Vashon Ultra and 10 Mile Trail Run

(ignore my freaky looking hand in this pic!)

I finished.  It wasn't easy and I was on the verge of losing my mind a few times.  But, El saved me! 

I went into this totally under-trained.  A lot of life happened leading up to this race, and while I want to get a race a month in I won't do it (or train) at the expense of family.  Other obligations and emotional situations contributed to the lack of training.  My longest run in the last month and a half was only  5 miles.  So I'm just glad I finished. 

10 miles in 2:11 ish.  Give or take a few seconds. 

There were a lot of hills, really hard hills, I had to take a ferry to get there and that totally messed up my pre-race schedule.  I was not able to take care of "things" like normal, so felt blah the whole time.  Had a horrible headache at points, and felt like vomiting for most of the run.  Let's just say that at the 3 mile mark I was done.  El's take on 3 miles "We are 1/3 done already!"

And that is what got me through.  El was a super trooper!!!   This was her first trail run, and I was supposed to be there for her, but she totally was there for me and kept me going. 

I had no idea we were getting medals so was supper excited to have that put around my neck when we crossed the line.  They are really cool, recycled class disks from the bottom of class bottles and are sand blasted with the date and event info.  Pretty perfect for a race on Vashon! 

Even through I felt like crap I had fun and really enjoy running with El.  She is so good at keepen on keepen on, no matter how crazy the hill or mud is.  I can't wait for our next running adventure, only I'm totally training my butt off next time! 

Runnin App Post #1

http://from262to26.blogspot.com/2012/06/running-app-review-part-1-map-my.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+From262To262+%28From+262+to+26.2%29

Check it out...comparison of Map My Fitness and Runtastic.  Can't wait for next weeks post!  Want to see what he thinks of Runkeeper. 

Thankful Thursday

I'm thankful we have had some sun, and Sky has had outside time!  We can tell she is starting to need a lot of variety in her day.  The days of playing in the living room all day are over. 

Running Apps

I'm so excited about this series of posts!  My brother in law is reviewing the different running apps out there.  I use runkeeper, but wonder what the others can do for me, and not kill the battery on my phone. 

Check out his blog here: http://from262to26.blogspot.com/2012/06/running-apps-preview.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+From262To262+%28From+262+to+26.2%29

Cooking Class

This is what I made in cooking class Monday night.  Mark got me a GC for Christmas and I finally found a class I wanted to take.  Thai and Vietnamese Street Vendor food.

Bon Vivant http://www.bon-vivant.com/ is who he went through.  It's unique in that the classes are small 12 ish people, and are held in really nice homes that have nice big kitchens, and are in the Seattle area.

So Monday afternoon I headed up to the U district.  I left early to get up there before the 5pm traffic so killed time shopping before going to class. 

(I only ended up getting a workout tank, but did find that JC Penny's workout cloths are great for the price.  Would  I run a race in them, or a long distance...no.  But, the running skirt would be great for 5 miles or less and or mud runs given the $20 price.  And the tanks were not good running material, but will be great for P90X and Stroller Fitness once I go back to the Y in Sep.  And, the leggings and capri fit to perfection and it was all $20 or less!)

Anyway.  We were partnered up and assigned one dish to make.  Mine was an eggplant dish cooked in a wok with garlic, lemon juice, fish sauce, green onion, chili sauce, and basil.  It was GREAT!  I can't wait to make it again. 

I had fun, got to taste a lot of great food, and by the time we were done cooking between all the partners we had appetizers, salads, two main dishes, rice, and dessert.

The only thing I didn't like is that you only learned the skills needed (none that I didn't already know for the dish I was given) to cook the one dish assigned to you.  I would really have liked to work on the fish and use the bamboo steamer and banana leaf boats.  Not that I didn't learn anything, I did learn some very useful stuff, but there were other dishes I could have worked on and I would have learned a lot more, and worked hands on with some food and tools that I have been wanting to learn about.

The instructor was great about answering questions, but some questions you don't even know to ask unless you are the person working with a particular food or tool.  

I totally want to take more classes as we can afford it.  But, next time I'm going to try a class at an actual cooking school my partner told me about.  Everyone makes every dish all at the same time and you have real kitchen work stations rather than a random table or counter in a hallway leading into the kitchen. 

Not that I wouldn't recommend Bon Vivant.  I just want something to compare it to.  I am thrilled with the recipe packet I got though!  I can't wait to have Street Vendor night at our house! 

Bon Vivant has a Mexican food course that I would love to take given how much Mexican food we eat! 

What I Should Have Done Today...

