More pictures until I add a real update...Lola in her "bonnet".

The Cross family, post Pat's cyclocross race. Pat's the real deal!

Here are some Halloween pictures, to hold you over until I get some more details up.

I'm recovering from a busy couple of weeks. I took the written test in Tacoma, Washington & San Francisco, days apart. Nothing exciting to report on that note. Then my cousins Tim & Patrick arrived for a visit. We had a great visit. I was able to cheer on friends in the Portland marathon. Now I'm looking ahead to October 18 & the Nike Women's half marathon.

Gretchen, in front of her harp teachers house, in the middle of an adventurous run 

LtoR Dan, Tim & Patrick

Anna & Jay (waving) in the Portland marathon (sorry for the fish eye style, they were too fast)

the streets of San Francisco

This is my Mom's schwinn, from 1979. She still has the receipt.

I have been spending my free time lately, working towards my career goals. I have felt a heavy level of disappointment and frustration. I knew I had to do something that would "feed" me. I know getting my blood flowing always helps. I took this beautiful schwinn out for some errands and to the local park for some studying. I just spent some $$$ getting it overhauled and in good working order. It's riding smoothly but the breaks are another story. You can hear me braking a block away. I'll have to deal with that another day. Back to studying.

Check out those hot shorts! Gretchen & I at the Biketobeerfest formally known as biketobeerfest.

One of my highlights of the weekend was riding over to Hopworks Brewery for their Biketobeerfest. It was full of fun and delicious beer. The entertainment was fantastic; huffy hucking contest, roller gold sprint races, and rockin' bands. It was a fun night with Gretchen and we crossed paths with some great folks among the crowd. It'd also like to think I had some sort of influence on the detail of G riding her bike in designer jeans!


Gretchen en route


bikey fun


There was plenty of bike parking. Gretchen is training for a triathlon and she doesn't even know it but now she knows about "racking" your bike.


It was a kid friendly event with sidewalk chalk scattered about. Gretchen was professing her love of bikes & beer.


Sara & Jonathan Maus. I don't want to sound too over the top but this guy does incredible things for the bike community. bikeportland.org rocks my sweet world! (one of the beers in my hand is Gretchen's!)

Kickball 2009

With the weather Mother Nature delivered I'm surprised the kickball was as epic as it ended up. The turn out was tremendous. 30+ people. The most evenly matched, competitive game to date. It game down to the last inning. And my dad had to ration out his famous ribs because so many folks showed up. The event's success depends on the crowd. So thanks to all the people who came out and made a fun evening.


Olivia getting down with her tomato & hamming it up


Merrick & Olivia


pre-game strategizing


David got down & dirty


Even my Mom enjoys some PBR


Can you figure who was on he winning team?


post game posse


Larry Sitter's famous ribs didn't last long


at capacity


Lucca & Lola, as cute as it gets

Ironman Canada

I arrived late, Thursday evening. Harmony & Travis picked me up and we were off and rolling. They booked a great room right on the course. It was about a 15 minute walk to the transition area. And about a 30 second walk to the beach on the beautiful Okanagan Lake. Harmony and I had lovely breakfasts each morning while Travis was busy getting race ready. Saturday morning I wanted to get a run in. The day before Harmony and I drove a route so I'd know when to turn back. It's always a little precarious running in unknown territory. But that can be fun, too. For whatever reason, I didn't run that route, I thought I'd try running the course. I was totally unimpressed as I was running along the main route of stores and couldn't imagine running that any father. I got off the main road into a neighborhood. I came across a local out for a run. I asked him of a suggested route. We ran together to the trail head of the Kettle Valley Railroad (KVR). This run was spectacular. It went along the ridge, over looking the lake, and through vineyards & orchards. It was a great weekend, Travis had a perfect race and Harmony and I managed to relax by the beach.


Harmony at our favorite breakfast spot in Penticton.


Travis dropping off his bike. Day before the race. Transition area was a buzz!


Morning of the race...


The athletes warming up. It was a beautiful morning.


Where's Waldo, I mean Travis. The athletes all started in the water.


Oh Canada...


Mike, ready to do this support crew thang!


Mike (L) & Steve (R) enthusiastically cheering.


Team Travis out on the bike course.


This was a the last time we saw Travis on the bike course. It was on the tail end of a lot of climbing. He got his one and only flat right in front of us. Some local, rockstar helped him change it in no time at all. I just supervised.


Spotted on the run course. It's a jungle out there!


Team Travis on the run course.


Harmony & I


Travis coming down the finish chute. Strong as all get up.


Travis, you are an IRONMAN!!

It's go time. Tomorrow night I'm off to Penticton, Canada. Sunday, Travis will be racing in his first and much anticipated Ironman. You can follow, live, on race day at www.ironman.com.

More of the "catch up" game.

August 1st was the All Women's triathlon at Blue Lake Park, formerly known as the Luna triathlon. So our LUNA Chix team went out their to have a presence and support the athletes. Kathy, one of our teammates, was racing. It's wonderful to see all the excitement with women whom for the most part are out their for their first triathlon.

the All Women's triathlon

The following week John, Lola and I went to the city to watch the Twilight Criterium that takes place in the Park Blocks. It's pretty amazing to watch these elite cyclists race. It's cool that it happens in the middle of the city.

Twlight Criterium


The next night Jonas, John, Lola and I watched the movie Coraline in a park. Portland Parks & Rec is showing various movies in parks through out the city all summer long. It's an amazing, festive and a nice sense of community. But we all dozed off at some point or another.

Coraline showing at a neighborhood park


This week I started my first week of half marathon training for the Nike Women's half/marathon in San Francisco. It felt very strange to be doing speed work. But the first week was good. It helps the miles are low.

Travis is racing in Ironman Canada in 2.5 weeks. Oh my! It'll be wonderful to be there cheering him on. He's worked very hard for this race.

Lola enjoying Wildwood trail

transition

This was the transition area for the Family Triathlon.

This is an incredible event I've been a part of. This was the third year of the event. It's a lot of fun. One of my favorite aspects of it is seeing parents who you can tell are triathletes, being the support crew for their children, on race day. It's super low key, untimed event. Anything goes for the child to be successful. 50 yard pool swim, water wings allowed, 2 mile bike and .5 mile run. My role with the event is helping plan it and run the race. My mom comes out and helps manage the chaos of the transition area. She's wonderful!


Dad & dog

My dad & Lola

105

It hit 106 degrees, two days in a row in Portland.

The weather was unreal this week. The biggest challenge was it not cooling down at night. Now, it's finally broken and mid to low 90's has never felt so good. Two nights, Lola and I spent the night at my folks house since they have air conditioning. Thank goodness! Those days, I came home to water and drop Lola off before heading into work and it was hotter inside my house than outside. And outside, in the morning it was in the 80's. Hard to believe 7 months ago we had record setting snow.

Not a whole lot to report on. I have been enjoying my gym sabbatical. I only have one more week left of that. I have been enjoying my time spent with friends and family over the last couple of weeks. Next weekend I will be helping with the Family Triathlon put on by Tualatin Hills Park & Rec. This will be the third year of the event. It's a lot of fun.

The Sitter's, glowing with pride

Lots of updates. First off, we had a wonderful, two week visit from my brother Mike and his family. He and his wife, Wendy sure are doing an amazing job raising the two most incredibly fun, kind, athletic and witty kids, I know.

Dan with Molly & Matt in his 1964 bug


Matt & Molly having fun with my computer


One Friday, during their visit, I got a call from Dan. He had just finished his last long training run. He got absolutely drenched for the last 3 miles of the 12 mile run. I was about 15 minutes from getting off work. I was on my bike and thought, I better get out of dodge before the rain hits. I got about one mile from work and I, too, was drenched. My cycling shoes weren't dry by Monday. But that's the wettest I've gotten on my commute, all fall, winter & spring. Not bad.

Here's a photo of Dan after his wet run


The same day Mike left to return to Montana, I headed up to the Seattle area to take my CPAT test for the city of Vancouver fire department. And I passed! I had a lot of help along the way. I am grateful to all those people who helped me, supported me and believed in me. Now, I will wait and see if I get invited for an interview.

This week was spent enjoying the summer and not going to the gym. Tuesday night, our LUNA chix team was out at a really fun event. I would recommend it. It takes place every first Thursday of the month. It's an urban adventure run. With free beer at the end. It was the hottest day of the year and most folks had the next day off. A great combo for a solid turn out. Then I met up with Jonas for more free beer and a snowboard exhibition, in the middle of the city.

The post run crowd


Snowboarding in the city


And the highlight of the holiday weekend was cheering on my brother as he ran his first half marathon. 1:49. Not bad for a rookie. He looked so strong out there. I'm really proud of him. Along with my co-worker, Jamie who ran her first half marathon. Jonas ran a PR and I saw some other folks out there who I knew.

Dan, pre race


Pre race, L to R, Dan, Chad, Jonas & Jamie


Dan coming into the finish chute


Dan looking studly after he finished


Jonas' super knarly blister

It was a week of getting back into the swing of things. It's always a bit of a shocker coming back to a full work week after time off. Fortunately I had a birthday sprinkled in there to shake things up. My week highlights were an evening celebrating my birthday with friends, my Montana family arriving for a two week visit, hitting the gym, hard, again and a run with BOTH of my brothers and sister-in-law. That was a special "first". Gretchen and I did NOT make it out for our much anticipated bicycle adventure in 2009. My body probably appreciated the rest. On a race note, Travis raced in the Boise 70.3 on Saturday. With a very respectable race performance. I was supposed to be racing in it too. Maybe next year. He is training for Ironman Canada.


Gretchen in the back of Dan's latest love; a 1964 convertible bug, too cute!


Another angle of the Bug


This is a first, ALL three of the Sitter siblings out for a run. Dan is training for the Sauvie's Island half marathon on July 4th. He'll be great!

Well, I made it safely home from Montana. It was a trip filled with highs, lows and about 2400 miles of driving. The highs were spending time with the Montana Sitter's and having the opportunity to take the written & physical test for the fire departments in Montana. The low was not passing the physical. But now I don't have to worry about the possibility of moving to Montana and I am able to move forward with a more clear focus of what I need to work on to pass the CPAT physical.

You never know when you'll come across "the cat lady". I saw her at a rest stop in Idaho.


This was the dorm room I stayed at on the MSU campus where the tests were facilitated. I am so glad I'm a home owner and not living in the dorms. Although I did have some fond memories of those days. Bozeman (MSU campus) is 4.5 hours from my brother's.


Molly, post tap dance performance, in the school talent show. Priceless.


Molly with her sloth painting. Notice the "Hannah Montana" book in her hand.


Matt, after winning the championship game for his little league division. The smile says it all.

Friday night I had gone back and forth with Gretchen about a bike adventure. I've been know to double book myself from time to time. And this was the case. Well both of my bookings didn't pan out. So I hauled myself down to PSU to watch Veer the movie. It's a documentary about bike culture in Portland. I was so glad I made it happen because there is very limited showing of the movie, at this time, and I really enjoyed it. One of the things the movie touched on was Pedalpalooza. Pedalpalooza is about two weeks of bike goodness. Last year I participated in the bicycle speed dating and the world naked bike ride. I enjoyed the events. After watching Veer and since I won't be super wrapped up in career goals, I'd like to commit myself to submerging myself in Pedalpalooza 2009. If you'd like to join me for any of the events, I have a spare bike and would love a partner in crime.

My Mom at Cruz Bay, St. John, US Virgin Islands

Late Friday evening my Mom and I returned from our wonderful vacation. The highlights were hanging out at the beaches. I got some much needed rest and relaxation. My batteries feel re-charged and I'm ready to face reality and resume the j-o-b tomorrow. We spent many hours on the incredibly beautiful beaches, lots of time in the turquoise water and a fair amount of drinking fruity drinks.

My mom and I are headed on a much needed vacation, Thursday evening. Take note, we ALMOST have one bottle of sunscreen for everyday of our trip. We are headed to the US Virgin Islands, specifically St. John. I'm looking forward to a mellow week, warm water, snorkeling, RUM and some Q time with Mom.

All the best to my peeps who are running in Eugene and those under the radar, running in Spokane. Take pride in your accomplishment of getting to the starting line and enjoy the challenges and sense of glory in completing your event.

This is a lilac in my front yard and it makes me happy.

A quick update. I spent the weekend in Seattle. I ran in a relay run with four Seattle LUNA Chix. It was good, clean fun. There was a boy's team of the usual suspects, too. In conjunction with the relay run was an ultra race. It was the first time I've witness that. I have to say most of the ultra runners looked spry, happy to be alive and like they were in their element. Quite humbling.

Before I headed up to Seattle I ran a few errands around town. I was riding through the neighborhood next to a woman with a beautiful, single speed bike. After chatting her up, I learned it was a series of single speed bikes by Specialized. Her bike was the London version. Dreamy.

I will be off the blog radar for a few weeks while I spend my time and energy focusing on some bigger goals. Know that I'm in doing well, just in my deep, dark dungeon of focused land.

To view a video of the CPAT test for the fire department click HERE

The first three minutes are on the stairstep. It's not too thrilling. The whole video is about 8 minutes and change.

Just what the doctor ordered.

John & I flew out to Medford Thursday evening. We had a weekend planed with Karen, Leslie and some running sprinkled in. Friday was a relaxed day. We meet Karen at lunch time, picked up our race packets and called it a weekend.

Here's a photo of John, in front of Karen's work. She's a clerk for Judge Clarke. Very professional. Here parents must be proud. It was fun to see her office. We set of to see Ashland. Quaint town. And had a mellow evening with the race the next morning. Race morning was perfect weather; dry, overcast, calm winds and a few sun breaks. Karen had a reputation to uphold and had no problem with that. She averaged 8:15 minutes per mile for 10 miles. John and I were nice and consistent with 10 minute miles. Leslie and her too cute nephew, Noah were awesome to see cheering us on.

Post run was the Pear Blossom parade. It was quite impressive and seemed to go on forever. Noah enjoyed it. After a shower, some down time and food, we headed out to see Jacksonville. We stopped by a winery and the downtown. Another charming town outside of Medford. We capped off the evening at Medford's local Irish pub with ridiculous amounts of delicious french fries and some other necessary things consumed at an Irish Pub.

I see where Leslie gets it from. We closed the wonderful weekend with Easter brunch at Leslie's mom's house. Leslie's sister and family joined us. Salt of the earth folks. And maybe one of two times the host DID NOT let me do the dishes. A little disappointed with that.

Next up, Mt. Si relay, outside of Seattle. Next Sunday. Ignorance is bliss and maybe you can read more about it on Travis' blog. One week from today.


If you know John, stretching is a rarity for him. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to document it.

Here's a photo of my family at the NCAA basketball game in Portland.
L to R, Dad, Mom, Sara & Dan

I'm burying myself in a deep, dark hole as I study & prep for one of two state EMT tests. Therefore, that's all I have for now.

My parents in CdA. They're also basketball fans.


Personally, not a very athletic weekend. But it was good, none the less. Friday night I met up with a childhood friend, Maureen. We went to school together, first through twelfth grade. She's the only person I can say that about. She lives in Japan. So I'm lucky to see her once a year. We had a wonderful visit.

Saturday I had a study session for my EMT practical test for the state. The practical test is when we physically perform or verblize the skills on a "victim". Then I was off to the Rose Quarter for the third and final session of NCAA games. We saw some amazing basketball. Unfortunately Washington lost to Perdue. The second game was Gonzaga and Western Kentucky. It was an incredible game that came down to the buzzer. It really ipitomized March Madness. Gonzaga won!

Sunday I got together for a swim with Krista. We've started swimming together. She's a great swim partner and helps keep me motivated. Which I really need.

On a race note, I may not be able to race in the Boise 70.3 race in June. I'll have to figure out the logistics this week and really weigh my options. Montana fire department is testing a week before it. And I don't think I'll have enough paid time off between my tropical vacation in May, a trip to Montana & Boise.

Quick update: I passed my final. Now I just need to pass my state tests.

Bike Challenge update: Gretchen & I are both 100% as we enter our third and final week. I almost accepted defeat last week but decided it would have been worth being late to work rather than accept defeat. This week should be interesting. I just have two days to commute; Tuesday & Friday. Friday will be the test. Thursday I'm spending all day watching NCAA BB and drinking beer.

Luck of the Irish & Why I drink beer, mid-race



Well this weekend was centered around the Shamrock Run. John secured a condo for the weekend in the North Waterfront. It was fabulous. Being able to walk to the race and walk home in 10 minutes was MONEY. No traffic, no navigating street closures, no parking challenges, no obnoxiously crowded MAX. Instant shower, food and recovery. Hanging out and eating good food with my peeps.

Harmony, Travis, Chelsie & Bo all came down from Seattle for it. John, Harmony, Travis, myself and three small dogs stayed at the condo. We had a mellow Saturday. Race day weather was miserable. Standing out in the rain, unsuccessfully waiting to meet someone to give them their packet for 20 minutes sucked. But the race and post race was excellent. The race was probably the best I felt out of all my years doing it. Not an overall PR, but I finally felt strong for the second half (downhill portion.) This race is a mental block for me. Every other year I think I'll really train for it and PR (Personal Record). Come race day I am quickly reminded that it's not a strong race for me and to just enjoy myself and drink the beer along the route. Last year that happened. I was SUPER disappointed with my race. This year my only expectation was to drink the beer along the route. Travis and I parted ways at the start up because he lined up with the 7 minute mile group. I opted for the 10 minute mile group and saw my co-worker, Jamie, who was doing her first 15k. She rocked it. Then within the first 1/4 mile Gretchen spotted me. Which was a pleasant surprise. I know Gretchen doesn't believe me but I love running the first half of races with her because it keeps me at a comfortable pace. And usually we enjoy the conversation. We high fived at the Chart House and then I let the "wheels come off". I caught up with Jamie long enough to slap her on the ass, scare her half to death and carried on. I had some splits that made me think the miles were inaccurate. I did the first 4 miles in 45 minutes and the last 5.3 in 45 minutes.

But post race was even better. My parents came over to the condo and threw the food in the oven. It was a great visit with wonderful people. Ridiculously delicious food, highlighted by homemade cinnamon rolls. (Thanks Cara!) If you are going to be given disappointing news, for me, I couldn't have asked for better company to be surrounded with. I was thinking about all the people who were a part of the weekend and my friends and family are an incredible gift. Life is too short to not drink the beer, and it's a reminder to not take myself, running or life too seriously.

I really need to get to bed. I have my EMT final tomorrow. Then Thursday is the dance, March Madness...in Portland.

Chelsie & Bo


Harmony & I


Johnny Bravo & I


Travis. Breakfast of champions--chocolate truffles


Cash & I

Bike Commute or Die

Last weekend, on our run, I mentioned that I need to recommit to my bike commute because I have been a big slacker. Gretchen mentioned she'd like to get in on that. Being the friendly competitive person she is, she proposed a bike commute challenge. Since I am equally friendly competitive, I was up for a challenge. It got me through last week. We are both at 100% after week one. We have two more weeks of the challenge.

Sometimes on my commute in, I see some of the same people or share most of the route with someone else. That happened Friday. It was great on a couple of different levels. I'm usually running late so it helps me push the pace and go a little faster. Again, friendly competition. After covering 30 blocks and waiting for the green light to cross the river I chatted with my fellow bike commuter. Turns out he was riding to the Tualatin/Sherwood area from NE Portland. Sure makes my commute look along the lines of wimpy.

So the winner of the bike commute challenge gets to choose a bike adventure for us to partake in. The photo is from a bike adventure we enjoyed over the summer.

Oh yeah, for those not in Portland, we had a trace of snow on the ground this morning.

Music, ice baths & fashion


Friday night, Jonas and I caught a great show at the Wonder Ballroom. Gary Jules opened and Donavon Frankenreiter was the headliner. Great venue, good times and a nice evening of music.


Eric & Lola

Saturday morning I met Gretchen & Eric for a run up Terwilliger. We put in 7+ miles. Then I got Lola from the car and she and I put in a few more miles.


