Enter post title, for the last time

I started this blog in 2005. 8 years ago. It was a simpler time! I had just ran my first marathon, Zach and I were newly-ish wed and renting an apartment in suburban California, and I was a fresh 25 years old.

Since then I’ve run 10 marathons, dozens of other road races, a bunch of trail races, and a handful of triathlons including an Ironman. I went from a new runner to a seasoned competitor to a burnt-out overachiever to a balanced, well-rounded, zen-like athlete. Or something. I have been married almost 10 years. I’m now an Oregonian, a homeowner, and a mother.

I’m pretty sure I’m the coolest person you’ll ever know. That’s what this blog has been about, and I think we can all agree it is settled.

I’ve enjoyed writing this blog because I consider myself a good writer. I consider myself VERY hilarious! I’ve re-read each post a hundred times and glow with satisfaction each and every time.

But, alas, I seem to be the only one. And that’s ok! You are all fantastic writers as well, and whatever you are doing seems to be striking a chord with the community. I think my sporadic posting, inflated ego, and lack of reviews/giveaways/commenting/effort has finally taken it’s toll and my readership has dwindled. And that is truly ok.

I am officially over it. No one cares! I don’t mean this all to sound self-pitying, believe me! I am writing this with a big, shit-eating grin on my face. I’m free! I’m finally freeeee! I don’t have the time, and I lack the enthusiasm. And I’m sick of feeling guilty about it!

Go, go! Enjoy the world of fun, funny, interesting blogs. I know I will! But I will no longer be among them.

I am finally, completely relieving myself of this obligation. I am sincerely grateful for all the people I’ve met through the blogging community- in person and online. I’ve so appreciated all of your support and encouragement. It has been a very important part of my life and it has been a pleasure to share it with you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

I will keep my email address here- runningstories@yahoo.com and I will continue to check it every 6 or so months. If anyone in future generations finds this blog and wants to reach out to me please do. Just don’t expect a prompt reply!

The rest of you, if you haven’t already, please find me on Facebook or Instagram. There are several of you who still need to do this but most of you have already. I will continue to post pictures of my insanely gorgeous daughter and brag about my running achievements on those platforms. And you can always look me up on Athlinks if you are a dedicated stalker.

Well, I could go on and on but that’s really the gist of it.

Love ya, mean it.

Thank you for reading.

 

Trail Factor Half Marathon Race Report

Long time no post! I had planned on doing a couple of races in the last few weeks but decided not to, so no recent race reports… so no posting. Still feeling generally uninspired to post. But now I have a race to report on! Here we go.

Actually this is going to be pretty brief because I don’t have a mile-by-mile breakdown. I have a few blurry pictures though which is kind of exciting!

The Trail Factor Half Marathon was a perfect goal for me- super local, perfect distance, and just plain fun. Love me some Forest Park. Zach doesn’t like the idea of paying to run somewhere we run every weekend for free. Fair, but I needed something. And a race is different than a solo run, so I was in.

The website says the race has 2000 feet of elevation gain, which seems a bit high. The website also admits the race is 13.4 miles. I am very familiar with the course and knew what I was facing. Not super tough but plenty of climbing for me.

We woke up to a verrry heavy rain. Yick! Obviously I’m used to running in the rain but it makes it hard to get out the door. I was excited though. I wasn’t planning on “racing” it really so I wasn’t too nervous. I’ve done plenty of training runs (up to 15 miles) so I knew I was ready for it. Zach and Penny drove down to the start with me. I did my usual pre-race momma routine of nursing Penelope in the car before the start. They dropped me off and I walked up to the start. It was pouring! I used the porto and hung out a little while in there because it was dry. I wore a garbage bag poncho too which was awesome. Soon enough we were off!

Here’s the brief part of the race report:The actual race. We climbed! We ran on flat. We climbed more. We descended. ETC. It was very muddy. Very! We got soaked and filthy and it was fun. I was kind of MEH about the first few miles but started having fun about halfway.

I seeded myself wisely for once in my life. Usually I start way up front and get passed the whole time. Which is so demoralizing. This time I started mid-pack and it was nice. It was more crowded at first but not for too long. I probably got passed by as many people as I passed the first few miles. The last few miles, I was feeling really good and passed a few people without getting passed anymore.

What else? I skipped the aid stations. I ate some Clif Blocks. I chatted with some runners. I saw a guy slip and fall. I’m kind of out of practice with blogging, clearly!

