Life

I feel terrible when someone I know dies. Double terrible if they were one of those people that nobody had a bad word for, they were kind and giving and everything you'd expect out of someone. I feel 100 times more terrible if they die of cancer....because I lived.

One of my high school classmates lost her fight with cancer on Friday at just 29 years old. She had an infant son, Timmy. Timmy is named in memory of her husband's father, whom died when her husband was in his teens. Timmy probably won't have any memory of his mom. The family has suffered so much, that even though I was on the periphery, it makes my heart ache. I can't get this out of my mind.

Why did I live?

Impromptu Recovery Strategy

After the race on Saturday and 30 Day Shred on Sunday, I awoke this morning with a rapidly thumping heartbeat : overtrained, not to mention my knee was still tweaked a little bit.

Recovery plan 1 :

1. Switch to Ariel's for 2-3 weeks. Then work the lighter shoe back in on shorter runs.
2. No tempo runs. Run slow, working on form.
3. Cross-train.
4. Massage

Recovery plan 2 :
Stop running entirely and go absolutely nuts.

----

So far, it's working. This morning, Matt and I went for an easy 5 miler. We heard about an unmarked trail near our house. The trailhead is .75mi from it, to be exact. Perfect distance. The trail was packed dirt and grass. Like the kind of ideal surface all the running books advise you to find, but nobody really does. In the last two weeks, this was the least painful run by far. The trail wound through open marshland, thick bushes, and then to a really sketchy tent city for homeless people. When we got to that and an old abandoned concrete building, the hair on my neck stood up and signaled danger, so we turned back. I'm not afraid of homeless people in particular, but our town has a lot of illegal drugs, so we didn't want to happen upon some kind of deal. We got 5 miles out of the trip and found a new route!!! And I got my runner's high without a sore knee. Good start to the day!

Trinidad to Clam Beach 8 3/4 Miler

I woke up yesterday morning, not really in the mood to run at all. But being the cheapskate I am, I couldn't just *waste* that $25 entry fee. I had to run. Matt made me do it. ;) He is working midnights this week, so after just two hours of sleep for the night, we were in the car, driving to our race 30 miles north of us in Trinidad. He decided to stick with me since he didn't have much sleep. It was kind of nice having him run with me again.

We were bussed to the start and then waited for 90 minutes to actually run. The wait took forever, but at least it wasn't raining.

View from where I took my nap before the race.

The first mile was mostly downhill, and increasingly excruciating with every step. My angry knee was as angry as ever. Would running today ruin my knee for the rest of the season? Thoughts of giving up running for an injury swirled through my head. I couldn't let that happen. The three mile race started simultaneously with ours, so I could bail out at the 3 mile mark if I was in too much pain. The course was beautiful. Weaving through the giant Redwoods above us, I have never felt so small and insignificant.

Several long uphills provided my knee with some rest, and I breathed a sign of relief as the pain subsided--if only momentarily. I spent miles two and three preoccupied with whether I should finish it out, or run the 3 mile race instead. I have never dropped out of a race. I didn't intend to start now. My internal bullheaded runner would have to carry me through.

And I'm glad I did. The course opened up to a wall of trees on one side, and the glistening blue sea on the other. I don't think I'll ever stop being amazed by the beautiful Redwood Coast.

Mile four.

My knee got even angrier with the passing miles and steeply sloped roads. These roads would wash away with every single rainfall if they weren't sloped to this absurd degree. But running on them? Sheer agony on my IT Band.

Mile five.

I self-medicated myself with the beautiful views and the abundant sunshine. It sure looks different when the rain stops.

Only able to pass up the guys that are twice my age. Go me. haha...

Matt stayed with me the entire race, occupying himself by stopping to take photos and then catching up. So it's like I had my own private paparazzi to document the event. ((We have a joke that he always takes his personal photographer on camping and backpacking trips because we have lots of photos of him but far fewer of myself, since I'm always behind the camera.)) So we got to switch it up this time. :)

At mile six, we descended down one final and extremely steep hill to the beach. As I crossed from the roadway to the beach about a foot down, I paused, and approached it the same way an 80 year old woman with arthritis would : very slow and cautious. Apparently that wasn't enough. A stabbing pain soared through my knee. Tears welled up in my eyes. That hurt more than anything else thus far. A crowd of spectators were gathered around. I couldn't let myself cry, although the agony surely showed in my face and severe limping. Just a hundred feet beyond my misstep, was a river crossing, the Little River.

Icy Heaven.