Fancy boots

Post run, after a creative recovery drink; a hot chocolate made with 2% milk. I caught some wicked sales. From time to time I purchase expensive items. But vary rarely do I pay full price. I found a great pair of jeans and boots. The boots were 75% off and the jeans were 50%+ off. Nothing like a good sale. When I got home and ate some real food. I took my infamous ice bath. I learned a hard ice bath lesson last week. I think the water is significantly colder in the winter that comes out of my tap. So this week I just filled the tub with cold water, no ice and it was plenty cold. Now I need to get a nap in.


Oh yeah, we got, yet again, a trace of snow this week.

Too Much Information (TMI)

Among the content of my blog that I prefer not to discuss with the whole internet world are my work and my "personal" life. Or lack of. After my must current rejection I was tempted to post this guy's photo with blacked out eyes. With a wave of maturity and the individuals approval in this photo, I'd like to post a different photo.

This is Heidi Swift & her squeeze Sal. (Photo courtsey of Heidi Swift)
I adore this photo on many levels. I don't really know Heidi or Sal. I shared a table and a fun evening with them at a local brewpub, Hopworks. They were gracious enough to share their table because it was a crowded evening and they had two chairs to spare. And now I follow her blog and she's totally my female athlete hero. Back to the photo. I think it says a lot about their relationship. Again, I don't really know them but from what I've picked up, it's the type of relationship I'd like to have. Sal totally adores, loves and respects Heidi. He seems so proud of her in this photo. They are sharing her athletic accomplishment.

I wrote this entry a day ago and ever since then have been reflecting on why I was moved to share it. I think there are two reasons; 1) I was trying not to spend the energy bashing the latest guy who rejected me, 2) Many people who are near and dear to me seem fairly invested in me finding a squeeze. I think, sometimes, maybe even more invested than I am.

Even though I feel very blessed with those who are in my life, it would be wonderful to have an opportunity to have a really fantastic relationship with some equally fantastic guy. Maybe it'll happen, maybe it won't. I'm not too attached to the outcome.

Recently I made an attempt to put myself out there with a guy I felt like I had a strong connection with. He runs, went to the same high school as I (at a different time) which has earned him a membership in the "Catholic mafia", believes in ice baths, to mention a few things. It would have made a wonderful story of how we met. Well, the long story short, "he's just not that into me" and didn't call me back. I know this scenario all too well. And it brings me back to the space of I'd much rather live my life by myself that to put up with such bullshit. And ya know what, I don't really have much desire do the whole internet dating thing. I know it's worked for a lot of folks and maybe it will for me in the future but right now it just seems too damn time consuming.

I appreciate all the support and love I consistently get from my friends and family. And I know they want to see me find that great guy. And I appreciate their efforts to aid in that process. You know who you are. But it'll take a very special guy who will adore, support me and respect my strong sense of self. To steal the song title from Griffin House -- The Guy Who Says Goodbye to You is Out of His Mind.

Adria & Brent (far left & far right)

It was a week jam packed and full of Goodness. Pun intended.

One of the highlights was bringing a meal to Adria & Brent who had their first CHILDREN right before Christmas. It was wonderful to visit with them and meet little Ailiyah & Ephraim. They are doing well. And exhausted as you can imagine with six week old twins.

This is a photo of me in their kitchen, prepping my infamous burritos. I was giving Brent the 411 on an iphone and he seems to be learning quickly.

My weekend plans consisted of an 80's dance off Friday night. But that didn't pan out because the DJ was sick. I think it was for the better because we all struggled to make it out. Then Saturday was local bands covering 80's love ballads. It was a blast and totally glutinous.

Here's a photo of one of the bands setting up. Leslie complimented this guy's mustache and said it remind her of Kevin. It's a little hard to see but go with me on this.

Then this morning John and I had planned on riding in the organized event; The Worst Day of the Year Ride. We had never done it before but it sounded like fun. But when it was time to get up and I woke up to the sound of wind blowing rain on my bedroom window, it didn't sound so good. We decided to bail. I managed to get out for an 8 ish mile run. It wasn't raining but the wind was still pretty fierce. But by about mid day, it was totally beautiful. Calm, sunny and mild. We felt like chumps. But at least we were warm and dry. There's always next year.

A beautiful February day in Portland

This week, we had two incredibly sunny days with temperatures reaching the upper 50's. Last week we, also, saw a lot of the sun but the temperature was frosty.

I had a great ride to and from work, on one of the beautiful mornings. On my ride home, there were folks getting a late afternoon beer, sitting outside on the picnic table. I think it's a great way to soak up the sun. I got home and put on my running shoes. So many others were out enjoying the sun. I stopped to talk to some folks walking a pug. When I got to one of my favorite flights of stairs, there was a cat who was letting me know it wasn't moving or intimidated by me. It's the little things that make me smile.

Well my race calendar is closer to being solidified. Here's what I have in the works...

March 15, Shamrock 15k run
June 13, Boise half Ironman (part of the 70.3 series)
July 10 & 11, not officially, but hopefully, the Seattle to Portland bike ride, affectionately know as STP in these parts

Possibly the Nike women's half marathon and I'd love to get in one or two more triathlons.

On a side note, we've had more snow. Yup. Totally unusual. Saturday night and woke up to a good inch Sunday morning. Then more today. I rode my bike to work. It was cold but dry. About two miles from work I wondered to myself "what is that hitting my jacket? Oh, I think that might be freezing rain. It sure stings my face." Then I got to work and it started snowing and it snowed for several hours, sticking and the whole nine yards. This winter is like no other.

My commuter bike. Notice the travel mug.

I have been meaning to blog but feel like I don't have a whole lot to report. I am happy to be back into my routine. I've just finished my second week of class. Unfortunately I only rode my bike to work once this week. I was hoping for three days. But Thursday I couldn't get my ass out the door in time. And today, it was 28 degrees. I'm just not comfortable, in our wet climate, riding when it's below freezing. But Tuesday when I rode to work, I had the biggest smile on my face and I was in a wonderful. Riding my bike to work makes me very happy. Driving does not.

I am trying to get my race calendar figured out. Hopefully I'll have that more solidified in the next few weeks. Also my Mom and I are planning a trip to the US Virgin Island of St. John. Hopefully, that too, will be booked in a few weeks.

I'm just looking forward to the year and really working hard towards the goal of a career in firefighting.

All the best.

Tuesday I had my one and ONLY snow day. I didn’t have to go into work. I rallied a neighbor Monday night so I could have someone to play with.

Tuesday morning I woke up with the mission of getting out of the house. MAX (our mass transit light rail system) was running. Buses were very limited. So I took the MAX to the transit center towards town. From there I was going to bus it but only a few select bus routes were running. Even buses were getting stuck. I was giddy with excitement that I was out and about, not holed up in my house.


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My first stop was the hardware store. I was looking for a setscrew for a doorknob. My dad suggested I go to this old hardware store in town, Chown’s. It was super fancy there. Pretty much one big showroom. They didn’t have what I was looking for but recommended a place close by that did. While at Chown’s I utilized their bathroom. Which ended up being as fancy as their showroom. The toilet seat was heated and had bade (sounds like “baa-day”) like features.



Then I headed to REI for a little Christmas shopping and to see if I could rent some snowshoes. I was able to get one of the few pairs available. They came in handy. I used them to get to work and anywhere else. While in the neighborhood, I stopped by Station 3, where Dan works. I always seem to have good timing and show up around mealtime. I had a nice lunch with Dan and the rest of the crew.


Wednesday I was back at work. Not much to report on that end. My parents picked me up since my car was stuck in my garage by the gigantic amounts of snow in my driveway. We caught a nice Christmas Eve mass and I spent the night with them. Christmas was super mellow. Dan ended up working. I had a nice walk/snowshoe with my Dad around the neighborhood.




Growing up, we had a lot of fun at the elementary school that is at the end of my parent’s street. We came across these two walls built out of snow, at the school. I’m sure there was an epic snowball fight around them.

Then my parents and I had a nice dinner.

I headed back home Christmas evening because I was working the following morning. Much to my Dad’s chagrin, we drove to Dan’s house to pick up this incredible seasonal beer I’ve discovered. I put Dan on a mission to pick some up because I was worried it will be all gone, soon. Then upon my pressure, among the dicey road conditions, we stopped by the station Dan was working at, in the Woodstock neighborhood, to say “hi & Merry Christmas”.


Friday when I got off work, I was finally able to get my car out of the garage due to warming temperatures and a rockin’ Dad who shoveled my driveway. I was a little over zealous. After running errands, I swung by Station 3. When I was parking in the lot, with very little clearance, I slid on the snow pack, right into someone’s bumper. The Subaru now is officially, majorly dented. The crew and I went out to dinner. They had several calls during the meal. As always it’s fun to hang out with my brother and the rest of the firefighters. They’re very good to me. Forgiving me of running into their bumper, feeding me and shopping for me, to name a few examples.

The snow has pretty much melted. Folks are ready to get back into the routine. I’ve slept in until 9 & 8 this weekend. A true sign I’m out of my routine. I went to run on the treadmill, at the gym yesterday morning. The line was 5 deep of people waiting for a free treadmill. I now remember why I don’t like the gym. I didn’t join that line. It was better at the pool today. And I’ve decided swimming is my yoga. I always feel so good after a swim.

I’m off shortly to celebrate Gretchen’s birthday. And I must remember to check up on the Beaver Freezer triathlon registration. If you find out when it opens up, drop me a line.

Washer & Dryer "closet"

The "arctic blast" is getting really serious. Snow drifts, probably upwards to 2-3 FEET. I really need to find a neighbor who would go play in the snow with me. Lola doesn't quite cut it. I think she needs to go to the bathroom in a serious way. The snow drifts have a layer of ice on them. There's no way I could get my car out of the garage. I can't go out my back door and I had to shovel the area in front of my washer & dryer. (Yeah, it's a funky set up, in a closet, only accessible from the outside). All because of the snow drifts. I'm occupying my time by uploading mixed cd's into my itunes, making custom ringtones and maybe I'll settle in for a movie or two. Or read. Or maybe drink...

On another note, my parents are scheduled to fly out to Montana tomorrow evening, to spend Christmas with the grandkids. I hope they'll make it. The bigger challenge may be convincing my dad to let me drive them to the airport. "We'll see" is his classic response.


Back Door

A week ago was the beginning of the "arctic blast '08". Well that's what the newcaster's have been calling it. It's like nothing I have ever experienced here in Portland before. Many of the schools were closed all week. It's been snowing off and on, all week. Not letting up anytime soon because the temperature is staying below freezing. I'm worried what my electricity bill will be. It felt like I was one of the few people working all week. I was pretty pissed for the first half of the week. One never loses hope for a snow day. No matter the age. Then I got over it. Work was easy. I struggled with feeling a bit stir crazy. John spared me one evening and we went and watched Four Christmases. Another evening I drank a couple of gin & tonics while baking cookies. Fortunately I unfroze my gym membership two weeks ago. I've swam twice, and hit the treadmill a few times. It seems to help me from going too nuts. I've never been good at sitting still. Lola has been with me all week. Because of the cold temps and not wanting to leave her at home, twice I took her to work with me. She was really well behaved and everyone enjoyed seeing her. She's popular, what can I say.

Friday night, I went over to Jonas'. He had a friend, Eric, visiting from California. It was a fun evening, great to see his place and Lola enjoyed seeing him, too.

I don't think I've mentioned this on the blog but I pulled the trigger last month and signed up for a half ironman triathlon. The race is taking place in Boise, Idaho on June 13. I look forward to getting back into that training mode.


I can't believe it's Christmas week. My parents will be flying out to Montana to spend it with the grand kids. Dan and I may go to the mountain for the day. It depends on what we feel like doing and how the snow conditions are. It's been at least 5 years since I've been snowboarding. Hopefully I'll come out of the experience (if we make it happen) unscathed.

I'm curled up on the couch with Lola. I may have found a task to occupy myself. I discovered how to make ringtones, from my music collection, for my iphone. It's ridiculously fun and I want to make a different ringtone for all my contacts. I know, totally nutty.

I have some updating. Nothing exceptional but all good stuff.

I finished my EMT course for the quarter. It's great to have a four week break. I have one quarter left that goes through mid-March, then I'll test with the state in early April.

Last weekend there was a cyclocross championship in town. There were two days of racing. That sport is amazing. Incredible athletes who can also drink. There were two LUNA Chix pros in town, racing. Here's a link to a great blog that has some next level photos. The Friday before the race, packet pickup was at this fabulous brewery, Hopworks Urban Brewery (HUB). A co-worker/friend, John and I went to the brewery to rub shoulders with the athletes. Okay, John was picking up his number and I was hoping to pick up some other numbers.

Here's John...


Last week, I had a busy social calendar. Christmas party at the Yates, with an epic white elephant exchange. Watching a great high school basketball game. Gretchen is coaching the JVII team at Century. Work Christmas party. Happy hour with LUNA Chix teammates. A pedicure and dinner with my Mom.



Now this weekend. It's been a much needed, mellow. The weather was calling for a crazy "Arctic storm". Usually we only get one snowfall, in February. Regardless, I needed to get my tires rotated. I'm a little nuts and decided to beat the rush and was at Sears tires, at opening on Saturday(7:30am). And they had me in & out. Well the blistery weather came today. I'm the nutso one who goes across town, over the highway with the highest elevation, to pick up Lola. We made it to Gretchen's and back, safely. But the roads are a mess. I've never been one to sit still or do what's wisest.

Downtown, Pioneer Place

It was a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend. Thanksgiving day was mellow. I started out the day with a run with Gretchen, Eric & Lola. It was a beautiful morning. Then my parents met me at my house for a little work around the house. Minor stuff. Then we headed to my folks house. I cooked a couple of dishes. It was a relaxing. Dan showed up a couple of hours later. It was just the four of us. Fabulous food, great company and many laughs. Friday was a mellow day at work. For once, I can say when I crossed the Hawthorne bridge, via bike, on my way to work, I was the only commuter crossing the bridge. I don't think I've experienced that before.

Saturday after a lovely run with Susan (it was her birthday!), Rebecca & Anna on a trail near the zoo, I headed up to Seattle. It was great to see my Seattle friends. This morning, Chelsie, Bo & Alex ran in the Seattle half marathon. They all ran really strong and had great races. The weather was unusually, perfect. No rain and a mild 53 degrees.

I have my EMT final this week. I'm looking forward to having about five weeks off from class. And laying low for December. Well, as low as one can for December.


Do they look like a happy family, or what?!


Chelsie, Bo & Alex after 13.1 hilly miles


Jennifer & John

Are they runners or the biggest fans of 80's music?

80's video dance attack was EPIC!
It was my running friends and a couple of others sprinkled in there, unleashing their alter egos and tearing up the dance floor. All I can say is I had a blast. And look forward to making this happen again. Maybe next time I'll bust out some 80's getup.

Saturday I attempted to recover from my big night out and ran errands. I swung by the apple store and this is what I saw...

Seen at the Apple store in Portland

After running errands I took my first of two naps. Staying out late isn't as easy as it used to be. After nap number two I headed out to watch the University of Portland Women's soccer team in the third round of the playoffs. They are really some of the best soccer to watch. They won and play Standford, at Standford on Friday. There was one player in particular who was so talented and fun to watch. Megan Rapinoe. I think what impressed me the most was how she put everything on the line and played with her whole heart.

Sunday I ran with the crew, ran some more errands and worked on my napping skills. I really don't enjoy anything about my Costco experience but it serves its purpose. So I got gas and than ran inside for two items; almonds & cheese. As I was walking from my car to the store. I got stopped in the parking lot between an enormous pickup having to do a 2 point parking job to fit. As I tried to get around the pickup there was a car that had their passenger side window down. I was going to walk around the passenger side of it. But then realized they were throwing waffles out the window. Yup. I thought that takes littering to a whole next level. Then I realized their intention was to feed the birds. It just made me want to get the heck out of there even faster than I normally do.

Gas at the Portland Costco November 23, 2008

Left to right: Uncle Steve, cousin Patrick, dad (Larry), bro Dan, me, Gus (the dog)

We'll here's the proof, I went hunting. That was the trip that my dad wanted to take with his kids, so I obliged. And it was a fun trip. Not pictured was, a family friend, Pat M. It was a lot of traveling to get to Burke, South Dakota. But it could have been worse than it was. The weather was cold, the hunting was good and the company was priceless. I learned on our travels home, if you're over fifty and delayed is spoken, in reference to your flight, you head straight to the bar. I wouldn't have wanted to be rude, so I joined the over fifty crowd. We traveled through four airports to get home. Only one more than originally scheduled. Now I'm looking forward to mellower weeks ahead.


Brutus, the bird dog & I

I had a wonderful time in Montana. It was special to spend Halloween with the kids. I forget how magical those "holidays" are with children. And I successfully scared them when I appeared as Frankenstein. I spent some time helping in Molly's classroom. And was able to help Matt with one of his projects at school. It's a blast to see them in action.

Molly

Now I'm off for another adventure. I'm headed to South Dakota with my Dad and brother, Dan. We'll be meeting my uncle Steve and cousin Patrick there. Mike blew through town this weekend to catch the UM vs. PSU football game. We all had dinner at my folks last night. It's a rare and precious time with the whole family together. Then we spontaneously caught an excellent high school girls' volleyball playoff game. Central Cathlolic vs. Jesuit. Unfortunately CC lost. But it was great volleyball.

I almost forgot to mention what we're doing in SD. Hunting pheasant. Yup. Not really my cup of tea, but I can take one for the team. That was the trip my dad wanted to do with his kids and that's what he's getting. No promises on pictures of it...

The Montana Sitter's

I have arrived in Montana. I'm here to spend Halloween with my brother, Mike and his family. I'm really excited. Wendy has some plans in store for us to create some sort of mad scientist/Frankenstein haunted room. I'm ready to rock it out. Matt is 9 and Molly is 7. Great ages and I've never celebrated Halloween with them. Should be fun!

Craig, back in his bachelor days

A wedding and sunny, fall ride. Those were the highlights of my weekend. Craig and Melanie got married. It was a lovely ceremony and a joyous celebration. Although it's still a little surreal. I remember when Craig turned 21. It seems not too long ago.

A side note, Gretchen had a fantastic PR (personal record) last weekend in the San Francisco half. I can guarantee you she won't read this but if you read this and know her, be sure to congratulate her.

We have had some incredible autumn weather this week. I got outside and enjoyed it today. I went on a bike ride with a friend. I think dodging all the other people also out and enjoying it was more challenging than a game of frogger. The yard work will just have to wait.

This week ahead I have my mid-term for my EMT course then Wednesday I'm headed to Montana to spend Halloween with my niece and nephew. I'm really looking forward to the visit.

Gretchen at the BART stop, Friday night

The expo was fine. Gretchen decided to wait in line for the massage. I opted to go wedding present shopping, across the street at Macy's. It worked out well for both of us. We had a really low key day Saturday. We went back to the hotel and watched the movie Sex in the City. Karen arrived mid afternoon. We walked through Chinatown to reach our fantastic Italian restaurant Susan made reservations at. It was a delicious dinner and great company. Gretchen, Karen & I hit the hay early and were ready to run.

Race morning was overcast and crisp. Perfect running weather. This race has 20,000 runners. All considering, it's very well organized and each year they dial it in even more. We were lucky enough to see Bhavna before the start but we quickly split up to run our own race. This race has a lot of really great things about it but I found myself getting frustrated with some of the runners who I had to get around. I was shocked at the amount of runners who were stopping to take photos. Regardless of the runners lack of seriousness, with 20,000 of them, it's going to be crowded. I did a good job of starting off slow and speeding up each mile. But also realized with the obstacles I may not hit my time goal - 2:15. So around the point when we're running through Presidio Park (where my grandparents are buried), I spotted two handsome spectators, with bikes, drinking PBR. I decided to join them and they were gracious enough to share some beer with a sweaty stranger. The hills seemed bigger than I remembered. I think the worst hill is the "LUNA hill", where they're passing out LUNA moons. It reminds me of the killer hill in the Seattle half/marathon. Long. Fortunately I ran into those guys after all the major hills. And again, they shared some beer with me. If I wasn't going to hit may goal time, at least I'd enjoy myself. I came in around 2:20pm. Shortly met up with Gretchen and we got in the shuttle line to hustle back to our hotel in time to shower, foam roll & check out.

