Friday night we schlepped ourselves down to my old stomping grounds, Auburn, for a 5K. The appeal of this race was twofold: it is pancake flat and they give you BBQ that you can eat in the middle of Main Street when you are done. Score!
The race began at 7:00 and it was a completely different experience than I am used to. It is a tiny race; last year there were 162 people who ran it. Such a tiny race does not have chip time, the start and finish lines were chalked or painted on the pavement, and there was plenty of room to get your own pace going and not jostle or be jostled by anyone...totally novel.
Anyway, the gun went off (guy shouted "go") and we were off through the streets of Auburn (Liane - your old house is for sale!! The high school looks EXACTLY the same!). I used to think the town was, quite frankly, a shit-hole. But it surprised me last night. It actually looked kind of cute and quaint and just like a charming older downtown. We ran through Les Gove park and there was music and people were barbequeing and having fun and it just smashed my negative feelings about the place. I am kind of happy about that. Still don't want to live there but hey, its progress.
So my brother has a phrase for when he goes out too fast during a race and that is "going out like a burning spastic". Let's just say that is how I started the race. I felt good, I felt strong, I felt like the 78 degree heat wasn't going to be an issue so I flew down the streets and was seriously thinking I would PR. Then I reached the mid-way point and reality slapped me in the noggin. There would be no PR, there would only be holding on to an attempt to keep my pace under 10 minute miles. I actually had to take walk breaks that is how bad it was. I can't remember the last time I had to walk in a 5K. This was disheartening and a little humbling. Even though the pace was the real killer I believe if it had been cooler I could have held on and at least been able to run the whole thing. There was some blazing hot heat for running last night particularly where there was no shade and the sun was beating down on you and the open pavement. Blech!
So here are the splits:
Mile 1: 9:14 (you see why I fell apart later?)
Mile 2: 9:31 (first half of this mile was still strong; second half went to hell)
Mile 3: 11:15 (ugh. uff-da. oy.)
.10 8:27 (I only put that in there to make myself feel better).
Overall time per Garmin was 31:24 which is a 10:07 pace. Not even close to what I wanted but heading into the race it was kind of what I expected. Official times aren't posted yet but should be mighty close to the Garmin.
BBQ report: Beans, chips, pulled pork sandwich and lemonade sitting smack in the middle of Main Street listening to a band play Buddy Holly songs all night. A pretty nice way to end a race and a day.
Except, wait...there is more. I got home about 11:00 and at midnight we headed up to the Tiger Mountain trail-head to lay on a blanket in the parking area and watch meteors until 1:30 in the morning. Meteor Report: 16 each but we both saw a few the other didn't. There was still a fair amount of light pollution up there but the sky was clear. It should still be going tonight so go out late tonight and stare up at the sky for awhile. You'll feel good.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Thursday, August 5, 2010
The Backyard Oasis
The back yard is finally finished. Actually it has been for about two weeks now but I just got around to loading the pictures.
Kevin did an amazing job. It is almost all his vision and execution. I did help plant things and dump a 1/2 ton of dirt via five gallon buckets but really it was mostly him.
Here is our little rockery with our wee baby plants that will hopefully grow bigger and stronger and hold in some of the dirt to keep it from washing into our pond.
Another view of the rockery and a better view of our awesome rock fountain. 214 lbs that bad boy is; not so fun to move.
Neither of these photographs show it but Kevin made sure to craft a little shallow area at the end of the pond for a little bird beach. Between the bird beach and the feeders they are some seriously happy birds. Mortally wounded bird from last week not included. I was sitting out last night and we had finches, juncos, chickadees, random little brown bird and a hummingbird all at the same time. It was wonderful.
The other side of our wee yard.