Coast guard members stood aside, waiting to rescue any fallen runner before they were swept away into the ocean. Icy cold water flooded my shoes as I sunk up to my thighs in the river. The current was strong, but the water revived my sore knee and felt incredible. I wanted to wade in the water a little longer, but I was beginning to get hungry, so I pressed on.

Compared to the slanted roadways, the beach felt flat. The beach was so much easier to run, even with my shoes being a couple more pounds with the new water weight. The sand was packed hard and was more forgiving with each step.... until..

Finally, a flat surface to run on! and Man in the
Green Shirt is WAAAAY back there.

The wind picked up. A strong cold front was coming through, according to my personal weatherman husband. I drafted behind him, trying to shield myself from the oncoming wind. I had to stretch my leg another time on the beach. The Man in the Green Shirt had played leap-frog with us the entire race. I was determined to finish ahead of him. He had nobody to draft behind, and eventually my Superman Husband Shield proved too great a force and he folded like a little girl . :) We left him behind with about half a mile to go. Just as I saw the finish line, the packed sand turned to soft sand of about four inch depth. Amazingly cruel. Everyone was watching me finish, so I couldn't stop to walk. I fought my way to just stay upright as I slipped ungracefully in the soft sand. Just a quarter mile left, red-lining my effort level, I thought I'd collapse right in front of everyone. I kept picturing Man in the Green Shirt right behind, taking the lead, and finishing ahead of me. I had to keep going. I hit the finish line and my knee immediately seized up. I have never been so glad to finish a run than this one.

Despite an angry knee, this is how I finished :

80/245 women
1:16.57
8:48/mi

Not too bad considering I didn't even want to run at all.



----

Today, I awoke with the overwhelming urge to run. I had to channel the energy into something else, so I popped the 30-Day Shred into the DVD player. And holy crap, Jillian Michaels kicked my butt. Being a 20- minute HIIT (High intensity interval training) workout, it left my arms and legs noodly and exhilarated at the same time. And I felt little discomfort in my knee. Butt kicking cardio + a break for my knee = just what I was looking for. I think this will be one cross-training activity I can stick with because it still feels like a good workout.

Crash Day....

After having two amazingly productive days, I knew I was in for a crash. ...today. So instead of being productive, I had a lot of time to think......Here's what I learned :

1. After running, I have so much more mental clarity that it is imperative that I do my Classics reading following the shower.

2. Two tempo runs in a week is a little bit too much for me at this point. I was draggin'...badly. I finished, but it took every ounce of myself to do it.

3. Running with traffic hurts my IT band much less than running against it. The road slopes down on the outside of my sore leg, so I think I need to get stiff arch supports or go back to the Ariel (motion control shoe). The exaggerated slope on all the local roads must have revived my injury. That combined with a lot of massage and focus on strengthening the other muscles in my leg, I think it'll work. But time will tell. Despite being an exhausting run, I did it without pain when I switched to the other side of the road.

4. I've also set up a time to do some workout videos with a few friends. They aren't big exercisers and I HATE cross training, so we need each other. I hope we stick it out and get me some rehab. :)

Tomorrow is the Trinidad to Clam Beach run. I think I'm going to bid farewell to my trail shoes and fill them with sand and water.

When the Stars Align.....

Have you ever had a day where everything went perfectly? That was my Wednesday. I started my day in the hot tub with the hubby. We finally got it fixed after waiting nearly a month for the part to come in. ((When we first got the house, we filled up the tub and were excited to try it out....until the motherboard for the controls had died and our water turned cold.))

Perfect way to end the day (at 7am before he went to bed)

So we were really happy to see steam when we removed the cover. After Matt went to sleep (he's working midnights this week), I decided that I wanted to re-upholster the dining room chairs. We got them free from a friend, and they had dropped a hot iron on the fabric, leaving an iron-shaped mark on the seat.

This isn't the chair with the iron mark on it, but they looked more
disgusting than the picture shows.

I headed out to run some errands for the project : fabric, staple gun, and staples. Coincidentally, my fabric was 50% off this week. Then I cruised past the thrift store. As you all know, I'm a sucker for thrift stores, so I stopped in. Would you believe that I found myself a staple gun? A staple gun at a thrift store, when does that ever happen? Then I hit up the hardware store for staples. The salesman helping me find the right size saw the price sticker. He was impressed and mentioned I'd be spending more on staples than I did on the gun. For a total of $25 and a little bit of elbow grease, they look pretty darn good, don't you think?

