Anchorage, the missing photos

Waiting for the bus from Wasilla to Anchorage. Backpacking backpack and a day-bag.


AWUGHHHHH!!! The puffin is biting me! Also, notice how loaded down I am on stuff. OH MY. A few tourists commented on how much stuff we had and how it looked heavy. It actually wasn't. That's the amazing thing about a well-fitted backpack. It also was a good reminder on why I shouldn't gain 40 lbs. Kinda tiring. :)


This is my friend, Anna. We went to middle and high school together and then she moved away when we were 16. I hadn't seen her for TEN years. It was hardly noticeable that we had spent that much time apart. I had a great time.


Anchorage mud flats from Tony Knowles Coastal Trail

Would you rather....

While I was driving home from band practice on Monday night, the announcer on the radio proposed a question:

Would you rather go the rest of your life :
without ever eating or feeling hungry and being in great physical shape
or
without ever sleeping and never getting tired ?

Since I really love to both eat and sleep, it was a difficult question. But as I drove along through the darkness, I made my decision. Immediately I though of running. Could you imagine how great my training would be if I never had to take rest days? Or if I never fatigued in workouts? I could see all there is to see, on foot, and never deal with a lack of energy. I could climb mountains, swim oceans, run cross-country (literally). Examine the entire world up close.

but...

on the other hand, would running hold the same allure if it were easy? Would a PR be as invigorating? Would I even have PRs? Would I keep doing it if I could never improve further? Would the Runner's High exist if the body didn't fatigue (since endorphins are really a pain killer)?

Suddenly, I'm not so sure about my choice. If it weren't for cupcakes, I could probably give up eating......maybe. Nah.

So, dear readers, what would you choose?

Headed Here Tomorrow.....

Did you know? It may be the most famous bridge in America, but at 1.7 mi. long it is hardly the longest.

This bridge, located in my home state, is just twenty feet short of 5 miles. It is the Western Hemisphere's longest suspension bridge.


Who can tell me which state this beautiful bridge resides? And what body of water it spans?

(Personally, I'm partial to the green. Sorry California!)

Matanuska Glacier and Anchorage

Here are the missing photos from our Alaska trip.

Matanuska Glacier Day!!

Believe it or not, this lake was called Weiner Lake because of its shape.

Matt on the glacier.

Admiring (?) one of the holes in the glacier.

Dairy Queen= HEAVEN

Heading into one of the caves.

Matanuska River along the Glenn Hwy.

My favorite photo from the disposable camera. Matanuska Glacier from the Glenn Hwy.

I love fireweed!!!! :)

Small lake near the foot of the glacier.

Commitment

The first step to realizing your goal is signing up…and committing to that goal. The rest is just gravy, right? (haha…suuuuure Karen).

A Glimpse into the Life......

I always paint my toenails before a race. Usually, it's just one more Race Ritual(click the link to see my full post on that topic) that gets me feeling prepared. This time it was for how much gunk would get under my nails.

"Which polish looks like it'll hide the dust the best?" I asked Hubby last night.
"That one."



-----
This morning, low fog hung in the air. Pea soup fog. Sounds like a good day for a soak and coffee with my morning shredded wheat! Perfect way to start the day!



I was feeling like having breakfast for lunch too!! My diet mostly focuses on local, whole foods and not on calories. I made that bread myself; the cheese is from 5 mi away; and the bacon and eggs are from the Santa Rosa area, 150 miles away. Local is really easy to do when you live in California!! :)



I got this dress at a thrift store when my mom and sister were visiting. FIVE DOLLARS. I'm not usually this girly, but this dress makes me feel all 50s Housewife and it's kinda fun to play dress-up once in awhile....even though I AM a grownup (or so they tell me).

Questions

After following the blog of a few friends that use Tumblr, I decided to mirror this blog there. Totally different atmosphere, but I love them both!

What is your favorite exercise? RUNNING RUNNING RUNNING

What is your least favorite exercise? Elliptical anything.

How often do you workout? It depends what I’m training for, but right now it’s 3-4 days a week running, I don’t track any hiking days or biking.

What is your max bench? I am physically unable to lift weights because of my arm.

What is your max squat? ditto here.

What is your fastest mile? I haven’t timed a mile since I was 7 in P.E. It was about a 7:30/mi. I don’t know what it currently is, but I think I’ve finally beaten my seven year old self. Go me!