-dishes
-laundry
-unpacking from the weekend
-training run for the 10 miler I have this weekend
-getting the trailer ready for a week of camping next week

What I did...

She is teething, and was pretty miserable.  So when she feel asleep like this I felt like the only right thing to do was catch up on Master Chef episodes and just let go of everything else I could have been doing. 

I know soon enough that she will be old enough that being sick will = laying on the couch watching movies and the only thing I'll be good for is bringing food and drink to her.  So I take the cuddles when I can. 

I did at least get a walk in this morning with Jodi, Reagan, and Winona.  I felt good about that at least. 

Hidden Benefit

There are so many unexpected benefits of having a child, things that never crossed my mind.  One of the things Mark and I are enjoying is the added adventures we have. 

Road trips now require food and energy burning breaks.  Gone are the days of driving 4 to 5 hours without stopping.  We have gotten really good at finding food and taking it to the closest park to eat.  Or finding a cool little place for lunch and then hitting the nearest park to play for a bit. 

Over the course of my life I have made the trip from W WA to E WA hundreds of times.  I have breezed through little town after little town without giving any thought to what coolness may be found if only I stopped to explore. 

Yesterday we ended up in East Cle Elum at Iron Horse State Park.  We had so much fun learning about the railway back in the day, and walking around the trails.  Sky walked a bit, rode in her wagon a bit, ran around in the museum a bit, and was totally ready for a nap by the time we left. 

Made for an easy drive home. 

Thanks to our little girl we get to stop and see things most people drive right by.  Thank you Sky!!

It's Friday!

Starting the day off with a massage, a much needed massage! 

Then home to pack and get ready to spend the weekend in E WA.  Won't get in until late tonight, and am hopeful that Sky won't be too fussy.  Although with this cold her fuse is pretty short.  Not sure how I feel about chance of rain and upper 70's to mid 80's.  My least favorite weather is hot and sticky! 

Shout out to Amy (Jodi's sister) who is running the Seattle Rock N Role this weekend.  That's the only one race shout out I know of, if anyone else is racing this weekend then a shout out to you as well.  :)

Two pics from this week...my little girl loves her some mac and cheese!

 Yes she went directly into the bathtub after she finished eating the entire bowl!  Girl can eat! 

Enjoy your weekend everyone! 

Thankful Thursday

I'm thankful to have Farmer's Market lunch plans with Jodi, Reagan and Mark.  That's right, Mark and the ladies are having lunch in the sun today!

We Have SUN!!!

First day of Summer and guess what....It's SUNNY!!! 

I'm so happy I can hardly stand it.  I just want to walk around outside in circles.  I'm being a good girl and going to class though.  I only have two more weeks of going to the Y for class and then my membership is on hold for a few months. 

Totally my choice, going to run on Y days instead, and go for lot's of walks with Jodi!! 

Off to enjoy the sun and make some homemade cleaners for the house.  We are going green people, no more chemicals for us!  More on that later. 

Speedy

When registering for the 10 mile trail run I failed to account for the fact that it's on an island and therefor I will probably be sea sick by the time I hit the start line, and I have zero time to train. 

Between Sky being sick, Mark working on the bathroom and other projects,  busy weekends out of town I'm pushing my luck getting myself ready for this thing. 

The up side...it's a trail run and will naturally be a slower pace, I already know I can run more than 10 miles (injured non-the-less), and I'm feeling great when I do get to run. 

Did a 3.2 mile run today with a 8:54 pace, that is fast, really fast for me!  I figured if all I can find time for is shorter runs then I had better move my ass to make up for the lack of longer training runs. 

I hope that pushing myself speed wise will help negate the lack of distance I have going on. 

Was thankful Mark worked from today so I could sneak out for that fast run while Sky slept. 

Hmmm

I think Sky isn't feeling so great.  She was up at 7:00 ish this morning, down for a nap at 8:30.  Normal nap time is 10.  She has had a runny nose for a week or so now and today woke up with a cough. 

She crawled into my lap at 8:15 and was asleep by 8:30, didn't wake up when I put her in the crib. 

Looks like it's going to be a stay home and snuggle in pj's type of day.  I'm not complaining one little bit. 

I love my cuddly little snuggle bunny. 

Happy Fathers Day....

...to the best Dad a girl could hope for. 

To my husband, who is an amazing father.  I love getting to know this new daddy you.  :)

To all my friends who are fathers. 

Today is your day to be recognized, I hope you enjoy it! 

Baby Feet

I love her perfect little feet.  

(Yes that's a water bottle she is snuggling with...it's her must have item.)

Thankful Friday

I totally forgot yesterday was Thankful Thursday!  I was so excited about registering for the trail run that was all I could think about. 