I'm particularly proud of how these turned out! They look new again!

Today was a beautiful sunny day. I fed off the energy, sucking up the rays. I felt manic, similar to those long summer days in Alaska, full of energy. I got a TON done :

1. pruned the rosebushes.

Yellow rose in my front garden.

2. set up the bird feeder.

Haven't had any visitors yet.

3. pulled some weeds.

These aren't weeds, but it made room for them to grow up
nice and pretty.

4. vacuumed the car.

5. swept all the floors.

6. did two loads of laundry.

7. cleaned the whole house.

8. hung some photos on the walls.

9. ran some errands in town and paid bills.

10. got some reading in. ((I've been forcing myself to read some "classics". Right now, I'm reading Wuthering Heights.))

As a Trophy Wife, I will be the first to admit that I'm lazy. Without any clear deadlines, it's really easy to decide to do something "tomorrow", even when "tomorrow" turns into sometime the next week. I feel pretty proud of myself when I get three small tasks done.

My knee started off grumpy this morning, but it feels just fine right now. I forgot my Stick (that new toy I got in SF a couple weeks ago) in Michigan, so the brother-in-law is mailing it back to me. Should arrive next week for some intense massaging.

Come to think of it, Thursday was pretty awesome too!! Hopefully it continues, I've got a tempo run for tomorrow. :)

ITBS and upcoming race

I've been having problems with my IT band lately. Anyone know how to get it to go away? It hurts on the side of my knee, when I turn corners, and when I run steep downhill. According to my self-diagnosis, that's what it is. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Secondly, Hubby has signed us up for the Trinidad to Clam Beach run on Saturday. It includes a river crossing (through the water, not on a bridge) and running on the sloped beach. I'm a little afraid of what it's going to be like. It's also nine miles, so it'll be counted as my mid-week run this week...and the first race we're running together since the Gold Discovery Run in July in Fairbanks. Hopefully I don't drown or hurt my knee further on the beach.

California Sunshine

As much as I miss winter, I definitely won't get tired of yoga on the patio in the sunshine in *January*.



Also, I killed myself on a 5-mile tempo run. 40:19. The day I finally go sub-40, there will be cheesecake. Chocolate cheesecake. and a little happy dance.

Sub Zero Wind

It took me several years in Alaska to realize that running in sub-zero was possible. In the 21 years I lived in Michigan, I never ran below 15F. I was a slow runner wearing lots of cotton. It was too much work.

Today's run was a reminder of why I didn't really run in Michigan, but was okay with it in Alaska : the Wind. We set out for our three mile run today. A brutal west wind, slapped me in the face while my hand was still on the doorknob. Matt and I scurried, *baby steps*, down the steep and icy driveway to the road. The freshly fallen snow was light and fluffy in the sub-zero temperatures. It blew across the road like grains of flour. "This is gonna be a fun run", I thought sarcastically to myself. Running into a 15mph headwind at zero degrees, creates about a -15F windchill. I always thought that windchill was something wimpy people made up to make themselves sound more tough. Windchill is awful. I'll take a -30F (without wind) day over a -15F windchill any day.

We sloughed along through small snow drifts, while dodging cars along the roadway. Each car had a passenger that looked at us in disbelief, the question : "What are they doing out there in this cold?" written all over their faces. I'm sure we looked invincible, our eyes were the only thing visible to the elements and outside world. I was not invincible. Each step felt laboriously slow, as if I would fall to the ground after *one last step*. I didn't though. I kept going, even though the wind did everything in her power to try and push me backwards. Visions of myself running in shorts in California taunted me as I pushed across the icy landscape. Why didn't I wait to run until I got home?

When we reached our turn around spot, I ripped of my facemask and shot out two giant, marble snot-rockets. The tough part was over. On the return trip, the wind alternated from behind me to coming at me from the side. From the back, it blew so strongly that I drifted along like a kite, seemingly floating above the pavement rather than making contact with it. From the side, I thought someone was knocking me over. I looked down at my pace : 8:45/mi. How could I possibly be going that slow? It felt SO much faster and harder. The extra five pounds of clothing was starting to weigh on me, both physically and mentally. I kept telling myself that this was easy, but somehow my brain didn't buy it. We returned home drenched in sweat beneath the layers, with small icicles dangling from the nose holes of our facemasks. I've never been more happy to be finished with a run than I did on this one.

