You're officially reading Clark County's best blog 2012...I WON!!!

Blog readers......THANK YOU SO MUCH!  I won!  I won!  I never win anything, but www.WillRunForCoffee.com did manage to win Best Of Clark County "Best Blog" award thanks to all of your precious votes.  Man, does it feel good to win. Did I mention...I won?  :)

"Best Blog" write up.

The write up announcing winners was an additional insert in yesterday's paper (see image above).  It's nice to see a "best of" list, and not just because my name is mentioned.  When it comes to service oriented businesses, I don't want to find out the hard way that the place I chose is a total bust. Like hair salons.  Vata Salon, the salon I go to, won "best hair stylist".  Who knew so many others in town loved them as much as I do?  Best coffee shop was Starbucks.  Since I end every single long run at either Starbucks or Peet's Coffee, I was glad to see at least one of them win.  Will run for coffee, baby!

A couple of others that hit close to home for me were "best place to walk" & "best summer jog".  The Salmon Creek Trail, which is incorporated into all of my long runs, won the "best walk" category.  It's so pretty there, and I often pass walkers as I'm running. The trail is one of the flattest areas in town - which is one of the best features of the trail!  I could see how that would make for a nice stroll.  It's an official 3 mile jaunt one way.  When injury strikes, I go do an out & back 6 miles at the trail.  Except for this time of year....when it's always flooded.  The Waterfront Renaissance Trail won "best summer jog".  That one surprised me.  I have lots of friends who just love to run in that area.  I dislike running there due to lack of restrooms.  The trail map shows plenty of them, but they have all been closed indefinitely according to signs posted on facility doors.  Such a bummer.  Seriously, City Of Vancouver, it's not at all cool to say there are open restrooms there if you've gone and closed them all due to budget cuts!  Update your maps, please.  It is really pretty out there, though.  Too bad my mother-of-two bladder can't hold it during a well hydrated training run, or I'd go there more often.  I'm crossing my fingers the city will make some changes, and I don't mean closing more restrooms.

The Best Of Clark County insert has also opened my eyes to a few businesses I haven't had time to visit yet, but will for sure make a point to do so now that I know they were voted "the best".  Blind Onion Pizza....here I come!  It might just become my new post-long run/race pizza splurge!

Mid-June marks my two year anniversary of moving to Washington state from Cincinnati.  Though I'm meeting people, finding my way around a little easier, and can make it to the grocery store without GPS navigation....I still feel kind of new.  That might be part of the reason my blog won.  Maybe I'm just new enough, I see things with a totally different perspective.  Perhaps it's like kids & play dates.  A friend comes over for a play date.  The toy they chose to play with was one you hadn't played with in quite a while, but all of a sudden you wanted to play with THAT toy.  Maybe, just maybe, I'm opening a few eyes & reminding long time locals that they really do have great toys to play with!  All they have to do is slap on their running shoes & walk (or run) out their front door.

At any rate, The Best Of Clark County list will truly help me "find my way" to the best places.

I'm pretty sure the wind PUSHED me to go faster

3 miles
29:35 minutes
9:53 pace

Wow.  It was so windy for last night's run.  This was the first time to see a pace in the 9s in quite some time.  It must have been the wind pushing me along.  However, the wind was in my face coming back, and that was pretty annoying.  This is my last run until Saturday's half marathon.


{the good} The wind picking me up & guiding me down the road for the first half of the run.

{the ugly} The headwind pushing me back for the second half.

Ladies Fight Back (self defense class)

***Portland/Vancouver area gals, this post is for you!*** 

Georgia, owner of Columbia Martial Arts Academy, is hosting an all female self defense class called Ladies Fight Back.  I asked her to do this for my female running friends, and she graciously agreed.  I would love a full house for this event since I'm the one who talked her into doing it all...much less on a Friday evening! lol 

I've been taking classes from her a couple of times per week.  She teaches real life skills for all ages/abilities, and focuses on real life situations. I've learned so much already, and would love to pass along the info to my fellow female runners!

Date: April 27th

Time: 6:00-9:00pm

Location: The Academy Building in downtown Vancouver at 

400 E. Evergreen Blvd - basement Suite #9

Cost: $35.00 if pre-registered by 4/20 (checks/money orders made to Georgia Ketchmark)

or pay $45.00 CASH ONLY at the door.