Zach had taken Penny home for her nap so I didn’t have a fan club at the finish. I grabbed my awesome pint glass and texted him and my friends, and then ran the 2 miles down to my friend’s house. I stopped for a bagel when I got down there and showered to warm up and wash the ridiculous amount of mud off my legs. It wasn’t bad running an additional couple of miles, surprisingly! I guess it means I could have ran the race harder but definitely gave a good effort and had fun, so I’m happy with it.

Official Results:

2:10:16 (9:56 average pace)

10/22 (30-39 AG)
17/66 Females
76/167 OA

It was a nice cap to a very busy Memorial Day weekend. A couple of friends flew in for a girls weekend and it was beautiful and exhausting. I am going to need a few days to recover from all of this! We head to LA next weekend for another friend’s wedding so more excitement to come. Bring it!

Ok, this post is all over the place and not that exciting! Sorry. I know if I didn’t write something up it would never happen. I’ll be back with all kinds of introspective, articulate shit some day soon maybe!

Pictures:

 

Zach and Penny did watch me run by about one mile in:

Done and done!

 

     

Hi from lil Penny! Can you believe she is 10 months old already. What a doll. <3

 

Not a Race Report

Did you notice that my blog has become a once-monthly collection of race reports? You can probably get some idea of what’s going on in my life from those, and I always include a picture of little Penny, but I want to post a non-RR for once! I feel the need to blabber on and on about random things. Here we go!

Running

I’m running! Something like 25-30 miles a week lately. I’ve enjoyed doing shorter races and am starting to do more trail running. I am signed up for a trail half marathon in May and also plan on signing up for a big 5k in May as well.

I am not following a training plan AT ALL. I just do what I can every week. I am not doing any speed work or structured workouts, but I am getting in a long run (10-12) every weekend. I occasionally feel like running fast and go out and do it. In the last couple of weeks: a tempo ish run – 6  miles at 8:05 or so pace, and then a 5k from my front door in 23:08 (7:28 pace).

I’ve been enjoying trail running more lately, and the last few weeks did my long run on the trails in Forest Park. I’m not aching to sign up for an ultra but it is way more interesting scenery for 2 hour runs. And with spring springing up all around, it’s so pretty:

I am looking at doing a fall marathon. Maybe/Probably Portland! I struggled before with NOT signing up for something big, but lately I’m totally ok with it. I’m sure I mentioned it before, but it is very hard now to put in big miles for me. Besides being so busy with the baby, I am still breastfeeding which is a huge metabolic effort. Burning something like 500-600 calories a day (and being on my feet all day) doesn’t leave me with much energy to run more than a few miles at a time or more than 4 days a week. I think my marathon goal will have to wait until we are mostly weaned.

Zach has the “big goal” base covered in our household lately- he’s back on the trails for hours and hours training for an ultra (or two, TBD). He gets up super early so he’s home by 9 or 10 and does his weekday runs on his lunch break. Busy guy, I really appreciate him. I’m doing my best to support him in his training.

Penelope

My sweet girl is about 8 1/2 months now. She is adorable, and so fun.

 

She is so special. She is also a handful. There’s a lot of this:

I think we’re entering the “separation anxiety” stage. Sometimes she only wants to be held by me and cries when I turn my back on her. Exhausting! She is very mobile- crawling all over and now trying to pull up to stand on stuff.

But she’s so sweet, and has the best smile. I love playing with her and watching her discover the world.

 

SAHM

So motherhood is (predictably) exhausting, fun, and rewarding. I am enjoying staying home with Penny. I’m in a groove and living the dream. We are workin’ the storytime circuit, taking swimming class, getting out for walks, going on play dates. I also do a ton of chores, including an insane amount of laundry (we do cloth diapers). I’m making all Penny’s baby food too. I work hard, but it’s balanced with a lot of fun.

 

Visitors and Trips

A big highlight of last month was a visit from a very special friend, Aron! She came up with her friend Jojo to run the Gorge Waterfalls 50k (which Zach ran last year, he volunteered this year) and stayed with us for a long weekend. It was GREAT! We ran together, we talked, we drank beer, we wandered around Portland. So fun! Also happened to have beautiful spring weather while she was here.

   

We also had family in town: Zach’s parents and his Aunt Carol. Love having visitors, and they loved seeing Penny!

We have a few trips planned for this summer. First, going to Los Angeles for my  dear friend Maritza’s wedding!! I can’t wait to celebrate with her and her lovely fiance. And she can’t wait to meet Penelope. We Face Time about once a week.