This evening, Hubby, Craig (Brother-in-law), and I are heading to Lansing to visit friends from college. Joel visited us last in Alaska this summer, so it's our turn.....just in time to convince us to come visit in California. Monday we fly home to California, so there will be a blogging hiatus until then. Enjoy your weekend and GO PACK GO!!! :)

20 miler at 20F.

Tri-State Long Run

Miles : 20
Time : 3:11.40
Pace : 9:35/mi
Elevation Change : 3,745 ft.

It was pretty darn icy. We got freezing drizzle overnight and it coated all the roads with a nice glossy surface that practically made you slip and fall just looking at it. Not so great for the girl that is terrified of slipping and falling. But I had packed my ice spikes, so it was me vs. nature. It was 20F and slightly windy. We chose a route where we could run from the farm and hit all three states in one run : Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana. When Matt describes where his hometown is located, since it has only 500 people maximum and it is never recognized, he says : "Where Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio all come together."

For how flat this farming area appears to be, it has a surprising amount of hills. We knew we'd have to go slower with just our extra layers, but the cold added another element of difficulty : breathing through the darn facemask. It was particularly awesome when we ran into the wind. The roads were freshly salted that morning, so it was mostly slushy running. We hit Ohio a little after mile four.

The only sign you cross over to another state...other than the apparent differences
in how to treat the roads in the winter.

Ohio does a crappy job on their roads. They decided that these rural roads required only 200ft from all the intersections to be salted. That glossy ice layer let us run and slide down the hills, but scared the crap out of me. I was forced to put my ice spikes on. We ran to the area where all three states come together.

Matt with the official Tri-State connector marker. Obviously this couldn't be in the middle of the road
where the actual intersection is located.

I'm in all three states. The hole in the pavement is where the marker should be.
Maybe they take it out for the winter so the plow doesn't get it?

The first time I tried for this photo shot, I had to get up for a passing car.

When we ran into Indiana, we were grateful for how wonderful they salt the local roads. I got to take off my spikes....and replace them with my facemask as we headed into the wind. If I hadn't brought that along, I would have cut the run short. Without a doubt. Being uncomfortable (either cold or hot) is the worst. When we finally returned to the south, along all the pretty summer homes on Clear Lake, I traded them back.

See the road? It's not the shoulder. That's actually the surface across the
entire roadway.

The roads were absolutely terrible. My gels had changed from a syrupy consistency to that of gummy bears. I have a photo of one on my tongue, but it looks a little disgusting. I had to chew them and they went down slowly and probably sat there the entire run in clumps, rather than being digested..... which leads me to my next problem...

I have suffered from digestive problems the last week, and today was no exception. Around mile 13, I had to stop and go number 2. At least this time I was prepared with a wad of toilet paper. Nothing says dedication to running like a bare ass at 20F and a squat along side all the pretty (luckily deserted) summer homes. Hey, when you gotta go, you gotta go. Any tips on why or how to get rid of these problems are sure welcome.

For about 6 miles straight, hubby and I ran along the icy road. I was invincible with my spikes, yet he slid around with every other step. He said that he ran behind me so I wouldn't freak out when he fell down. To my knowledge, he didn't fall at all. The landscape was so serene, under the blanket of wintry snow. The trees and fields seemed to be in peaceful repose, only awakened by the birds of springtime. I think that is the reason I miss winter.

By mile 18, we were running at a slow shuffle. We ran in complete silence. All my mental energy was for putting one foot in front of the other. Just as we hit mile 19 and my energy was nearly spent, a beautiful sunset appeared.

Pretty darn pretty, isn't it?

Matt and I had dressed perfectly for the weather.
We were reassured that we could conquer 20miles in 20F.
And it was HARD.

Just the perfect afternoon if you ask me :)

Life according to Louie

Hi. I'm Louie. Louie the Llama. No, I'm not an Alpaca. Mama told me that I'm not Alpaca, we're better than Alpaca. She didn't say why, but we just are.

I'm the farm pimp. Nobody has more ladies than I do. I keep them safe from coyotes.

Matt and Karen have been busy on the farm:



Farmer Bob is my best friend, after the ladies. He feeds me and scratches my head when I've done a good job. But mostly because he feeds me.



Looks like it's dinner time! Gotta go!

I will be posting back-blogs for the remainder of my San Francisco trip tomorrow. I still have to add my photos and then I will post them here. Check back for them on Wednesday.