I would like to draw your attention to our trellis. You might ask "what is that growing on the trellis"? Well, the answer is "nothing" because the clematis we had on it is dead. The trellis itself is supplying all the greenery. It is made from willow branches and the center branch that we stuck in the ground must have taken root because the "tree" has taken off like a wild thing. We are growing a willow tree in our tiny back yard against our fence. We know it can't stay there but we don't have the heart to do anything about it yet. Currently it is about three feet above the fence line. How can you kill something that has that much tenacity?
The zig zag patio was put in place strictly to make sweeping or vacuuming up bird seed easier. I think it is kind of groovy.
Since it turned warm I finally got the courage to put my lemon tree impulse purchase outside and it is thriving. What you can't really see in this picture are the wee tiny Meyer lemons it is growing. The blossoms are about ready to burst into bloom any day now. I am crossing my fingers we get at least one lemon off of it before we have to move it inside for the winter.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Seafair Torchlight Run 8K Race Report
Apparently the secret to a good race is wine tasting, a cold and anger. If only I had known this earlier my race results would be so much better. Hal Higdon never put any of those in his training plans.
I guess I will start with the anger part of the race. See, I had this brilliant idea to have our friend pick up my brother's bib number and timing chip the day before the race so my brother didn't have to go through the hassle of getting it race day. Since Todd was going to pick his up that day it seemed like a good idea at the time. So off we go to the race, carpooling from my house and leaving in plenty of time. My brother chose not to carpool with us and instead said he would meet us at the race. A blunder. They moved the start line this year to South Lake Union which meant traffic back-ups from hell at the Mercer offramp and then getting to the parking area and then waiting in a long line to pay for parking. But we still ended up getting to the start line with about 20 minutes to go before the race started to find my brother.
Did I mention that the boys didn't set up an exact meeting location? My brother just said "at the start line". Well, let me tell you this new starting area had people packed in like sardines, no room to hardly move on the sidewalks. My brother was nowhere to be found near the start line. We looked and looked and looked. No bro. Now before I continue, let me explain something; my brother takes his racing very seriously. Very. Seriously. He is not laid back at all about these sorts of things. He likes to corral up early and be very focused on the task ahead. We knew he was going to be pissed. Really pissed. But what can we do? We tried. So the race starts and we hang out at the back thinking he might be hanging around and we can see him as the racers thinned out. Nope. Finally I gave Todd my brother's chip, because he is faster and that way my brother's time would at least be recorded at a pace similar to his own, and set off down the course pretty sure I might be disowned as a sister and then who would be my Dude of Honor at my wedding? Did I mention he takes his running very seriously. (Hi bro! Sorry again!)
The stress of the drive, the parking, the frustration of not finding my brother made me mad. I was hating everything and everyone around me. A teenage girl tried to rush across the street in front of a pack of runners and when she fell flat on the pavement I smiled. That was the kind of mood I was in. I was also pissed because the organizers started the 8K and the 5K at the same time this year which created a bottleneck down the parade route. Especially since we were supposed to keep to only the left side of the street because the 5K doubled back down the same street. I felt bad for the 5K runners because there was no signage that said this or anyone directing anybody that I could see and the 5K's had to run upstream against clueless 8K runners who were running right at 'em. Can you say clusterfuck? I can.
Anyway, I was bobbing and weaving down the street trying to get past all the walkers and slow people and kept getting jammed by people. I wanted to throw elbows so bad you have no idea. Finally off the parade route and a screamin' huge downhill on Seneca towards the Viaduct. Except, wait...there were people holding up on this section of the course. What the hell? It is a blissful downhill which is a great way to make up time with very little effort. Let gravity be your friend you freaks. But I digress.
Out on the viaduct southbound to the turnaround and then back up the viaduct the other way. Once again, splitting a street we have always had the whole width of in years passed created some blocking problems. I looked at my watch at the two mile mark and realized that a PR was a possibility. After mile three I thought I had it in the bag but made myself reign it in a little during mile four in case my spastic running earlier caused me to completely bonk. The incline leading to the Battery Street tunnel was a great feeling. People were tiring and starting to walk on this uphill but I kept powering through and picking people off. I guess running the hilly routes around my house has paid off. Then it was through the Battery Street tunnel and into the home stretch. I didn't feel like I was going that fast but I kept picking people off so it felt good.
