Lunch run

Yesterday's plan was to get up early and hit the 'mill for a short, easy run before work. I even laid out my clothes the night before to ease the pain. But when my alarm went off, I said, "No way. Not gonna happen. I'll do it at lunch instead!"

So on my lunch break, I drove the short distance home, threw on my clothes already out for me and ran a few easy miles while watching Law & Order: SVU.

I had just enough time for a quick shower, then it was back to work for a couple more hours. And I grabbed a banana wrap for the drive back: banana on a peanut butter-filled tortilla. Yum!

It felt great to squeeze in my workout - and then it left the evening free for some chores and some relaxing :)

Go, Sonice!

One of my students, Sonice, is heading to state tomorrow for wrestling! (He's the one on the right)

Several THS students are going, but Sonice "had a bit of an unenviable task in order to get his state bid, as he had to face off with his senior Tigard teammate Jake Dettra in the 285-pound third-place match (pictured)," according to the Tigard Times article.

Click HERE to read more!

Good luck tomorrow, Sonice! :)

Kickboxing

When Jazmin shared that she used to do martial arts and MMA, I invited her to check out my kickboxing gym. She joined me and Lindsey last night at our weekly class at Fierce Fitness.

It was obvious that Jazmin knows her stuff - her punches looked great! We all worked hard and got really sweaty - a great workout! Then we went to nearby Laughing Planet for some refueling :)

Nice job, ladies!

Adventure Thursday: Tryon trails

Weekly tradition continues! Dad and I made the short drive to Tryon after work and spent just under an hour on the trails.

Since Dad was in the middle of a fence-building project and I had an appointment with the eye doctor, we kept it short and sweet - about 2.7 miles.

It was cloudy and even sprinkled a couple drops as we snapped pictures at the trail head. I LOVE the rain :)

Tryon is so close to home and easy for a good workout. But we're also looking forward to Daylight Saving Time. Longer days mean big plans ahead :)

Terwilliger and a Valentine's anniversary

Brad's been wanting to run the Terwilliger Boulevard hill, so that was our big Valentine's Day adventure.

We parked at the east end of the Hawthorne Bridge and ran together across the river and up to Terwillger, right above Duniway Park. We weren't sure of the best way to go, so we just headed in that direction. After frustratingly hitting several stoplights, we decided to start turning whichever direction had a "walk" sign. It was really fun to zig-zag our way through downtown. "Right!" "Left!"

At Duniway, Brad took off up the ~2-mile hill with the promise of meeting me at the top. I chugged up behind him, arriving not too long after. Getting stronger!

After a short rest to catch our breath at the Chart House, we turned on the turbo and ran hard down to Duniway. I think we'll be ready for Shamrock next month!

Our evening was spent at Friendsview celebrating the 49th anniversary of Brad's Uncle Dick and Aunt Louise. Lou is sitting to my left:

And Dick is in the gray suit on the right:

I wish the photographer had gotten a better picture of them! Oh, well :)

:)

Adventure Thursday: Tryon, pizza, puzzle

Mom was free this week, so she joined Dad and me for a little Adventure Thursday sweat-fest at Tryon park:

It was really warm and spring-like as we cruised up, up, up and down, down, down the trails for about 4 miles in all. We did some running and some walking.

After quick cleanup, it was time for Bellagios Pizza. Oasis is the best!

The plan was Netflix, but I couldn't get it to work. Boo :( So we turned on Blue Bloods on TV, and I made Dad and Eryn (she did her own workout) finish the puzzle that's been driving me crazy!

I knew I could count on them!!! "Winter Wonderland" was a garage-sale find, missing just two pieces. Not too bad.

Since we're not actually getting winter here this year, I figured I'd live vicariously through my puzzle :)

No. 8

Continuing with my fiction/non-fiction rotation, No. 8 was Joanne Fluke's Cherry Cheesecake Murder:

These are so silly but entertaining. But I think I'm gain weight because they make me crave sweets the whole time I'm reading them (cookie recipes are included!)

This was a bit different in that the murder didn't happen for 200+ pages. Lots more setup with this story.

I got a bunch of Fluke's culinary mysteries at last year's THS band garage sale, but I have just one more left in my collection. Sadness.

:)

Getting faster

It was warm and overcast yesterday when Jazmin and I hit the road for another after-school run.

We did the same route as last time - through the neighborhood and Cook Park for a total of 3.3 miles. And we did it faster this time - YAY for more running and less walking! She's getting stronger :)

Jazmin always thinks she's going to die... but then she doesn't. And then she's happy. YAY for self esteem :)

Buddies make it better

Last weekend's workouts were a mixed bag.

Because of the rain, Brad and I waited until Saturday afternoon to hit the road. It was really warm and sticky, and I immediately regretted wearing my new rain jacket.

We went together to Tualatin Park - 5 miles in all.

I felt super tired during the whole run - like "lead legs" for my whole body. I didn't really have an explanation, then I realized I'd done a lot of miles the previous week. I think I was just pooped.

When the weather is less than amazing, and it's hard to get motivated to get outside and go for a run, it's really nice to have other people counting on you.

Sunday, while I would have preferred to curl up at home with a book and a fire, Mom was waiting for me to go with her to run the esplanade in downtown Portland. Brad didn't want to miss out on the fun, so he joined us.

The Steel-to-Hawthorne loop is about 2.5 miles. Mom walked it once (plus a side trip to OMSI and back) while Brad and I ran two loops. We finished at the same time - perfect!

