Gone Fishing

Budgets done, off for a weekend of fun!

Ragnar 2011 Northwest Passage - Part 1

July 21st-22nd, 2011 Ragnar Northwest Passage - 190 miles of running from Blaine to Langley.  12 person teams, 2 vans.  Orange Ogre team pace average: 9:30 (that is sooooo not my average pace) Estimated time to finish: 28 hours.
Read: running 3 legs of varying miles, hopping in and out of the van, navigating the back roads of nw washington, little to no sleep....oh wait...I slept for about 30 minutes in a field somewhere in the Skagit Valley then again for about an hour at Deception pass - at 2 a.m.

Best running experience yet.  I loved it.  I'm always up for a crazy adventure and this really tested me physically and mentally.
We started the day packing the van and heading up to Blaine for our start time at 9:15 a.m.

Oh crap, what have I gotten into?

After the fanfare of the start, we followed the route to cheer on our first runner.  Basically the entire time goes like this:  get to the next exchange, getting the next runner ready, standing around, cheering on other runners, getting back in the van, driving a few miles, cheering on your runner, drive to the next exchange.  All the while trying to eat, snooze, change clothes, make chatter with your van mates.

My first leg started about 11 a.m. somewhere in rural Blaine, WA.  I was so nervous I briefly thought if I trip and hit my head, I won't have to run this leg.  :-)  As Jan came into the exchange, I thought, oh my god, here we go.....6 miles ahead of me, go go go.

The first few miles of my leg were gorgeous farmland.....cows who looked at me like I was crazy as I ran by and moo'd at them, rolling hills and Mt. Baker in the distance, it was the perfect run.  Oh, and it was a gentle downhill for the first 3 miles, that was a bonus.  Around mile 4 I hit a major roadway/highway - that's where tedium set in and I was ready to be done with this leg.  It was getting warmer and I was getting a little nervous about the back pain that was setting in.  As I rounded the last 1/4 mile to the exchange, I picked up the pace came in with a smile....knowing I had about 8 hours to stretch and prepare for my next leg.

At Exchange 6 in Bellingham, we met up with Van Tutu - the rest of the Orange Ogre team. 

Stay tuned for part II - the night time legs.

Cle Elum Adventure Weekend - September 17

We were like a bunch of school girls giddy with excitement chatting it up in the car.  Was it excitement about the 25K (Sjohn and Jan)/50K (Lesley, Andria and Ty)/hike-run(me) we would be doing on the Cle Elum Ridge the next day?  Nope, we were excited about this.....

A yurt.  Not just any yurt - a super cool yurt up in the hills outside Cle Elum with amazing views.  By the time we got up there Friday night, it was getting too dark to take any inside photos...bummer.

Here's the outhouse....and its fantastic view.

We settled in, having a great dinner, chatting and getting all of our gear ready for a 5 a.m. wake up to hit the road to get to the race start.

Morning came very quickly but everyone was excited about the day - good weather, good trails - who doesn't love being in the mountains?

The gals got ready for their respective starts and I was taking in all of their excitement and enjoying the atmosphere. 

 Lesley, Ty and Andria doing the 50K

Sjohn and Jan smiley as always at the 25K start

After I saw them off, I planned my next few hours.  I had some good trails to choose from...and headed out onto the Gooseberry Trail.  The goal while the gals were out on the course was for me to get a few hours of hiking/running in and to bond with the trails.  I'm not a huge fan, but I know that with a little time, patience and perseverance....I'll adapt to trail running. I'm hopeful.

 Gooseberry Trail...up, up and away!  No really, it was up.  All up.

I did a lot of self talking on the trail.  Both to calm myself when I thought I heard a yeti, and to realize once I work on my balance, it's not going to be so bad. 

After I finished my hike I hung out and chatted with the race organizers and volunteers - this group is passionate about trail running and it was nice to meet some new people.

A great day with great peeps!

Back in action!

After a summer hiatus and a few life changes, I'm back to my blog.  June came and went more quickly than I ever thought.  The month was a series of ups and downs....but ended on a really high note....a new job!  After spending the last 6 years at Westlake, I was offered a new adventure.  Managing properties on the eastside which was going to be a drastic change to what my version of normal had become.

Learning to commute.
Becoming very relaxed.
Realizing how UN-relaxed I've been in the last year.
Oh yeah....the continuous training.

That's how July began.

The summer race schedule was pared down to a quick super sprint in June, Ragnar in July and Danskin in August.

Beaver Lake swim then 30 mile ride to Snoqualmie Falls - best bike day yet!!!!