We had a nice relaxing brunch in the city, drinking coffee & reading the paper. Some quick window shopping before we made our way to the airport. Fortunately this year, our traveling was smooth sailing. It was a great race, wonderful weekend and especially good to share it with so many friends. Hopefully we'll keep up the tradition.

Gretchen & I have arrived in San Francisco. Today Karen, Leslie, Anna, her sister, Colleen, Susan & Erik arrived. I'm not sure if Bhavna arrived yesterday or will be today. But she has family in Oakland she's staying with. Quite the crew. It's our biggest turn out, from our running posse, to date. Sticking with tradition, Susan made reservations at a local Italian joint for our prerace dinner. I'm looking forward to the expo. Nike usually brings some amazing female athletes who speak throughout the day. More details to come.

This is my idea of a perfect Friday night. On the couch, trying to snap that perfect shot of the dog I share, Lola.

It's been about two weeks since I last posted. A little over one week until my half marathon. I've been pretty focused on school the last two weeks. We had two tests this week and one of them was anatomy. Always the rebel, I took my test on Wednesday and let the instructor know that I'd need to leave after that. Little did he know why. Rebecca had an extra Blazer ticket. It's still pre-season but there is a lot of excitement about their potential this season. I saw Oden play. More exiting was Rudy Fernandez. He's FUN to watch. It was a great night with a wonderful girlfriend. And a nice release after two pretty focused weeks. I see what the excitement is about. I hope the Blazers have a great season.

Last weekend Susan, Bhvana and I put in 12 miles. They are both training for the full marathon. All of us agreed that the 12 miles was hard. After my post run ice bath and meal, I rushed off to meet up with my dad.

We had tickets to the PSU football game. It was a great game of football, good enough weather and even better, was hanging out with Pops.

The rest of the weekend I hit the books. I went down to Dan's station and he helped me study for a bit. They are getting a lot of calls because another station downtown (1) is being remodeled. So they get some of those calls.


I made a rockin' desert for the crew. It was pretty much one big ice cream sandwich with a layer of whipping cream and topped with broken up Resses Peanut Butter cups on top.

Tomorrow is our last long run before the race. Gretchen and I are headed to San Francisco on Friday. A lot of the other folks are arriving on Saturday. Looking forward to the weekend; good friends, good location and a good race.

Another weekend winds down and I reflect about all that I crammed in. Saturday, Anna, Susan and I went for a long run. They put in 16. I put in 12. We're training for the Nike All Women's race, next month. It's amazing how much harder the 12 miles felt this week than last week. I'm thinking next week I may need to drop down my weekend miles. But nothing an ice water bath can't cure. Then Saturday I had a nice lunch and catch up time with Gretchen.

Then I visited Lisa and her newborn baby! Lisa gave birth to a healthy baby girl, Michaela Elizabeth, yesterday (9/20). Lisa and I work together and we swam together when I was IM training.

Sunday Dan, his co-worker Sam and I ran in the Race for the Cure. Dan and I try to participate in it most years. It's a nice way to honor our mom, who has been cancer free for 16 years. It was also fun running into Kathy B. out on the route.


My brother Dan & I in Kona, at Alii Drive, circa 2005

The last real accomplishment of the weekend was figuring out the route to the local community college. Tomorrow I'm starting an EMT class at a CC that is about 10 miles away. I met the head chef of our hospital to ride our bikes out there. I'm glad I had company because I felt some areas were sketchy. The class is from 6pm-9:30pm, Monday's and Wednesday's. I don't think I'll be biking the full route because class gets out late and the days are getting shorter, but at least I know the route. Now I just need to get prepared for the week.

What a fantastic weekend. I started it off with Friday evening book club. I hosted it. As always it was a wonderful evening with fabulous women. Great opportunity to catch up, enjoy some delicious food and company. My proud moment came when there were several women who now swear by ice baths due to my influence.

Saturday started off with a long-ish run. I met up with Anna, Susan, Bhavna & Bob. I was the only one who wasn't running 20 miles. Who's the sucka?! No really, I'm proud of them. Those 20 milers are real bear cats. This was the first time in a long time I utilized the ice bath. I decided Saturday evening that ice baths are like a drug. After the bath, everything that would normally hurt feels wonderful.

Saturday evening I headed of to Kathy's place. It is quite the wonderful home. She had a family gathering to show off her place and her sister, Maureen and husband, Atsushi were visiting. It was a lovely evening.


Kathy, me & Maureen, circa December 2006

Sunday morning, I went for a bike ride with Pat & Tom. We went to my old stomping grounds at the Columbia Gorge Highway. A lovely day to be riding out there. It was quite windy.

Tom is on the left, Pat is in the middle in a purple shirt

After a ridiculously endulgant 2+ hour nap, I caught up with adventerous girls Cara & Amy, over dinner. Amy's headed off to college at Central Washington. Cara just graduated from college and is moving to Florida.

All in all, it was a rockin' weekend full of good times.

The kickball party was a success. I was worried because this year was the first time it's rained. But fortunately Oregonians aren't stopped by the rain.

Then it was wonderful to have a short work week. I could get used to that.

Since not making the cut with the fire department, I've decided to get my EMT basic. There are a couple of places around Portland I can do that. Through the local community college will best fit my schedule. Having that will allow me to apply with other departments. Portland is one of the few departments that accepts applicants without their EMT. So I'm working on getting registered for that.

Friday I was almost home (via bike) and I passed the head chef for Providence. He's a avid cyclists. He invited me out for a beer. It was perfect, sunny day, Friday 3:30pm. Nothing like a beer to end the work week with.

Saturday I went on a lovely hike with my friend Atika, and David. It was David's first hike in Oregon. I don't hike much these days but it was a good way to spend a couple of hours.

This morning I ran in a local 10k. There were a lot of other friends running in it, too. Including two work friends and it was their first 10k. They all ran strong. Race wise, I have the all women's Nike half marathon in San Francisco, in mid October. That's about it for races in 2008.

Part I of the kickball party


Part II of the kickball party

I'm gearing up for my annual kickball party. It should be a lot of fun. They are taking money on the teams in Vegas.

I opened my mail about 30 minutes ago and received the disappointing news from Portland Fire Department that I did not pass my written test. My hood to coast team is picking me up any minute now. I'll start to absorb the results in about 36 hours.

A quick update before the weekend.

This weekend I'm running in a relay called Hood to Coast. It's 199 miles, starting at the mountain, ending at the beach. Each team has 12 runners, split into two vans, each running three legs. As a team, our estimated finish time is around 29 hours. The first finishers come in around 18 hours.

But the big event of the weekend is Ironman Canada. And even bigger than that is, that Travis, Harmony's bf is signing up. Go Travis, go!

24 hours in Seattle

Saturday, John and I headed up to Seattle for a BBQ/send off for Karen. She's graduated from Law School and is moving to Medford, OR. It was a lovely afternoon with good folks. We enjoyed the rockin' company, delicious food and took in some of the Olympics. Travis and I were particularly enthralled since we don't have a TV.

It's bittersweet to see Karen move on. It's been an intense three years in Seattle but I know the circle of friends have really enjoyed their time together. But I'm selfishly excited to have her back in Oregon. Now I need to plan a trip to Medford.

It was also wonderful to see three month old Laney. She's growing, developing and lights up a room with her smile.

The weekend wouldn't be complete without a workout. Karen took us on a lovely run around Lake Union (I think). I recognized some of the route from my time with Theresa and saw some new views, too.

This upcoming week I have Hood to Coast and the Jack Johnson concert.

blogsphere catch up

I returned safely and refreshed, well sort of, from the cottage and was holding off on an update until I completed the written firefighter's test. I was wanting to focus on preparing for the test not finding excuses to avoid studying. The test went down Friday. Not much to report. I should hear from the department by the end of August. There was a good portion of the test that I have no idea how I faired. The good news is my odds significantly increased. When I applied it was stated that 3000 people typically apply. At the test, it was mentioned that only 2000 people applied. So my odds increased by 33%. Not bad.

Time for a vacation

Gretchen & I are headed out, Saturday, to her family's summer cottage. It is along the St. Lawrence River, near upstate New York. I will be there for a short while but it'll be wonderful. I plan on relaxing, napping, swimming in the river, studying and hanging out with the other folks who have summer cottages. I took the whole week off but will return, late Wednesday. Then Thursday, my folks, some friends & I are going to see James Taylor perform. It should be fantastic. My dad and I last saw him in 2001.

Power workouts & Power heels.

Some of you have been curious about my training for the firefighting physical agility test. One of the things I am doing is working out at a local, private place that does training and physical therapy. It's been good, but I still have some additional work to do. If you're interested in checking it out, it's called Sports Lab. The class I take is Tuesday & Thursday evenings and Saturday mornings. It's a different type of training but all good stuff.

This last weekend I had a good visit with my childhood friend Theresa. We got pedicures and did a quick shopping trip. One of my favorite local shoe stores was having a sale. So I purchased myself my first pair of quality "power heels". What are power heels, you may ask yourself. Well, I know Harmony would be proud. Check these babies out, if you're curious...power heels.

Our PediCap ride


Our PediCap "driver"


Track Town USA

As usual, I'm a bit behind on this blogging business. Today is the final day of two weeks of the Track & Field Olympic Trials. The trials are happening in Eugene, about 100 miles south of Portland. I have been luck enough to attend two days. Last weekend, John and I headed down. We saw some qualifying races for the 800m. The finals for the women's decathlon and the men's shot put. It was surreal seeing these world class athletes. We sat two seats away from Nick Symmonds parents. If you don't know who he is, here is a video of the final race.

Then I also went down on Friday. I couldn't think of a better way to spend fourth of July, than watch the USA Olympic trials on historic Hayward Field.

Yesterday, was another great day. My folks, Gretchen and I attended Bobby & Carrie Kessi's wedding. Good people = good times.

Today is the Lake Steven's 70.3 race in Washington. I have three friends racing; Travis, Andy & Erica. You can follow Travis' progress on his blog. I'm sure they'll all have great races and I look forward hearing their race reports.

Starting tomorrow, for two weeks, Portland Fire & Rescue is accepting applications for Fire Fighter positions. Then the written test is on August 1st. Send me good thoughts.

Racing, Family & good food

Friday, my brother Mike, Wendy, Matt & Molly arrived from Montana. Mike & Wendy ran in the Helvetia Half marathon Saturday morning. They had both been training diligently. And it paid off. The course is a hilly one and they ran really strong. Mom, dad, Matt, Molly and I were on cowbell duty. It was beautiful weather and we took our task at hand seriously. Mike (his first 1/2) came in around 1:29, Wendy came in around 1:55. It was great to see them have such strong races.


The #1 Fans


Post Race


Saturday night, Gretchen and I participated in the local naked bike ride. Yes, Mom, you read that right. It was a lot of fun. Some reports estimate that upwards to 2000 people participated. I was amazed at how accepting people were of the nudity and the blocked traffic. Granted it happened at midnight. It was a lot of good, clean fun.

You may not recognize these characters...


Gretchen -- on the way to the midnight bike ride


Sunday we headed to the beach, for the day. A perfect way to spend Father's day.

Today Matt & Molly started swim lessons. Then all of us & Dan headed to the Portland zoo. Hopefully I'll be able to add more pictures. It was a beautiful day at the zoo and such a delight to hang out with Matt & Molly. I took a few days off of work to spend time with them.

Catching up.

Sorry I haven't been so diligent about blogging. I have my statistics final on Wednesday. Then I will shift my focus to the Portland Fire Department. Getting ready for the physical and written test. They are taking applications in a month.

Last weekend was the kick-off of our local event, the Rose Festival. Saturday night, John and I ran in the starlight run. It starts at 8pm, is along the parade route and costumes are encouraged. The Starlight parade is a festive parade that happens at dusk. John had the brilliant idea of dressing up as Juno and Pauly Bleaker, from Juno. Hopefully I'll have some pictures to post soon. John looked great. I'm not sure that I'll be up for running in jeans, a hoody and chuck taylor's anytime soon. Although the Converse weren't too bad. It was a fun 5k. And that was the first 5k I ever did.

This weekend has been really low key. I've gotten stuff done around the house, studying statistics. Yesterday, my parents, Lola and I headed out to McMinville to support the Answer to Cancer event. If I was more savvy, I'd include a link. But that's for another day. Kelly Kessi's boyfriend's family puts the event on.

Next weekend, Mike and the Montana Sitter clan arrive for about 10 days. We are all looking forward to that visit.

Harmony & Travis

An important note...In Portland, for the last three days we had some much welcomed, unusually hot weather.

Friday I took the day off, just to take the day off. It was pretty busy. I took Jonas to the doctor's to have his wrist surgery. His sister came down from Olympia, picked him up and took him back to Olympia. I had just enough time to get the statistics notes from a classmate to tackle the homework over the weekend, pick up my bag and pedal down to the train station. I had a lovely train ride up to Seattle. I visited Harmony & Travis. We had a great time. We took the dogs to the dog park. Visited Bo & Chelsie. I got to meet 2.5 week old Laney! And we went to the Farmer's market. Then I saw a theater production that Harmony designed the costumes. Long over due in seeing some of her work. It was a lovely weekend. Now back to the grind. Work & statistics. But with some light at the end of the tunnel. Next weekend, John, Jonas, Gretchen, Lola and I are headed to Bend. Looking forward to it.

Lance (L) Cesar (R)

There is a stage cycling race in Portland. Today was the first day. There was a 1.7 mile time trial downtown. I watched the first 30 minutes of the womens race on my way home from work. Then we had a LUNA workout. No one showed up so Leslie, Lola and I walked across the bridge and watched the men's race.

I decided to head out and there was a cyclist talking on his phone, on a park bench who happened to be smitten with Lola. I asked him if he wanted to pet her. And I heard him tell the person on the other line about the cute pug he was petting. I ended up taking a photo of he and Lola on his cell phone. Then this other cyclist pulled up, chatted and asked if I knew who Cesar was. "Of course I didn't I was a triathlete" I said. Well a little internet search is helpful. Cesar and I chatted for about 30 minutes and then parted ways. He gave me a kiss on the cheek which made my year. Thanks to the cute pug!

His name is Cesar Grajales
He's team's website is
www.rockracing.com


The other gracious athlete I chatted with was Matt Cooke. Here's his team's website
http://www.teamhealthnet.com/team/mattcooke.htm

They are in Portland for the Mt. Hood Classic
http://www.mthoodcyclingclassic.com/

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Last weekend I headed down to Eugene to cheer on Jonas, John & Terres in the half marathon. Jonas and I headed down Saturday afternoon. We hit packet pick up, had a nice BBQ with a friend of Jonas', then called it a night. We stayed with, Cara, a UofO student and family friend. We didn't have the most restful night of sleep due to a kegger too close by. Race day conditions were perfect. Some nice sunshine but mild temperatures. It's been awhile since I was on spectator duty. I missed Jonas at mile 3 but saw Terres and John. I saw everyone at mile six. And then just barely made it to the finish trying to get around the road closures in an unfamiliar town. But everyone ran strong and it was fun to watch them. I also happened to see some other folks I knew out on the course. That's always fun.


Mom & Dad
This weekend wasn't very athletic. Yesterday I celebrated my Mom. I helped her plant some of her vegetable garden. And my dad made a delicious dinner for us, my Godparent's and Jonas. It was a nice evening. Today I cranked out some good work around the house since I'll be gone the next two weekends. I planted my vegetable garden, among other household chores.


Theresa, one of my "Seattle Peeps"

Friday I'm headed up to Seattle for a visit. I'm looking forward to seeing as many of my Seattle peeps as I can. Especially the newest edition, Laney! Chelsie and Bo welcomed a little girl last week, Laney Elizabeth.

Proud parents; center & right

Karen & I about to take a dip in Lake Coeur d'Alene

I have wonderful news! My dear friend and wonderful triathlete, Karen, will be in Oregon for the next two years. She will be graduating from Law School at the University of Washington in June. I am so happy for her that the madness of Law school is coming to an end. It was hard to see someone go through the ringer like no other, for three years. This week she was offered a wonderful position in Medford, Oregon. According to Leslie, who's from there, it' "God's country". Although she usually follows it up with a good giggle after referring to it as such. I'm so happy for her. She's worked so hard and deserves the light at the end of the tunnel. I look forward to visiting her there and hopefully running in the famous Pear Blossom 10 mile race.

Go Karen, go!

Seattle & Portland Triathlon LUNA chix


Melissa, Leslie & I


Leslie looking strong and graceful as she opted for the hillier section

Last weekend Melissa, Leslie and I headed to northern California for "LUNA summit". This is the third year of Summit. LUNA puts on a wonderful weekend. We start at the Clif headquarters in Berkeley for kick-off. There was a speaker with the Breast Cancer fund. This year, for the first time, the owners of Clif; Gary & Kitt Erickson were there. That was fun to meet them. Which we literally did because we were in the back of the room and made some small talk with them. Gracious folks and I'm very grateful they're so supportive of the program. Then the pros were introduced. After a delicious dinner and an overview of the weekend, we headed to our hotels.

Saturday was full of clinics. I opted for less clinics and some "Sara" time. I headed to the local high school, outdoor swimming pool for some laps. Any time I can I enjoy swimming at an outdoor pool. Then I attended some wonderful clinics on sports psychology, sports nutrition and recovery. The hotel we stay at is located along this incredible trail and scenic setting. After dinner there was a Q & A with the pros and leaders of the clinics.

Sunday we had some group workouts. We did a gorgeous 7.5 mile run on a trail called Tennessee Valley that is an out and back. The treat is reaching the ocean at the half way point.


A Group of LUNA chix on a run

It was a wonderful weekend to get away. Enjoy some sunshine and good times with some incredible ladies. It's such a special program. I feel very fortunate to be a part of it. Oh yeah, we got our gear for the season. It's similar to last year and just as snazzy. It's top notch gear. For those who attended summit, they gave us a bike seat with the LUNA design. I was so excited because I needed a new saddle and they aren't cheap.

This weekend is pretty mellow. Just getting stuff down around the house.

Approaching the Finish

Let me just do some explaining. I have been trying to be better about blogging. This is my second week of spring quarter of classes. On Mondays and Wednesday, I work nine hours, then head to two hours of statistics. After a week and a half, six hours on one homework assignment, it's going surprisingly well. But I don't want to jump to any conclusions. So if you don't hear from me it's because I'm a bit consumed. So I'll try to give you a race report.

Leslie and I headed down to Corvallis for the Beaver Freezer Triathlon, last Saturday. This is a spring (pool swim) triathlon on the OSU campus. This was the second triathlon I did, back in 1999. I really enjoyed it and was able to do it again in 2006. It is a very well run race but with the small town feel. The race is 500yd pool swim, 12 mile bike & 5k (3.1 mile) run.

Leslie picked me up at 5:15 am and we hit the road. Since it's a pool swim, we start in heats, based on our estimated swim time. Robin & John who were doing this as their first ever triathlon. Inspired by their son and daughter-in-law (Chelsie & Bo), were swimming in the first heat. Bo's good friend, Nick and Leslie started at 8 and I started at 9:45.

As always with this race, the weather can make it or break it. In 1999, when I raced it, there were traces of snow the night before and the race day weather was miserable. We arrived in Corvallis and it was time to get Leslie all ready to race. We both claimed our space in the transition area and got it set up. We headed to the pool deck and I saw that John & Robin were swimming. It was great to be able to cheer them on. I saw them several times throughout their race. I am so humbled by them taking on this challenge that is so out of their comfort zone. And Nick's another story. I think he may be a bit of a sandbagger. He looked really strong out there.