What is the furthest race you have completed? One marathon was an extra 800 ft long, so in a race it was 26.35mi. In training, it was 27.75. On Sunday’s race, (if I don’t collapse) will be 31 miles.

What is your ultimate fitness goal? I want to be able to run for my entire life. It means that I really listen to my body, stopping when it hurts and feeding it when it’s hungry. :) by ignoring what society’s view of “beautiful” is.

What is your favorite health food? Every food is healthy and beneficial in moderation, so I’m going to say cupcakes.

Hardest food to cut out of your diet? Cutting out stuff makes me a crazy woman. I moderate everything so there doesn’t have to be an off-limits food. French fries make my stomach hurt really badly, and once every few months I relearn that lesson.

How much weight have you lost/gained since you started your tumblr? I just joined Tumblr! But since I first started running, I’ve lost 25 lbs.

How many times a day do you look at yourself and admire how far you have come? Haha, WHAT? I usually just check that I didn’t put something on inside-out or that my hair isn’t sticking up.

What is your biggest problem area? One of my legs is shorter than the other by 1/2” so that sets me up for some injuries. My hips are HUUGE, but about as small as they’re gonna get. It’s all about illusion and dressing them to look a bit smaller. :)

How has becoming a healthier version of your previous self changed everyday life? I can rock anything that I want to do. It just takes time and consistency to get there.

Do you have any big fitness events coming up that you are training for? I’m running my first ultramarathon on Sunday, a 50K trail race. 5,000 ft of elevation gain. I’m nervous and excited at the same time! It’s gonna be so much fun!

Would you rather have a workout date with your core, upper body or lower body? My core. My lower body is pretty good, upper would just slow me down when I run, and core makes me a stronger runner.

Biggest change you have noticed in your body since becoming healthier? Before I started running, I knew nothing of nutrition. Being able to fuel myself properly makes a huge difference in my mood.

Top 5 health/fitness blogs (in no particular order)?
Gourmet Runner Her love for food cracks me up.
Cross Country Squared Mother of one-year-old twins still manages to rock the world.
Trail to Wellness She writes from more a contemplative position than most fitness blogs. Always great insight.
Jill Outside Former Alaskan that does really amazing things. Can you run a 100 mile race at -40F through the windy tundra?
Gill Squirt Her posts make me laugh on a daily basis.

Biggest fitness inspiration? All of the bloggers I follow! From those that are just starting out to those that have been in the game for decades, and everyone in between. The reason I like blogging so much is that I can find people with the same craziness that I have. My family and friends just shake their heads when I start talking about running. You guys understand! :)

What’s more important to you post workout- knowing that you left it all in the gym? or knowing that next time you are going to push yourself even harder? Neither. If I pushed my hardest every single day, I’d burn out. My goal is to be loving this for the rest of my life. Post-workout, I love how loose and tingly my muscles feel (that’s what she said! haha) and that Runner’s High. I also love my chocolate milk. :)

Carla @ I Run, You Run said...

I think it either came out wrong, or you TOTALLY misunderstood my post. He hasn't always run through treatment, and certainly didn't at first. He has taken long breaks and he deferred his first marathon BECAUSE of treatment that kept him out of running for a while (he switches treatments, and then he just can't run). His treatment is certainly not as intensive anymore (or at least not frequently intensive), and he has had brain surgery, for gods sake (his doctor allowed him to defer the surgery to check those boxes: the trip and the marathon, since it was a risky procedure, luckily, he survived -- people don't always survive brain surgery).

My comment wasn't that he can run through treatment as being some sort of hero (AGAIN HE CANNOT RUN THROUGH INTENSIVE TREATMENT!), is that treatment gets him away, he has to stop running, and when he is back he loses all his speed, running much slower than before (up to 5 min/miles slower!), and sometimes having to walk more than run when he finally gets back to it, but he never ever gives up (meaning he always gets back to it as soon as his body is able -- mentally he is strong, even when his body is not). He doesn't RUN through it. He just gets back right to it when it's possible. (Unfortunately, I believe his cancer has relapses -- I don't know the full details, which is why in the 2 years I've known him, he has been on and off of running due to it.)

7:29 AM

Carla @ I Run, You Run said...

(And seems like me commenting is causing some anger -- that's definitely not my intention, specially when I'm not getting myself understood. It might be best if I stop reading and step away before causing more harm. I was never comparing the two of you, I was actually trying to point out how you are both so similar being able to do so much after being through so much. Oh well.)

-------

You completely missed the point of my post.

