Run All the Races!

Oh boy, oh boy.

Anyone else feel like this after this weekend?

I was getting text messages all weekend with New York friends saying they were thinking about me since the NYC Marathon was happening. And with my twitter feed blowing up about the king of all races (aka NYC Marathon), and the Florida Ironman that was happening, I have a seriously urge to run all of the races. All of them!

Of course, my bank account and probably my body would hate that idea. So I am trying to keep a level mind about these things. That hardly ever works for me, but there's always a first time!

I debated pretty hard on Sunday whether I wanted to do my long run on the road or head back to the trails. Running around Cougar Mountain just sounded so much more interesting than slogging down the Burke Gilman. So I took my booty back to the trails!

This little tyke had to stay home this time. A - I didn't
feel like having another panic attack on the freeway from a
puking pup and, B - I wanted to run longer than
he could handle.

It was another beautiful day on Cougar Mountain. I wanted to run somewhere between 2 and 2.5 hours.

Unfortunately, there were a lot of people out and about. I like trail running better when I hardly run into anyone!

Nonetheless, I was happy to be out on the trails instead of slogging down the road in Seattle! I wasn't too worried about losing my way this time, except for the section that was renamed, so I was kind of confused at one point but made it through just fine!

The trail I took wasn't my favorite. There was one section that was super technical - lots of roots and rocks and things to trip over and it was very steep down.

I was afraid I was going to twist an ankle and had to take it super slowly. I think one of my miles in this section took almost 18 minutes!

There were lots of branches and trees that had fallen from the wind storm the day before. At one point there was suddenly a huge tree blocking my path. I had to stand there and figure out how to navigate it. I ended up crawling on all fours underneath to get to the other side.

I made a deal with myself that if I took my long run to the trails this weekend that I would have to road-run next weekend. And I'm ready!

I ended up running for about 2 hours and 18 minutes, so I'm not too worried about crossing the finish line of the marathon much anymore. I'm mostly just silly excited! And, luckily, I'm not sore at all today and feel really good, so I must have done something right!

Back to Cougar and A Sick Pup

Milo and I had a wonderful Halloween on Cougar Mountain yesterday. Until the ride back home. But lets get to the good stuff first!

We trecked over to Cougar Mountain in the early afternoon yesterday. I was worried about Milo in the car because he tends to get car sick and super anxious, but he did great all the way out!

It was cool and foggy and just perfect running weather! I had an 8 mile loop planned and hoped that I wouldn't get lost and that Milo would be fine during the whole thing.

Ignore my creepy expression. 

I had my map, my pup, my water and was happy as a clam! It couldn't have been more beautiful and the weather was just perfect!

There were several longer stretches where I was a little worried that I'd missed a turn, but I was always on the right track. Milo traded off between sniffing things behind me and being the leader. It was kind of helpful when he pulled right in front of me because he definitely kept my pace slower, which I needed if I was going to make 8 trail miles.

I stopped every few miles to let Milo have a drink and he would lap up the water and then tear off ahead of me.

There was one point when I was on the far side of the mountain where it was darker that I started to get a little worried that I didn't have a light with me. It was only about 4pm, but I wondered if it would get darker a little earlier up in the mountains. Luckily, we made it back to the car and even back home before it was completely dark. Next time for sure I am going to bring a headlamp just in case!

By the end, I was definitely dragging. It was getting somewhat difficult to lift my feet over all the roots sticking up. These 8 miles took me longer than my 10 miler last Sunday. But they were infinitely more fun!

Milo and I got back to the car muddy and happy. Milo was more reluctant than usual to get back in the car. I figured he just didn't want to leave!

I was fairly certain that since Milo made it out to Cougar just fine, that he would make it back home as well. Oh no no no. Poor little guy was sick the entire time back home. And, of course, I was on the freeway and there was no where I could stop and pull over for him. To make matters worse, there was MUCH more traffic than I anticipated and I was just a huge ball of anxiety by the end of our trip. At one point a bus was blocking the intersection I was at and I let out a scream. I just wanted to get my sick puppy home!