Winter Running

Just one day after arriving in southern Michigan, Matt and I embarked on our first run in the snow. I have to admit, I've been kind of worried that I'd be too wimpy to run in barely-double-digit temperatures. After all, I haven't seen my winter coat since March last year. But I bought a beautiful new headlamp and HAD to try it out. I had to try it before we drove back home, in case it wasn't bright enough and I needed to return it. Also, I wanted to prove to myself that I still was part Alaskan, if not geographically, at least in spirit and guts.

Dressed in double the layers I wore on my coldest runs in California, we set out into the darkness. A glow hung in the sky from the moon overhead. My new headlamp could have lit the way for five runners, all in a row. It was exactly what I was hoping for. Sixty lumens of reassurance lit the way. I do NOT want to fall.

The familiar sound of crunching snow beneath every footfall made my heart melt. I really miss that sound, the crunch playing a rhythmic duet with my breathing. Every breath was more laborious, breathing through a thick face mask. I remembered the difficulties of winter running. And I loved it. Memories of -40 and frosty eyelashes, constant risk of frostbite, and ice fog-induced asthma swirled through my brain. Cold legs right now? Not as cold as those days in Alaska. This is much easier. I was reassured that my tolerance to running in cold is remarkably high.

We managed to average an 8:30/mi despite slipping a bunch in the soft snow. 4 miles. I completely plan on finishing my entire week of running in the winter weather, soaking in all the winter I can.

It's safe to say that I haven't lost my Alaska running guts. And I'm ecstatic about that.



(for those just joining us : I am a five year cancer survivor of Ewing's Sarcoma, found in my left radius bone. My left arm is brittle from radiation treatments and complete re-engineering. It works reasonably well, but if I fall and break it, it will not heal. EVER. So falling = amputation. So far, I've only had to cut one activity completely : downhill skiing, most others are modified.)

San Francisco, part 3

The Stick is amazing. I woke up this morning with hardly any soreness at all. Matt and I are flying to his parents' tomorrow morning, the Stick is definitely coming with us.

View from the north side of the Golden Gate Bridge

We decided to spend our last day in the area in Golden Gate NRA. The fog lifted as we drove through the ever-winding road along the coast. The sun came out. It was AWESOME.

View of San Francisco and bridge from Marin Headlands.

We did a few short hikes along the water, marveling at how quickly the sun changed how the landscape looked. Mostly a reconaissance trip for future excursions, we got a map and drove through the south side of the park.

Waves crashing along the shore on a beautiful morning.

My hiking buddy with the fall colors.

Konnie and I enjoying the sun.

From the cliffs towering over the water, we saw surfers fall off their surf boards. They seemed to have a great time spending all that energy for maybe ten seconds of riding the wave. Is there some hidden appeal to having salt water repeatedly thrust into one's sinuses that I'm missing here?

One of the successful surfers.

But like I said, it was warm and sunny. I didn't want to hike, because my legs were a bit tired and my allergies were bothersome, but I'm glad I did. Rarely do I regret exercise or hiking after I get out there a little while.

View of Fort Cronkite.

Besides, Konnie has felt neglected lately. She enjoyed the sunshine, especially after getting wet yesterday. We plan on running the Dipsea trail as an out-and-back the next time we return. Grueling and muddy, sounds like our type of trail run. :)

Fog rolled in just as we were leaving. A bientot, San Francisco!

We drove through the Napa Valley on the way to Sacramento. The highlight of our trip was IKEA. It was awesome! If I hadn't spent my entire savings on a new house, I would have filled the car. The biggest appeal of cheap Swedish furniture, to me anyways, is that it's modern and in my price range. Everything that I can find on Craigslist in my price range has scary carvings all over it. I might talk Matt into going back for something else on our trip out of the city. But so far, I bought a coat rack. Maybe I'll get the coffee table next time.

Matt and I had dinner with my childhood friend, Neal. Neal is my longest friendship. We grew up in the same neighborhood and I remember him in diapers. It just so happens that he lives in Sacramento. It was great to hear about what he's been up to since last time. The social skills that most find natural are very difficult for me. I spent most of the day kind of nervous about meeting up with him, as I have with other friends I'd seen in recent months. I'm just totally socially awkward, even around those I'd been closest in the past. It was comforting to find that the awkwardness melted away within a few minutes. I enjoyed our visit.

Tomorrow, the Hubs and I fly to Michigan. We're visiting with his brother near Detroit, and then driving out to the Farm. I have to admit, I'm a little afraid of how the winter will feel. Part of me wants to go hiking and running, skiing maybe. The other part wants to snuggle with the fire and never go outside. Which one will go to Michigan?

