Saturday, April 27, 2013

Marathon training: RACE WEEK!

After 22 weeks of training for my half and then my full marathon, it's finally race week!

I've been doing some very light exercises to keep the blood flowing and make sure my muscles didn't forget how to move.

I also had a nice chiropractic adjustment Friday afternoon. Thanks, Dr. Dan!

Week 22 training recap:
Sunday: rest day
Monday: spin class
Tuesday: 2.54 miles with Dad
Wednesday: bike 6 miles
Thursday: 2.21 miles with Dad
Friday: bike 5 miles
Saturday: rest day!
Week 22 Total: 4.75 miles

:)

Friday, April 26, 2013

No. 21

Much of this week was spent just like this:
The weather was beautiful, and I was in the middle of a great book.

No. 21 was In the Woods by Tana French:
It's set in Ireland like the last couple I read, but it was much less "Irish". As in, I didn't have to think really hard to figure out what all the funny sayings were. Or maybe I'm just getting used to it?!

It's a murder mystery written in first person by one of the detectives. He's involved in a personal mystery as well, and the intertwining of the story lines is great. I was on the edge of my seat.

This was not a young-reader novel and read a bit slower than the previous two from the library's St. Patricks Day display. And French is really wordy in her writing, using lots of very long sentences full of parentheticals and asides. Sometimes I'd have to read a sentence twice to know what she was saying. But I loved the style, which was almost stream of consciousness.

I've already started the next one in the series :)

Fun family workouts

I needed one more short, easy run this week, so Dad joined me again Thursday for an early-morning workout.

I stepped outside and saw this:
WOW!

We did just a couple miles around the neighborhood. Dad's becoming quite a good running buddy!
Then before I rode away to work, Dad gave me this new antenna ball for Sherm. LOVE IT!
Mom rode with me to THS:
YAY for family workouts :)

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Birthday baseball and our Bay-Area background

Eryn and I helped Dad celebrate his 59th birthday in style earlier this month with a trip to San Francisco for Opening Weekend at ATT Park.

A lifelong fan, Dad was thrilled to witness the World Series celebration for his beloved Giants!

But he seemed equally thrilled to visit important places from his childhood and share with his daughters. (Mom had to work and couldn't join us)

Before Saturday's afternoon game we drove from our hotel in Emeryville (on the east end of the Bay Bridge) to neighboring Berkley to check out the house where Great Grandma and Grandpa Fellow lived on Carlotta: 
Grandpa flew for Pan Am, and when he was out of town, Dad and Grandma often drove in to Berkley to stay with her parents. So my dad spent a large portion of his childhood in this home.
He said it looked pretty much like it did back in the day.

Dad knocked on the door, and the couple who lives here now (just one owner between them and Great Grandma and Grandpa Fellow), still in Saturday-morning bathrobes and slippers, eagerly invited us inside for a tour!

They had remodeled the kitchen, bathroom and master suite, but most of the house was original, including the gorgeous wood trim and fireplace:
Dad showed us where Great Grandma, a huge sports fan, would sit in her chair to watch baseball on TV.

Next door was the Hemphill's house. Rob Hemphill was the best man in Mom and Dad's wedding.
On the corner was the dry cleaner owned by another of Dad's best friends, Kingsly Toy. Total cliche, I know :)
I was driving and didn't snap a picture of the massive eucalyptus trees in the school yard where Dad said he and Kingsley would climb up and start fires. WHAT?!?! Nice, Dad :)
Next we drove across the bridge to ATT Park for our Buster Posey bobble heads! The Giants catcher was named National League MVP and honored in a pre-game ceremony.
Good game, but we lost.
Beautiful view from that stadium!
With lots of daylight left, we drove back across the bay and out to the house where Dad grew up on Cervato Circle in Alamo.

My grandparents had the house built in 1959, when Dad was 5 years old. He lived there until he went away to college at George Fox University in the early '70s. Grandpa built that mailbox:
Dad immediately proclaimed that across the street is "where I got my first concussion" by sliding down the open, then-one-piece garage door. Eryn and I laughed and laughed about that. If you know Dad, you get it :)
Other than some landscaping, Dad says the house looks about the same:
This might be where I get my love of ranch-style homes!
The original fence (minus the lattice), which Dad says he remembers painting when he was a kid:
Dad knocked on the door, and the couple invited us right in. Super-nice people!

Much of the inside is original, including garage cabinets:
And the wood ceiling:
Dad's bedroom is now an office:
Then it was time for a trip to San Ramon Valley High School, home of the Wolves. Dad even sang a little cheer for us :)
Almost the entire school has been rebuilt since the early '70s and looked new and fancy.