Class size is limited to 20 women total, so pre-register to guarantee your spot! A printable registration form can be located at: http://columbiamartialartsacademy.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/sdregform-1.pdf

PS…a bunch of us will head next door to El Presidente after class for a late dinner. Join us!

My Shamfunk has officially ended!

5.15 miles
11:04 pace
57 minutes

Good news!  I'm out of my Shamfunk. (That's the brain funk that follows a not-so-mentally-great Shamrock 15k race.)  I rested my hip & ankle for a week just to make sure everything was OK.  I continued daily cross training, but no running.  The outcome?  My hip still hurts.  Especially when I go uphill.  Come to find out, I somehow strained/pulled my right glute.  When that gets tensed up & tight, my hip flexors overcompensate & and all hell breaks loose.  It's yet another overuse injury.  I will eventually get over it.  In the mean time, I shall baby the hell out of it, and go to physical therapy.

Tomorrow is a short run day.  I'm wishing I would have done it this morning instead.  It was dry earlier today. Tomorrow is supposed to be super gross in terms of rain/slush/cold.  Hmph.  Have I mentioned I'm ready for some sunshine???

{the good}  I did a LOT better during this run than expected!  I was fully prepared to take walk breaks, but I didn't.  I didn't need to.  Probably because I was running 30-60 seconds per mile slower than I typically do for a short run.  Hey, whatever keeps my legs moving and this hip happy!

{the ugly} We ended up having to stop at the hospital for an emergency restroom break.  Did you know hospitals lock most of their doors over the weekend?  So finding an entrance when you desperately need a restroom is actually kind of tricky.  We didn't realize this until Sunday's run.

Shamrock 15k 2012 Race Recap (Beware: it's a long one!)

Spilling My Guts About Shamrock
There's a huge part of me that doesn't want to discuss this race.  It's now Wednesday.  The race was Sunday.  It's time to spill the beans.


I would like to start off by saying, I left the house without a bra race morning.  Mark it on the calendar as a "race first" for me.  Not only did I leave without a bra, but we woke up an hour late!  Holy hell.  It was like a nightmare.  Have you ever had a race anxiety dream?  I was living it!  I never even heard the alarm go off (not typical for me).  I had trouble falling to sleep the night before (very typical for me the night before a race).  Forgetting a bra, however, is anything but typical for me.  Especially when you consider I set all of my stuff out the night before.  It was sitting right where I put it the night before.  Next to all of my other clothes.  I was so layered up, prepared for cold, wet weather, I didn't notice the missing bra until we were about half a mile from the house.  I noticed a little extra "bounce" as we drove down the road.  Reached up my shirt.  Confirmed my suspicions, and asked Kent to please go back to the house.  He did, but I could tell he was irked with me.  I guess rushing around screwed things up a tad.  What a  way to start the day, eh?  


The race itself was fine.  I've heard a lot of people belly aching about it over on facebook.  I don't see how race directors could improve on the situation.  When you have over 32,000 (that's thousand...not hundred) runners taking over one small part of the city, there's going to be chaos. 

The 15k start ran about 20 minutes late due to a train on the track.  We were in the last wave of runners.  Brrr!

Check out that lady in the background smiling for my self portrait!  lmao

All in all, it went well.  Really no different than last year, or any other large race I've attended. My only complaint is that my official chip time is quite a bit different than my Garmin time.  I'm diligent about turning it on  as I cross the last timing mat, and then turning it off as soon as I cross the last timing mat.  So I was shocked to see I didn't make my pace goal (according to the timing chip).  However, according to my Garmin, I totally smoked it.  I typically wouldn't say anything to race officials, but with so many other people are complaining, I feel as though there might have been an actual problem with the chip timing system they used.  Not everyone had an issue with it, though.  I haven't decided if I'm going to say anything to them about it.  Until then, the time you see listed within my DailyMile account & my race page is the finish time according to the timing chip.  It is what it is. 