I crossed the line, looked down at Garmin and thought: Holy crap! A PR. A serious PR. I finished in 48:09 which is a two-minute PR and a 9:41 pace. Not bad considering I was expecting a 10:15 pace based on recent training times. My previous Torchlight PR was a 50:09 in 2006 and I shaved seven minutes off my time from last year.
Here are the wacky, no pacing ability splits:
Mile 1 10:20 (bobbing, weaving, wanting to punch people)
Mile 2 9:10 (included three blocks of Seneca Street downhill)
Mile 3 9:56
Mile 4 10:06 (purposefully told myself to slow down or risk crapping out)
Mile 5 8:26 (Wha? What the hell?! I can't run an 8:26 mile. Especially at mile five of a race!!!)
The upshot is: I ran the race pissed off at our inability to find my brother, mad that we had caused him to be pissed off, pissed off at the poor race organization, pissed off at the crowding during what used to be a race where you could get a rhythm and not have to bob and weave, pissed off at the new start and finish line overcrowding, and apparently with enough residual training left in me to allow me to run a great race and PR. In fact, all of us ran a PR this time. Oh, the 69 degrees and overcast with a slight cooling breeze helped the cause too.
If they don't make a few fixes to the course next year I might not run this again which is a shame. This was one of my favorite races and something to look forward to every year. The old course had room to find a rhythm, more time on the parade route, more energy from the parade goers and a less claustrophobic start and finish line area. I hope they are able to make some changes for future races.
I guess I will start with the anger part of the race. See, I had this brilliant idea to have our friend pick up my brother's bib number and timing chip the day before the race so my brother didn't have to go through the hassle of getting it race day. Since Todd was going to pick his up that day it seemed like a good idea at the time. So off we go to the race, carpooling from my house and leaving in plenty of time. My brother chose not to carpool with us and instead said he would meet us at the race. A blunder. They moved the start line this year to South Lake Union which meant traffic back-ups from hell at the Mercer offramp and then getting to the parking area and then waiting in a long line to pay for parking. But we still ended up getting to the start line with about 20 minutes to go before the race started to find my brother.
Did I mention that the boys didn't set up an exact meeting location? My brother just said "at the start line". Well, let me tell you this new starting area had people packed in like sardines, no room to hardly move on the sidewalks. My brother was nowhere to be found near the start line. We looked and looked and looked. No bro. Now before I continue, let me explain something; my brother takes his racing very seriously. Very. Seriously. He is not laid back at all about these sorts of things. He likes to corral up early and be very focused on the task ahead. We knew he was going to be pissed. Really pissed. But what can we do? We tried. So the race starts and we hang out at the back thinking he might be hanging around and we can see him as the racers thinned out. Nope. Finally I gave Todd my brother's chip, because he is faster and that way my brother's time would at least be recorded at a pace similar to his own, and set off down the course pretty sure I might be disowned as a sister and then who would be my Dude of Honor at my wedding? Did I mention he takes his running very seriously. (Hi bro! Sorry again!)
The stress of the drive, the parking, the frustration of not finding my brother made me mad. I was hating everything and everyone around me. A teenage girl tried to rush across the street in front of a pack of runners and when she fell flat on the pavement I smiled. That was the kind of mood I was in. I was also pissed because the organizers started the 8K and the 5K at the same time this year which created a bottleneck down the parade route. Especially since we were supposed to keep to only the left side of the street because the 5K doubled back down the same street. I felt bad for the 5K runners because there was no signage that said this or anyone directing anybody that I could see and the 5K's had to run upstream against clueless 8K runners who were running right at 'em. Can you say clusterfuck? I can.