Dad was giddy after the two very successful trips down memory lane!

Sunday, Eryn and I hit the hotel gym for a sweat session before the Giants game:
Sunday's big treat was the championship ring ceremony. Before the game, the players' World Series rings arrived on a trolley, escorted right onto the field by two motorcycle police officers:
It was quite the event:
But I think all that excitement (and really shiny new rings!) really distracted the players, because they got creamed by the Cards.
Still, a great day at the ballpark!
And... every fan got a replica World Series ring of our own!

Happy birthday, Dad!! Thanks for sharing your special weekend with us :)

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Short run and a slurpee

Dad joined me on a short run/walk after work yesterday in the hot sun. It really felt like summer!
We wove around Summerfield for 2.54 miles. Just what I needed to keep the blood flowin'.
And because it was like summer, I had to get a little Slurpee while I was out doing errands :)
:)

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Earth Day - bask in God's creation

The heavens proclaim the glory of God.  The skies display his craftsmanship.
Psalm 19:1 NLT

I celebrated Earth Day with a short bike ride in the glorious sunshine!
Check out Sherm's awesome custom license plate. Eryn gave me that for Christmas!
:)

Monday, April 22, 2013

Catching a bomber

Between climbing adventures, long runs and camping trips, my husband spends his days working as a manufacturing engineer for FLIR Systems, headquartered in Wilsonville.

What's a manufacturing engineer? I like to explain it this way: Mechanical engineers design the part and then manufacturing engineers design how to make the part, considering cost and time efficiency, ship-ability, etc. I think it's fascinating.

Brad works for the government systems division, which sells infrared cameras to police and military for surveillance for border patrols, drug interdiction, base security and good, old-fashioned police work. It was a helicopter-mounted FLIR camera that spotted the alleged Boston bomber hiding on the boat.

Check out this video - it's pretty amazing.


Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

And here's a link to more information from NBC News.

It's really awesome to realize that Brad's job truly does save lives.

:)

Sunday, April 21, 2013

Saturday, April 20, 2013

Marathon Trainig: Week 21

Yep, that's right. It does say I've already run 316+ miles this year!

I passed 300 Sunday with my half marathon. WOOHOO!


Week 21 training recap:
Sunday: 13.16 miles - Race for the Roses
Monday: spin class
Tuesday: rest day
Wednesday: 2.59 miles - Boston Solidarity and Remembrance Run
Thursday: rest day
Friday: 4.16 miles
Saturday: 8.17 miles - Twality Water 5K
Week 21 Total: 28.08 miles

:)

Twality 5K Water Run

My last long run before the big one. WOOHOO!

Training called for just 8 miles today.

I signed up at the last minute for the Twality 5K Water Run, which raised money to buy a pump for a well in an African village. While I definitely support the middle schoolers and the project, my real motivation was checking off race No. 49 so that my marathon will be my 50th race! (My races)

So I left about 6:30 a.m. and ran 4+ miles before ending up at the start line in Cook Park:
Mom and Eryn joined me on the 5K course around the park and neighborhood.
I ran my first 4+ miles easy and then sped up for the 5K. It felt good to move a bit more than I have been lately. And I picked off a couple other runners at the end - always fun :) (Though I have to admit that a girl maybe 9 years old blew past me with about .5 miles to go. Talk about a kick!)

At the end, I was about .75 miles short of my goal for the day so I ran back along the course and jogged with Mom to the finish line.

I'll do just a couple short runs this week... and try not to throw up every time I think about my marathon ;)

Friday, April 19, 2013

Soggy daddy-daughter run

Dad joined me this morning on an early, soggy run!

I took advantage of Dad's runner's high after Wednesday's solidarity run in Portland and invited him to go with me this morning. Surprisingly, he said yes!

It was pouring when my alarm went off at 5 a.m., and I probably would have bagged it if I didn't know Dad was getting up, too. But I dragged myself up and at 'em and got all ready to go.

I texted Dad when I left the house at 6 a.m. and told him to meet me in 10 minutes outside his house. It was dry when I walked out, but by the time I reached the top of my hill, the rain was starting.
I rounded the corner after about a mile and saw my dad run onto the street in front of me. I caught up, and we ran together through the rain. It was really fun!!!

He peeled off after about 1.5 miles, and I sped up and headed home, finishing 4.16 miles at an 11:09 average.
I was soaked but feeling great!

I haven't run in the rain in a while, opting to hit the 'mill instead. It was a nice change of pace and a great way to start my Friday :)

Thanks, Dad! Nice job :)