I worked my ass off to get my time under the 11:30 average pace mark.  Especially after having to walk so much on the hill due to hip pain.  To see the official time roll in at 11:32, was crushing.  That's nearly 10 seconds off!  I've seen it 1 second off, which is understandable, but not 9-10 seconds.  That's not why I'm truly upset, though.  I'm upset with myself & my own feelings than anything else.  It will make more sense as you continue reading.  I've had time to mull it all over in my head, but here's how I was feeling Sunday afternoon (my post on DailyMile).  Here goes:   

Thinking about this race makes me want to literally tear up and cry. I haven't felt this crappy about a race in a *really* long time. Thinking back to my first half marathon...which went (physically) horribly wrong. The worst part it, I felt OK about my performance - until I started seeing how well other people did. I was actually smiling during a good portion of this run. To the point where I remember thinking, "I better stop smiling like this or people will think I'm weird!". It makes me sad to feel the way I feel. It makes me sad to feel jealous of my friends finish times. It makes me sad to see I really didn't do *that* much better than last year. To top it off, it was a miserable run in the rain/snow. It was really coming down at the 5.5 mile mark (close to the top of the hill). My hip and ankle were both hurting. It took 4 miles to find my groove. I think the bulk of my disgust revolves around me trying and trying to get stronger & faster.....and not seeing the results. Maybe it's time to rethink races, using dailymile, and blogging. Sites like this are supposed to help me feel supported & give a sense of community, but it has clearly had a different impact on me. It makes me feel as though something is wrong with me to feel this way!!! I already know the comments that will be left. To not compare. To see the positive. To look at the big picture. I keep trying to do all of those things. I really do. I try to not complain about this stuff very often (if ever). I guess it's just difficult to see that I work very hard - like so many others - but I don't see the same results. I'm off to be in my own head for a while. Thanks for listening. ***If you have ever felt this way, I would love to know how you dealt with it.*** 

Does that little blurb give you a pretty good idea as to where I was (mentally) immediately after Sunday's race?  It was nothing a bottle of wine couldn't cure.  (Yes, I literally drank a bottle of wine that night.  It was a great night! Wine soaked band-aids heal a lot of wounds. lol)


Conclusion
Do I feel better about it now?  Of course.  Was I tired and cranky, freezing & tired after running in the POURING rain (and sometimes snow) for nearly 9.5 miles?  Obviously.  Was it a difficult race course?  Indeed, it was!  Was I hungover the next day after downing a whole bottle of wine by myself?  Not a bit.  All of that aside, that nagging feeling of not enjoying races like I once did has come to a head. I've come to a conclusion:  I don't enjoy running alone...especially during a race.

What's My Goal?
For the past year and a half, I've run races more for fun than anything.  I keep trying to get a little faster & lot stronger...and I have done both things to some degree.  However, my goals are very different than those of most runners I know.  I simply want to run.  I want to run until I'm an old lady (which is now according to my children).  I want to run for stress relief.  I want to run for better health.  I'm not seeking a Boston qualification.  I'm OK with that.  I'm OK with who I am.  I'm OK with my abilities (or lack thereof).  I'm OK with all of it because I know I'm getting my ass off the couch by doing what I do!!!  There are a lot of people in this world who will not or cannot say the same.  I've run many, many races alone.  I'm sure I will run many more alone.  However, I would like some of them to be not so.... solitary.  Why?   Because it doesn't have to be that way.

P.O.A.
Now that I've depressed you with my Debby Downer sob story of my feelings about the 2012 Shamrock 15k, it's time to let you know my plan of action.  Here goes:

1. I won't be signing up for as many races in the future, period.  At this point, I'm simply not find them enjoyable, so why bother?  If I have to run alone, I might as well do it for free & without the massive crowd of sweaty, cut throat, competitive strangers.  
2. It's time for me to stop running Portland area races that have the same course map/route.  So many of them are the same loop (or very similar variation) over and over again.  It gets super boring after a while.  Plus, why am I paying $60+ bucks to run the same route multiple times a year?  I've noticed several Clark County area races with varying routes AND cheaper entry fees!  It's for sure time to start checking into those more.
3.  I'm going to pick just a few races a year that are "special" to me in some way, and roll run with it.  Either a new distance goal, or a flatter route to hit a new PR, or a change of scenery/destination race.  It's clearly time to shake things up!

What About Races I've Already Registered For?
I think I've got it covered.  I'm not sure how it worked out, but it did.  Everything fell right into place like it was meant to be.