Anyway, I was bobbing and weaving down the street trying to get past all the walkers and slow people and kept getting jammed by people. I wanted to throw elbows so bad you have no idea. Finally off the parade route and a screamin' huge downhill on Seneca towards the Viaduct. Except, wait...there were people holding up on this section of the course. What the hell? It is a blissful downhill which is a great way to make up time with very little effort. Let gravity be your friend you freaks. But I digress.
Out on the viaduct southbound to the turnaround and then back up the viaduct the other way. Once again, splitting a street we have always had the whole width of in years passed created some blocking problems. I looked at my watch at the two mile mark and realized that a PR was a possibility. After mile three I thought I had it in the bag but made myself reign it in a little during mile four in case my spastic running earlier caused me to completely bonk. The incline leading to the Battery Street tunnel was a great feeling. People were tiring and starting to walk on this uphill but I kept powering through and picking people off. I guess running the hilly routes around my house has paid off. Then it was through the Battery Street tunnel and into the home stretch. I didn't feel like I was going that fast but I kept picking people off so it felt good.
I crossed the line, looked down at Garmin and thought: Holy crap! A PR. A serious PR. I finished in 48:09 which is a two-minute PR and a 9:41 pace. Not bad considering I was expecting a 10:15 pace based on recent training times. My previous Torchlight PR was a 50:09 in 2006 and I shaved seven minutes off my time from last year.
Here are the wacky, no pacing ability splits:
Mile 1 10:20 (bobbing, weaving, wanting to punch people)
Mile 2 9:10 (included three blocks of Seneca Street downhill)
Mile 3 9:56
Mile 4 10:06 (purposefully told myself to slow down or risk crapping out)
Mile 5 8:26 (Wha? What the hell?! I can't run an 8:26 mile. Especially at mile five of a race!!!)
The upshot is: I ran the race pissed off at our inability to find my brother, mad that we had caused him to be pissed off, pissed off at the poor race organization, pissed off at the crowding during what used to be a race where you could get a rhythm and not have to bob and weave, pissed off at the new start and finish line overcrowding, and apparently with enough residual training left in me to allow me to run a great race and PR. In fact, all of us ran a PR this time. Oh, the 69 degrees and overcast with a slight cooling breeze helped the cause too.
If they don't make a few fixes to the course next year I might not run this again which is a shame. This was one of my favorite races and something to look forward to every year. The old course had room to find a rhythm, more time on the parade route, more energy from the parade goers and a less claustrophobic start and finish line area. I hope they are able to make some changes for future races.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Birdy
I came home tonight from a great three-miler with Amber, who was kind enough to slow down her normal running pace to run with me tonight, all filled with good energy and ready to get some things done since the boyfriend was going to be working until 1:00 a.m. However, Mother Nature had other plans for me. There on our newly constructed, beautiful rockery complete with fountain and pond was a bird. A bird that was very clearly in some seriously bad shape. Aw, hell. I thought briefly about ignoring her but once you see it, it becomes your problem. I couldn't just sit inside and eat my dinner knowing there was a living thing outside suffering and in pain and probably dying. Of course this happens all the time; circle of life and all that crap. Something is doing all those things right now but they aren't doing it in my backyard.
So after a quick bathroom trip I tried to find a place to take injured birds and luckily there is a clinic in Bellevue that will hold them for a wildlife rescue in Arlington to come get. When I picked this bird up and got a good luck at her I realized there was no rehabilitation possible but hoped she could at least be quickly euthanized. She was missing her right eye and the entire side of her sweet little birdy head was stripped of feathers and was bald and bloody. I couldn't just let her suffer so I put her in a shoebox with a towel and made the trip to Bellevue, made my donation to the wildlife center and went home trying to convince myself that being picked up by a big pink lady, stuffed into a shoebox, put into a car, driven on the freeway and then placed in a cage while you waited for your inevitable death was somehow less traumatic then dying in the dirt in our backyard. Not sure it really is any better but it is the decision that I can live with myself for making.