What I was basically saying is that I don't like to be compared to anyone else when it comes to my treatment or anything else in my life really(noting similarities is comparing). Hearing someone else's story really doesn't make me feel any better.

As you will notice if you go back to read the post again, I'm not mad at you. I just wanted you to know my feelings on discussing your friend and other survivors. I wrote a reply in the comments the first time (one entitled Cancer Survivor), but it appeared I had to be more direct this time, creating a post regarding your response. It wasn't done to single you out.

If you feel you have to stop reading my blog, that is your choice.

Comment Reply # 2

bobbi said...

What amazes me, is that I often COMPLETELY forget you are a cancer survivor while reading your posts. I am 100% sure that YOU never forget, but what I see is a strong, healthy, VITAL woman, one who takes life by the horns and enjoys the ride with a joyous grin on her face the whole way...

I wonder if part of that is BECAUSE you are a survivor, or if it was the person you were the whole time? Either way, you are vibrant. The kind of person you WANT to meet :) I admire who you choose to be, every day...

----
Thank you, Bobbi for the kind comment. The joyous grin comment made me smile. :)


You are absolutely right. Part of my adventurous spirit comes from staring death in the face. Until that point, I was reserved and very afraid to try many new things. But one day, something was awakened inside of me. The first defining moment was this one in January, after my first or second treatment:

"I LOVE HACKSAWS

I performed surgery on my cast today. I tried to play my alto sax and figured out exactly what it was that was hitting against my cast that made it so I couldn't play. It was an inch long spot below my thumb that was keeping me from it. I got the proper tools and went to the operating table. Mmmmm.... hack saw, you are my savior! :) I can play again. [....... ] My bone doctor is going to be really pissed that I cut out a little piece of my cast. I don't think its really a necessary place to have covering. I'm going to make him do it my way next week when they put a new one on. I'll tell him that I play the saxophone and its just a small piece of it to not cover so I can still play. So we can do this the easy way (him doing what I want) or the hard way (I'll go home and fix itr myself). If thats all thats keeping me from playing, I'm going to fix it. The doctors can't promise me I'll keep my arm so I'm going to keep playing as long as I do have it. Makes sense right?" - Inside My Mind : My Cancer Blog

I had to live for the life that I had that day because I never knew when they would stop coming. BTW, my doctor just laughed when he saw what I did and each time I got a new cast, he formed it in a way that I could still play.

Finally saying those words out loud : Life is too short to not do the things you love came two months into remission. I was in a meeting with the director of the school of music, discussing me signing a minor in music. Since my major was French, he didn't quite understand why I'd go through the trouble to get a minor. I burst into tears and told him between the sobs that I wanted to live my life doing the things I loved. And that meant studying music. I explained that I had musical training in the past (majored in it as a freshman, but changed), but there was no way I could pass the audition with the condition of my arm. Could the lessons I'd taken pre-cancer count as my audition? I did have to audition, but technical fluency (how fast I could play scales) was removed from the judging. So I dumped my minor of international studies, boring but logical, for one in music.

The third, and final major thing was Alaska. I have always loved outdoor activities. But as a teenager, I somehow forgot that. Being surrounded by a beauty that I could never have imagined reawakened it. Jagged peaks, lush valleys, glaciers---all at my fingertips! I eventually found that I enjoyed backpacking, it could take me further into the wilderness than any day-hike could. After exploring one area, I wanted to see another. And another. Trail running combined my hiking and running loves. ...and it kinda just snowballed from there really....

It has taken awhile, but I've finally decided on the priorities in my life. That's the key to being happy, isn't it? Deciding what you really want and going for it?

Comment Reply # 1

Carla @ I Run, You Run said...

Don't you ever think of how lucky you are to have broken your arm when you did? And how lucky you are to be able to run so far!

One of my running friends in DC started running after he got diagnosed with cancer. He was overweight and wasn't living a very healthy lifestyle and it was his wake up call. He ran his first marathon last year (after having to defer it the year before due to his treatment), and even attended our wedding in Brazil -- he had his brain surgery a week after landing. So far, he is still doing ok, but it amazes me how strong he is, doing all this running while in treatment! He gets faster, then a change in meds makes him slower again. But he never ever gives up.
12:05 AM

----

Everyday I think of what could have happened if I hadn't broken my arm when I did. I fractured it playing roller hockey and I don't know how long it would have taken to break itself, probably doing something as simple as turning a doorknob. Luckily for myself, the cancer was 100% localized to the bone (no metastases or bone marrow at all) and much, much more likely that treatments would work.