I was able to watch Leslie's swim. She looked so dang strong, consistent and calm. He was in a lane with three other men. Their strokes where nowhere near Leslie's but they "had" to pass Leslie as soon as possible. It about killed me when one of these guys started swimming the sidestroke and not letting Leslie pass. Leslie being the calm, cool person she did, passed them with grace and my blood pressure dropped to a reasonable level. I was able to she her go out on the bike, come in and run her first loop. It was a lot of fun to be able to watch her race.

Then I hit to pool to warm up. Just as I was waiting to get in my lane. I saw Leslie. She finished strong and was able to watch me. Going into this race, I just wanted to have fun. I wasn't in any sort of ideal swimming shape. I had swam 3 times in "training". The last time was a good reassurance that I was totally out of swimming shape. I had been biking to work and running here and there. This was also my first triathlon since Ironman. So I wasn't sure if racing wouldn't be quite the same since it wasn't as exciting as an IM race.

My swim went far better than I expected. My time was something I would have been pleased with when I'm in swimming shape. Into transition one, I wasn't sure how much to layer up. I opted for my cycling vest and arm warmers. I was comfortable expect fro my toes. They felt like they were about to break off they were so cold. The bike was a flat course with some wind. I did get some rain on my bike but noting too devastating. My time was about what I would expect. I averaged 16.8 mph. The run was three loops. I felt pretty good and it was nice to warm up a bit. I was hoping for sub 10 minute miles. When I checked my time at the first mile I was shocked...8:22. Then my second mile was 8:19. So I wanted to have a negative split (faster the second half). So I pushed a bit and ran my last mile, not counting the extra .1, in 8:04. If you know me athletically this is not a pace that I run when I'm going out for a run. So I am amazed that I pulled it off. And it felt really comfortable. I finished and one of the first things I said to Leslie was "I had so much fun, that must mean I didn't push hard enough."

All in all, it was a fun race. Great to share it with Leslie. So moving to see Bo's parents out there racing. And a great start to the season. I would recommend this race.

Here's my time:
7:50 swim, 1:47 Transition 1, bike 40.25, 2:00 T2, 25:45 5k.

It's off to California, this weekend, for LUNA summit

In an effort to be better about blogging. I'll be brief. Easter weekend we had some beautiful sunny weather. My great friend, Pat Cross got me out for a bike ride. Probably the first one since September. It was wonderful. Thanks Pat.

Pat & Judy

I had a fun dinner with my parents, John & Jonas. Good times. Easter morning, Gretchen and I met my parents for 6am mass. Yup. Then they fed us breakfast. Later that day, twice, I unsuccessfully tried to take a nap. It's rare I'm that unsuccessful with naps. Monday after Easter, I saw a great concert with John & Jonas. Tristan Prettyman. She was incredible. Thanks to Jonas for exposing me and getting me out on a Monday night. John and Jonas were the hard core ones because the went to the Blazer game the next night. The rest of the week I was in bed by 9pm.


My folks, Harmony (L) & Gretchen (R)



Jonas aka Cash


John in the foreground & Bo in the yellow jersey


Last weekend I went to my first wedding of '08. A former co-worker of mine. It's always special to be a part of that day for a couple. Then I went to the Blazer game with PK. It was my first game in several seasons. It was a great game but the Blazers lost.

This week I started up a new quarter. I'm taking statistics. So you may not hear too much from me. It's an evening class. And I work 9 hours before class. It sure makes the day go fast. Week one down, nine to go. So far, so good.

This weekend is my first triathlon of the season. It is a sprint, pool swim, in Corvallis, OR. It should be fun. I've only swam twice since I've signed up (Feb.1). Like I said, fun.

Next weekend I'm off to California for the LUNA summit with many other LUNA chix from all over the country. Looking forward to some CA sun.

Lola & I

This past weekend was full of goodness. Harmony and Travis came to town for Chelsie's baby shower. It has been quite a while since they came down and hung out for the weekend. We met up with them at happy hour. We parted ways because John had tickets to take his three concert going lady friends to Rufus Wainwright. It was a great performance by a talented musician. We all met up back at my house. Just about that time Jonas got home and we all enjoyed catching up.

Saturday Harmony and I barely got going in time for the shower. Well maybe, I was the one who was slow to get rolling for the day. Travis headed out to meet up with John and get a swim in at John's gym. It was great to see Chelsie. She looks so incredibly fantastic and healthy. I was amazed at how many family friends Bo & Chelsie have. But I guess it makes sense when you grow up together.

Jonas' family came down from Olympia on Saturday. His sister and her family live up there. He has two incredibly precious nieces. It was fun to see them and for them to meet Lola.

After the shower we had some down time. The weather was constantly changing from sun to rain. It was a good day to stay inside. Saturday evening John came over and we had a delicious dinner. Travis bbq'd some fantastic salmon, Harmony rocked the salad, and I whipped up some mashed potatoes.

Sunday morning was the Shamrock Run. This is one of my favorite races. It's a very challenging course but also very festive. There was a good crew of friends racing. Travis and Harmony, included. Travis ran an incredibly strong 15k race, 51 weeks after breaking his hip on a training ride. Another rookie to the PORTLAND Shamrock who had a great race, was Jonas.

I didn't have a strong race but have been reflecting upon it and other life factors quite a bit since then. Those less than ideal races bring upon a lot of reflecting for me. But before I get into that...St. Patrick's Day. The last two years I have been out of town for St. Patrick's Day. There is an Irish bar, Kell's, in Portland, that puts on quite the celebration. John was up for it. I had taken half the day off. Our plan was to start early and finish early. We were also going to meet up with my brother Dan and another friend, Pat K., down there. John and I got there at 2:30pm. They have Irish bands, we watched some Irish dancers for about 30 minutes. And probably my favorite, bagpipers. Plenty of beer, too. It was great to see Pat K., my brother, eat some fish and chips, but I don't know about all the smoke and crowds. I think I may have fulfilled that need for a while.

Back to the self-reflection. I have been consciously taking it easy in the fitness category, post Ironman. I have enjoyed lazier weekends. I have started taking one class a quarter at the local community college, joined a book club, become a professional wedding and baby shower guest with this shift in priorities. But I think it's time to return to the middle ground of uber training and uber social butterfly. I also would like to figure out my athletic goals for '08. I've had specific athletic goals for the last six years, I think I feel a little lost without that. Something I've wanted to do for years is join a Master's swim team. It's a matter of finding one that is located conveniently, practice times that work well with my schedule and doesn't cost too much. We'll see if I make it happen this year. But I'd like to at least look into it. Something that has also peaked my interest for years is mountain/rock climbing. I think next year I may look into joining a local climbing club, the Mazama's. I want to focus my energy and time on things that make me feel good. And if you were wondering, trying to score a date for myself, does not fall in that category.

Notice the tree?

The last two weekends, with a little help from my friends, have been giving my house some updates. First it was lighting updates. Can lights in the living room and kitchen. Ceiling fans in both bedrooms and the living room. It's incredible!

Second was a tree in my yard. There is a great local organization called Friends of Trees. You can check them out on www.friendsoftrees.org
They offer trees for homeowners at a reduced rate. The homeowners are expected to volunteer in return. I spent a few hours helping plant 10 trees. It was so well organized and a very well run organization. I'd like to spend more time volunteering. Also you meet other homeowners in your neighborhood. By chance there was a woman on my team from my high school class. She is married to another classmate of ours. And we live close by. All in the name of trees.

I'm looking forward to the weekend ahead. Full of fun. Harmony and Travis are coming down for Chelsie's baby shower on Saturday. Then a big crew of us are running in the Shamrock run on Sunday. Then Monday is St. Patrick's Day. I took half the day off so I can start the celebration early...

A long time in the planning. Or sorta last minute. Gretchen, Kelly & I had plans to get away for the weekend. I had taken Monday off. And we booked a hotel at the beach. Wednesday, Kelly went for an emergency appendectomy. She needed her appendix removed. Gretchen and decided to stick around Portland and do the things we always want to do but never make it happen.

Before I get into that I must dish about my Friday night. Work folks got together in honor of Lisa, my rockstar of a colleague, who is moving out of our department, for dinner. It was a lot of fun and some delicious food. Then I met up with John for some live music. It was 10 local bands playing 80's love ballads. Good times. And I stayed up way too late. Which made me rather lazy come Saturday.

Gretchen and I met up mid-day for a class at her yoga studio. It was a great butt whooping. Then we got pedicures. In the evening we headed out to Scappoose to visit Kelly. She was staying with her folks. Oh my goodness, the three of us can laugh. If anyone were to be stuck on a deserted island, we would do well together.


The sun is shining in Portland and it's probably in the mid 50's. Absolutely beautiful. Gretchen and I met up with Bob & Susan for a run this morning. What a great way to start the day. GPeezy is headed over shortly for some more Portland goodness.


Bob & Susan

I shouldn't get ahead of myself but I hope to get in the pool this weekend. I think I have swam twice since my race in June. But I've signed up for a short tri and better start swimming sooner than later.

More importantly, this weekend Anna and I are hosting (Anna, more than I) a baby shower for Rebecca. Here is a photo of Anna and I while we cheered Rebecca and some others on from the Portland marathon.






Rebecca is in the back row, on the left, wearing a green top,
Corey, Rebecca's husband, in in the back row, wearing a blue beanie. They will be wonderful parents and I'm looking forward to being a part of this journey.

That's about how long it has been since I have posted. SORRY! Life has been good. I am still enjoying not training. Although I did sign up for my first triathlon of '08. It's called the Beaver Freezer, happening in Corvallis. Leslie has signed up as well. Here's a link
http://oregonstate.edu/groups/triclub/

Some exciting possibilities for my brothers this year. Dan is planning on doing a sprint triathlon...
http://www.hfac.com/HFACTri/Index.htm
Mike is planning on doing a half marathon...
http://runwithpaula.com/content/view/19/35/

I am really excited for them. I look forward to supporting them throughout training and on race day. It'll be time to bust out the "more cowbell" t-shirt.

Since mid-December my life has been really mellow. It's a big lifestyle change but has been good. In September I started taking one class at the local community college. I am SLOWLY working on taking prerequisites for a Physical Therapy program. Hoping to apply in the fall of '10. My weekends have been pretty low key. I am working on some projects around the house, some bigger than others.

Gretchen and I share a very sweet dog, named Lola. My fantastic roommate, Jonas loves Lola, helps out a ton with her and is very good to her.


It seems that I'm in that second round, in my life, when everyone is getting married or having a baby. It's a very fun and exciting time.

That's about it. I'll try to update this more frequently than every two months.

In October, in Portland, there were two prominent bicycle deaths. The second death was someone that I was loosely connected with. Harmony had dated this guy towards the end of her undergrad. I had hung out with the two of them a bit but didn't know Brett well. This was the second time this year a close friend of mine was deeply effected and connected by a local bicyclist death. I'm not sure where I fit into this picture. But it's something that has been on my mind sense I usually commute on my bike and have put a lot of miles in the last year, due to training.

Gretchen, suggested we participate in Critical Mass. It's something that neither of us had done before. Here's a local link http://rosecitycriticalmass.org/

From my understanding, it is to raise awareness of the presence of cyclists. Gretchen met me at work. We pedaled downtown. We were pushing the meeting time because I worked until 5:30 and the ride began at 6pm. It was a lovely evening; cold, but dry. We made it downtown by 6:07pm. I don't know if the ride didn't happen or they actually left on time, but there where no other cyclists to be found. So we decided to grab dinner. On our way to the restaurant we were near the fire station my brother works at. We rode by, saw his car and stopped in. He was on a call but there still were some fire fighters who were at the station and they invited us in. They had just picked up some yummy looking pizza. They were gracious enough to offer us some and as good as it looked we knew if we held out sushi would be in our near future. Dan soon returned to station and we visited a bit. Then we headed off to dinner. After dinner, the next stop was a coworker's of Gretchen's, in the Pearl. They were getting together to celebrate a birthday. The evening didn't end there. The teachers were off to the bowling alley. I rode with Gretchen back to the bowling alley, dropped her off and headed home. Although we didn't succeed in participating in Critical Mass it was a lovely winter evening on our bikes. Both Gretchen and I really appreciated it and said we need to do it more often. What a difference it makes when it's not raining. The whole weekend has been super wet. It was great to get outside Friday night before the showers set in.

Aloha! I am currently in Hawaii. On the island of Oahu, in the town of Waikiki. Saturday was Maureen's wedding, a childhood friend. I arrived on Thursday. Without any direction I went to a beach, Ala Moana. I didn't get too settled because soon after Yasuko, a college friend with whom I'm staying with called. I found her place. It's a great location. I can't imagine if I stayed where I was originally going to stay--in a town 20 minutes away. Staying with Yasuko I can walk everywhere. Yasuko and I headed to Waikiki beach. It's wild, all these BIG hotels back up to the ocean. So many folks just take a few steps from where they're staying and bamb, the ocean.

Thursday evening I met up with Maureen, two of her sisters and sister-in-law for a ladies evening out. We went to a popular tourist bar; Duke's Outrigger. The bar is on the beach and open air. It was a fun night and we got Maureen to dip her feet in the ocean. She had been so busy with wedding details she hadn't been in the ocean.

Waikiki was like not other Hawaii experience I had before. My way to explain it is Las Vegas meets the ocean. It's very commercialized. There is every chain retail store you could imagine and usually two or three of the store. And every chain restaurant you could imagine. It's too much but I counter it by avoiding the stores and heading to the beach.

Friday morning I found the local 24 hour fitness and caught a yoga class. Which is quite ambitious since I've been just getting reacquainted with the gym, post IM. Then I spent a good several hours at the Ala Moana beach. Definitely my favorite local beach. I'm not sure how it works but there is a protected channel at this beach so you can swim in the water for quite a distance. Friday I went for two 20 minute swims. It was lovely. Then I headed back in time for the rehearsal dinner at Round Table Pizza. Maureen comes from a wonderful family. She is the second youngest with three sisters and two brothers. They all are really kind, thoughtful, smart, hardworking and fun loving people. I felt really comfortable and welcomed among the intimate gatherings. It was also really neat because all of her siblings were experiencing Hawaii for the first time.

Saturday was the wedding. The ceremony was about 5 miles out of Waikiki and it was to begin at 10am. I picked up her sister, Kathy and bf, Jay and we were off. There were about 60 people who attended the ceremony. Most from Oregon or Japan, where Maureen & Atsushi live. It was a lovely ceremony, on the waterfront. The ceremony had a strong Hawaiian traditional influence, with some American and Japanese influence sprinkled in. The weather was perfect, not too hot and not raining. The reception was lovely and had similar influences. The food was fit for a royal palace. Again influenced by three cultures. They had several deserts in addition to the wedding cake. Fortunately I had Chloe, a three year old niece of Maureen's to help me tackle all the different deserts.

Afterwards Kathy, Jay and I set out to find a local Goodwill (for Hawaiian shirts) and Chinatown for some fresh fruit. It was more of an adventure and traffic than we bargained for. We decided the Goodwill is no longer. We finally discovered Chinatown by 5pm but most open aired markets were closing down. But I did find some papayas that were worth the challenge of the hunt. We wound up at Ala Moana at sunset. It was refreshing after being in the car so much and to show Kathy and Jay a different beach.

Sunday I had plans to drive around the island. Yasuko had the day off and was going to join me and Kathy and Jay were a maybe. I woke up Sunday to a rainy downpour. Let me describe it for you. I had to walk eight blocks to my car (parking is a challenge) and twice I got sprayed by the car driving next to the sidewalk-head to toe, not exaggeration. Needless to say Kathy & Jay didn't make it out. When I got to the car and picked up Yasuko, I told her I needed to change before we headed off, my whole front side was drenched. I haven't even experienced that in Portland.

Yasuko and I were two peas in a pod trying to figure out where the heck we were going. We finally got on the highway we wanted to go. We stopped at the popular snorkeling place; Hanauma Bay and checked it out. It's quite beautiful but I didn't feel like snorkeling in the pouring down rain. We hit the road and somehow got going the wrong direction. I said, that's okay we can head the other way and still get to the North shore of the island, my goal. And we did! It was wonderful. We made it to Sunset Beach, a popular surfing location. It just happened there was a surfing contest going on. And the rain stopped! We watched for a couple of hours. Then went to head out. I suggested we grab a bite to eat at one of those mobile carts before leaving. At that point I put my swimsuit on. Keep in mind it's pretty much always the same temperature in Hawaii, no matter the conditions. The high and low have about 10 degrees between them. So we headed to the beach with our lunch, watch some more surfing and layed out, until the rain returned. The meal was probably the best meal I've had other than at the wedding. It was grilled mahi mahi with rice, beans and salad. Better than California Pizza. On our way home I decided to stop by Ala Moana for a swim. It was pretty windy and near dusk so I played it safe and only swam for about 12 minutes but it sure is my favorite thing to do here. I hope to get in one or two more swims at Ala Moana. I have a day and a half left but that's the meat of the trip.

The weekend of October 19-21, Gretchen, Anna and I went to SF to participate in the Nike women's half marathon.

Friday evening Gretchen and I flew down to San Francisco. We had just enough hours in the day to navigate the mass transit system from the airport, hop off downtown and hoof it up some hills in the streets of San Francisco to our hotel, near Union Square. We pretty much checked in and hit the hay.

Saturday we were on a mission to find Gretchen a great hoody (aka hooded sweatshirt), deliver a card to Inger, the Luna Chix goddess, and get our shuttle tickets for transportation after crossing the finish line since it was a “point to point” race. I always find expos overwhelming and I like to get in and out. It’d didn’t quite work out like that. I checked who they had speaking. On the schedule was Picabo Street and Sarah Rienerstein, who is an ironman athlete and the first female, full leg amputee to complete an ironman. After a little running around, Gretchen got her hoody. I dropped off the card in some local Luna Chix hands and Gretchen stood in the long line for shuttle tickets while I listened to the speakers. Did I mention Julie Moss, famous for racing in the early years of Hawaii Ironman, collapsing near the finish and crawling across the line was one of the M.C. So I chatted with her a bit. I had a V.I.P. entry and am still wondering what that exactly entails. Apparently I was supposed to have gotten a VIP bracelet. But I got quite the run around and lost motivation. But it was good for a running joke of the weekend. At some point the one helpful person I encountered gave me some bracelet that he wasn’t sure what it was for but thought it might be helpful, even if it wasn’t VIP. After all that running around, Gretchen and I headed back to the hotel for a nap. It was the perfect power nap. Anna arrived and we continued our nearly comatose state for a while longer before rallying. Gretchen was off to get her Oriental Massage. I know that’s not PC but that’s what was on the sign. And I took Anna by the expo to get the full experience. Then it was time for an early dinner, back to the hotel for some chill time and the night wouldn’t have been complete without some gelato. Now we were ready to tackle the 13.1 miles.

Sunday we headed out to the race around 6:15 with 45 minutes to take care of details. We needed to check our bags. Which is French for giving them a bag with layers and other essentials we would appreciate at the finish. Gretchen put everything but her kitchen sink in her clothes check bag. Getting to the clothes check area should have been counted our race miles because it was not close. I thought I could be smooth and bust out my VIP bracelet but got quickly rejected. I quickly adjusted to my peon status. While at the start line we met some middle and high school students from outside of L.A. I think their team was the Mt. Gleason Club. They trained for the L.A. marathon and this event. Nike paid for them to participate in this. We were talking to a 15-year-old boy who had completed two marathons. Totally amazing. And these weren’t your spindly, typical runners, who look like they might blow away in the wind. Around mile 9 we met up with a Mt. Gleason team member, Eddie. His gut was a wreck and his hamstring was screaming. He put up with us for about a mile and gave us the boot. But I hope didn’t suffer too much those last three miles.