• I'm looking forward to the Wheatfield Half in a couple of weeks.  My husband said he would run that one along side me. He had a shitty (shit pun totally intended) Shamrock race, too.  We've decided to stick together like glue for this next event.  Just for comfort. With this nagging hip pain, I know I won't PR.  That's not why I'm running it, anyway.  I've heard it's beautiful in The Dalles, Oregon.  What better way to see the beauty of the land?  
• April takes us to Corvallis, Oregon for the Corvallis Half Marathon, and also to Gates, Oregon for the Monument Peak 10 Mile Trail Run.  Both races, I'll have buddies to run with.  Kent will run Corvallis with me, and I found out just this morning that a fellow running chick from Portland will be running my pace at the Monument Peak run.  
• Come late spring, I get to run the inaugural Rock 'N Roll Portland Half Marathon with a far away friend.  I know she won't ditch me along the route because she's sweet that way.  
• I'll run my first full marathon in June, and will hopefully have my husband by my side.  This is a hint for him to get off his ass AND REGISTER FOR THE RACE ALREADY!  If not, at least I know several people who will be there running.  I might bump into them at some point. I might literally chance them down if Kent chooses to not run it. lol 
• July brings a whooooole new bunch of running craziness with the Ragnar Northwest Passage relay.  This is a relay, so it's different than piling up at a start line & hammering it out.  I will be alone while I run, but the rest of the time will be spent in a van with a bunch of other fabulously awesome running chicks!  What's not to love about that?
• In October, I'm running the Girlfriends Half Marathon (again), but with multiple friends by my side this time around.  What better way to celebrate having a great bunch of girlfriends & running buddies than running a half marathon with them?

That's it.  End of story. I received an awesome medal that is also a beer bottle opener!  Only the 15k runners received a medal (go me!).  Best of all, I'm ending this post with a smile on my face, and that's a good thing. See below for proof of the smile. 

*proud of my Shamrock bling*

Told ya I'd end this post with a smile.  :)

A wound of the self defense type

I didn't realize how much I need a manicure until I saw this up close picture of my finger!

Just showing off my first my first self defense class injury.  Tiny, but there.  We were working on various grabs/holds when Georgia's fingernail jammed into my finger.  I was actually pretty excited to receive this scratch.  I wasn't as excited directly after slathering hand sanitizer on my new wound.  Can you say BURNS LIKE THE DEVIL?!?  Great workout.  Can't wait until I don't look like such a spaz doing these moves.

Things to work on:
Breathing with each kick & punch.
Not locking my right knee during left leg kicks.

I took a spin class!!!! (sort of)

Faces of the innocent bystanders have been blurred.

That's me. The one in the green shirt with an arrow pointing at my head.  Unfortunately, my stupid camera on my smart phone kept snapping blurry images.  Anyway, I was so excited to spin during my regular Power Hour class at the Marshall Rec Center.  There's an official spin class after Power Hour on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but I've been too intimidated to join in on the fun.  They seem like a hardcore group. 

When I walked down the hall for class, I realized only two people were standing there.  We normally have 30 people waiting.  By the time 5:30 rolled around, there were only about 10 people.  So our instructor asked if we wanted to try spinning since there's room for the bikes.  I blurted out a great big "YES!".  Luckily those who said no weren't heard over all of my enthusiasm.  lol  It was a ton of fun!  I'm so glad she let us try something new.

My only thought?  I wish I had my padded bike shorts on while biking.  Other than a sore tushie, it was fun.  I might just try that 6:30 spin class next Thursday.  :)

A much needed run with a friend

4.4 miles
52 minutes
12:08 pace

Yesterday morning, I woke up to this....

It was dumping & coming down sideways!

Sigh.  Welcome to Washington state in march, folks!  Shelly and I had been planning to run 8 - 9 mile on 3/14 for weeks.  We woke up to 42 degrees, torrential rain, and high wind.   The weatherman told me it was 42 out.  I texted Shelly to see if we were still on for our run.  That's when she let me know how her evening went.  No sleep. Crying all night.  Her best friend passed away the day before.  I immediately responded with "let's not run today".  She insisted we follow through with our plan.  Knowing exactly where her motivation was coming from, I agreed.  We decided to cut the run short, and do a loop in her neighborhood.  Something familiar.  Something comforting.  After a night like her's, something much needed!

It was cold.  Super cold.  By mile 2, the skin on the fronts of my thighs was burning and stinging.  (I got rid of my winter CW-X tights due to them rubbing me in the wrong place - if you know what I mean.)  I probably should have worn two pair of my lightweight tights, but didn't think about it until I was running.  Ironically, my upper body was too hot!  I wore a rain jacket, and should have worn a tank top underneath, it seems. I was cooking under that jacket.  [Note To Self:  I need to remember that Sunday morning for the Shamrock Run!]