A day late, but today I'm thankful for a lot! 

-Bob got his dream job offer yesterday and starts his new job July 9th!  Thankful that they don't have to worry about some of the hard decisions they would have ended up facing if he hadn't found a job soon. 

-We are leaving for fathers day camping this weekend, and it's going to be nice! 

-That I'm a mature person, and I did something that was awkward and difficult last night.  Cryptic I know, but that's all I'm willing to say. 

-We have the BEST baby ever.  We were out late watching Bob and a few others play in an all-star softball game, and then went out after to help celebrate the new job.  Didn't get home until 11, and Sky never fussed once.  She is plenty fussy today...total pay back for keeping her out so late. 

-Supper thankful that Mark is a manly man who knows how to do things.  Like weld, and fix things around the house. 

-Really thankful for conversations with people that I don't usually get to chat one on one with.  When you know people through sports teams, or friends of friends you only know one side of them.  It was really nice to just sit and talk and get to know someone a little better last night. 

-Really, really, supper thankful that Sky loves sports!  She had fun sitting on top of the dug out watching the softball games last night and spotting Daddy out on the field as he shot the games.

I have zero running plans this weekend.  We are going to hike tomorrow, so figured that was good enough.  Don't want to push too much too soon.  My foot still feels great and I want to keep it that way!

Have a great weekend!!!

Reading

Had to share.  Notice the big box of toys right next to her and what is she doing?  Sitting in the middle of her books reading.  This girl LOVES her books.  They are the first thing she goes for in the morning and at different points during the day will walk around with one, sit down look at it, get up walk around with it again, bring it to me to read. 

So glad she is developing a love for reading!! 

My Next Race

Nothing like waiting until the last minute to pick a June race right.  Well, actually I had a race that I was registered for, but ended up not being able to run it.  But, the race organizer was nice enough to defer my entry until next year, since I was missing it due to a death in the family. 

I still wanted to try to keep my race a month streak alive, but had to figure out a few other commitments first.  Turns out I'm able to get my June race in on the 30th!  Cutting it close. 

I'm excited about this one.  I haven't done a trail run in a long, long time.  I love trail running and I love the distance, and I'm really looking forward to running it with El.  It's her first trail run and looks like a good one for a first timer! 

It's going to be a fun day for sure! 

Check it out: http://www.vashonultra.com/course.html

BTW we are doing the 10 mile not the Ultra. 

Just Like Old Times

I was able to get a 3 mile run in with Michelle this evening.  It has been a really, really long time since we have run, and you know it felt good, like old times.  The best part of the run was that Sky did great in the jogger in the big girl seat!  She didn't miss the infant sling in the least.  :)  

Thanks to class and running I'm feeling better today.  

I knew I was feeling kind of black in my heart and mind, like I was sinking into a pit that I wouldn't be able to get out of.  After class yesterday I felt tons better.  In reality I was feeling back to normal, which made me realize I really let things get to me, if my work out only made me feel normal, and normal was translating as amazing compared to how I had been feeling. 

I slept the whole night last night for the first time in a weeks, and woke up today feeling pretty good.  I haven't found myself wanting or needing to cry, and felt even better after running tonight.  

Grandma loved to bargain shop, and she had a ton of hats, scarves, and costume jewelry.  So tomorrow I'm taking some time to bargain shop.  Luckily there are some great options at Lakewood Town Center, and I'm going to find myself something that reminds me of Grandma, but that I will wear and get use out of.  She had style, it wasn't always my style, but it was style. 

I'm thinking a summer hat may be a good option, or a funky pair of earrings.  Whatever it is the rules are it must come from Ross, Marshall's, or Burlington Coat Factory.  Those are places Grandma could spend hours in hunting for the best deal possible.

Hopefully it won't take me hours, as I'm not much of a shopper, and I do have some legit errands to run tomorrow. 

Link Love

Every race I do I look for a few new songs to add to my play list.  It's gives me something to look forward to.

This site: http://www.runhundred.com/top-10/  sends weekly emails with the top running songs, and will even compile and create custom running lists for you. 

It even lists the beats per minute next to each song so you know how fast it will help you run.  :)  I have found the easiest thing to do is subscribe to the weekly email, so you get a list of fresh music every week.  As a side note it's not all new music either.  I have seen some old school stuff on the weekly lists, and a good mix of country, pop, rap etc.  

Thank you Mark for finding this site and sharing with me!

Emotionally Tired

I have sort of been waiting for Grandma's memorial to be over to deal with my feelings and memories. 