So after a quick bathroom trip I tried to find a place to take injured birds and luckily there is a clinic in Bellevue that will hold them for a wildlife rescue in Arlington to come get. When I picked this bird up and got a good luck at her I realized there was no rehabilitation possible but hoped she could at least be quickly euthanized. She was missing her right eye and the entire side of her sweet little birdy head was stripped of feathers and was bald and bloody. I couldn't just let her suffer so I put her in a shoebox with a towel and made the trip to Bellevue, made my donation to the wildlife center and went home trying to convince myself that being picked up by a big pink lady, stuffed into a shoebox, put into a car, driven on the freeway and then placed in a cage while you waited for your inevitable death was somehow less traumatic then dying in the dirt in our backyard. Not sure it really is any better but it is the decision that I can live with myself for making.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Time To Run With The Big Kids
It's official. I just registered for next year's Eugene Marathon.
I am questioning my sanity a bit. Not for running a marathon but for scheduling said marathon two weeks prior to my wedding. Half-marathon training absorbed quite a bit of time, I can only imagine what training for a full will be like. And oh won't my feet be pretty little blistered messes on my wedding day!
I am questioning my sanity a bit. Not for running a marathon but for scheduling said marathon two weeks prior to my wedding. Half-marathon training absorbed quite a bit of time, I can only imagine what training for a full will be like. And oh won't my feet be pretty little blistered messes on my wedding day!
2010 Goals Update
Since we are at the half-year (plus two weeks) point of 2010 I thought it would be a good time to revisit my goals for the year and see how they are progressing.
Running
1. 5K PR - Done! I did this at the April Top Pot Doughnut Dash with a whopping 29:14. I am pretty certain I can get this record to fall again this year.
2. Run a minimum of 650 miles. I am over the half-way mark but I expected to be much further over at this point in the year. May and June were just sort of wasted months for running and exercise. So far this year I have clip-clopped my way through a total of 344.61 miles.
3. Half-Marathon PR - Done! This was done at Eugene with a 2:21:56. I am going to tackle another half this year but it is a hillier course so this one might stand for 2010.
Health
1. Lose 40 lbs. Well, I am half-way there. I lost the 20 lbs and then have been treading water for the last two and a half months. That really isn't too bad since I have been putting almost zero effort into trying to lose and it also means that I can at least maintain this weight. Starting this week I am back to focusing on the weight loss and see if we can't kick it up a bit for the rest of the year.
Personal
1. Visit one place in state I haven't been before. Nope, not yet. There is a wine tasting trip to Walla Walla in our future though.
2. Visit one place out of state I haven't been before. Done! We stopped in McMinnville on our way to the Oregon Coast two weekends ago. Cute little town and we got to see the Spruce Goose. Also, Oregon gets waaaaaayy too much of our vacation dollars.
3. Travel outside the country (Canada doesn't count). Nope. I was originally looking at a trip to Costa Rica in May but didn't feel comfortable leaving with Dad's health the way it was. Now that that is no longer an issue I am looking at a Costa Rica trip in late October. This is my belated graduation present to myself and I think it is particularly important to do it before I get married.
4. Drink more. We are on track with this one although just barely. We are at a total of 30 bottles for the year. I would like to point out though that that includes bottles shared with others and since we had two dear old friends over on January 2 where the four of us consumed eight bottles of wine that kind of throws the curve off a little.
5. Complete 40 hours of volunteer time. Nowhere close on this one. I have done six hours total including time spent donating blood and attending a volunteer inservice for the Humane Society. I did help out for four hours at the Girls on the Run spring 5k by working the registration booth.
6. Take four different classes. Since I am counting individual classes or session that I register for and not drop-ins at the Y I can only count my 10 week yoga session from earlier in the year.
7. Really learn 10 new entrees or side dishes. This is one I might just let slide off the radar for the year. I have done very little with this other than I have learned a bit more about vegetables since we joined a CSA.
Not bad for a mid-year check-up. How are you doing on your goals or resolutions?
