can be difficult to maintain an exercise regimen on the road; my training is in the toilet and Boston is looming on the horizon.
Kick in the gut #1:
My step-son's girlfriend is pregnant; I haven't even met her. Meg has been through this situation and I hope I can muster all the support and courage that she did. This is not something ANY of our kids are ready for; we're heartsick, but will be as supportive as we can. I can't even begin to process all of the emotions I am feeling right now.
Kick in the gut #2:
Our home flooded last Thursday night; luckily we have flood insurance. We live adjacent to a "small" creek and it rained close to 2 inches in a little more than an hour; the creek just couldn't contain the volume of water. Parts of our home had 6 inches of standing water; other parts 2-4 inches. The entire first floor of our home is basically uninhabitable right now. We're STILL waiting for the insurance adjuster so come out, so we can't move things out, clean-up and try to settle in. We may be able to get displacement assistance, but it is not usually covered with flood insurance claims; it is covered with home owner's claims - isn't that weird? This flood could have been much, much worse; thankfully our family and pets are safe and sound, no one was injured. On a positive note, I had been wanting to replace the flooring in my bonus room; I will get to now :-) Unfortunately, we also will have to replace our less than one year old hardwood floors; along with four bedrooms of carpet; three tiled bathroom floors and I'm sure many more things that we don't even know about yet.
Both of these priceless little items happened during my business trip to Reno so my husband had to deal with most of it himself; he is a saint.
I had been registered for a half marathon yesterday; even though my life was in shambles and my training less than stellar I decided it would be good for me to go run the half. It turns out it was a great decision; I took it really easy, saw a million friends and got out of the house & away from reality for a few hours. I treated this a a long, slow weekend run and it felt really good to get a few miles in. Isn't this logo and medal cute? Don't you just love my race number too......
Have an awesome day everyone!
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