My legs are trashed from a full week of cross training.  Saturday's 15 mile run probably had something to do with the level of tiredness, too.  Anyway, we were pushing as hard as we could.  The wind was pushing right back at us.  I heard some great stories about Shelly's friend, Blynda. Sounded like she was my kind of gal.

{the good} Running to remember Blynda.  Also, as much as I dread & talk myself out of running in the rain, there's something really fun about doing so.  Let's see if I still have that chipper attitude during Sunday's Shamrock 15k, where it's supposed to be even colder and rainier than yesterday. lol

{the ugly}  Not layering properly, which seems to be a theme for me lately.  I've posted that scenario more than once in the past couple of months.

RockTape for my bum Achilles

My past two runs, a 15 miler and a 4.5 miler, I taped my Achilles with RockTape.  Santa stuffed it in my husband's stocking, but I'm the one putting it to good use.  ;)

So, for a few weeks now, my Achilles has been bothering me (again).  This is an issue that seems to come and go with me.  (I went up another half shoe size, and wonder if that could be the problem.  Hmph.)  At home, I wrap it with an Ace bandage for support.  I love the feeling of support, and the stabilization keeps my ankle from extending/stretching too much...which could lead to more issues.  However, my foot doesn't fit into my shoe when it's wrapped with a bandage.  That means, I can't wear it while I run.  Time to see if this RockTape sitting in our running basket can help.  I went to the RockTape site to see how I was supposed to use the tape for my specific issue.  Luckily, they have "how to" videos!  You wouldn't believe it, but my ankle actually feels more supported when I use this tape.  I'm not sure that it's helping the problem, but the feeling of support is well worth the effort of applying the tape.  For this, I give it a willrunforcoffee.com 5 star rating!

Here's a "how to" video for taping the Achilles....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67V7y3TT6Wk 

RockTape can be purchased at your local running store. I picked mine up at Fit Right NW in Vancouver, WA. Don't live near me? Try buying a roll on Amazon.com!

Self defense class for local running chicks!

Any local ladies interested in taking a super kick ass self defense class? 


My daughter's scout troop had a class hosted by Georgia, of Columbia Martial Arts Academy, in downtown Vancouver, WA. She was SO FRIGGIN' AWESOME, I went and signed myself up for twice a week classes.  I spoke with her about hosting a class for a group of local running chicks, and she loved the idea.  We're out there logging loads of miles each year.....and some of us have zero skills in the self defense department (ME!).  I would love for you to join me! 

When: Friday, April 27th from 6-9pm
Where: 400 E. Evergreen Blvd. Suite 9, Vancouver, WA 98660 
Cost: $35.00 each

If you'd like to sign up, please send me an email so I'll know to expect you willrunforcoffee at gmail dot com.  Bring your check for $35 that night.  We could go out for a (gluten free for me) beer after class...or hit Vancouver Pizza (open til 10). 

For more info, check out Columbia Martial Arts Academy's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Columbia-Martial-Arts-Academy/148384704998 

My husband talked me into running 15 miles (instead of 14)

15  miles
2:52 time
11:28 pace

After checking out the weather forecast for the weekend, we decided to do something we never do on a Saturday morning.  Wake up early to run.  Such a strange concept to us.  I've never understood the people who pop up out of bed before 9am on a Saturday to go workout.  However, I did just that.  Out of be before 6:30.  On the road by 7:50.  It was kind of nice to have it out of the way.  We had the rest of the weekend to recover.  All in all, it was a pretty good run.

Our 15 mile route

I wanted to take some pictures during this run.  Spring is starting to show its face, and I like looking back through the blog to see all of the changes taking place during the training season.  I managed to take one picture.  One. And that only happened because we stopped for a restroom at the ball fields over at the Salmon Creek Trail.  Softball season is in full swing, it seems.  Kent let me know that it would have been creepy had he been the one snapping pictures of these girls, but it was OK since it was me.  He makes a good point.  Anyway, I was going for "spring" type pictures.  In a strange way, the one picture I snapped does represent spring fairly well. Cloudy, dark skies.  Softball starting up.  Trees are still mostly bare, but not for long.

Softball field at the Salmon Creek Trail

Stopped for a restroom break at mile 6.  I talked non-stop the first 7 miles of this run.  I'm pretty sure Kent was ready for me to shut up.  I finally ran out of things to tell him, so I just ran.  Mile 7 is about where the hill work begins for this route, that pretty much shut me up.

