Running Update (and more pictures)

I haven't been talking about my running lately, what with all the moving and exploring and whathaveyous. So here it is, a running post! Although there will be a lot of non-running-related photos at the end too. But I will at least start with running as a topic.

I ran a lot of miles last week in preparation for marathon training, which officially began yesterday. I feel like I have been in mediocre running shape all summer, a negative side effect of triathlon training. Sure, I stayed in good shape overall, but I didn't do much running and it is obvious. So I whooped myself into shape by running a bunch and I think it worked. I already feel better. My pace is faster and it's feeling easier. Of course it helps that Zach is running with me, pushing me to run faster and distracting me from the discomfort. Occasionally, I've been insisting on a slow and easy pace, and he has been accommodating.

So here is the summary from last week:


Monday
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4.0 miles/34:51/8:43 average pace
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Waterfront with Zach
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Wednesday
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13.1 miles/1:56:07/8:52 average pace
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Happy Birthday Half Marathon!
It was so beautiful and very fun. I was a little sluggish and breathing hard at first, but then I realized it's because we were gaining quite a bit of elevation. Which made it real fun on the way down! Our last few miles were fast: 8:18, 8:03, 7:59
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Friday

10.0 miles/1:30:11/9:01 average pace

Spontaneous longish run. We were just going out for 4 miles, then 6, then what the hell, let's do 10. This resulted in us being very thirsty with no water in sight, but we finished. It was nice because it freed up the weekend for some easy short runs.

Saturday

3.0 miles/26:45/8:56 average pace

Terwilliger Rd. with Zach. This is a nice long rolling road that I heard about from a random dude on the streetcar the night before. It was nice and has the opportunity for long runs. Thanks, random streetcar friend! And good luck at the Portland Marathon. :)

Sunday

3.0 miles/31:06/10:22 average pace

Waterfront loop with Deana. Deana is my friend from Way Back who lives in Portland (and about 79% of the reason I moved here in the first place). We used to run together back in high school (for fun, not like for the track team). Anyway, she is an occasional runner and in great shape. She knows it is inevitable that I will suck her into my twisted world of running, and she's not fighting it. Yay Deana! Portland Marathon 2009 here we come!! (hee hee)

total miles for the week: 33.1

So, my Marathon Training has officially begun! It is 12 weeks until my 3rd consecutive running of the California International Marathon and boy howdy do I have my work cut out for me. I am optimistic though. I also have a kick-ass runner for a husband who is training with me, which will be a huge help. It is Zach's first time training for a marathon, and my 7th, so I figure with my experience and his superior strength and speed we will balance each other out. Should be fun.

I started off the first day of my first week of training by skipping a run. Ha! But for good reason! Seeeeeee?

The pictures are from a 7.5 mile hike called "Trail of Ten Falls" where we saw, you guessed it, 10 falls! It was gorgeous!! I was pretty tired at the end though. 7.5 miles isn't a big deal on a run but that's a damn long time to walk. It took about 3 1/2 hours. We drove over to the campground and set up our tent and camped overnight. We made s'mores and the whole thing. Then, this morning we got up and headed home. We stopped to do our make-up run at a place just southwest of Portland called Champoeg State park. Here's the stats and a couple pics. It was a tough run but I got it done.

Tuesday

8.0/1:10:28/8:49 average pace

I'd say the training is off to a good start! Thanks for reading. :)

Portland Photos

The Move:

We left Dublin about 4:45 am on Friday morning.

The kitty rode on my lap in the car:

Zach drove the Uhaul.

Here we are heading toward Mt. Shasta in northern California:

We arrived in Portland about 5:00 pm. Here is the blank slate:

Unloaded all our stuff. A lot of unpacking to do, but in reality this is really rather close to the end of the whole process. As anyone who has moved can attest, packing is the biggest pain. And then you still have to load the truck, make it safely to your new home, and then unload the truck. UGH.
We spent about three days unpacking and organizing. The place is small but nice. We got a storage unit for all the overflow crap. Here's the kitty taking a break from all the hard work:

Finally, a home!!

After all the work was completed, we finally got out to explore our new city. The weather has been warm and sunny and the area is beautiful.

We went for a hike called Angles Rest in the Columbia Gorge:

We came across a snake on the way back and of course Zach had to pick it up:

Thursday night Farmer's Market by our house:

Zoomed in view of Mt. Hood

We drove out to the coast one day

Cannon Beach:

A moonlight bike ride on the riverfront:

Shopping in northwest:
Streetcar in the Pearl:
Park by our house:
Rooftop hot tub:

Birthday Half Marathon at Banks Vernonia State Trail:


Getting ready for birthday dinner:

I will have more to say in my next post including the stats on the 3rd Annual Happy Birthday Half Marathon (spoiler, it was great!). Have a great weekend everyone!