The comment you made about your friend really upsets me. As with my last post, you told a very similar story in comment to my cancer survivorship. I know that your comment is mostly made as your way of trying to relate and understand my story, and your friend is the most you really know about what it's like. I am thankful that you don't have a real understanding of it all, and hope that you never do.

Basically when I read the comment about your friend running through treatment. But it seems like you're billing him as some sort of hero BECAUSE he's able to run.

"But another emotion bubbled to the surface : anger. The people that were able to run through their treatments were labeled as heroic warriors. It's great that some people could run through treatment, but unfortunately, I was not one of them. My treatments were so aggressive that it was absolutely impossible to keep running. Eventually, I had to take breaks during my 5-min shower because I was too weak." -Previous post

It's not to say I didn't try. For two treatment cycles (I had 13 in all), I continued running. It was absolutely, completely, 100% devastating when I was unable to run again. I lost 25 lbs. in the first two treatments, reduced to merely a skeleton and skin at 105 lbs. At 5'6", that's way too light. I walked, and to the horror of my bone doctor, rollerbladed when I had any energy at all.

I know you're not meaning to sound hurtful in your comment, but basically when you talk about your friend being able to run through treatments and he's a hero because of his running... it's like I'm writing about how I worked my butt off, did my absolute best, and ran a marathon in 4hrs. and you commenting that you know someone that can run it in 3hrs. Basically makes me feel like dirt.

As I said before, I know it's probably just your way of trying to understand, but please realize that they way you phrased your comment (on this post and the one I linked) upset me a great deal. All cancer treatments are different you should never compare one person's experience to another.

Scars

Melissa Etheridge - I Run for Life

This video is from 2005. This afternoon, while driving home from a long, exhausting hike it came on the radio. Both physically and emotionally spent, I burst into tears.

…You see, I am a cancer survivor. During my junior year of college and three days before Christmas, I broke my left arm. I was 20 years old. The x-ray revealed a tumor, Ewing’s Sarcoma.

When I think about the worst of all I went through, basically all I can do is cry. Currently, no words exist to explain the jumble of pain, suffering, fear, and hopelessness that were experienced.

Every morning when I get dressed, the scars are reminders of that terrible year. I can't open jars. My left arm doesn't rotate from palm-up to palm-down. The doctors said it was the most stitches they ever removed from one arm. The arm is thin, pale, and has a long slice line down the top. A small oval scar below my collarbone on the right side, from the central line that administered chemicals so potent that if it were to spill on the floor, it would eat through the tiles. A scar above my right hip, where they took part of the bone to put into my arm and strengthen the bones remaining. My hair grew back thinner. But the largest and most obvious scar is the one that cannot be seen. It's the one left on my memory and inside my heart.

Every day that I wake up, I am thankful that I am here another day. That God gave me another chance at life. Those scars remind me to live life to the fullest. The thin hair is growing on a girl that is still here. Those scars are on limbs that weren't amputated.

Don't take life for granted. It can be taken away in a moment.

I run for life.

Headwaters Heaven

Since the 27 miler, I've been transitioning to roads for the fall road marathon I'm doing. It's been a mileage taper, but not exactly a taper of effort. That's fine with me, since I'm going to be happy finishing and having a great day exploring a new place.

But that being said, I was admittedly a little uninspired when we pulled up to the trail for the last long run before the 50K next weekend. The air was thick as pea soup. Low fog and 100% humidity pulled all the motivation out of me through my pores (or maybe that was sweat?). For the past month, the Headwaters trail has been closed for repairs. Finally, we got to see what was beyond the orange snow-fence. The trail looked so different that I hardly recognized it! The mile 3-3.5 was completely redone and Redwood chips were laid aside the path to keep the ferns back. It looked AWESOME! As we hit our first switchback, where a river of mud used to run, we saw a nice clay and gravel trail and some stairs.

Within a few miles, and buckets of sweat later, I was mildly dizzy with dehydration. Not a fantastic place to be, but it was merely poor planning on my part (we went straight from church to the trail and I didn't bring enough water for how humid it was).



I was still feeling a little bit heavy from the tempo run a few days ago, drenched in sweat and angry with myself for skipping my morning coffee. I wasn't in the mood for all the ass-kicking that Headwaters always dishes out. One of those runs where everything about it kind of sucks.