To say there has been a lot of drama, heartache, and difficult conversations and decisions in the days leading up to the memorial would be an understatement.  It hurts me, really hurts me to know those that I love are in pain/angry/ sad/ upset/ hurt, and that things were said and done that can't be undone.

I couldn't handle dealing with Grandma being gone and dealing with all the other stuff going on.  But, I'm mad at myself for letting the drama distract me from giving my Grandma's memory the proper thought and recognition. 

I kind of thought that magically once the memorial was over everything would be better and I would stop feeling so upset, sick to my stomach, unable to sleep etc., and I would be able to honor Grandmas memory.   But, that hasn't happened yet.  I know it's only been one day.  But I feel worse today than I have since Dad called to tell me Grandma had a heart attack.  And I would do just about anything to stop thinking about all of it.  

My hope is by the end of the week I can do something that Grandma would have enjoyed and spend some time thinking about all the good times I had with her.  That's how I dealt with Grandpa Jack passing.  We went to Cabela's, easily his favorite store, and dressed up in head to toe camo and took fun pictures, and I felt better. 

So here's to focusing on what I should have been focused on the whole time.  Happy memories of my Grandma. 








 

Family and Memories

That's what my weekend will be full of.  Lot's of family, lot's of memory sharing, and while we all miss Grandma and feel the void she has left, in the end it will be a weekend full of good times spent with people I love. 

I will miss those that can't be there for various reasons, and hope they are able to find closure and morn in their own way. 

A shout out to my friend El who is running Sound To Narrows tomorrow.  She is looking to PR and I'm confident she will do it!  Sorry I won't be running with you as planned, but lets face it, your faster without me.  :)

BOGO ProCompression Socks!!!

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Thankful Thursday

Really thankful for good wine, good books, and long naps for the baby. 

Sky Facts

Call me morbid, but if something happens to me there are things about Sky that people should know.  

Mark may know some of them, but let's face it...I'm with her all day every day, there are things we do that only get done when it's just Sky and I.  Mostly because I have a terrible singing voice and won't sing if Mark can hear, and Mark and I do different things with her. 

-When LMFAO comes on just turn it up and let her dance.  Doesn't matter what song, don't fight it, just go with it. 

-She loves Ellen.  As soon as she hears the music she smiles and when she sees Ellen on the TV she smiles even bigger.  Sometimes she dances along with Ellen even.  (No screen time before 2 I know, I know.  Give me a break, it's the only time I turn the TV on during the day when I'm home alone with her.) 

-Baba means a lot of things.  Baby, ball, by by, book.   

-She cry's every time I put her on the changing table (mostly because it stops her from doing whatever it was that she was doing) to make her stop I do one of two things.  Sing the ABC's to her or go through this whole routine of telling her how super duper silly/smart/funny/cute/goofy she is.  But you have to say it like this, "Suuuppperrr Duuuppperrr SILLY.  Suuuuppperrr Duuuuuppperrr SMART." and on and on.  And, you have to look away first, say the first word and as you say the rest turn and look at her and get really close to her face like your going to kiss her. 

-Regarding singing the ABC's, it works any time she is crying (for the most part).  But, the trick is you have to change it up.  Sometimes I sing it like a Vegas lounge singer, or as I think Jack Black would sing it.  If she is really crying I add in some Steven Tyler type screams.  Sing it slow, fast, or with an accent.  She likes it all. 

-If she just can't be pleased put her in the bath and let her play until the water is cold.  Or, take all her cloths off.  She really likes being in just her diaper. 

-Hand Lotion - any time you put lotion on and she can see you she thinks she is going to get a massage.  Just take the time to do it, or put your lotion on in a different room.  After her bath, she always gets dried off, hair brushed, and then I put the lotion on my hands and give her a little massage, then diaper. 

-We use Monkey Butt powder when we change her diapers and she cracks up when I sing Monkey Butt, Monkey Butt, Monkey Butt to her when I sprinkle it on.

-Also, she likes having her booty fanned by a diaper before you put a new one on.  Apparently she likes being extra dry.

-When I put her shoes on I pat the bottom of her foot and she smiles every time, and holds her foot up and waits for me to do it.

-Most of the time when she shakes her head no it doesn't mean no at all.  It's her silly head move.  She expects a laugh and for someone to say  Silly Head.

-In the mornings she wants her cereal ASAP.  Do not make coffee, do not pour your coffee, don't even try and pee.  You get the cereal out, mix it up and feed her fast! 

-She loves her books, all of them.  But she really loves books that have the word sky in them.  My guess is she thinks the book is especially for her because her name is in it.  And, I always highlight the word sky so she thinks it's her name.