Some memorable moments along the course. The weather was absolutely beautiful. Clear blue skies, probably mid-sixties. The course was equally beautiful. There were a lot of spectators along the route. One in particular had a one piece, velour jumpsuit that had the sides showing his midriff but the material gathered right about his bellybutton. So his obliques were exposed and some of his stomach. Okay I don’t think I can give it justice but it was something else. The benefiting charity was the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. They have really grown through the Team in Training organization. TnT helps train people for events who in turn raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. So many of the spectators were saying, “go team”. Which left us in the dust. And quiet frankly “go team” got a little old.



Gretchen and I got separated from Anna around mile 11 at the banana stop (they were giving out banana’s along the course). Then Gretchen and I got separated at the T-shirt line. Keep in mind there are 20,000 participants between the half and full marathon. I headed for the bag check and apparently great minds think alike. So did Gretchen and Anna. All was good. We headed to the LONG bus line and made it back to the hotel in time for a shower and to check out. We had fours hours to kill before we needed to head towards the airport. Anna and I experienced H & M for the first time. And we did some other window shopping. At the point our brains turning to complete mush we headed to Union Square to read. But not just reading, Anna and Gretchen were working on a crossword puzzle. Gretchen knows that I don’t really like crosswords but Anna was asking for my input. I have never felt successful at them and they just make me feel stupid, so I prefer to avoid them. They made a good team and made good progress. Our peaceful time in the sun was interrupted by a local sk8ter boy wanting to do some move over a flight of stairs and land on the slab of granite we were sitting on. He didn’t succeed and quickly was asked to sk8te elsewhere.

It was a good stopping point, so we headed back to the hotel and off to the airport. We flew in and out of Oakland. There happened to be an Oakland game just finishing as we headed to the airport. It was quite the scene seeing the stadium parking lot, totally trashed, and the fans. We met a couple that has season tickets that fly up from LA. Then at the airport we met a guy who lives in Florida and is a season ticket holder. They’re serious about their football. We had plenty of time meet folks in the airport. Our flight was originally supposed to fly out at 7:40. It was delayed a bit, we loaded and were taxied and then they brought us back to the terminal because of some safety issue. It is now 12:13am.

We ended up flying out in the 2am hour, arriving in PDX at 4am. I got an 1:45 minutes of sleep before heading into work. It was a rough week. What made it an even rougher week was another cyclist was hit and killed on Monday, October 22. Harmony dated him during her undergrad at Western. This was the second cyclist hit and killed in a matter of weeks in Portland. We need to figure out a way to prevent these tragedies.

On a brighter note, I'm headed to Hawaii tomorrow morning. I will be staying with Yasuko, a wonderful friend from WOU and in Hawaii for Maureen's wedding (a childhood friend).

Gretchen & Lola


Ryken McCoy

Lots of fun and wonderful things happening. Gretchen is the proud owner of Lola, the pug. She's about 3 1/2 years old. I am taking a minority ownership. Have Lola one day a week. And it's a delight!

Terres had a healthy baby boy name Ryken. He put of the inevitable for as long as possible. He was born a week after his due date.

Gretchen, Anna and I are training for the Nike all women's half in San Francisco in 2 and a half weeks. Last week we did our long run on a new trail on behalf of Gretchen's recommendation. We'll she didn't show up and the trail was TOUGH. We have since dubbed it "Gretchen's trail". Then I headed up to Seattle to catch a Mariner's game. It was a great weekend with even greater peeps.

Hood to Coast 2007, van 1

Well I've been a bit of a slacking blogger. I apologize. The last weekend in August was Hood to Coast. A running relay from Mt. Hood to Seaside. 12 runners per team, split into two vans. Each runner runs three different legs. I was leg 6, the last runner in our van. We had an 11:15am start time. By the time I ran my first leg it was about 4-5pm. It was pretty hot, about 85. My leg was a bit lonely because all the runners and vans were at the exchange point. It was the exchange between vans. It was a 7.4 mile leg. It's funny that I can comlete an Ironman and still be lack confindence in running 7.4 miles. While running I came up with the "ninja" mantra. Run like a ninja; quiet and agile. That and some positive self talk got me through it. I think I cranked out 9 minute miles. I was pleased with that. It's easy to start out too fast with the first leg with the exitement of the event. After our first leg, we headed to Tom's (our fearless driver) house. We were able to eat and shower there. At that point, one of our runner's, Melissa, gracefully bowed out. She got really sick and had her family pick her up. So that meant we would be running some extra miles. For our second legs (in the middle of the night). We ran along highway 30. I ran Melissa's leg, 3.5 miles, and met a good pacer and conversationalist. Then I passed off to Jen S. Then she passed back to me and I ran my leg, 4.1 miles. I really struggled and slowed down to a 10 minute pace. And I was starting to stiffen up. We passed off to the other van around 2 or 3am. Only one more leg! My last leg was 5.3 miles. Some up hill and then down hill. I didn't know what I would have in me after already running three legs. Aparently something with some help from gravity. I cranked out some impressive miles. My slowest was 9:17 and my fastest was 7:57. And the last mile I ran with the clipboard because the exchange was all congested and I would get there way before the van would. We use the clipboard to track our offical time. As always it was a blast!

My dad and I, sporting the infamous mullet wig!



Dan & Dad with the Bus Project


Mike, Wendy & I before our bike ride in the Gorge

Some how the Sitter family manages to have a good time.

Last night Mike and several of his grade school friends got together. Many laughs, incredible food, quality beer and even greater quality of folks. Then Matt (8) and Molly (5) spent the night with me. They are SO much fun and very good kids. Just a joy to be around. In the morning before we got breakfast, I called Dan to invite him to breakfast. Dan just ate but invited us to the fire station. The kids had fun monkeying around the fire truck, Dan taught them the difference between a fire engine and a fire truck. And Matt slide down the fire pole like a pro. Then Wendy, Mike and I went for a lovely ride along the gorge to Multnomah Falls and back. The kids were busy with Grandma and Grandpa; OMSI and swimming! We all met up for dinner. They are off to the beach tomorrow. Dan and I are working. It sure is great to see the Montana Sitter's!

Running for Fun


Tyler's first ride on the Old Columbia Gorge Highway

The bike photo is of Tyler and I. Tyler is one of Gretchen's brothers. He has recently purchased a bike and we have been getting together for some weekend rides. And did I mention he kicks my butt without barely breaking a sweat. It's fun to share some of my favorite routes with others.

The running photo are some of the usual suspects who like to start their
weekend out with breaking a sweat and earning the nap. These folks are
near and dear to me.

Well I've been enjoying my summer, not training. I've been staying up too
late, drinking beer and Gin and Tonics, and riding/running for fun.


Bridge Pedal photos; John, Andrea & I

This is a fun cycling event in Portland. They close off all or part of all
10 bridges and open them up to bikes. Sorry the first photo is so dark.
It's great to do an event where we are tootling along rather than
cranking out some training miles. And I've lived in Portland for 30
years, this was the 12 year of the event and the first year I did it.
It's a fun way to see the city.

This photo is a few weeks old. Lesle, Melissa and I went and rode in the Gorge. I did most of my longest training rides on this route. I had forgotten what it felt like to go out and ride for the pure joy of riding. It felt wonderful.

The final chapter...


Much to my parents chagrin, I joined the club and got an ironman tattoo. Mike, the artist, was kind enough to pose for a photo, needle and all.

A couple of disclaimers...There are several people who came to Coeur d' Alene but aren't really in the photos. I want to make sure everyone gets the recognition they deserve. And I just haven't gotten my hands on their photos yet. Thank you to so many of you who showered me with tremendous support and encouragement throughout this journey. And thank you to those of you who made it to CdA; Mom, Dad, Mike, Wendy, Matt, Molly, Dan, Amy, Gretchen, Harmony, Travis, Leslie, Karen, Anna, Rebecca, Corey, Theresa, Andy, Troy & Karen.

The other thing is this is really long. I hope you enjoy it or at least enjoy the pictures.

My overall times are at the bottom.



Dan on the dock of our cabin


Mike, Wendy & Molly Sitter hanging out at the cabin.

Finally I've completed the race report! And it's long. Pull up a chair and a cup of coffee.

Thursday I headed over to Coeur d'Alene (CdA) with my parents, Dan & Amy. Gretchen flew in that morning. Harmony, Travis & Karen were driving over from Seattle. My plan for Thursday was to check into registration and swim on the course, in the lake. But
I was flexible because I knew that was the name of the game. We arrived
at the cabin around 3pm or so. At that point, I bagged going into CdA. Our cabin rocked! Beautiful location, on the lake with a dock and all. It was on the other side of the lake, from down town CdA. Karen, Travis and I went for a swim off of the dock. Burrr! Karen was off like a fish in the water. She is such a strong and
elegant swimmer. And she didn't even have a wetsuit. I think I was in
and out in five minutes. It was good to get a feel for the lake. It's
pristine water. Unlike the 24hour fitness pool I trained in. Then we
had a low key dinner at the cabin. Well, actually it was full of
laughs, fueled by Gretchen commenting on the general mentality of the
fire station. Along with Dan and my dad having already make
reservations at the local, renown steak house for Friday evening. And
maybe a game or two of cribbage. The feeling at the cabin was more than
I could have hoped for. Relaxed, lots of laughs and everyone enjoying
each other. I was anxious about going into town the next day and
getting swept up in the nervous energy and hype. Thursday night I hit
th hay, in effort of continuing getting to bed at a reasonable hour
and getting plenty of rest. I slept like a rock. Unfortunately not
everyone did because our neighbors on the lake were loud and stayed up
much later than we did.

Friday we had a nice, relaxed
breakfast before heading into town. The swim course was open from
7-10am but I didn't think it'd be a problem if we later than 10. I also
wanted to register. Karen and I used some promo wetsuits and hopped in
the water. I was glad I swam the course because it was more choppy than
the cove where our cabin was. It was good to get a feel for the waves.
Before long I noticed that everyone else was swimming the opposite
direction. Apparently at 10am you could only swim within the restricted
"swim area". No big deal. I felt like I got the feel I needed to for
the water and better to under do it rather than over do it, two days
before the race.

Off to registration. Hurry up and wait. It
took an hour to move through the line. Karen was there for moral
support, while Harmony and Travis made sure I had my water, helped run
errands, and checked out the expo. I was nervous about heading into
"race central" and getting caught up with all the nervous energy. I
think with my friends helping out so much I was able to stay relatively
calm. While waiting in line I met two other athletes. One veteran,
racing for time, from Colorado. And the other was a local, rookie. I
commented that being local must be great because his friends could just
walk to the end of their drive way and cheer him on. He followed that
with, no one was coming out to cheer him on. So at that point I offered
to share my support crew. At registration, they weighed me in case I
needed to visit the medical tent during the race. Weight loss during
the race is a good indication of one's level of dehydration. And
thankfully Karen was there to read through the wavier/legal jargon.
It's good to have a law student friend. In case you were wondering, I
did sign my life away. Karen and I cruised through the expo. No matter
what race it is, I tend to feel over stimulated at the expo and want to
get out of there as quickly as possible.

Then we headed back
to the cabin for a little R&R. Some of Team Sitter headed of to the
local steak joint. I made some quick dinner and headed back into town
for the mandatorypre -race athletes meeting. Wrapping up was the
athletes dinner. I didn't know they offered this. It was interesting
because they highlighted some athletes; a double leg amputee, the
youngest; 18 and oldest; 65 year old female, 75 year old male. One
woman who lost 170 pounds while training. You could find inspiration
all around. At the meeting I got the lowdown on friends and family
crossing the finish line with me. I was allowed to have two people to
cross the line. Naturally I felt my parents should be the two and if
they weren't up for the task myniece and nephew (if they were able to
stay up late enough). After the meeting I was ready to call it a day.
Again I slept like a log but apparently our neighbors went skinning
dipping and some folks in our cabin were woken up by their commotion
and got a "play by play".


Dropping off my bike and transition bags on Saturday

Saturday the itinerary was to drop off my bike, transition bags, and then the Pre-Race
dinner at Andy's. We took our time in the morning and headed into town.
The usual suspects; Karen, Harmony and Travis. Dan & Amy met us
downtown to help with the chaos. I was beginning to understand the
"rules". Wait in line to drop off your bike. Although this moved a lot
quicker and the process was pain free. There are a lot of logistics
involved because your bag goes in one spot, your Transition 1 (T1) in
another and your T2 bag elsewhere. It was good to see where my bike was
positioned in the transition area. Which direction I'd be heading after
the swim, and bike. After getting the bike and transitions bags set, we
headed back to the cabin to rest before dinner. Team Sitter was a well
oiled machine. Before we headed off to dinner Mom packed up the van
with dinner ingredients and Amy packed everything that was forgotten on
round 1. This was the first day the Montana Sitter's made an
appearance. It was great to see Mike, Wendy, Matt and Molly.


Pre Race Dinner that Andy and his family hosted. Thank you!

We took over the Mikels household for the Pre-race dinner. Thank you! At Andy's I saw Theresa, her brother Christian, Anna, Rebecca,
Corey, Leslie and met Mike's friends; Troy & Karen. Andy didn't
mess around with his responsibilities of hosting. He made the most
incredible strawberry rhubarb desert. Karen, Andy and some other behind
the scene Team Sitter elves whipped together dinner. It was delicious
and gave me great comfort and strength knowing that all these wonderful
people were there to support me. I headed back to the cabin to do last
minute preparations for race day and attempt to get to bed early. We
packed up the car Saturday night since we were heading out to the race
at 4:30AM. Yep, you read that right. The transition opened up at 5am
and I wanted to get there as close to that as possible. Lunch's were
packed for Team Sitter, I filled my water bottles, gel flask with
Hammer Gel, and felt ready to do this thing. Before bed I needed to do
a little catching up with Leslie.


The sunrise the morning of the race

Harmony,
Gretchen, Karen, Leslie, Travis & I were the first to rise the
morning of the race. At 4am. I usually have trouble eating breakfast
because of my nerves on the morning of the race, but surprisingly I had
no problems. That was about the extent of my routine before we headed
out to the race. I did make some tea to have after the swim in
transition one.




Who is willing to wake up at 4am to get you to the transition at 5am--these folks!


Getting body marked the morning of the race


Morning of the race - all business


Now or never baby! Just before I put my wetsuit on and headed to the start.


GPeezy in true form


John, Bo & Chelsie


See if you can find me. Sleeveless wetsuit, pink goggles on forehead, to the right of Bo, who has his arms up. Chelsie and John are in front of us.


Lining up for the swim


The swim

I had been visualizing what details I needed to take care of in what order once I arrived to the race. I felt like there were a lot of details to take care of and I didn't want to forget anything. Again, I was so fortunate to have a great crew to
help me out.
1. Get body marked, 2. go to bike, put water bottles in
cages and nutrition in thebento box, 3. drop off special needs bags (I
get these part way through the bike and run and I can put anything I
want in it; nutrition) 4. last minute additions to transition bags; tea
and gel flask, 5. pump up bike tires, so on and so forth.
By my second visit to the port-a-potty it was about 6:15am. We were expected to
clear the transition at 6:30am. The line was long and at about 6:30 I
was through the line and back to Team Sitter to get my wetsuit on.
Check. It was like a herd of cattle down to the lake. We start the swim
in a mass start, from the shore, opposed to starting in the water. As
we were headed down to the beach, they made an announcement to all the
athletes, that due to the water conditions, if we wanted to bypass the
swim and still participate in the bike and the run, we could do so. The
wind was whipping and making the swim conditions very choppy. It was
quite humbling to hear that announcement before the start. It was
heartbreaking for all the athletes out there who dread the swim.
Chelsie, Bo and John had headed down the water to warm up. I thought
it'd be great to see them before the start but knew among the 2400
athletes that wasn't realistic. Some how or another we saw each other.
We got our last minute ribbing andstrategizing in. They gave me some valuable
last minute advice. Before I knew it the national anthem was happening
and the signal to start the race. I waited 30 seconds to get in the
water after the start to let things thin down a bit. It felt like 5
minutes but I think it was wise. And I started out wide. The waves were
huge. I started out swimming with my head up, then just breathing to
one side. I quickly learned there was no success in fighting the waves,
I literally had to ride them. Then I settled into my rhythm and was
bilateral breathing. The swim course was two loops in arectangular
shape. I didn't see a buoy until I was about 5 yards past the first
turn because the waves were so big. The waves got slightly better when
you turned because you weren't swimming directly against them but I was
grateful I breathed to both sides because to one side the waves were
crashing. And on the second turn, heading back to shore you had the
waves at your back. At each turn and as I approached the turn I felt
surrounded by other athletes but I wassurprised how desolate it felt,
overall. I thought there would be more opportunities to draft, but that
wasn't the case. I got whacked in the head twice from the same swimmer
and then I realized I was headed the wrong direction and he was headed
the way I should have been going. We were close to shore for our first
loop. I like to call that natural consequences. When I got out of the
water for the first loop (that's what they have you do, run across the
sand) I looked at my watch and theofficial time (40 minutes) and said
aloud, "that clock must be wrong?!" Under the conditions, I was very
surprised with my time. The swim conditions were similar on the second
loop, but slightly better. The had us get back into the water before we
were on the right side of the buoys, which seemed strange because we
were cutting the course. The second loop seemed to go by faster and the
swim all together went too fast. I wasn't ready to get out of the
water. I exited the water in 1 hour and 20 minutes and was surprised
and pleased with that time. I told myself if I got out of the water in
less than 1:30 I'd take my time in transition.

The changing tent was chaos. I hadn't expected this. There wasn't enough space for all the women to comfortably do what they needed to do. I'm not sure what I
did for 15 minutes in transition. I changed, drank some tea, ate someclif bloks, sunscreened up and then I was off on the bike!


Out of the water and onto the bike!

Coming out of the water I saw Mike, Wendy, Matt, Molly and their hosts; Troy
and Karen (aka Montana crew). They had made each letter of my name into
a sign. I had to do a double take because I wasn't expecting to see
them. Then before I hopped on my bike I saw another set of friends. I
was SOOO very excited and just feeling total joy. Then the Montana crew
caught me one more time, just after I got on the bike and was heading
out of town. The bike course takes you along the lake for an out and
back, then you head out of town. On the out and back I saw Andy, Anna,Rebecca
and Corey. There were no fans out there because they had the road
closed but Andy got them there in the boat. It was a fun surprise.


Fabulous Fans


Fans Refueling


Even Sir Pecks A Lot made it out


Where is Sara!?

In April, John, Chelsie, Bo and I rode the bike course. So as I settled in on the bike I knew I could handle every mile of the bike route because I had ridden it
before. It was a great mental boost. Going into the race I knew from
day one of training the bike was my weakness, it would be the longest
part of my day and that the bike cut off would be knocking on my front
door. The bike cut off was 5:30pm. So I had to be in transition, off
the bike by 5:30 to continue on with the race. If I didn't make it in
by then they wouldn't let me continue on. I felt confident I would be
able to make the cut off but knew it would be close. I was hoping to
average 13.5 mph on the bike. As I settled into the bike course, it was
just me, my bike and my thoughts. I tried to utilize the flat parts of
the route to make up for the slow hills. I tried to stay positive with
my thoughts. Unlike in training, on the first loop I didn't watch my
computer at all. My computer shows my speed, and average speed. I was
looking to find Chelsie, John and Bo on the course. Unfortunately,
since I've taken so long to write this I don't remember when I first
saw Bo or Chelsie. But it sure lifted my spirits to see them. I only
saw Chelsie and Bo. And I was left wondering where John was. I didn't
know if I could mentally handle knowing John's status until I got off
the bike.

At some point after I had settled in on the bike I noticed my "ring toe" on my right foot was really bothering me. In April, a group of friends and I went to Whidbey Island to run in the half marathon. They day before I stubbed my toe while cooking. I took note that my toe felt worse than that. I was glad to know that crawling
was an acceptable motion because I might need to resort to that on the
run base on how my toe was feeling.