Running
1. 5K PR - Done! I did this at the April Top Pot Doughnut Dash with a whopping 29:14. I am pretty certain I can get this record to fall again this year.
2. Run a minimum of 650 miles. I am over the half-way mark but I expected to be much further over at this point in the year. May and June were just sort of wasted months for running and exercise. So far this year I have clip-clopped my way through a total of 344.61 miles.
3. Half-Marathon PR - Done! This was done at Eugene with a 2:21:56. I am going to tackle another half this year but it is a hillier course so this one might stand for 2010.
Health
1. Lose 40 lbs. Well, I am half-way there. I lost the 20 lbs and then have been treading water for the last two and a half months. That really isn't too bad since I have been putting almost zero effort into trying to lose and it also means that I can at least maintain this weight. Starting this week I am back to focusing on the weight loss and see if we can't kick it up a bit for the rest of the year.
Personal
1. Visit one place in state I haven't been before. Nope, not yet. There is a wine tasting trip to Walla Walla in our future though.
2. Visit one place out of state I haven't been before. Done! We stopped in McMinnville on our way to the Oregon Coast two weekends ago. Cute little town and we got to see the Spruce Goose. Also, Oregon gets waaaaaayy too much of our vacation dollars.
3. Travel outside the country (Canada doesn't count). Nope. I was originally looking at a trip to Costa Rica in May but didn't feel comfortable leaving with Dad's health the way it was. Now that that is no longer an issue I am looking at a Costa Rica trip in late October. This is my belated graduation present to myself and I think it is particularly important to do it before I get married.
4. Drink more. We are on track with this one although just barely. We are at a total of 30 bottles for the year. I would like to point out though that that includes bottles shared with others and since we had two dear old friends over on January 2 where the four of us consumed eight bottles of wine that kind of throws the curve off a little.
5. Complete 40 hours of volunteer time. Nowhere close on this one. I have done six hours total including time spent donating blood and attending a volunteer inservice for the Humane Society. I did help out for four hours at the Girls on the Run spring 5k by working the registration booth.
6. Take four different classes. Since I am counting individual classes or session that I register for and not drop-ins at the Y I can only count my 10 week yoga session from earlier in the year.
7. Really learn 10 new entrees or side dishes. This is one I might just let slide off the radar for the year. I have done very little with this other than I have learned a bit more about vegetables since we joined a CSA.
Not bad for a mid-year check-up. How are you doing on your goals or resolutions?
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Back
Wow, it has been awhile since I posted. There is so much to say but also so very little to say. Things are alright here. There are good days and there are bad days but the days are mostly good.
If nothing else, experiencing the death of a loved one has reminded me of the inherent kindness in people and deepened my appreciation for the beauty and fragility of life. I consider myself incredibly lucky to have such wonderful people in my life and thank you all for the kind words and thoughts. Everyone has been so kind and, with the exception of a relationship with a family member that might be irrevocably damaged, I realize that there are a lot of people who have my back if I need them.
That's enough sadness and gooey stuff for blog posts for awhile. I just felt I needed to have some sort of buffer post in here between "my Dad is dying" and "hey, I had a crappy 3 mile run". Postings of summer fun and running in heat woes to come.
Seriously though, thanks for all your support and friendship.
If nothing else, experiencing the death of a loved one has reminded me of the inherent kindness in people and deepened my appreciation for the beauty and fragility of life. I consider myself incredibly lucky to have such wonderful people in my life and thank you all for the kind words and thoughts. Everyone has been so kind and, with the exception of a relationship with a family member that might be irrevocably damaged, I realize that there are a lot of people who have my back if I need them.
That's enough sadness and gooey stuff for blog posts for awhile. I just felt I needed to have some sort of buffer post in here between "my Dad is dying" and "hey, I had a crappy 3 mile run". Postings of summer fun and running in heat woes to come.
Seriously though, thanks for all your support and friendship.
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