San Francisco, part 2

The day began with sore legs, heavy fog, and a light rain. Perfect day to just stay in bed, even after some strong coffee. But I didn't. Matt and I went for a run at the Embarcadero and through to Presidio. It was really close to our hotel, so it seemed the logical choice. (Thanks for the suggestion, Ewa). It goes a long way. We zoomed along the path, not really thinking much about the rain other than it was "doable". I remarked at how they must be used to the rain, considering how angled all the curbs and sidewalks are, sort of how they are in Eureka. Moments later, as we were waiting at a stop light, a voice came from behind us, "You both are really dedicated to run in this terrible rain. It makes the rest of us look bad. Quit it." That means one of two things: this area doesn't really get as much rain as we thought OR he (and others) are sissies. It was just a mist. Not rain. I didn't even have to rub the water out of my eyes to be able to see!

The day included probably another six or more miles of walking. We visited the World's Crookedest Street, JapanTown, the Painted Ladies on Alamo Square and the Sports Basement in the Presidio.

Me with the tower in Japantown.

Painted Ladies. There were lots of Victorian houses throughout the city.
I loved the intricate designs and unusual color combinations.

My natural gravitation to thrift stores led me to Out of the Closet and Goodwill. They were amazing!! Buying second-hand in a rich city has better stuff than in poor old Eureka. At Sports Basement, we found this amazing roller for our legs.

Demonstration of "The Stick".

It was an impulse buy, but after trying it out on my sore legs, I was more than sold on it. It's beautiful, I just hope that my rolling pin at home doesn't get jealous. The entire city was a bit of a let-down with the weather, because we never could see more than a few blocks ahead because of the fog. Lots of uphills and downhills, but there were no grand vistas at the top.

Reason my legs were sore : Steep hills everywhere!!!

When Matt and I lived in Fairbanks, we searched for the takeout menu for our favorite restaurant, Lemongrass. We happened upon Lemongrass Thai in San Francisco. I remember remarking, "Well it's good there's a delicious restaurant there with great reviews, but we'll never need to know that." Well, it was just a few blocks from our hotel, so we had to try it. I haven't had Thai cuisine since October (it was our last meal out in Fairbanks), and it was just as amazing as the Lemongrass Thai Restaurant in Fairbanks. The green curry was excellent!! I recommend it highly : Lemongrass Thai on Polk. Everyone must visit :)

Green Curry and I, together again!!

San Francisco, part 1

Yesterday, Matt nearly got us into two car accidents while making a left turn (like SCARY close, I couldn't sleep well last night). So I decided to try my hand at driving. I haven't driven in any big cities. Anywhere. In fact, we determined that as far as cities go, I've been to Munich, Frankfurt, Paris, Nice, and Montreal, but as far as cities in my home country, I have not been to a single one. At least not the downtown anyways. San Fran was to be my first major city...so I've definitely never driven in one. I did surprisingly well. There were no white knuckles. I can't say it didn't raise my heartbeat quite a bit, but I didn't break a nervous sweat or have sore hands when we arrived.

Backtrack with me to the morning.....

After hitting the mall and REI in Santa Rosa, we headed south to Petaluma, for some outlet shopping. Basically we came out of an entire morning perusing the malls with five clothing items (we stink at shopping, don't we?) and a brighter headlamp so I can run in the dark. As we left the outlet mall, we were accosted by a windshield repair salesman. He showed us pictures of chips that his company can fill in without replacing the entire windshield. Our windshield tells a story. One giant chip, that we got on a toll road to Tulsa, several from driving in Fairbanks, and one really deep one that you can stick a fingertip into, from the haul road. The final one did crack. Nothing in the line of vision, so we didn't need to replace it. And I don't want to. I call that last giant chip our car's Haul Road Badge of Courage. Since we were completely stripped of our Alaskan identities on Friday when we got the California plates and licenses, this is all we have left to prove that our unassuming, compact car is a warrior. I don't want to take that away from her :)

We ate a small picnic on the edge of the parking lot, near a bike path (how come we can find paths so easily while we travel, but our own town's seem to elude us?). Two mall security officers came by at different times on Segway scooters to check us out. Apparently we look suspicious. What do you think?

Gourmet park side dining : leftover pizza and some bread with cheese.

The next big highlight of our day was the Golden Gate Bridge. It is 1.7 miles long and I started to tear up when I saw it. My home state of Michigan has a very similar looking bridge, the Mackinac Bridge, at 20 ft short of 5 miles. This one does have a pedestrian walkway though, so maybe it's almost as cool....maybe.