We are also making a big trip to Montana in July. I will be there for about two weeks, visiting family all over the state. Zach is coming too, but not for the whole 2 weeks. He hasn’t been back in a while, so it should be very fun. I can’t wait!

 

 

Ok! Down to the buzzer, Penelope is nearly up from her nap. I have more to say but need to wrap it up. Thanks for reading, those of you who still do! I never, ever comment on blogs anymore but love to read them all (switched over to BlogLovin app- it’s great!). I hope sometime to carve out a bit of time to comment and say hello, but don’t hold your breath.

Stay tuned for more race reports! Have a great day. :)

Luckython 5k Race Report

Happy St Patty’s Day! I celebrated the holiday by running a little 5k. On Saturday evening I ran the Luckython 5k out at the Reserve Vineyard and Golf Club in Aloha, OR. I ran another race out there in October so I knew it was a beautiful and fast place to run.

I signed up last minute, as usual, and tried to keep the pressure low. But, these evening races are very tough mentally! I was all wired all afternoon and couldn’t wait to get it over with. I always get nervous before any race, even a little 5k, but this all-day nerves business is ridiculous. I need to stop signing up for these! There were actually several other races going on that day- mine was at 6:15 but there was also one at 4:00 pm and another at 7:30. Weird to have so many different start times, but that’s how this race company likes to do things. For me, it meant a very small race that was mine to lose.

I knew it was a small field, and no one looked particularly intimidating, so I hoped to place high or win. I also had personal time goals, but would settle for one or the other. My PR is another ancient one (2006) and I was ready to wipe it out. However, the 22:07 is a tough pace and I had no idea if I’d be able to beat it.

The weather was lousy all day but the skies cleared just in time for the run. It was perfect, and so beautiful. It was cold (45, “feels like” 37) but I raced in a tank top and shorts. I fed the baby in the car and headed to the starting line. I jogged around a little, mostly to stay warm, and then we lined up. There was a young cross-country girl that I hoped was speedy but that was about it. That was the first time I actually worried that I wouldn’t have anyone fast to chase or push me. What a weird worry!

We started and right away I ran ahead of the young girl and a tall guy. I felt like I was sprinting so I tried kind of settling into a more sustainable pace. The sun was shining bright off the wet path and it was kind of blinding, but the scenery was super gorgeous. I was running completely alone. Which honestly kind of sucked. I had NO idea how fast I was running- I was once again going watch-free (garmin on, just didn’t look at it) so I had nothing to base my pace off. And whenever I had a chance to  look behind me there was no one in sight. So I just continued to run as hard as I could, asking myself “could I be running faster?” and always answering “No thank you.” I feel like there were times I kind of slacked off but I tried to pick it back up when I realized this. It didn’t take long until the golf club was back in sight and I was headed toward the finish. I saw Zach and his mom and aunt and sprinted to the finish line.

I saw the clock as I crossed and was surprised and immediately frustrated by my time!! 22:04! A PR by the skin of my teeth. But SO close to under 22:00 which was my “dream goal.” I was super happy though, and finished feeling great. I felt like maybe I did have a little gas left in the tank, and I immediately felt like I could have run faster (easy to say after the fact). I am already looking for a big 5k race to see if I can make that happen and break 22:00!

Official time: 22:04 (7:06 average pace)
1/39 Overall

Splits

Mile 1: 6:49
Mile 2: 7:06
Mile 3: 7:16
last .14 per garmin: :52 (6:15 pace)

So, all in all a great race. I won, and I set a PR! And it was a beautiful evening, my family was there, and just was a fun event. Yay!

Pictures:

 

 

and finishing..

        

Thank you for reading!

Oh, Hi from little Penny!

Penelope in Pictures

What’s our little pookie been up to? Well, she’s been busy! 7 1/2 months old already and changing every day. All of these photos are from the last couple weeks.

Penelope…

…is getting big!

…is not where you left her.

…loves hanging out with her friend Esme.

…really loves her daddy.

…does not love this tooth (or it’s new neighbor).

…helps fold diapers.

 

…gets into a crawling position (no forward motion yet).

 

…pulls up to stand.

…doesn’t hate the stroller as much now that she has the big-girl set up (sans carseat).

   

…loves her bath.

…loves the swimming pool too (after a rough start).

…is highly interested in our mean old cat.

…is looking forward to spring!

…can’t wait to eat lots of grass and other things she finds outside.

…is adorable and precious and incredible in every way.