The hill at 7 miles is a killer!  Same with the downhill at 9.  That's when my IT band started screaming!

We stopped at mile 8 to buy a Gatorade at the country store located at the top of the hill.  Then, I remembered I never told him about Girls On The Run, so that kept me chatting from mile 10 to 11.  After that, I didn't want to talk anymore.  I was needing to focus.  He tried talking to me around the 12 mile mark & I yelled at him.  I told him I was too tired to listen. lmao  (I get grouchy once I pass the 2 hour mark.)  I plugged in my ipod, and let my power songs push me along.  Yes, I run the bulk of my miles unplugged. I only use music when I need it.

This was supposed to be a 14 mile run, but a lot of things changed that last mile or two.  We were both super tired, cold, and soaking wet by the time we hit 13.5 miles.  At that point, we decided to keep running until we reached our house.  We normally finish each run at the local coffee shop which is about a mile away from the house.  Anyway, It was starting to rain pretty hard at this point, and we were so tired.  A hot shower and FOOD was much needed.  When we reached the 14.25 mile mark, Kent decided we should aim for a 15 mile run.  It was going to be so close to 15 anyway due to our change of plans, and we were probably a half a mile away at that point.  That last quarter of a mile was so difficult!  I wanted nothing more than to stop, but his enthusiasm kept me going.  We had to take a small detour & run on our cul-de-sac for a loop to make the Garmin say the magic number, but we did it!  I'm pretty sure our neighbors already thought we were nut jobs.  This little trot on our street probably didn't help our image any. We are who we are.

{the good}  The rain held off until those last two or three miles.  It started off with a slow sprinkle, and gradually increased from there.  I felt really great until a BIG downhill section looping back to the trail.  My left IT band was killing me the entire way down that hill.  It bothered me for the rest of the run.  My left band rarely gives me trouble.  It's always the right one.  By mile 13, both of them hurt.  Oh, the joys of marathon training!  Oh, and we had negative splits through mile 9!  With the exception of the hill at mile 7.

{the ugly} Miles 12 - 15 were pace killers for us.  We for sure got tired and slowed waaaaay down.  We held steady with an 11:16ish pace until then.  (We were still happy to make it that far under 11:30, though!  That's quite an accomplishment for us.)  The knee pain was a total bummer, and really threw me for a loop, to be honest.  My knees have not been bugging me at all.  I battled horrible ITBS issues a couple of years ago, and do everything my physical therapists have suggested to keep it at bay.  I don't care to relive the Cortisone shots again!  I'll be icing my life away from now until June 17th.

{congrats are in order}  This was Kent's longest run EVER!!!!!!!!!!!  He was so proud of himself.  We were hugging and high fiving each other as we watched the Garmin roll over to say 15.00 in the middle of our street.  Good times!

Stepping WAY outside of my comfort zone

*S*P*L*A*S*H*

Posted this on one of my other blogs, but wanted to repeat myself here because....I really like hearing myself talk.  Anyway, I'm way outside my comfort zone with swimming, friends.  However, I'm sitting here writing about it.  Clearly, I didn't die during this week's classes.  That's a good sign.  I've had two classes so far, and I'm loving it.  Well, perhaps love is a bit strong.  Strongly like might be a better term to describe my feelings.

1st Swim Class:
The first night, we jumped into the pool, and the instructor told us to start off with a "crawl stroke".  I had no clue what that was.  She showed me.  I did it. I was on my way across the pool, and realize swimming is a lot harder than I remembered.  It's really different hauling a 39 year old partially injured body across the water vs. my old 4th grade self.  Image that.  By the time I made it across the pool the first time, I was so out of breath, I thought I would never recover.  I hung out by the side of the pool long enough to pull myself together, and I took off to go back to the start.  Midway through that lap, I sucked in a bunch of water, and started choking.  I did my best to just keep going.  Once I could touch the side of the pool, it literally took me a good 5 minutes to quit coughing & catch my breath.  She had us practice a back stroke, and then back to the crawl again.  I'm not sure how many times I went back and forth that night, but I was exhausted (mentally & physically) by the time class was over.

