Hood to Coast Relay

Image via Wikipedia

UPDATE: Apparently the spots on the team got filled...but I'll let you know if anyone drops out.

Brent here.

I posted this on my blog, but I thought I'd share it here too, in the hopes that someone would be interested in joining a motley crew (I almost typed crue) for the amazing Hood to Coast Relay in August 2011.

This is just like the Ragnar Relay, only in Oregon. And it's not called the Ragnar Relay. But who cares what the name is!? We get to run from gorgeous Mt. Hood, along the Columbia River gorge to the Pacific Ocean. We pass through Portland and end up just south of Astoria. (GOONIES!)

My team has four spots open, and it costs $110 a person. You run three legs varying in length between 3 and 8 miles. Total mileage: between 12 and 18 miles. Piece of cake. Don't be shy. Let me know if you want to run the RACE OF A LIFETIME! (time...time...time)

Hood to Coast Relay

A new year a new goal

So... marathoners... I haven't posted here for a long time, but it helped me so much on my way to running a marathon that I thought I would post about my latest physical challenge- trying a triathlon! Yahoo!

A friend of mine and I will be doing the Saratoga Springs Sprint Triathlon on June 5th. We're doing a pretty intense 13 week training schedule but we're really excited about it!

So if you want to join in, go for it! Let's motivate each other like we did for our marathons! Truly I'm more intimidated by a triathlon. I'm not really a swimmer or a biker, so we'll see how it goes!

April

date night

This Saturday, Dave and I got a babysitter. Then we went on a date: an eight mile run.

Sounds torturous?? Think again! We got uninterrupted alone time (if you don't count Deacon), had some lovely chats, burned calories, and didn't have to spend money on overpriced theater popcorn.

Four weeks till Rushmore...(incidentally, I think it's the same time until St. George). Whoo hoo!

And the asphalt wins...

I headed out for a nice 9 mile run early this morning. The weather was surprisingly wonderful, with a light breeze that really cooled things off. It was still dark out, which usually makes this chicken too scared to run by herself, but I had two friends with me this morning. We started out and the first mile was completed in a breeze. A few hundred yards later, I was mid-sentence and next thing I know, I'm eating asphalt. The abrasions and bruises to my knees paled in comparison to my throbbing ankle. My worst fear has possibly come true. I've almost made it to the finish of this marathon training and I've injured myself. The biggest fear I've had from the get-go is that I would make it to the end and some sort of injury would prevent me from completing the race. Self-fulfilling prophecy?

I'm trying to remain optimistic, but the truth of the matter is that I know too much for my own good. Sprains take a long time to heal...and they're never quite the same again. My race is a little less than six weeks away, and that's the general healing time for sprains. I'm trying to beat the odds. Lots of ice, lots of elevation, lots of compression, but how much rest can I afford? I think I'll take tomorrow off and try to hit the gym on Friday and Saturday. I'll keep to the stationary bike to keep weight off the injured foot and to try and keep my cardio endurance up. Nothing like a three hour stationary bike ride to dispel boredom. I guess this is one way of getting out of an 18 miler this weekend...trouble is, I was actually looking forward to that run...kind of...in a sick, "I don't have too many more long runs left" kind of way.

treading

Sad news: my favorite neighbor moved.

Glad news: she gave me her treadmill before she left.

It's tough to run miles at a time in place. But for me it's even tougher to run with two kids. And so to break up the monotony of my peach laundry room wall, I downloaded Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert to my ipod. Of course, it has utterly sucked me in and even off the treadmill, I find myself listening to this woman's spiritual quest as I empty the dishwasher, nurse Lucy, sit on the toilet...

Anyway, it's good times. Cheers to technology!

Competers and Completers

If you have an hour and a half of your life to spare, you may be interested in this documentary about marathons and marathoners. I learned that there is a difference between competers and completers...I am just aiming to be in the completer category. I particularly like the part where the guy says, "When you cross that finish line...no matter how fast or how slow...it will change your life, forever." Cheers!

Marathoners and Masochists...

...I'm discovering, are essentially interchangeable.

Any guesses on how the 13 miler went today and how I'm feeling about it?

In three words--it wasn't pretty. I guess I just wasn't feelin' it this week. Amazing how it varies from one week to the next. My 12 miler last week was tough, but I got through it. Today was agony...which led to my conclusion about marathoners and masochists.

I'm feeling pretty discouraged. Can I really do 26.2 miles? I guess this is one of those times that calls for "gird up your loins" and "count your blessings." Or, "accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative." So in effort in cheer myself out of this slump, I'll focus on a few things that went well with today's run...

• I didn't die.......yet (Oh leave me alone, cynicism!)
  
• I finished
• No blisters or chafing
• No wilderness restroom stops (A public restroom beats the bushes any day.)
  
• NO GI DISTRESS WHATSOEVER!!! (This one really makes me happy, since I was soooo sick last week and I had blamed it on the GU.)
• Found a new gel that tastes great...and didn't land me on the porcelain throne post-run (Accel gel, chocolate flavor...tastes just like chocolate pudding and the consistency and texture was better than GU.)
• Jelly Belly Extreme Jelly Beans (Watermelon)--not as energizing as the gel and hard to chew while running but certainly tasty! I think I found my post-race recovery treat!
• My trusty Garmin made it through the whole 13 miles even though it beeped "low battery" at mile 6-- I heart you Garmin!

There now, I feel a little better...if only I could get these stiff hips out from this chair...