View from our hotel room. Maybe it was worth the extra money after all.

We also did enjoy the Ghiradelli Square. Free chocolate samples in the stores, which they offered after we ordered our hot chocolate. I really like cities, once I don't have to drive in them. San Fran immediately reminded me of Paris, being a reasonably clean city. Matt made the remark "But instead of the permanent cigarette smell, it's a pot cloud." Oh California, how eco-conscious you are. "Cigarettes are bad for me, I smoke pot instead." I may never fit in here.

So delicious! I love C H O C O L A T E ! ! !

For the first time in my life, I was actually sick of chocolate for a few hours. Hopefully that feeling will pass......

We had a delicious dinner near Fisherman's Wharf and decided to turn around and head home.

Pier 39 at dusk.

Downtown San Francisco from the Embarcadero.

One thing I did realize about the city: I'm glad we live reasonably nearby, because it's going to require some return trips to see everything. And I just found the shopping area, so it'll take an entire weekend to get through it all (poor Matt). Other blogger friends have shown some really cool hiking trips through the area, too. I'm excited to see some of those things (and Matt won't be so scared of that idea)..... Until tomorrow. :)

Joe Rodota Trail

One of the most exciting part about traveling is getting to discover new running routes. Today, Matt and I traveled to Santa Rosa, just a stopover day until meeting a friend in San Francisco for a few days. We stopped at Taco Bell for lunch in Ukiah, wondering how that would work as a long run fuel. We chatted through most of the drive. We decided that, given the opportunity to return to Alaska after five years, and settle there permanently, we would do it. And we'd do it with class : buy a house up in the hills, put stud tires on, and fully embrace everything it had to offer. When we moved there, we always knew it was temporary, so we never really put down roots. This next time, we would.

In my searches, I stumbled upon the Santa Rosa marathon, held each August. It started and finished in Julliard Park, so we drove there, thinking we would find the trail in the photos. The park reminded me of the parks we ran through in Munich and Frankfurt, artsy and thoughtfully planned out.

Julliard Park, from Cali to Europe in a moment.

We ran along the course, which parallels a really small creek/drainage, the Prince Memorial Trail. Then we saw the sign for a different trail, Joe Rodota trail, which was six miles long. We went for it, thinking that it would be long enough for what we wanted to do. It led us directly out of Santa Rosa to Sebastopol and beyond. We turned back only when it was beginning to get dark. The trail went through a couple sketchy industrial areas, so we didn't want to be out in a strange city after dark. We ended up with 16 miles through residential, industrial, and vineyards. ....which I set a new half marathon record for myself, minus two minutes. Puts me at my goal for both the half and full marathons this year....and it's still January. I was also pleased at how my mile splits didn't vary more than 20 seconds per mile. Aside from severe abdominal cramping and a shitty break on the edge of one of those vineyards, it was a great run. After our run, I kept thinking to myself, I knew I wouldn't be where I am in my training if I were still training outside in Alaska. And so I'm conflicted.... I really do miss having winter already. And it's only been a month. Yikes!

My biggest cheerleader. He has definitely shaped the runner and woman I am today.

After a shower, we headed out for some shopping and dinner. Round Table pizza never tastes as good as it does after a hard run. It's quickly becoming my favorite pizza. :) Another thing, is kind of a plus and a minus : I try on dresses from time to time, and lately I've noticed that my usual size 4 is too big. The size 2 fits. I haven't lost weight in two or three years, so is it that I'm getting buffer and leaner? Vanity sizing is what large retailers do to make women buy their clothes. They will call something a size smaller than it actually is. IE- A typical size 6 is labeled as a size 4. I know this boosts sales, but.....Is "vanity" sizing gone even more crazy, or am I truly getting smaller without losing weight? What this also means, is that I'm dangerously close to having to buy my dresses in the juniors department (I usually have to do this with shirts already). That's a big bummer.