2nd Swim Class:
Last night, it was....easy.  Not easy like, "Hey look at me, I'm such a pro...".  Just better.  Calm.  Relaxed.  Breathing was a lot more regular.  We learned the breast stroke, but my brain wasn't catching on to the concept of hands & feet moving at separate times (this is why I don't dance!!!).  I need to work on that one a bit more.  I wasn't as exhausted when I left the building compared to the first class.  I'm wondering how much of the exhaustion from Monday night was emotional.  Have you ever done that?  You get so worked up about something, you collapse once it's OK to do so.  Anyway, I'm headed to the pool tomorrow morning to do laps.  I want to practice that breast stroke before Monday rolls around.  Oh, and PS, there's a reason why those fugly swim team suits are cut super high on the chest.  It's so your boobs don't *POP* out as the water pushes your suit off your body while swimming. Ask me how I know about this.  Guess who gets to go buy a new suit before tomorrow morning's lap swim?

Since I'm already stepping out of the comfort zone to swim, why not do it some more?  In the past two days...

• I signed up to run the Ragnar Relay Northwest Passage race in July! 190 miles with twelve female friends I met through a local running club.  Yes, I do run a lot.  All the time, actually.  However, I've never done a 24 hour relay.  I'll run 3 different times (legs) throughout the race.  One of the times will be in the middle of the night.  We'll get little to no sleep.  Most of our time will be spent driving in a van.  What was I thinking when I signed up for this???? I think I've lost my mind.  On the other had, I get to see 190 mile of spectacular Washington scenery.  It's so beautiful here, and the Seattle area is even prettier.  You can read more about the event here:  http://www.ragnarrelay.com/race/northwestpassage 
• I signed up to be a running buddy for Girls On The Run, a national organization helping girls grade 3 through 5 build character through being active.  I'M SO EXCITED TO DO THIS!!!!  If you would like to become a volunteer in your area, be sure to check out their web site to see if there's a chapter in your area:  http://www.girlsontherun.org/
• I called the woman who instructed a fabulous self defense class for my daughter's Girl Scout troop a couple of weeks ago, and asked if she would be my self defense instructor.  She has agreed to start an hour long day time class on Tuesdays and Fridays!  Twice a week for $40 per month.  With me running alone as much as I do, I feel as though these classes are a necessity.  Her classes were currently evenings only, and I already have classes or kid events going on EVERY evening during the week.  I'm thrilled she has agreed to do this class.  If you're in the Portland / Vancouver area & would like to join me, please do!  You can learn more about Georgia & her martial arts / self defense classes over on her Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Columbia-Martial-Arts-Academy/148384704998

Swimming, self defense, a 190 mile race with 12 other women, and volunteering to run with future athletes.  11+ years ago, if you would have told me I would have a week like this, I would have slapped your face right off your face.  My how things have changed.  My comfort zone must be super stretchy like a pair of cheap pantyhose these days.  Who knew?  I think I'll stop here, though.  There's nothing worse than getting a big snag in cheap hose.  There's no recovering from that kind of action.  :)

Girls On The Run: I'm going to be a running buddy!

I did it!  I decided to kick up my "volunteering" a notch, and became a Girls On The Run running buddy for the Portland Metro area chapter.  GOTR is a character development program designed for 3rd - 5th grade girls, providing them with information ranging from nutrition to leadership.

I wish I would have done this with my daughter a couple of years ago!  If you have a daughter, make sure to fit this into your family schedule.  Even if she shows little interest in running.  It's the overall experience that matters....not running.

This is so exciting, and I can't wait for our first run on May 3rd.  It will be a practice 5k with the girls.  After that, we run a REAL 5k in Portland!!!  How flippin' cool is THAT?

Have I lost my mind? (AKA: I'm running the Ragnar NorthWest Passage relay!)

I'm not sure what has gotten into me, but I've gone and done it.  In more than one way.  Tonight, I start swim lessons.  If you're pals with me on Facebook, you've probably heard me moan and groan about it already today.  If that wasn't enough, I decided to go ahead and run the Northwest Passage relay in July with some gals in my running group.

Breathe in, breathe out.  

I've never done a relay.  I watched Hood To Coast, but that's as far as I've ever gone with the thought.

Breathe in, breathe out.  

The description sounds beautiful! Check it out:

Running a relay race through the Seattle area, starting near the border of Canada and winding south, all the way down to Whidbey Island. This running event will push you and 11 pals, day and night, through 190 miles of stunning Washington scenery. Starting in the border town of Blaine, your team will head south through farm country and along the coast, ultimately crossing over Deception Pass and onto the coastline of Whidbey Island. The race (and your stamina) will wrap up on the southern tip of Whidbey Island in Langley. Better put this on your running calendar, this is a race you will be bragging about for life.