You're welcome that I didn't take a picture of the backseat of my car because that ish was NASTY! Poor little Milo bear.

So now I'm at a crossroads. Milo obviously loves trail running with me. And I don't want to deny him the opportunity to go out with me on the trails. But the car rides are just not worth it. And I'm not sure what to do. I've been consistent about bringing him out to the car for meals to help relieve his anxiety, but that hasn't seemed to work very well. Anyone have any tips for us?

Scooter Bowling

I hope everyone had a great weekend! 

I'll begin on Friday at Crossfit. It was a beautiful day, so I begged our coach to let us run outside. And he obliged!

We started with shoulder presses first, though. 5 sets of 3 presses, adding weight each time. I got to 30 kilos for my final round, but could only get 2 reps in. For the fourth set, we took half of our max to failure (as many rounds as you can do). I dropped down to 15 kilos and did 27 reps. Grrr! Shoulders of steel!

Our workout was:

5 rounds, alternating with partner:

200 meter run

6 pull ups

10 kettlebell swings

I was being wimpy and used a band for the pull ups, but I really should have tried doing them without assistance. I had fun, though, and it felt nice to stretch my legs on such a short run!

Saturday I got in a nice run in the morning before working all day.

And Sunday, funday, started out with a Crossfit workout. One of our friends was going, and he didn't know anyone, so I decided to go so he would have a friend. We ended up doing a workout that I really enjoyed, although it was almost the same thing I had done on Friday. This time, however, no pull ups, and no partner to work with.

5 rounds:

3 cleans

9 kettlebell swings

200 meter run

I really didn't work very hard at all because I knew I was heading out for a run afterwards. I only used 27 kilos for the cleans, and a lighter kettlebell. I still had fun, though!

Afterwards, I headed out with Beth to meet Ultramarathoner Jess at Discovery Park for a short run on the trails.

The run was nothing spectacular, and my stomach was sort of upset the whole time. We finished 4.33 miles in 44 minutes, going super slow and just enjoying hanging out.

Because we are crazy beasts, we headed BACK to the Crossfit gym to fool around. There weren't any classes, so the gym was empty. Of course, that means trouble =)

Beth and I ended up playing scooter bowling, which was great fun!

Beth goes in for the kill!

 We set up foam rollers as "pins" and then hopped on scooters to knock them down.

Bowl me up!

 Haha, SO much fun! I wasn't in the mood to do anything workout related by this point, so after bowling I worked on back hip circles on the pull up bar. Back hip circles are an old gymnastics move and have nothing to do with Crossfit, so if you have no clue what I am talking about, here's a video!

I went to go see Zero Dark Thirty Sunday afternoon as well. Has anyone scene this? What did you think? I enjoyed it a lot, the story was great and the main character's journey was interesting to watch develop. It was definitely a stressful 2 hours though!

Have a great Monday!

The Mountain Runners

Last night I got the opportunity to stay up past my bedtime (yawn!) to see a documentary called The Mountain Runners.

The film was shown at a local Trail Shoe store called Seven Hills. And I must say I'm excited to go back and get fitted for some actual trail running shoes soon. Goodness knows I can't continue running trails in my road shoes. I need more stability!

The story is about the first trail, or mountain race that happened on Mount Baker in 1911 and the men who conquered such a feat so long ago. It really was a pretty incredible story. The race included cars, trains, and, of course, running. While nowadays it's incredible to complete ultramarathons, I cant imagine how much more difficult it was back then. Without the help of proper nutrition or gear, the men who completed this race ran up Mount Baker, through snow and terrain that is quite unimaginable. It was a pretty inspiring movie, I must say. If you ever get the chance to see it, I'd recommend it!

Earlier in the day, I went to CrossFit (duh). We ended up deadlifting, which is not my favorite. Again, heavy things scare me. My coach, however, started pushing me, and I was challenged to work with a much higher weight than usual. I don't keep track of my PR's (I know, I know. I really need to start), so I'm not sure if it was a record for me or not. I certainly was proud of myself, however, for pushing past my comfort zone!