-We listen to music all day.  All kinds.  But, any time a song comes on that has the word sky in it, I sing that part extra loud because it makes her smile and it makes her dance.

-When in doubt constant motion is a great option.  Put her in the carrier and walk around, or stick her in the stroller or wagon and move it, move it, move it.

-She seems to take joy in my pain.  She cackles like a mad baby when I'm struggling to get through pushups, pullups, sprints...anything really.  Just work out hard and she will laugh at you for an hour.

-Her feet are supper ticklish.  She doesn't like it outside the bath, but cracks up when you wash her feet in the bath and will flash a big ol smile.  

-Forget about clips, bows, bands or anything else in her hair.  It won't last 7 seconds.  She is good with hats though.  Sunglasses don't last long either, even though she HATES having the sun in her face. 

-She can undue her Velcro shoes, so stick to double knotted laces or buckles.

Those are the highlights for the most part.  

  

Back to Running!!!!

These are my new running shoes.  Asics GT-2170.  I love the bright colors...it clashes wonderfully with my pink knee highs, and all my other running gear.  Oh well.  At least my feet stand out. 

Getting fitted was a great experience.  Not only did they take time to answer all my questions, I got some great coaching tips, and may have found an 8 week class to help with form/coaching.

I went to Route 16 in Gig Harbor for the fitting, and was happy to work with the person who loves the 1/2 distance.  I really think it may be my new favorite distance.  I can't wait to do another one, hopefully injury free next time!  I highly recommend them!  Check out their link: http://www.route16runwalk.com/

I ran 5 mile drive today in the new shoes, and initial verdict is I LOVE them!  I'm going to put about 20 or so miles on them, and if I'm still happy I will get a 2nd pair so I can rotate my shoes thus making them last longer. 

For the first time I found myself alone on 5 mile drive.  The fast group was way ahead of me and the slower group was behind, but within hearing.  I felt pretty ok about it as long as I could still hear their kids and the ladies talking.  I had been worried about being slow since I took so much time off, but I found a pace that felt good and just went with it.  I walked the steepest parts of the hills, but ran more of 5 mile than I usually do, and I was pushing the stroller.  

I pretty much always run with music (it's my running crutch), even when running with friends, I just leave one ear out so we can talk.  But, today I didn't have any music, and strangle I didn't miss it or feel like I needed it to keep going.   I didn't think about anything other than how great I felt and adjusting my form to fit the tips I was given at my shoe fitting. 

I have had a hard time working up the desire to run the last few weeks.  My mind and emotions have been in other places, but today felt great and I feel like I'm back on track.  And, maybe more importantly I got a mental break from life, drama, and missing my Grandma.  

Oh, and ZERO foot pain!  I'm one happy runner!!! 

Two More Relay Pics

 The three of us...I love our little family of 3!  

The whole team!  Even Mark got to be in the pic this time! 

Relay For Life of Lakewood 2012

After 16 years it never gets old.  Although I will admit the last time I felt this indifferent towards Relay was the year my Grandma Nore died. 

This year my mind has been preoccupied with thought of Grandma Jean passing and all the emotions that go along with that.  So I wasn't exactly looking forward to Relay, it sort of felt like one more thing that had to be done/thought about. 

But, as always once there it's hard not to be reminded of why it's so important and why I love being part of the world wide Relay Family.  Plus, I wanted to focus on Sky's first Relay where she could actually notice what is going on around her and we can start building Relay memories for her. 

Our youth are the future of Relay and the future of the fight against cancer and it's never too early to instill that in her. 

After about an hour I was totally into it and actually forgot about how sad I had been feeling. 

One of the things I LOVE about the Lakewood event is that it never stops.  There is music blaring and activities going all night long.  It's a great event with a strong sense of community that I just love.  

Mark took pictures again this year, but not as many and he focused on moments with people instead of the typical event type of photography.  He also made sure to spend some quality time with Sky and the best part was for the first time in a really long time we were able to walk the Luminaria lap together. 

And, I have to say it's pretty nice being done at noon rather than 6pm on Saturday.  Lakewood is an 18 hour event, not 24.  I may never do another 24 hour event again!  ;-) 

 Daddy and Sky walking across the football field.  

Her very first OFFICIAL lap.  She made it 3/4 of the way around the track walking under her own power.  (Like how I had to tie the sleeves into a tank top, and tie a knot to make the shirt sort of fit?)

 Alexa helping Sky take a few steps.  Sky was tired by the end of Relay.  She was up until 11pm for Luminaria, went home and slept until 7:30 am, then headed back to the field to walk our assigned times.  She was a champ, never got fussy at all.  

Grace and Kiera during opening ceremonies.