Headwaters Preserve

As usual, hubby and I went further than we planned. This time it wasn't our fault : Garmy got lost. As in, she didn't report any type of distance gains or pace. It makes sense, running up and down steep hills while under a canopy of Redwood trees. The part that didn't make sense was that she reported a mileage of 3.97 and then I actually saw her go back down to 3.94. Granted, this trail had a million switch backs, but still, shouldn't it keep going forward? I don't know what was wrong. Regardless, we didn't know how far we had come until the turn around. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

OUR RUN

What was a perfectly sunny day in Eureka, our fourth day in a row!, I found myself wondering, "Why are we going to run in the shade when we rarely see the sun?" Well, my right knee has been taking a beating from all the sloping roads (designed to drain torrential downpours off to the sides), and I really needed something a little softer. Matt was up for an ass-kicking, as he usually is, so we drove the six miles to the trailhead. When we got out of the car, a group of guys were leaving, one said, "It's cold in there", referring to Matt's shorts, suggesting he should wear more layers. Then he added, as he glanced from our car, which still holds her Alaska license plates, back to us, "oh you're from Alaska, you'll be fine."

The first few miles were rolling hills, and it was an easy run. Then we dipped down to the Elk River, across an old iron bridge and climbed. Garmy told me it was 3/4 mi of straight uphill, unrelentingly slow, that made my heart pound uncontrollably. One of those runs that takes your ego and just stomps all over it.

Hubby is F.A.S.T.!!! He even mentioned that he's gonna try for Boston in our May marathon, 3:10 for his age group.

By the time we hit mile 4.5, the hill leveled off. To ferns and some really soft mud.

You don't want to see what I looked like from the front, lots of sweat
and bulging veins--but I felt like a warrior!

It was fun, but I imagined Ewoks jumping out behind the trees to kill us ((that part of Star Wars was actually filmed in the local area--so it's not a totally random thought)). After Garmy reported that we were twenty minutes along and only .25 mi further, I got suspicious something wasn't going right with my watch.

Happy to be on the descent!! :)

The return trip was fast and amazing. Felt like I could run forever. Whizzing back and forth along the switchbacks, I was glad that I had overdressed. A foggy chill encapsulated the valley as the sky began to darken and it sliced through my dark layers.

With about a mile left to go, we saw one remaining couple on the trail. We passed them, covered in mud and feeling more hardcore than ever, with silly little runner's high grins on our faces.

Based on the trail markers, we went 10.5 miles in 2:49. That translates to 10:30/mi. Garmy, for what 8 miles she recorded, told us we had 1,800 ft of elevation change over the course of our run. It was probably more since she missed 2.5 miles.

Tomorrow we're going to officially become Californian. Perfect grueling trail run to bid farewell to our "official" Alaskan identities.

2011 Goals

These are my goals related to running, for 2011 :

5K under 23:00.
Half marathon - 1:45.
Full marathon - 3:45.

I've never run a 10K, and since I really have no desire to do it now, I figure that I'll wait until I'm 40 for my first one. That'll save at least one PR for when I am no longer getting PR's.

How I'm going to achieve this :

I seem to do better running less miles, faster. I've always followed the Hal Higdon training plan for my marathon and half races. The novice one. I was all set to try an intermediate this year, but decided to go less miles and faster. I'm following the mid-week runs, but am following a 12-16-20 sequence for the long runs. Then 12-20-12-22 for the last weeks up to the taper. Not really increasing mileage as I go along, but sustaining, and hopefully getting faster in the process.

I've planned out a few races this year :
March 6, Bidwell Classic Half Marathon, Chico, CA
May 15, Green Bay Marathon, Green Bay, WI
August, either the Crater Lake Marathon (in Oregon) or Marquette 50K, Marquette, MI
August 13, Hammond Trail Half Marathon, Arcata, CA
October 16, Humboldt Redwoods Marathon, Weott, CA
December 5, California International Marathon, Sacramento, CA

The local area has lots of 5 and 10Ks that I'm hoping with the improvements in my distance races, I can just push really hard and PR the 5K without training...hopefully.

Does anyone have tips on staying motivated and focused for a long training season?

Running Breakthrough

Being able to train at whatever intensity I want, 12 months a year, is turning out to be awesome. Today I made another breakthrough : a tempo run at sub - 8:00/mi.

I usually make my tempo runs at 4 miles, and all last summer, my hardest tempos were at an 8:30/mi. Finally another breakthrough. 4 miles at 7:45/mi. Five miles total at an 8:00/mi (the final mile was a cool down with running and walking).

I can't believe it. I really can't. But what I can believe is this : I'm going to burn all my PRs this year. :)

The Best Christmas Present Ever

I don't know how Santa is going to top this next year.

Breakfast nook in our new home.

Living room in Christmas mood lighting.

My backyard on the first sunny day since we moved in.

Pretty much the closest thing we will ever get to having snow.

Zoey approves of the new house and the sunny day.

Matt enjoys the garden on his sunny afternoon.

I love our new house!! :)