I felt good on the bike, on the first loop, I was trying to monitor my heartrate and keep it at a reasonable level. I utilized my little gear more than I had expected.
But I felt it was better to do that and have legs of mush for the
second loop and the run. The weather was perfect. The sun was shining
but the temperature was mild. Maybe a high of 75. Around mile 40 or so,
as I was heading back into town, as I was approaching a sharp turn, I
saw my brother Mike, he launched into "go mode" and alerted the rest of
the Sitter crew I was coming. My dad, in his display of support was
wearing a MULLET wig. You read that right. The picture above and below,
was at that corner. I was laughing for miles. Then as I got closer to
town I saw more of Team Sitter. I cannot speak enough for the energy I
gain from seeing my peeps. It's a wonderful feeling. I looked at my
watch and was blown away. I had completed the first loop, 56 miles, in
about 3.5 hours. Much faster than I expected. One more time. On the
second loop, I could look at each hill and say goodbye! Bo and I leap
frogged a lot on the later half of the second loop. And I met another
athlete named Mike. He is a retired teacher from Arizona. Throughout
the bike I would talk to folks, some would talk back and others would
ignore. I got the hint. But Mike was good company. Which is priceless
when you're out there for so long. On the second loop I started to
watch my computer/speedometer. I was shocked that I was still
maintaining a 15 mph pace. But I was just trying to keep eating,
drinking and holding a pace that was comfortable. My stomach was a
little upset but nothing horrible. I had to go to the bathroom three
times on the bike so I knew my hydration level was good. And this was
typcial in training, so I was prepared to stop from time to time. On
the second loop, when Bo and I saw Anna, Rebecca, Corey & Andy.
They confirmed they saw John on the bike, which was a relief that he
made it out of the water alive. The second loop went smoothly. I was
excited that I had plenty of cushion on the cut off. I knew I'd slow
down on the second loop and just tried to settle in. It was just as
enjoyable as the first and I did slow down but not significantly. My
total bike time was 7 hours 23 minutes.

I sure enjoyed seeing Team Sitter along the course and as I headed back into town. Right before I finished the bike course I saw John with Harmony, Travis and
Gretchen. He was in his jeans and his race day was over. It wasn't what
I wanted to see but I knew I couldn't think about it too much, at that
time.


That's my dad in a MULLET wig!

It was so slick, unlike any other triathlon, I get off my bike, hand it to a volunteer and they put it back on the rack. I rolled into the womens changing
tent and was greated by the most fantastic volunteer. I wasn't sure
what layers I was going to wear on the run but she encouraged me to
wear my vest which was smart because of the pockets for my nutrition.
She got me lubed up in body glide (although I forgot a couple of key
spots) and I took a look at my toe. It was pretty banged up but nothing
I could do about it at the time. Then I was off to tackle the last 26.2
miles of the 140.6 miles of the Ironman.


114 miles down 26 to go!

I was enjoying myself so much. I truely enjoyed every minute of the race. On my first loop of the run I stopped and talked with everyone from Team Sitter and even
passed out some sweaty hugs. I was so grateful for all the support. I
also realized I had 8 hours to cover the marathon. That was a wonderful
feeling.

I also had a lot of fabulous company along the run course. Leslie hopped on the course first. When I got out there on the first loop I realized I forgot to apply bodyglide on some key areas and was needed some chapstick. Not life or death but it'd be nice. Of course the crew launched into action to make sure I was set as I so
them coming back into town. Allstate has nothing on Team Sitter. I was
in good hands!

Further down the run course I came upon Wendy, Matt & Molly. I think I got there quicker than they expected because Mike was ahead scouting the course. Wendy and the kids were holding up one of the many signs they made. The signs were a fun
surprise. The run route is two loops. You more or less run out 6.5
miles, back in and one more time. The turn around is in the middle of a
hill. It's mentally tough at that stage of the game, so I asked Mike to
run me up the hill. And he was more than happy to. Great company. My
toe was pretty painful at this point but I found if I ran off the path
on the trail it was a bit more comfortable. But nothing I could do at
that time and the pain was bearable enough to run. But every few yards
I would tweak it just so in my stride that I would get a twinge of
pain. But it was clear that there were many more athletes far worse
than I and I was aware of this. Lap one complete, Gretchen and Harmony ran with
me. Harmony peeled off when we crossed paths with Bo. (I think I may getting my details mixed up because Karen ran with Bo for most of his second loop.) Gretchen
helped me keep track of when I needed to refuel and I'm glad she
enoyed the spectator in the full Elmo suit because I had seen all I
needed to of Elmo at about mile 100 of the bike. At this point my gut
was in full force. I can't even begin to count how many times I stopped
to go the bathroom on the run but I would guess between 10 and 15
visits. Thank goodness for the port-o-potties every mile! Gretchen got
pulled off the course by a race official but I was going so slow that
should could walk behind me and still cheer me on. But not too long
after that I met up with Mike. He ran me up the hill and all the way to
the finish. Far more than I expected.

Two of my goals were to finish strong and look good at the finish. I warned Mike that near the finish I was going to pull over, take off my hat and have Harmony "do
my hair". I said "I'm not kidding". I don't know if he didn't hear me
or didn't believe me. But we got down to the last mile, I realized I
wouldn't see Harmony, so I took off my hat, russeled my hair and asked
how it looked. Mike was shocked and said "are you kidding?!"

At some point he called Wendy and let her know we were close. Apparently
an execuitive decision had been made that Matt, my Mom and Mike would
cross the finish line with. I wasn't in any position to make any decisions,
I was just trying to soak it up. I took my time running down the strip
leading to the finish chute. The streets were packed and the energy was
unbelievable. It was a special day and far better than I could have
ever imagined. People have asked me about celebrating my accomplishment
but I feel that my race day was my celebration. I had so many dear
friends and family there to share the experience with. I attribute all
the tremendous support, in Coeur d'Alene and those not at the race,
helping me get to the finish line. It wasn't a solitary feat. Along
with all those who spent many hours and miles help me put in the
training.

After crossing the finish line I headed to the Medical tent. They had food (all that I saw on the course and pizza). None of it sounded appealing to me. I was sick of the food on the course and my gut was already a mess I knew pizza would only make it
worse. I got ice for my foot, signed up for the massage and waited.
Gretchen found me and gave me some much needed layers. At that point I
got impatient and decided to get taken off the massage list. Which was
a good thing because apparently I never made it onto the list. I would
have been waiting a long time. The crew knew of my love affair with ice
water baths for recovery in training. Our cabin didn't have a bath but
they got several bags of ice for me. Thank goodness Gretchen (who was
flying out the next day at 6am) made sure I put some ice on my legs
when we got to the cabin. And Karen, who doesn't eat any meat, without
hesitation made me a tuna sandwich. What great friends, they had been
going since 4am and were still helping me after midnight! I finally took of my socks and saw my feet. My bum toe was pretty black and blue and I had some nice blisters. Great "war wounds". After some ice, food and the best shower ever, I hit the hay. But not for long I woke up early to nature calling. Then about an hour later at 5:30am, I
was parched and super hungry. So I got a snack and went back to bed for
another hour.

Most of the crew headed back home on Monday,
except for my immediate family. My brothers, Amy and I headed into town
to look at the race photos, pick up my special needs bag and to check
out the recommended local tattoo shop. The only thing I came back to
the cabin with was my special needs bags. But I do have an appointment
to get a tattoo this week.


Thank you for all your support!


After the finish with my family. Check out the perma grin I've got and the glazed over look of my neice.

My times; Swim 1:20:09, Transition one 15:35 (yikes), Bike 7:23:09, Transition two 6:16, Run 5:45:08; overall time 14:50:16

The Ironman journey was amazing. It was done with a tremendous amount of
support from many folks. I appreciate and am grateful of all that
support. I don't think my experience would have been so positive and
successful without it.

I've enjoyed the last four weeks of taking it easy. I'm ready to get back into a routine. Nothing hard core but I do have Hood to Coast in five weeks and the All Women's Half Marathon in October. Thank you for sharing this experience with me!

Much love! Sara

This morning was my last workout at home. I headed out to my childhood pool for my swim. It's a 50 meter pool. And what a great surprise that they had the lanes set up for "long course"; 50m rather than the width; 25yds. It's a lot easier for me to keep count and a great warm up for ironman. I also ran into Scott, who's the little brother of a friend, and a very competitive and only getting better triathlete. They grew up playing water polo and are strong swimmers. I bet Scott and Jeff will do an Ironman before too much longer. It's good to see familiar faces and talk shop.

My family and I are heading over to Coeur d'Alene tomorrow. I'm feeling excited, anxious, confident and at time self doubt. The whole gamete! Ready to get the show on the road.

A Furless Cat I took care of in the Pearl



Pat Cross & I, post brick

A week from today I will be well into my first Ironman race. It an exciting feeling, nerve racking and the unknown. This last week I've been enjoying tapering and just trying to stay on top of details so things will be as calm as possible heading over to Coeur d'Alene and leading up to the race.

I went on a bike ride and then a run with Pat Cross yesterday. It brings me great comfort to be surrounded by Pat and others who keep me grounded and provide incredible positive support. Pat has always been a great support and helped me learn and become more comfortable and confident on my bike. He was also the one I was with when I crashed on my Mt. bike and broke my collar bone. Pat and Judy took me out to a nice dinner and it was a great time to catch up with them. And they treat me so well, like one of their own. Although, their daughter, Ally is a much better kid than I ever was. She sets the standards for today's youth. Although she's not so much in the youth category. She'll be 20 in August!

Although I thought I was relaxed and feeling confident, my body is telling me otherwise. I got a cold sore last week. I have more zits and pimples than I've had in about 15 years. I am grateful to so many people who are showering me with support. Thank you!

I took my bike in last week to get it "race ready". They gave it a lot of bike love. And I've never had that much work done on my bike before; new tires, tune up, new chain, cables and break pads. I just need to ride it before the race because I just picked it up yesterday. I was planning on doing an organized swim at Haag Lake but make a last minute decision not to. After paying the bill on my bike, which was more than I expected, even after the 15% discount, I opted out of the swim. It was a bit of a bummer. Not to see where I was at physical but it would have been a nice mental preview. Oh well, that's life. And that's how the cookie crumbles.

I'm headed over to CdA on Thursday. And I'm not sure if I'll post until after the race. Thank you for all the good thoughts and support.

You track me on June 24, live at www.ironmanlive.com
Go to the athlete search/finder and type in my name.
You can also watch a live video feed.

We're representing the number "2". Because two weeks from today, I'll be well into the race. Tapering is a beautiful thing. I ran 12 miles today. And had one of the most wonderful and deep naps I've had in years. Probably because John kept me out LATE last night. We were celebrating me kicking the 20's to the curb with some local, live music. A fun evening but a rare event when I stay out past midnight.

Not much to report from the training over the weekend. I didn't ride over the weekend. We got a lot of rain on Saturday. And it was lovely to only run 12 miles. I'm looking forward to getting this show on the road, heading over to Coeur d'Alene and racing. Game on!

"Victory is in having done your best. If you've done your best, you've won." Bill Bowerman

"To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift." Steve Prefontaine

These are great quotes and a reminder of how I should approach my day. Today I talked to a dear friend, who on her bike ride with a group, witnessed one of the riders get hit and killed. It is unimaginable to experience such tragedy and a traumatic experience. And it really makes me think about death and how vulnerable we are. And how one would be able to witness than and I would think, not go another day without thinking of that horrific experience, each day.

A few weeks ago, it may have been around the time I was cranking out one of my 105 mile bike rides, I was talking with my dad about training. And how I'm in such great shape but in a moment it can be taken away. For whatever reason, if I weren't able to make it to the starting line of Ironman, I feel very blessed and fortunate to be able to do all that I have done. I know it's a downer debbie topic but it's a reality.

On a brighter note, I have been blown away by all the support I have gotten throughout training and a lot of it seems to be surfacing as I get down to the wire-two weeks until the big day! To list a few; I have several very supportive friends who are not here in Portland. I am tickled by how excited my bro, Mike is and his level of support is amazing. I'm glad he has the kids and can share that same support and positive encouragement because I don't think I could do it to the level he does. My parents, my bro Dan, my friends who are living in other states, and my friends who share the miles with me.

My brother Dan, pulled his cleaver tricks and significantly contributed to the cost of the t-shirts. These t-shirts will be unveiled in Coeur d'Alene and will be given as a "thank you" to those coming out and cheering me on. They rock and so does Dan and his support.

My Seattle peeps rock! They're so consistent with their support. And I can't wait to see them--Theresa, Karen, Harmony and Travis!

My girlfriends. Need I say more. Monday is my 30th birthday. Ouch. Thursday we got together with the ladies. I was hoping to let the day slip by because everyone has done so much for me on this Ironman journey, I didn't want them to do any more. Well I was naive to think I could "pull the wool" over my girlfriends eyes. I really am surrounded by some amazing, talented, successful, a lot of fun, and beautiful girlfriends. And those stinkers joined up and got me an ipod.

I've said this before and I'll say it again, my parents are amazing. Happy to feed me after a long training ride/run. Put up with me when my attitude is less than desirable, have total faith in me and give me unwavering encouragement.

Thank you to all of you who have gotten me to where I'm at today. You are a gift to me. And I hope to return that with a gift of a performance.

Three weeks until Race Day!

John and I rode our bikes 65 miles on Saturday. It was a hot day and a great opportunity to practice with some heat. I got properly sunburned. Then my goal was to run 10 miles so I could have Sunday off and practice the brick training.

I was on my own for the run. Harmony was generous and loaded up her ipod and sent it my way on Thursday. I was anticipating the arrival. I thought I'd swing by and pick it up for my solo run. But I decided I needed a nap first. (This was at my parents house). So I took a fantastic 40 minute nap. Then tried to bargain with myself about the run. My father who is getting really excited about race, got out the cattle prod and made sure I ran and all 10 miles at that. He came up with a great mantra for me this weekend; physically ready, mentally tough. I got running, with some great tunes and got it done.

Sunday I got up early and headed out to Nike. Anna, Travis and Ava were running in the 5k to support local schools. It was Ava's first 5k and she did fantastic. Leslie and I cheered and hung out with Merrick. Who's one of the best 1 year old's that I've met.

My first open water swim of '07 was a success!

John scoped out the location; 5 miles north of Oregon at Klienline. Granted the high of the day was in the high 80's but the water was very comfortable. It was super easy to get to and there were plenty of other triathletes out there. It felt good physically and mentally to get away from the black lines of the pool. Although that is my "happy spot". We plan on swimming out there the next two weeks to get more practice in. Other than some chaffing from my wetsuit it was a great adventure!

Our favorite Saturday Night Live pose

With the three day weekend and John getting back in town on Saturday evening. I utilized Saturday as a day of rest. John, Leslie and I set out early Sunday morning for some big bike miles. We met at our new favorite long ride route, east of town. It was a cold day, clouds, a bit of wind and sprinkles. I wasn't at my strongest, I was struggling with the hills on the first out and back. But kept on pedaling. Leslie rode 60 miles with us. She quickly dropped us after 43 and cranked like the strong woman she is! John headed out after 90 miles because he had somewhere to be. So I did the last 18 miles on my own for a total of 105 miles! It's nice to have some solitude and let the mind wander.

I called in the reinforcement at the last minute and asked my parents to meet me at my house and make me my favorite post workout meal--tuna melt. They are so good to me!


Pre-run, ode to the cheer squad

Sunday we met at Duniway track; Leslie, John, Kevin and I. We did a total of 10 miles on Terwillger. John listened to his body and joined us for half of that. Kevin had to get to work after the 10 miles. So Leslie carried me home for the remaining 10 miles. For a grand total of 20 miles. I'm glad I only have to run farther than that distance one more time in 2007! Leslie has been so patient & keeping me company over some big miles and at my turtle pace. Thank you!


Notice the man to Leslie's left.

This gentleman does some monster push up. He puts his feet on a bench and his hands on a bar that's parallel to the bench. It looks tough and must be working for him.

Well, I'm getting down to the wire. Five more weeks until race day. It's an exciting time when I can count how many more long runs and bike rides I have until the race. And that I won't have to drink Gatorade anymore. It's little things that I look forward to.



Saturday Erica met me at my folks house. We headed out to Forest Grove to meet up with Pat Cross, Matt Y., a friend of Erica's, Matt M. & Greg, two young, strong cyclists from work. Do to my lack of planning we got a little lost but it all worked out. We headed back on the right track, and the guys hopped on their bikes and rode towards us. We rode to Haag Lake, did one loop and dropped them off at their cars in Forest Grove. Then we got another 25 miles in for a grand total of 75. I told Erica that I got my speed workout in, 75 miles of it. All of those folks, starting with Erica are fast & strong. I averaged 15.4 mph. The week before, when I rode 105 miles, I averaged between 13.3-13.7 mph, just to give you an idea of the difference.

It was a good challenging ride. And I spent the rest of the day lounging at my parents house. I took a coveted couch nap and then felt like a train wreck. I think my body was telling me that I couldn't make up for a week's worth of not enough sleep in one hour on the couch. But it was nice to hang out at my parents. It's always very relaxing with them.


This is our "favorite superhero" pose.

Sunday we had a good turn out for our weekly run. Leslie and I met a little early and got 3 miles in before meeting the group. We ran on the trail, meeting at the Germantown entrance, which is less populated. It was a beautiful run. I was a bit under dressed because I was warm the day before on the bike. And it didn't start raining until we started running. But I survived. Susan and Kevin ran the whole way with Leslie & I. We put in a grand total of 18 miles. Only one 20 miler than the mileage drops before race day! This run was easier than the 14 mile run last weekend. Some days are like that. It's not that it was easy but last week's run was brutal! Then I went to my parents house because I forgot some stuff there. At first I didn't think they were home and had my hopes of them making me waffles dissolved. But they came out of hibernation, saved me from melting away. Yeah waffles and FOUR pieces of bacon. That was yummy at the moment but got me in the end.

It's been a busy week;

Wednesday was the Central Catholic High School (where I graduated from) scholarship awards ceremony

In September 2003, a high school classmate of mine, Brian Craig died due to Cystic Fibrosis. Brian had an infectious laughter and lived each day to the fullest. My dad suggested I start a scholarship (for current CC students) in Brian's name. I looked in to it and it takes $10k to establish a scholarship. The scholarships are given based on the interest accured of that account. With a tremendous amount of help from many, the first scholarship was presented in Brian's name. It was an inspiring evening, filled with pride, and a great sense of accomplishment. It was felt great to be affiliated with CC which is doing wonderful things. I know I didn't appreciate my high school at the time but now that I see the results it produces I sure appreciate it. It's great that CC makes it a priority to help students get the educaiton they wouldn't be able to afford without the assistance.

Thursday was the Friends of The Children fundraiser

My dad first got involved with FOTC after reading an article about it in the Oregonian. He organizes the bars and volunteer bartenders for the evening of the annual fundraiser. It's an organization that belives in the value of having a longterm mentor in the lives of youth with little stability in their lives. Matthew, Bob Kessi and I worked one of the bars. It was a fun evening. I enjoyed the Kessi's work ethic and ability to have fun. And of course hanging out with my Pops, is always on the top of my list.

Friday was the Jefferson Dancers with Cara & Amy Eisenbach

Jefferson is a high school in Portland that has really struggled in the last decade. Adminstraivly. It would be considered an inner city school with struggling academic results. They have a magnetic dance program. This year is the 31st year of the Jefferson Dancers. They really are at the level of a professional dance company and practice hours daily. For the last couple of years I've taken Cara and Amy Eisebach to see them. They are phenomenal, very modern and make you want to get up and move. It's great to connect with Cara and Amy. I don't see enough of them.

Saturday was a 14 mile run with Leslie

I got a cold last week that is still having a stronger presence that I would like. So instead of my scheduled 18 mile run I did a 14 milers. Leslie saved my butt. It was a tough run for me and wouldn't have made it to 14 without her.