While the area is a little sketchy with street people, there are always a ton of other people around, and it never feels unsafe. Many other runners do multiple loops, and it's always fun to pass the same people over and over!

I also like it because I can work out with other people who run/walk at different paces. We all just do a different number of loops.

Anyway... the threatening rain materialized on the drive home, and it was warm enough for shorts and a T-shirt (though a little gusty).

Brad and I did 5.14 miles at a brisker-than-we-should-have-run pace. After Saturday's less-than-stellar workout, it felt good to push. (I'm on hyphen overdrive!!) My legs were tired (lots of lactic acid), but I didn't have that overall fatigue I felt Saturday.

Thanks to my workout buddies for keeping me on track :)

So far this week, I've already done spin with Jazmin and kickboxing with Brad. And Jazmin and I are hitting the park again after school today!

New trick

I don't think I've formally introduced you to Gizmo, our 10-month-old kitten. She's fairly full-sized by now, but she's still a kitten on the inside. ZOOM, ZOOM!! (We have very few pics because she rarely stops moving)

After losing our beloved Linus a couple years ago and then easing back into cat ownership by fostering a friend's kitty, we decided it might be time to get another one.

Both sure we wanted a rescue, we started looking at local shelters. Several weeks of looking for a large, female, adult cat that captured (both) our hearts turned up nothing. Maybe it wasn't time for another cat.

Then Brad spotted a 6-month-old kitten in the "older" kitten area at the Oregon Humane Society. Even though neither of us wanted a kitten, Brad decided we should meet her. I think she was somehow speaking to him.

We met in the little private room, and Brad decided she was the one. It was too near closing time to adopt her then, so we thought it over and went back another day. Brad convinced me by saying, "Let's get a kitten... it will be FUN!"

Well, it's been lots of "fun"! She's CRAZY! She's super snugly - except when she's literally running full speed into walls. WOW!

Remember when Gizmo locked herself in Brad's office at 3 a.m.?? That was "fun". :)

Sunday night, she learned a new trick. Brad and I were in his office when the cat decided to get inside a reusable grocery bag. It was just like all those crazy YouTube videos of cats diving into boxes and such. HILARIOUS!

I was on the computer Monday morning when she started at it again. My camera was right there, so I snapped a couple pics:

And as I'm posting this Tuesday morning, she's at it again!

Gizmo is so funny! And as much of a challenge it is to have a kitten, she's really great - and fitting in well with the family :)

No. 7

First I read it, then I saw the movie. The book was better. (big surprise)

My parents gave me Cheryl Strayed's Wild for Christmas - another in a big pile of non-fiction to get me out of my comfortable little box. But I'm interested in this story, so I dug in. No. 7:

I really liked this book for several reasons. First, I'm an outdoorsy person and I've been on sections of the PCT. Parts are in my own proverbial back yard. She described places I've been, trails I've hiked and mountains I've climbed.

I loved hearing about all the gear she took and the clothes she wore and the lack of preparedness and everything. This woman had no business being on that trail.

I loved how her back story was woven throughout the book, explaining why she was where she was, emotionally, physically, etc. I cried when they put down the horse. Powerful stuff.

Several people told me after the fact that they didn't like her "whiny" voice. Well, her life really sucked for a while, and I think she earned that whine. I thought it was real and raw.

As soon as I finished, I made plans to go see the film adaptation - Friday date night with Brad:

I think if I hadn't read the book first, the movie would have been good. But knowing the story ahead, I think it was just "OK".

They changed a lot of things - minor things but also things that I thought mattered - like her money problems and what really happened when they killed the horse. They left out big parts of her journey - her friends, Timberline lodge. Also, they filmed some "California" scenes in well-known, easy-to-identify places in Oregon, like Smith Rock State Park - a world-renown rock-climbing destination. It was funny to play "spot the places we've been that aren't really on the PCT" :)

Anyway... good book, OK movie. Maybe see the movie first and then let the book explain the rest.

:)

Weekend workouts

Man, this has been a week! I've had a never-ending to-do list all week, including a nearly 12-hour work meeting Wednesday. So I'm behind and just found my pics from LAST weekend's fun workouts:

Brad and I did our long run together Saturday - a rare treat. He's doing a training program that calls for him to run extra slow, and I've been over training, running faster than I should. SO... it balances out and we are at about the same pace right now :)

It was very cold Saturday morning, so we waited until the warm, spring-like afternoon to do our big, 10-mile loop. It was a really nice, strong run for both of us. Look at the yellow reflecting off my high-vis shirt!

Sunday, we wanted to burn a few extra calories before we sat down for the gluttonous Super Bowl party. So Dad, Brad and I went to Tryon for some running and hiking.

It was cooler and cloudier than the previous day, but still a wonderful day to be outside!

I love clouds!

Overall, a great weekend for working out. Too bad my Seahawks gave away the big game. Oh well, maybe next year :)

Soaked but smiling

Jazmin and I were soaked but smiling when we finished our run this afternoon!

We had a great time running last week, so Jazmin joined me for spin class Monday and then for another run today. 

We did some running and some walking and some talking - completing 3.29 miles in all!

I really admire this young woman for overcoming some crap in her life and wanting to make a better future for herself. And I look forward to our next sweat session :)

Famous

Yesterday, Brad opened an e-mail from the Hippie Chick Half people and saw this:

THAT'S ME!! (center, yellow shirt, purple shorts)

So funny! 

I LOVE the Hippie Chick races. I've done it several years in a row and recommend it to all the ladies in my life. The all-women event is very empowering, positive and fun!

Join me this year :)

Happy February!

:)