Then at mile 5, I was stopped in my tracks. Woven between the towering Redwoods were streams of fog. Just then, I'd realized I'd never seen this trail in the fog before. It was gorgeous. This is the way one is meant to see the Redwoods, saturated in moisture.






After snapping half a dozen photos, Matt and I continued on our way. The quick rest was just enough to stop the profuse sweating and renew my energy. The long downhill until mile 8 was great,too. I rejoiced upon reuniting with my water bottle, whom waited patiently in a patch of ferns. Water never tasted so delicious.


The last three miles back to the car, we saw more runners on our trail than we ever have before. We even ran into someone we knew! (rare, since we don't know too many other runners yet)

What a gorgeous run! It started out terrible, but ended fantastically. It's amazing what awe-inspiring scenery will do for my mood. :) I definitely have to keep trail running once in awhile, just to remind myself how much I love it.

Tempo Runs are FUN!!!

Dare I say it, I'm actually enjoying adding some speed to my runs. As someone that has NEVER enjoyed (or done anything consistently) speed work of any kind, this is BIG.

Today, I set out for a six mile run, 3 miles at a tempo pace. I've attempted tempo runs in the past...and struggled so much that I gave up halfway through them.

The WRONG way to run a tempo run :
1. Tie shoes.
2. Try to hold incredibly fast pace without even stretching.
3. Huffing and puffing and cursing the world.
4. Running half of the prescribed distance and then deciding to give up.
5. Feel like a failure and decide I'm doomed to be slow forever.

The RIGHT way :
1. Tie shoes.
2. Jog a slow warmup, stretch, jog, stretch. Today for me it was 1.5 miles warming up.
3. Put Hubby on Garmy Watch and run based on feel. Somewhere between 5K and 1/2 Mar. pace, just checking with Hubby once or twice to find out how much more we had to go.
4. Dominate that tempo pace.
5. Cool down with a slow pace 1.5 mi back home.

I'm not sure why I'm feeling so much better about my tempo runs. Could be any of these things:
1. Actually warming up.
2. Trail running all those hills has made it easier to keep going when my heart is about to explode.
3. Bringing my tempo distance down until I'm used to it.
4. Running on a nice paved road rather than having to dodge potholes.

So here's what I got.
6 miles. 8:30/mi overall
1.5 mi warmup 9:15/mi
3 miles tempo 7:45/mi
1.5 cooldown 9:30/mi
SUPER fantastic runner's high


Anyone interested in seeing my training schedule for the rest of the year? I just wrote one up today! :)

How much do you warm up for your tempo runs?
I think that 1.5 mi is a little too long for me and I'm going to shorten it for next time. Ditto with the cool down. Maybe 1 mile warm-up and 0.5 mi cool-down.

Family Visit, Part 3.

Humboldt Redwoods Park. Where else? Quickly becoming my favorite place in California. This park has it all. Mountains, Redwoods, creeks, swamps. Shade, sunshine.

Moss doesn't always grow on the North side of the tree.

Paparazzi photo of the paparazzi.

Cool moss pattern.

Spotlight on the baby redwood tree.

Redwood Sorrel

Same thing. But when in the sunshine, they wilt in a really cool way.

Measuring the "Giant Tree". 65 ft. around. She thought it was cool that her entire bedroom would fit
inside this tree without any problem.

Sunshine in the Redwoods.

Hanging inside a hollowed out tree.

Redwood Sorrel

How to clear the trail when a Redwood falls in it.

Spotlight on a recently fallen giant.

One of those talking trees from the Wizard of Oz. "How would you like it if I came and
picked an apple off of you?!!!"

Giant tree and we still don't reach all the way across it!

Bull Creek. Perfect for soaking sore feet.

PS- This is my third post today as I try to catch up quickly. Visit the main page to make sure you don't miss anything!! :)

Family Visit , part 2

Immediately after the race, we hurried home to catch a shower and lunch before heading out again. Twice a year, the US Coastguard holds an open house at their station on Samoa. My visitors were lucky that it was the same Saturday they were here!

This is the building that I can see from the running trail near my house. It's cool to know what all the buildings across the bay are.

Can you see my house? It really is over there!

We also explored Old Town Eureka and the pretty Victorian buildings. Then we capped the day off with ICE CREAM at Bon Boniere.Carson Mansion. Once owned by the richest guy in town and left to the city after his demise. His only stipulation was that
"common" people weren't allowed in. So the city rents it to a very exclusive, hoity toity club with a tuxedo valet.

Stained glass kitties in the window. Me want.