Then Dan and I went to my folk's and helped my Mom plant her vegetable garden. It sure went quick with the three of us working.

Sunday was my first 105 mile bike ride with Erica & Leslie



This is a beautiful route. The weather was quesitonable. We got sprinkled on during the first couple of hours. Leslie, Erica and I did the first 43 miles together. Then Erica and I did 18 together, when I started to hit a wall and really slow down. Then I was on my own for the last 43. I enjoyed the solidtude and the weather got better as the day went on. My parents saved the day and met me at my house and made dinner for me.

From the bike ride, I feel good. But I couldn't fall asleep until after midnight, and this cold is kicking my butt, I feel like shit and just want to go back to sleep. But at least training is going well. SIX more weeks!

Thursday Erica and I went on a bike ride together. I was staying at my folks house the last two weeks while they were in Montana. So Erica came to the westside for a ride. Wednesday and Thursday we had some really stormy weather. And we had the whole gamut. Rain, hail, thunder and hard. Just after Erica arrived and we were getting our gear ready this weather started. Meanwhile my dad is telling us we're crazy. We just let the weather pass and headed out. Unfortunately the weather hadn't quite passed. We got dumped on. We were both soaked to the bone but enjoyed it. It was adventurous and I wouldn't have gone on my own after the initial dumping. I miss riding in the westhills.



Friday afternoon, my parents, Gretchen and I headed to Central Oregon, Sunriver to be exact, for Pat Kessi's wedding. We arrived in time to make a quick appearance at the rehearsal dinner, then off to our fantastic house in Sunriver. My plan Saturday was get on the bike at 7am and ride the Pacific Crest course; to Mt. Bachelor and back. That plan was derailed because the road was torn up and it was gravel. I found a loop and just got 30 miles in. Then Gretchen and I ran 6 lovely miles around the village. And then the festivities began. Starting with a lovely ceremony, followed by a fun reception that went late into the evening, with a few too many drinks. Two days later, I'm still sore from all the dancing. A little glimpse of being single at 30; the best dance I had was with a priest. He could swing me around like no other, even with my two left feet.

I'm looking forward to the next seven weeks (until the race) because I will spend even night at home. No more big weekends until the race.

Two weekends in a row with out photos to prove the events. So I posted some old ones.


My parents and I after the LUNA race in '06



Joe, Harmony & I after the LIVEstrong ride in '05

Without a doubt this last weekend of training was the best yet. And it
happened to be my longest miles. John and I set out to ride 90 miles on
Saturday. The forecast was looking good. Up until last weekend we had
only three dry weekends (both days), in Portland, for the year. And two
of those weekends were in January. We decided to ride in the Gorge.
Starting near Corbett, riding past Multnomah Falls and back, twice.
Leslie joined us for the first trip. She saved me, not once, but twice.
I forgot socks and half of my nutrition. Leslie, without hesitation,
pulled off her socks and gave them to me. Along with enough gel to get
me through the ride. Thank you Leslie! This route is very scenic, good climbs and great descents. John shared a fun fact that the hills were all 5% grade or less. So they were manageable.

There were several times throughout the ride John had me laughing so hard I was struggling to get enough oxygen I thought I'd have to pull over. There were plenty of other riders out between the coveted route and the sunshine. One even resembled Capt. America with his outfit but cycling sure supports bright, bold motifs. John is always so patient with me. I forgot my camera but we were in prime tourist locations. So about 75 miles into the ride and at the crest of the last major hill climb, I asked some random tourist to take a photo us and email to me. It hasn't arrived yet,
but you know I'll post it if it does. All in all we got about 87 miles
in. I think I can round it up to 90. I soaked my legs in the Sandy River
for 15 minutes to help with the recovery so I'd be able to jog on
Sunday.

Sunday I met Leslie to get a few miles in before the rest of the crew rolled out of bed and met us at the trailhead for a jog. She was great, patient while we slowly climbed the hill. Just in time to meet the crew. As usual, Erica, Bob and Leslie quickly picked up the pace. Kathy and I enjoyed each others company and a
slower pace. It sure is fantastic to have running buddy's. So I put in
16 miles on the trail. And then went home for an ice bath.

I am forever grateful for all my running buddies! There is something very real,
deep bonds and understanding shared among all the miles. Anna was the
first one and we shared our first two marathons together. And I think
the women's running group brought on a whole slue of really amazing,
strong and fantastic women. Then the eight degrees ofseparation, and
spouses brought the others. I would be on the couch or sleeping in if
it weren't for all of my dear running buddies. Thank you!

I started out the weekend at my folks house. My brother Dan and I spread compost in my parents flower beds, as a surprise for my dad's birthday. My dad was totally surprised and very appreciative. It was fun to pull it off because he's hard to find the right gift for. Dan and I cranked it out just in time to beat most of the rain. That was my prority and if I got a workout it that would be a bonus.

I somehow managed to motivate and get an eight mile jog in with the steady rain. It was very good mentally. I felt strong in the sense that I got it done. Physically I felt like a bit of a train wreck. I called a friend after the run and had trouble articulating my thoughts.

Sunday I got a solid bike ride in. I was prepared for rain but the sun took charge and the weather was fantastic. I rode out to Sauvie's Island, met Leslie and her new Scott for a loop around the island. I continued on for two more loops and tootled home for a grand total of 69 miles.

This weekend of workouts was a good mental breakthrough. I did most of the miles by myslef and felt that it was a bit of a test and I passed! In May I may be doing some serious miles by myself because John is off to fun adventures. And now I know I can do it!

This up coming weekend will be our first 90 mile ride and the weather is calling for SUN!

This is the fourth year friends and I have traveled to Whidbey Island to participate in the half marathon. It's a beautiful course with lots of hills. There were a total of 17 of us who made the trip this year. We celebrated a 30th birthday, biked 45 miles and had enjoyed our visitors. 10 weeks until race day!


Travis making sure he was resting for the race.


I felt my stubbed toe was needed documentation.


Harmony & Travis visited us on the island.


30


Alex, the birthday boy, demonstrating his lung power.


Ready to begin the fun



This is the group, minus John and Bo who escaped because they've already had so many cameos.


We're strategizing.


Bob and Susan demonstrating the ability to run strong and have fun.

A special note of appreciation to my family. I am blessed to have a tremendous amount of support and enthusiasm from my family, as I train for my first Ironman. I would not be the strong, driven person I am without such a stable foundation. And I'm grateful for my brothers making me tough and determined from an early age. Grateful of my parents consistent and never ending love and support. Thank you!

Often when I'm training (over the years) I think about those in my life who aren't able to do what I'm doing, for one reason or another. This year I have gained great strength and often think of Jay and Travis. You know who you are. Jay was training for IM Arizona (taking place this weekend) and was derailed by cancer. She has kicked cancer to the curb and is looking ahead. She is one of those people who walks into a room and it lights up. She brings so much joy, positiveness and laughter into the lives of those who encounter her. Last night I had dinner at her house with her and her 8 year old son. It was pure joy. Part way through dinner, her son busts out my favorite Ben & Jerry's ice cream--Coffee Heath Bar. After I finished my soup, Joseph brought over two spoons and a fresh pint. How divine is that?! Why can't men 20 years older than him learn from his wisdom. As I train, my social life has gone to the back burner. It's so refreshing to have a couple of hours with dear ones in my life. It was well worth not getting a run in. Thank you to all of you in my life who bring me such joy and keep me grounded.

Montana Wrap Up and Weekend Ride

I had a lovely time in Montana. It was great to spend a solid amount of time with Matt & Molly (my neice & nephew). And to catch up with Mike and Wendy. Aren't they a good looking family!!





A year ago, Wendy bought a road bike in Portland. In their town of Polson, they have bi-montly time trials. Wendy let me know this was happening when I was visiting if I wanted to participate. A time trial is when you ride a specified route as fast as you can. I've never done one before but thought it would be fun. It was the same week that I rode 150 miles in CDA so I wasn't expecting anything great. The route was 12 miles with a good hill climb in the first 1/3 of the route. Before I even hit the hill I was hoping I'd avoid vomiting but wasn't sure if I'd be able to succeed based on how I was feeling. I am not used to going at an "all out pace". I go long and slow. But I came in around 39min 55secs. And didn't vomit! Upon Wendy's encouragement I rode my bike home. Which I'm glad I did because I would have stiffened up in the car ride home. I was so impressed with the cycling/triathlon community that I experienced in Polson. Considering it's a town of 5000. The athletes are incredibly hardworking, humble and talented. I was headed home the next day and one of the athletes at the time trial invited me to join them for a swim the next morning.

As I mentioned Polson is a town of 5000. They have a lake the town outlines but no swimming pool. We drove 30 miles, 45 minutes to this ranch with a pool. These folks are dedicated and it was a good reminder to me to appreciate all that I have access to here in Portland.


post swim, with Lori & Mitch; the amazing Montana athletes

After the swim I drove home to Portland. It was a wonderful week away but it's always nice to be home.

Sunday John and I got back into the swing of things with a 62 mile bike ride. My parents were out of town and I didn't have big Easter plans. So John and I spent it on the road. We had plans of combining a couple of routes. We rode from Lake Oswego, through West Linn, Tualatin and then out to Newberg. We were going to ride to the ferry in Canby and cross the Willamette river. At one point in the ride I asked John if he thought the ferry would be operating on Easter. He wasn't so sure. We decided to pull over and call anyone to see if they could check on-line. We tried at least five people and NO ONE answered. Once we ride to the ferry it's the point of no return. So we decided not to risk it. But we still had to get across the river. The only other option was to ride ON I-5. The major freeway that runs north/south, lots of trucks and the speed limit is 65mph. We rode 5 miles on the shoulder and survived. I was praying the whole time and only looked forward. We hope to avoid that route again, but it made for a good story. Next weekend, 15 friends and I are headed up to Washington to run in the Whidbey Island half marathon. Saturday, hopefully we'll get a ride in before the race on Sunday.

Saturday, March 31st, John and I packed up my Subaru and headed to Coeur d'Alene (CDA). We were meeting up with Bo & Chelsie for some training on the course. I have NEVER packed so much, for one trip, in my entire life. I know I'm being a bit dramatic but I was prepared for any weather event. Just to give you an idea I packed six different jackets. Four of those I would wear during cycling or running. But we fit it all in the car with room to spare. The drive was smooth with the exception of me needing to stop hourly because I was well hydrated. And our lunch stop in Spokane. We were both pretty hungry, John especially and I chose the exit with the longest wait. We ended up a the local taco bell that came back to haunt us.


This was where we stayed. Chelsie and Bo found this fantastic house. It was downtown CDA, blocks away from the course. I envy the folks who are staying there for Ironman week. Prime location. Although I think the cabin we're staying at may sleep more ;) We settled into the house and then set out to drive the bike course. With a few detours and wrong turns we drove the whole course. It's two loops. Same loops. We even saw a couple of athletes cycling the course as we were driving it. It felt exciting to see others out there.


It may be hard to recognize us under all that gear (left to right)
Chelsie, Sara (with Sir Pecks A Lot), Andy, John & Bo. The weather was fantastic, dry and a crisp 37 degrees as we set out to experience the course on Sunday morning. They have changed the bike course from previous years so even though I am the rookie IM athlete in the group, the course was new for all of us. Andy wasn't sure he was going to ride with us the whole way because it was his first outdoor ride of the year. So he started out the day at the gym. And he was at least 50 meters ahead of us for the WHOLE ride. He did just fine. The wind was really blowing during the ride, which helped at times and others it felt like I hit a brick wall. But all in all I felt the weather was really fantastic. It warmed up throughout the ride. The course has some good rolling hills but nothing we can't handle. There are two times on the route where there's a good descent but we have to make a turn that will force us to significantly slow down. I like to take advantage of all the downhill I can get. We were about four miles from our house and John's bike made a loud pop. I didn't see anything that would have caused it. But then I noticed his wheel wasn't spinning evenly and he pulled over. One of his rear spokes popped out. Sort of a freak event. We rode home and Bo got the truck and picked him up. He was lucky to get his bike into the local shop. It was closed but the owner and others were just returning from a group ride. All in all, it was a successful first ride of the course and it gave me some reassurance.

Then I met up with the owners of the cabin I'll be staying at race week. They took me out to the cabin. It looks great and it will be a drive from the race hub but that will only matter on race day. It's right on the lake so hopefully the lake won't be too cold to play in.


(L to R) Chelsie, Andy, John and his claw gloves and Bo


The bikes, after a hard days work.



Bo & John, after a hard days work.

I don't have a pre-ride photo from Day 2. It was just Chelsie, Bo and I. John wasn't feeling so well and didn't want to keep us waiting since his wheel wasn't going to be ready until noon. The weather forecast wasn't so promising. It called for snow by midday. We were about 25 miles in and I felt a significant drop in temperature. On the road was a street sweeper. First a truck was wetting down the road then followed by another vehicle that swept. I thought the temperature drop had to do with the moisture. But Chelsie and Bo corrected me and pointed out the fact that it was snowing. I can't believe I was so focused I didn't even notice the snow. So we decided to bee line for home. We had about 10 more miles to crank out, heading directly into the wind before we arrived home. John didn't miss much. We rode about 35 miles on Monday.

We decided to catch a movie at the local theatre with the extra time on our hands.

Yes, it's snowing in April.

We all slept really long and hard Monday night. I think the miles and weather caught up to us. We were ready to tackle the road on Tuesday. It was a beautiful morning.

Day 3 - Bo, John, Chelsie



Day 3 - Bo, Sara, Chelsie
Our goal was to ride a little more than one loop. The sun was shining and it was 37 degrees as we started out. I thought the weather was perfect on Sunday, but Tuesday it was really perfect. Sunshine and very little wind. It made a big difference. And no snow. We finished one loop of the course and did the first out and back of the second loop. It was great, because I just said to myself "this is how it will feel on the second loop". We rode a total of 70 miles on Tuesday and by the end of the ride it was in the low 50's. Everyone felt strong and confident about the ride. Which is fantastic! Chelsie and I went for an easy jog afterwards. And Chelsie being super tough, soaked her legs in Lake Coeur d'Alene for the second time!

It was a great three days of riding. It helped significantly to see and ride the course. I noticed the altitude. It's good to be reminded of how that feels. And of course, good times with great friends. Although I think they may have gotten tired of my MTV/VH1 obsession. That's what happens when I have access to cable ;)

Now I'm in Montana visiting my bro, sis-in-law, niece and nephew. They are on their spring break which works out nicely. I don't see them often enough and I sure am enjoying the visit. I will be participating in a local time trial this afternoon. It should be a good challenge and I've never done one before. Yesterday I got a slow 10 mile run it. It's nice to still get some workouts in out of my element.

Rest

I took it easy this last week. And I didn't workout Friday through Sunday. It felt like a four day weekend I had so much time on my hands. I got a lot done around the house and went dress shopping with my mom, for PK's wedding. My mom was an allstar, not only did she help me pick out dresses but she came over Sunday and helped me weed my front yard. It was over due. Now the back yard. I also was able to hang out with Daniel Eisenbach. A three month belated birthday celebration. He turned the big 12 and we watched the movie Bridge to Terabithia. Very good. It was good to rest and get things done around the house. Saturday I head to Coeur d'Alene to train on the course, the onto Montana to see my brother and his family!

I got some unfortunate news yesterday. Travis (Harmony's BF), was on a bike ride Saturday, downed his bike and broke his hip. Fortunately he's okay and it's something he can fully recover from. But it ends his season. Which is a huge disappointment. He was training for his first triathlon--a half ironman. Keep him in your thoughts and prayers. And I'm sure he'll come back stronger.

LUNA Summit

Sorry it's taken me awhile to get the details up. Friday, Joe was in town and so he was gratious enough to keep me company on a bike ride. We were a little bit crunched for time since I had a flight to catch. We headed out at daylight for a four hour ride. We rode to Sauvie's Island, did two loops and back home for a grand total of 56 miles. It was a beautiful day. In fact, I think it was the best weather I've ridden in since the fall. Joe pushed me in a good way. He had me draft off him which makes me focus and concentrate like no other. And then on the first Sauvie's loop we did 5 by 1 minute hard, 1 minute easy. It was a good challenge. Then I was off to the airport for sunny California with my LUNA chix team, 95 other LUNA chix members from around the country and the LUNA chix pros.

We arrived in California to even warmer and equally beautiful weather than in Portland. We started off with a delicious dinner at the CLIF/LUNA headquarters. It was great to see our teammates/friends. After a few speakers, drinks and a powerpoint presentation we crammed 7 women in a 5 passenger vehicle, heading to our hotel. We arrived safely in Mill Valley and hit the hay because Saturday was going to be packed.

Some of us started off Saturday with a yoga class. All the clinics and activites were optional. There were more options than for a kid in a candy store. After yoga I took a core class. Then I sought out the local, outdoor, high school pool to get some yards in. I hopped in and two of the pro triathlete women were there; Katia Meyers and Heather Gollnick. We gave each other the "understood nod" because I was wearing a LUNA chix swim cap and continued on with our workouts. After they were done with their swim, they stopped me and chatted. They asked what I was training for and I said Coeur d'Alene. Heather raved about the course and what a great race it is. I asked her what year she did it and she said in 2003, the first year. I asked her about the heat because it was super hot that year. She said she loves the heat (she lives in Flordia). Then she said she WON the race that year. (She has also won Ironman Wisconson twice.) Did I mention she has three kids, the two older ones are twins. All of her success has been post children. It was great to chat and Heather gave me some good tips. One of my favorite, simple life pleasures is swimming in an outdoor pool. So it was quite the treat.

Back to the hotel for lunch, a movement prep clinic, recovery clinic and some down time before dinner. After dinner, there was a blowout sale of last years gear, so I bought a couple of items. That was pretty much it for Saturday.

Sunday Chelsie and I had a long run planned. We were going to get a few miles in by ourselves and then run the rest of the miles with a group. Another beautiful day in California. We ran on this senic path that went through the area. When we met up with group, I immediately got dropped because of my pace. But I knew that to complete the 16 miles I would need to go at "my pace", nice and slow. So that's what I felt most comfortable doing. For the last 1/3 of the run we went along a trail that leads to the ocean. So beautiful. I could smell the ecalyptus trees, forget me nots were in full bloom. I even ran a little farther than I should have so I could soak up the view of the ocean. All I needed was an ice bath!

I got back to my hotel room and my roommate informed me there was no hot water. Oh well, nothing I could do but not what I wanted to hear. I soaked my legs in the unheadted hotel pool for some recovery of the muscles before being crammed on an airplane. I got back to my room, tested the water and it was still cold. I hopped in bed to warm up. Mind you, at this point I had about 45 minutes until I needed to be packed up, out of the room and grabbing a quick lunch. I tested the water again, and at there was NO water, hot or cold. Hopped back in bed and called Chelsie, who was two rooms down. "What are you doing" I ask.

"I just got off the phone with Bo, I'm in bed, all packed up, hoping the water comes back on" Chelsie said.

"Okay, I'll pack up and wait" I replied.

I packed up, tested the water and there still wasn't any. 30 minutes until go time. I was desperate. I grabbed my soap and headed down to the pool. I leaned over the edge, washed my face and lathered my body. I took a leap in and scrubbed off. I hope the person next to me on the plane appreciated all I went through to "bath". We got out of there okay and back to Portland in one piece. It was a fabulous weekend with some incredible women and great training miles.

Oh one more thing, Saturday at dinner, I thanked Heather Gollinick for the tips. She ran with us on Sunday and we chatted as she graciously passed me. She paid me the compliment that I was a good swimmer because she saw me swimmer butterfly. Although I think maybe she didn't have her contacts in when she saw me swimming. I told her my butterfly is more of a broken winged butterfly and I like to warn the lifeguards ahead of time that I don't need to be rescued, I'm just swimming butterfly. But everyone needs a little ego boost even if it's a pro giving me a compliment.

I'm giving my body a break this week. No running, or weekend workouts. My body has gotten my through some good miles the last few weeks and it needs a break. Especially before "bike camp". When Chelsie, Bo, John and I head to Coeur d'Alene.

