What a weekend

As usual, I am posting this on Sunday night after an exhausting weekend. But this time, it is after the BEST WEEKEND EVER. Ya, ya, I did some training and it was great, but this weekend was so much more than that. I don't even want to get started because I could really start crying right now just thinking about it. Emily and Josh's wedding in Hood River was amazing. The setting was breathtaking and was only out shined by our little pal Emily and her sweet husband. They were absolutely adorable and it was truly an honor to be present at their wedding. It was great to spend the evening with all our great friends and a bunch of fun new people.

I especially loved spending the entire weekend with Maritza, who flew in Thursday night and left this morning. We went for two great runs together and then today Zach and I capped off the weekend with our longest training ride ever. To quickly (I'll try) recap: Friday morning Maritza and I did a 14 mile long run along the Springwater trail. After a delicious post-run brunch at Isabel down the street, we all headed out to Hood River about noon and stopped at Multnomah Falls along the way. We arrived in Hood River and checked into the historic Hood River Hotel right downtown. A school bus picked up all the guests and drove us up to the Gorge Crest Vineyards where the wedding was held. The scenery was indescribable. See photos below. Absolutely amazing. The ceremony was perfect. Everyone cried. The dinner, the party, the donuts, the after-party, everything was incredible. The next morning, despite very little sleep and a moderate to severe hangover, Maritza and I went up to the Historic Columbia River Highway Trail and she got in 6 miles and waited for me while I ran 9. We spent the rest of the afternoon at a beautiful old farm with a view of Mt. Hood where we picked flowers and laid in the grass relaxing and talking. Then we headed to the house Emily's family had rented for a bbq and some more visiting before we headed back to Portland. I took Maritza to the airport this morning and then Zach and I went out and rode all around Clackamas County (south of Portland) and wrung every last bit of energy we had out of ourselves. In summary, best. weekend. ever.

I am really really happy and thankful for all the beauty and love in this world. I know, so cheesy. But that's what you get.

Let me recap my training week here, but I will try to keep it short. The photos of the weekend are at the end.

Monday: Rest

Tuesday: Rest
Unscheduled rest day. My legs were SORE from the trail run and I knew it would be a mistake to push it.

Wednesday: Bike
Spin class/1:00
No Alisa. :(

Wednesday: Run
4.75 miles/45:48/9:38 average pace
Deana met me after I got out of spin and we ran the waterfront loop. Great run!

Wednesday: Swim
3100 yards/1:20
Masters plus 20 minutes swim after class.

Thursday: Bike
23.8 miles/1:25:11/16.7 MPH
Same route I did last Thursday- repeated out-and-backs on the Springwater trail. Zach joined me but I refused to draft. I was a bit windy but I managed a faster pace than last week. Making this my fastest training ride ever! Ya!

Thursday: Swim
2200 yards/1:00
Masters

Friday: Run
14.0 miles/2:23:47/10:16 average pace
Long run with Maritza. :)

Saturday: Run
9.25 miles/1:24:17/9:06 average pace
Historic Highway trail in Hood River. First couple of miles with Maritza. :) Hungover from Emily's wedding, yet happy as a clam.

Sunday: Bike
70.0 miles/4:59:40/13.9 MPH
Clackamas ride. Hilly and CRAZY windy. I felt really good and stayed positive the whole time. The ride was slow but very challenging. Really fun way to spend the day with Zach. Seriously, like the entire day. With bathroom breaks and stoplights and everything we were out there for over 6 hours.

TOTALS for the week:

swim: 2:20 (5300 yards)
bike: 7:25 (93.8 miles plus spin)
run: 4:35 (28 miles)
total training time: 14:20


Right where I want to be and feeling great. Ironman Arizona is 8 weeks from today.

And now, photos. I decided to only pick a few of my very favorite ones. We took 400 pictures this weekend. Plus I have Maritza's 200 or so, plus a few dozen mobile pics to choose from. I can't get enough of them but if I started posting all the ones I like there would be hundreds. These are a few of my favorites. Enjoy! Thanks for reading, and have a great week!