Breathe in, breathe out.  


I can do this.  I'm not sure what the details are yet, but I'll be sure too share them as soon as I know what's happening.  Until then, you can read more about this race on their site http://www.ragnarrelay.com/race/northwestpassage.


Breathe in, breathe out.  


Have to go prep for swim class. I'll be sure to give an update on how my adventures goes very soon.

What I learned to NOT do during a long run

8 miles
11:30 pace

BLAHHHHHHH!  11:30????  On an 8 mile run????  Had I completed the 14 miles I was supposed to do, 11:30 would have settled well with me.  However, my hip & ankle were killing me.  My endurance felt great, but my body parts were telling a totally different story!  I'd rather be safe than sorry.  I've signed up for multiple races this spring, and I fully intend on participating in all of them.  If it means I have to back off & not complete a few miles due to an ache that could go from bad to worse in the blink of an eye...then so be it.

Here's where we went wrong with this run.  We thought it would be fun to do our mid-week 4 mile loop 3 1/2 times.

Pro: I started off in a black shirt, but was able to change into a white shirt at mile 4.  Can't do that when you're doing an out and back.

Con: While I was in the house changing, I might have hung out drinking too much water in my kitchen instead of getting back out there in a timely manner.  This caused some major bladder discomfort around the 7 mile mark!

Pro:  We didn't have to wear FuelBelts since we were running past our house every 4 miles.


Con: I hid a bottle of water in the woods so we could have a sip if need be at the halfway mark.  Since we bailed on the run, I had to go back into the woods later on that day & fetch my bottle.

Pro: I could feel some wicked blisters forming on my feet so I stopped by the house to lube up my feet with sportslick.

Con:  While I was in the bathroom lubing up, my poor hip started to stiffen.  A lot.  I was only in there for a minute or two, but it sure was getting stiff.  Same with my ankle.  About that time, Kent came in the room & said he was ready to stop.  He wasn't feeling well those last couple of miles.  My aches and pains were getting worse as the miles climbed higher. I agreed to stop.  I wasn't ready to stop, but my hip and ankle sure were.

What did I learn during this run?  Being close to home can be a help, but it was more of a hindrance for me.  It's too distracting.  Too easy to quit.  In a way, I'm glad we stopped.  There's no telling what kind of damage I would have done to my hip and ankle had I pushed it another 6 miles.  On the other hand, I didn't complete one of my marathon training long runs.  Kent said we will do it next week instead.  In the grand scheme of things, it won't matter.  I would rather be flexible vs. being obsessive and weird about running.  I do this (running) because I love it.  Not because I have to.


{the good} It was a gorgeous, gorgeous day!  You would never have guess it snowed Thursday morning.  For the first time since our trip too Maui, we ran in short sleeves & shorts!


{the ugly} The aches and pains.  I'm so careful & cautious, but that does not make up for the fact that I'm an injury prone person.  I can stretch, ice, rest, wear all the right gear, ease into the mileage, etc....but that will never stop the injuries from coming.  That makes me sad.

Snowy (OK, slushy) run with a friend!

4 miles
10:45 pace
43 minutes

I planned to run with a friend Thursday morning, and woke up to this....

Upon getting out of bed Thursday morning.

Breakfast time for our little backyard bird friends.

Snow! It wasn't supposed to snow.  Did the snow gods not realize I had plans to run with a friend?  What gives?  It felt as though my plans were being pulled out from under me.  We waited for things to thaw a bit.  The sun came out, and it was so beautiful.  Chilly, but beautiful.

I can tell by the pace that I was talking too much.  This should have been an easy 10:20 pace run for me.  Then again, we got stuck at every stop light in our path, and my Garmin wasn't cooperating.  No auto shut off.  The stop button wasn't working.  So our finish time reflects those little flubs.  In the grand scheme of things, it doesn't matter.  It was so much fun to run an a weekday with a friend!

{the good} Just being out in the snow was fun.  The sidewalks were fairly clear by the time we got around to running, so nothing was slippery.  Of course, running with a buddy was a plus!

{the ugly}  I could tell my ankle wasn't happy.  I go through spurts with unhappy ankles.  I'm uncertain what brought it on this time around.