Confession

Sunday was a test. My fearless mentor, John, reminded me at Ironman it's important to not compare yourself to others. As other pass you, it's important to let them go and race your own race. Well during the Shamrock Run I had an opportunity to do that. Against my preference. John's exact words "Remember what I told you about Ironman? Now may be a good time to practice it".

My immediate response "But this isn't Ironman". Sometimes those competitive juices flow heavily from deep down. I'm glad I listened to John. And it's good for me to practice. I'm used to being passed and the back of the pack but sometimes when I come across someone I know I should be ahead of it's hard to let go. Many more tests of will, ego, and mental strength between now and June.

This photo is from 2006. But a fun one.

Saturday John and I assumed the position and spent 4 hours on the spin bike. Not much to report, other than we survived. I did finish a really fascinating book, while spinning; The Glass Castle. Check it out.

Sunday was the Shamrock Run. A very festive, competitive and challenging road race in Portland. I ran 4 miles before the race so I could get my miles in. Then met up with crew before the start. It was an unusually warm day. Fortunately the rain held off and it was a perfect weather day. The male and female winner of each distance race (5k, 8k & 15k) win their weight in beer, so it brings out some fast folks. I did the 15k. And it was the strongest I've ever felt. There's something to be said about starting out slow and saving something for the end. My last full mile was 8:40; my fastest mile of the race. I'm sure I had gravity working in my favor; a little down hill. It felt good and I'm sore today. Looking ahead to LUNA summit this weekend.

It's good to be challenged.

Wednesday morning when Lisa and I got to the pool there was another woman, our age range, who was a fantastic swimmer, in the pool. When someone's a good swimmer their strokes are so graceful. About 45 minutes into our swim a man hopped in our lane. The graceful swimmer, warned us he was fast. Well if a fast swimmer was warning us that he was fast, he must have really been fast! Are you still with me?

After Lisa and the graceful swimmer got out I swam about 700 yards with Bob. It was a very challenging 700 yards. We did 3 x 200 various sets. It feels so good to be pushed. An example, for the last 100 Bob said "Okay, 100 yards all out. I'll give you a 'handicap'. You decide how much of a head start you get, I'll try to catch you and you try to beat me."

I said "How about 25 yards"? (Which is one length of the pool) I need all the wiggle room I could get.

He said "How about 3/4 of a length"?

Okay. I went all out for 25 yards and then I hit a wall, my stroke fell apart and I was just trying to hang on and keep pushing. He didn't beat me but I'm pretty convinced he took it easy on me. I even called him on it but he denied it. All it all, it was challenging and made me realize I really next to mix things up with my swimming. I've gotten very comfortable and don't push myself beyond that comfort zone.

I'm trying to spice up the photos a bit, so it's not the same "tired/cold/I don't want my photo taken at this moment" look.

Saturday John and I kicked off our 4 hour rides. It'll be the first of several.We opted to ride inside because the weather has been really iffy. We go to John's foofy gym where they offer us "shower towels" upon check in. But it's a nice alternative. I found many excuses to get off my bike and refuel, pick up a magazine or got to the bathroom, to name a few. But we got our time in on the saddle. I recovered with a coveted two hours on the couch.

Sunday Kevin, Gretchen and gathered for a run. Gretchen opted for the hardest part of the route and turned around before we did. We started at St. Honoree's bakery and ran up to Lief and ran 5 miles in. All in all it was 13 miles. I am grateful for the company because surely I would have turned around sooner. I really am turning into the sleep princess because I didn't get a nap after the run and had one social function after another and I was dying. I feel like I may need to eliminate my social functions for the next few months. Although that's something I've never been good at.

John's been working hard!


Really, we were excited to run in the rain!


Doesn't Cozgrove have a nice booty



Travis is super excited to ride the Chilly Hilly


Joe's ready for his cross country ride and Sara's ready to show her support by eating

I'm totally late to get the goods online from the weekend adventures. Hopefully it's been worth the wait ;) I started out the weekend with a big weight on my shoulders. I was offered a position with the local Parks and Recs in Beaverton. To spare you the boring details, I decided to stay in my current position and decline the offer. Which I just officially made the decision this morning.

John and I arrived in Washington late Friday evening. Have I mentioned how grateful I am to have him as a training partner? He's so opposite of me, it's wonderful. And I'm sure I'll be grateful on race day that I pack some solid foods in my nutrition plan, thanks to Johnny Bravo! My recent, favorite nickname for John. On with the details, Saturday morning, after some proper procrastination Chelsie, Bo, John, Alex and I went for a rainy jog. I was afraid Chelsie might run me into the ground. But she was gentle and lead a comfortable pace, until the big hill. But as much as I gripped about it, I enjoyed the run. The boys spent the day focused on their fantasy basketball teams. I think I got a glimpse of what my sister in law deals with among all the fantasy league talk. God bless her. I got some baking done and enjoyed the luxury of a fully stocked kitchen.

Saturday evening we had a pre-ride dinner. As usual, I'm totally blessed with the people I have in my life. Harmony, Travis, Karen (kick law school in the ass and doesn't know it) and Alex made it over. We were a pretty mellow crowd with the exception of our photo. We decided to show our back sides because that is what we would be using on Sunday. For riding our bikes, that is...

Okay I'm gonna have to leave you hanging. I've got to get back to work. Enjoy the photos and more dialogue and proofing later...

Sunday's ride. We had some good ferry karma and caught the early ferry. Without a hitch we met up with Joe. It was nice to have already ridden the route and knowing I could climb the hills because there were some good ones. I sure felt sorry for the kids and the unicyclers, on those hills. Really how do the unicyclers do it? It was a family of them, thank goodness I wasn't born into that family. The rain was middle of the road. I definitely was soaked when it was all done but I felt like there have been numerous rides when I was colder. So the weather wasn't as bad as the name lead to believe; Chilly Hilly.

Onto March. Looking forward to beefing up our cycling to four hour rides. The Shamrock Run (March 11th). Very festive, competative and historical 15k road race. Although I won't be racing it, it'll just be part of a long run for me. And then the LUNA Chix Summit weekend over St. Patrick's day weekend. It'll be great to go to California, soak up some sun and be surrounded and inspired by truely amazing and athletic women.

Currently I getting ready to head out for our Chilly Hilly adventure but I thought I'd try to get this in.

A few weeks ago I got a flat tire as I arrived home from a ride. The beauty of getting a flat tire at home is I didn't have to deal with it at that moment.

I waited until the following Thursday evening before a Saturday ride to deal with the flat. I took it inside, the TV was on, the heat was pumping. A much different setting then when I get a flat tire in the middle of a ride. Each time I get a flat tire and repair it I feel a little more empowered. Being able to comfortably and confidently change my flat tire is a good feeling. Similar to successfully completing a plumbing project at home without having to call the plumber. I'm not saying there were no swear words thrown around but all in all it was successful.

Now we're off to another adventure.

Saturday was the perfect day for a bike ride. It took awhile for the sun to come out but it was beautiful. The last time we rode the route the temperature was probably in the teens to low 20's. This weekend it was probably in the upper 50's. Bob joined us. We tried to warn him that he might slow us down but when we were yelling at him from 50 yards to his his rear, he didn't seem to hear our pleas to lighten up. We kept it at 35 miles because I was headed down to visit, my friend Beth, in Monmouth. (Where we went to college)



Sunday was a great day for a run. The rain took a break and held off for the run. It was much more crisp than the day before. We had a great crew, as you can see. Some faces we hadn't seen in a while. Some folks are getting serious about the Shamrock Run or Whidbey Island approaching. Both guaranteed to be a fun event. Susan, Kevin and I ran a comfortable pace for 12 miles. We ran Terwilliger to Tryon Creek Park. Which is great training for Shamrock and Whidbey with all the hills. I'm looking forward to Chilly Hilly next weekend. And I may take a bit of a training break Wednesday morning, or at least not be in the pool by 5:30 with Mardi Gras this week.

Saturday, John, Loki (Sara) and I spent the day snowshoeing. Our Outdoor School friends, Brent and Adria, had rented a cabin only accessible by hiking in, over the weekend. It was outside of Hood River, near Cooper Spur ski area. It was a great alternative to a bike ride. It was a good two hours of uphill to reach the cabin. Some folks had arrived Friday evening. So they had a cozy fire going. We enjoyed our lunch and then it was time to head back down. We crossed paths with Adria, Brent and more friends. It was awfully nice NOT to be hauling a 30 pound pack. And to be able to sleep in my own bed. Loki and I decided we needed to come up with a camp name for John but we haven't settled on one. I'm open to suggestions.

We made it home in good time. I headed out to my parents to celebrate my brother, Dan's, birthday. My cousin Mary was in town with her cutie-patutie kids. It was a good visit. And on Sunday Mary took the kids to visit Dan's fire station.



Sunday was the usual run. We decided to go with the flat route after last weekend's hilly run. We met at OMSI, running south on the springwater corridor, crossing the Sellwood bridge, along the waterfront and crossing back over the Steele bridge. Close enough to 11 miles, that I'll consider it 11. We had Kevin back after a broken toe hiatus. And he had the most complicated story, to date. He's a cop and keeps us entertained over the miles.

I had written this lovely post last night and now it's nowhere to be found. Hopefully I can similarly recapture it.

Throughout my training, some common mantras come up; you'll come out of this stronger, it's a mental toughness workout, to name a couple.

This weekend I rallied some of my friends to join me for a bike ride. John was headed up to Washington to watch the Super Bowl with Chelsie and Bo. Erica, Bob and Dana were game. Erica met me at my house and we rode over to St. John's to pick up Dana & Bob. At some point, I said to Erica "Do you feel rain drops?" She couldn't confirm but we definitely felt many more drops throughout the ride. The weather forecast called for rain, in the afternoon. It arrived earlier than expected. Also Erica was riding her brand, new, super fancy bike for the third time, ever.

We must have been taking longer than expected, as we made our way to NoPo (North Portland), because about a mile before Bob's house, they approached us. We cycled onto Highway 30 (affectionately known as dirty 30). Along the road there was a reader board that stated the temperature of 34 degrees. We got to Sauvie's Island for a loop. We had a lot of bird watcher's company because there was a "Raptor's Road Trip". One of these day's John's going to give up training for bird watching. A much gentler way to spend the day. Towards the end of the loop, we stopped to refuel and whatnot. I got so dang cold. As we were heading back on dirty 30 the reader board stated the temperature as 36 degrees. But the large icicles formed over the boulders, roadside, indicated otherwise. Fortunately we had the climb up St. John's bridge to warm us up. Dropped off Dana and Bob and stopped just long enough to take the photo. Thanks to Sandy, Bob's wife. We cruised home and as I was getting off my bike I heard a loud "hssss". I had a flat tire. Good timing. It was a great ride, but I would have not ventured out by myself. Misery loves company.

Sunday-Long Run. Travis Yates owes us, Big Time! Because he was hosting a Super Bowl party, he wanted to run a route closer to home. Well, he didn't even make it to the run! The good thing about Sunday was the weather was about 20 degrees warmer than Saturday. We met at the zoo, ran on the Wildwood trail UP to Pittock Mansion. That was, round trip, 8 miles. Bob warned us that he might not make it very far because he was feeling sick to his stomach. Well Bob was an animal and you can't cage a wild beast. He put us all to shame. He's the only one who didn't walk. I gladly took multiple walking breaks. After we got back to our cars, I gobbled down a clif shot and it was my saving grace for the last two miles Susan and I ran. What a good friend, that sticks around and runs an additional two miles, for a total of 10 miles. This was the hardest run I've cranked out in a LONG time.

It seems that each weekend of good training, I have workouts that feel like mental toughness days and without question, it'd be great to stay in bed rather than be in the elements. I think after Ironman training, I'd be able to compete with the best of those folks who participate in the Strong Man competitions. Dragging cars and lifting logs with all the "mental toughness" and training I'm getting in.

Well, training wise, I was a slacker. I didn't get a ride in this weekend. I had a lovely run with John & Jay. It was my "easy" weekend so I only ran 6 miles.

Saturday, some of the LUNA Chix and I headed down to Corvallis for our local LunaFest. A film festival by, for and about women. It was a wonderful evening, with films that made me laugh, cry and makes me want to kick cancer in the ass! You can check out www.lunafest.org if you're curious.

John and I kicked off the weekend with 3 hours of spinning on the "bikes" at John's gym. With the snow last weekend, there would have been a lot of debris on the road. We were pleasantly surprised with a 90 minute class instead of 60 minute spin class in the middle of the 3 hours. The class breaks ups the boredom nicely and I work harder. Then I was able to recover with a blissful, rare, 2 hour couch nap.




Saturday evening I experienced more bliss, catching up with my dear friends, that I don't see often enough, from Outdoor School. Pictured (l to r)Warm Sun (Adria), Tuesday (me), Loki (Sara) & Sloth (Brent). Also, the four of us worked in Vermont at Farm & Wilderness. Good times.



Sunday we had a good crew for a favorite run, up Terwilliger. Anna & little Merrick joined us. Anna and I trained for our first and second marathon together. Deep relationships were formed over many miles. To me, Anna embodies a strong runner. She's always so steady, strong and consistent. It's great to have her company on a run.
We also had some new faces, one of them was a high school classmate of mine; Maria. She got me to do a duathlon in 1992. If you want more details, there's a ridiculous photo with one of the first postings. If she weren't so fast, I may have visited more but hopefully she'll join us for more runs. The more the merrier! And I wouldn't have run all 9 miles without the company! Looking forward to the Shamrock run in early March.

As I mentioned in my last post, we've had some unusually cold weather. Well the snow dumped on Tuesday. We received 3-6 inches. It was beautiful. Needless to say I didn't ride my bike to work. Driving was fine for me, I took it slow and my car is all wheel drive. We closed down work early and I did the proper thing and went to the gym. It was great because the gym was empty. But I was itching to go play in the snow. When I was a kid, my dad and I would wait until the evening to go sledding. There's a park by my parents house with the "perfect hill". During the day it would get a lot of use, some of the snow would melt. But by the evening, it would freeze and be prime sledding conditions. So we'd sled to our hearts content at night. Fond memories.

Well, I was hoping to get today off as well. Lisa and I didn't hit the pool at our usual 5:30am. All the snow that fell yesterday, stuck around because the temperature stayed below freezing. I slept in and went swimming after 7am. I swam 4000 yards. It felt great. Again, I had the pool to myself. Then I hit the weights. If you want to call it that. Went home, had my post workout breakfast, followed by some post workout ice cream--at 10am. Then I was ready to head over to Gretchen's for some fun in snow but got the word that I needed to go into work. So I made the most of my time and built a snowman in my front yard.

Social, not training...
Thursday night John, Jay and I got together for a great dinner. It was fun to get together socially and not putting the miles in. It was an evening filled with many laughs. And hopefully Jay will be back in the saddle, sharing the miles with us, soon!

This weekend we had some unusually cold weather. The forecast called for dry weather. So I wanted to ride outside. John came up with a great route. Friday it was cold but beautiful and sunny. I was expecting the same for Saturday. Unfortunately we didn't see the sun. It was probably in the low to mid 20's for our ride. I had a tough time riding fast. In fact, I was incredibly slow. We stopped at Amanda's coffee shop in West Linn for bathroom break. We had ridden about 10 miles at that point, and it took an hour. I was a frozen slug. And after that stop, I started to get used to the idea of being on my bike and riding. And my core started to warm up. I kept trying to think of positive thoughts, and of Jay who would love to be riding with us but only has two more weeks of treatment. Woo hoo! But really all that came out of my mouth was "efhing efh!". And I was happy to see a hill because I knew it'd warm me up. We rode 40 miles in about 3 and a quarter hours. It was a good ride and I'm glad we did it. Another mentally challenging day. By the time I complete this Ironman, I should be mentally strong enough for anything!

Sunday, friends and I had planned a run meeting at OMSI. Fortunately the sun was shining. I got a call and text message of friends deciding to stay in bed. There were 5 of us who made it out. I was quiet running because it was tough for me. Bed seemed like a much better option. But Bob, Susan and Travis got me through the run. And I'm so grateful for them. Bob let us know that Sunday was his birthday. Who knew! Now we can all put that on our calendar's and make sure we have the birthday crown for him. We also had fun bantering about horrible love songs as we slogged the miles away, running into the bitter wind. It's good to get those workouts in early and out of the way! I was able to squeeze in a nap. Another weekend and more miles.

This weekend was spent getting back into the groove. Over the holidays there was some deveation from the training schedule. The weather forecast called for some pretty unpleasant weather on Saturday. So John and opted to "ride" inside. We met at his gym at 7am. Our plan was to spend three hours on the spin bikes. I wasn't exactly looking forward to it. But after all, it wasn't as bad as I had anticipated. We got on the bikes at about 7:15am. At 8am, there was an hour long spin class. Then John and I seemed to get into the groove for the last hour and 15 minutes. We both put our headphones on and pedaled away.

Sunday nine of us met for a run on Lief Erickson. We ran 8 miles and I did a good job of "picking up the rear". Someone's got to. John and Gretchen escaped the photo. And I think some of my other friends wish they had as well. I keep waiting for someone to put the kabosh on this post run photo taking ritual. So far I've escaped the kabosh!

My friend Joe, who just safely returned from Iraq, was in town looking at properties. The super trooper joined me in my yoga class. And he enjoyed himself. It was probably due to (in his words) "that hottie with the amazing moves, in front of you". It'll be great to have him join us for some rides and runs when he moves to P-town.

This week I have started swimming twice a week; Wednesdays and Fridays. Wednesday I have Lisa getting me out of bed and keeping us on track. I didn't know how it would be swimming by myself. But it was a lovely way to start the day. Definitely more peaceful than Wednesday when I caused a fellow lap swimmer to unleash and go ballistic because I asked to join the lane. Without going into too many details. She didn't like her routine shaken up. Friday's have been my day be productive; grocery shopping or other errands and a day off from working out. I slept in until 7am, got to the gym and the pool was empty. It was lovely. I didn't have to worry about a fellow swimmer going nuts but it was harder to keep count of my laps without Lisa. I'm always amazed at how good a swim feels. I got in my rhythm quickly. My schedule had me swimming for 50 minutes. And without even trying I swam the same distance I do with Lisa in an hour; 2400 yards. I realized the Fridays of the past, that I don't workout on, I'm a little bit hazy. After the swim I felt great, refreshed and ready to tackle the day. I even got my Christmas lights down. Now I just need to get my parent's lights taken down.

On a side note, I got one of the best voice mails ever on Thursday. My friend Joe, who has spent the last year in Iraq has returned safely. He is looking to move to Portland. Look out P-town.

It was a great weekend, an ideal way to celebrate 2007. Here are some pictures of us lounging around and snowshoeing.




I was a little slow posting this week. That's what happens when I get out of my routine, have Monday and am should spend my time hunting for that roommate.

Happy New Year!

I spent the last days of '06 at a lovely cabin near Mt. Rainer. Some came from Seattle; Chelsie, Bo, the three dogs, Alex, Harmony & Travis. The rest of us came from Portland; Leslie, John, Andrea and I. All nine of us successfully shared one bathroom. Saturday everyone arrived. Leslie, Chelsie, Alex & John tested the waters and went on a quick snowshoeing trip. I lounged around and began my first knitting project. The adventurous one's returned and we cooked up a lovely dinner. Watched the movie, Invincible, to get for football playoffs. New Year's Eve was similar; a snowshoe trip on a beautiful sunny day, delicious dinner, a couple of drinks, a movie and I even fell asleep before midnight. Fortunately my friends woke me up so I could ring in the New Year!

Now it's really time to kick training into gear. Swimming twice a week instead of one, bumping up the mileage. And getting it going! I'm looking forward to our next event. There seems to be a good group of us in Portland and Seattle that get together for events. The next one will be Chilly Hilly on February 25th (take note Karen).