Monday, September 22, 2008

It rains in Portland?

It was another fun week for these unemployed Portlanders. We ran, we partied, we cycled, and we celebrated... because Zach got a job!! He will be doing some kind of analysis for a utility company. It all sounds very complicated and impressive but YAY! Now it's my turn to re-join the labor force. I hope soon, because it is not going to be as fun exploring Portland alone. Plus, you know, the money thing.

The first week of training was good. My right shin felt a little sore, so I shortened my Friday run a little and iced it a lot. It feels better now. I am not surprised considering I have ramped up my running like tenfold in the past month. I will play it by ear this week and take any extra rest I may need.
Here's the three training runs since my last post, but you can skip to the end because that is where the awesomeness can be found.


Wednesday
9.0 miles/1:21:20/9:02 average pace
Waterfront trail, some with Zach and some solo


Thursday: cross training
bike 19.5 miles in about 1 hour and 1/2. I had not been on my bike since my half ironman! It felt odd. Needless to say, I was slow.


Friday
3.0 miles/27:12/9:04 average pace
Easy solo run


Saturday
13.0 miles/1:55:05/8:51 average pace
Long run at Marine Drive with Zach. This pretty paved pedestrian path parallels the Columbia River. How's that for alliteration! It's positively peaceful. We kept a really consistent pace and the miles flew by.


Cloudy and cool:
Zach consuming a Gu:



TOTAL miles for the week: 33


Saturday night, after a bit of rest, we made our way down to a busy bar to meet up with KK and her gang from Boulder who were in town to kick some serious ass in the triathlon. We had so much fun!! She is amazing. Her sister and their husbands were so nice. It was yet another reminder that triathletes are the coolest and friendliest people around. I feel like I found a real friend in KK and even though it's too bad we live in different states, I hope to meet up again for future races (cough, ironman, cough). Check out her blog for her race report, by the way. Incredible. Stay tuned for pictures.


So, on Sunday we went out and did a little shopping:




After making our purchase, we decided to ride around. We made our way up to Forest Park when the strangest thing occurred... The sky turned very dark and this water just started falling from the sky!! What is this phenomenon, we wondered? Then we realized, this must be the "Rain" so many people had warned us about. Fascinating!!


Hehe. Actually, it was an incredible downpour and it was freaking rad. We were soaked to the bone and tearing through mud puddles and having a blast. The bikes are so tough that I didn't feel scared just because it was wet. We did get pretty cold on our ride back down the hills to our apartment, but a quick dip in the rooftop hot tub fixed that. Life in Portland is GOOD!

10 comments:

Petraruns said...

Wow! Wow! you just seem to be having the best time at the moment - good for you! And that bike is gorgeous...

Aron said...

you do seem to be having the BEST time!!! everything just sounds amazing! awesome job on week one! i bet its so fun having new spots to run at :) and congrats to zach for a new job!!

ps i am going to be in oregon for thanksgiving so i might need your recommendations on a couple places to run! they all look amazing.

Unknown said...

Rain? What is this 'rain' you speak of?

Congrats to Zach! I am both happy and sad for him.

I love the pictures from your new home. It sure looking like a beautiful place.

BTW, I'm finally back running!

Anonymous said...

You guys are definitely making the most of this move. Congratulations to Zach on finding a job!

KK said...

YAY! You got the bikes, awesome! They look super rad. And yeah, we were still kickin' it around town when that crazy rain hit, luckily we had sought refuge at Rogue with pizza and beer.

Thanks for the kind words and I think you are equally as cool-we can be NVBFFs (new virtual BFFs) and I can't wait to hang out again in 2010 or anytime sooner if we're in the same neck of the woods.

You guys are so nice and funny, thanks for putting up with us Saturday ;). So glad you love it in Portland, it is one kick a$$ place. 'Til next time!!!

Ewen said...

That top photo's perfect perspective's positively pleasing.

13 miles of purely paced perfection.

ncrunner12 said...

Glad to hear things are going well for you in your new state. It really sounds like you guys are having a good time and that the move was the right one.

Gotta Run..... said...

You are going to miss these fun days once you rejoin the gring again.

I am SO jealous!!!!

how cool to have a new running playground to explore. :)

Nitmos said...

For awhile recently, I forgot what the sun looked like. I didn't need to drink water as I was absorbing it through my skin. It's back now. Rest assured.

Another great week of training!

P.O.M. said...

Can't wait to check out Portland! Sounds like you're having so fun. Too bad you have to go and get that dumb thing called a job. That might get in the way of all you fun time!