Our workout was a short, but sweet one. To get the most out of this workout, you have to push yourself as hard as you can while you are working. If you float through with giving it your all, it's not going to be much of a workout.

We did two 45 second intervals per round, always ending with a weighted sit up. And rested for 30 seconds between rounds.

It has been another long week, so I was happy to have a shorter workout today. Short and intense isn't usually my cup of tea, but today I was grateful for it! And now it is finally Friday! Have a great one!

Tiger Mountain 25k Race Recap

15.5 miles on Tiger! Actually, this wasn't so much of a race as a fun-run for Seattle-area trail runners who are in-the-know. When I first signed up (actually there was no sign up, so maybe I should just say 'committed') for this race (fun run), my Tough Mudder team from CrossFit was all in. Some of our group weren't runners at all, so it was going to be quite a challenge for them, going from zero to 15 miles in a few months. Needless to say, there only ended up being 3 of the original 6 or 7 who had set out to train. Due to injuries, families, etc. most of our team dropped out. I even dropped down from the 50k to the 25k. Apparently we are all slackers or we are all over-training. Probably the latter for the majority of us!

Anyways, after deciding to do the 25k instead of the 50 early last week, I felt a huge relief. I had run the Tiger Mountain loop before, so I knew what I was getting myself into. After my less than stellar first 50k experience, I think I made the right decision in saying no to 9 hours on a mountain without any facilities. 4 hours I knew I could handle!

Good morning! It's early and dark, but I'm ready
and roaring to run up a mountain!

We started off at 7:30 am. The actual "race" start time was 8 am, but my group wanted to get a head start so we weren't stuck behind slower runners.

We started out as a five-some: Jess, Jim, Van, Matt and I. Van, Jess and, I think, Jim are all seasoned ultra marathon and trail runners, so I was slightly intimidated. I knew, however, that Jess would never have put me in a situation that I couldn't handle, so I wasn't too worried.

Being the amazingly smart person I am, I totally forgot to bring my headlamp. Actually, it didn't even cross my mind. I foolishly assumed it would be light when we started.

Blackness. 

We started off, and both Matt and I were lucky that everyone else had remembered lights, so they were able to shine enough light for us to run somewhat safely. Honestly I couldn't see much at all, and was terrified I was going to twist an ankle on a root or something, but I made it just fine. This was the first of several instances where I felt like I was holding everyone back.

It started getting light, luckily, soon after we started. Whew!

I wish I could tell you what trails we took, but I honestly can't remember for the life of me. I have the WORST sense of direction. And it only gets worse when I'm on a mountain. The only trail I remember taking was called the Poo Poo Point Trail, but I can't remember which part it was for the life of me.

What was great about this run was that runners had come out to "mark" it earlier in the week with holiday decorations including bows, ornaments and ribbons. It was a fun little surprise to see what we would find next. Sometimes the markers would be hanging on trees or branches, or just draped over a bush. Pretty original idea, that made the run that much more fun!

Purple ribbon! We're going the right way!

Pretty much straight off, we started heading up. And up and up and up. I LOVE uphills. They are SO much easier for me than downhill, where the loss of control is so uncomfortable for me.

Van taking the lead!

This was definitely the part of the trail that I was most comfortable with. I was following pretty closely behind the leader and was just enjoying my surroundings. This side of the mountain had lots of greenery and fallen leaves (still!), and the ground wasn't very technical. Probably why I enjoyed it so much.

Some neat arching branches. Gorgeous!

After climbing for several miles, my body started screaming at me a bit. Mostly my hamstrings and my back. I was pretty much cursing my Crossfit coach for having us row a 2k on Thursday. But we finally made it past the direct uphills!

Snow! (And Jess's elbow)

I think it was around mile 6 or 7 that we finally saw snow. I've mentioned before, but I become giddy when I see snow. This time was no different, so I obviously pulled out my camera.

Little did I know, because we saw snow almost the rest of the run. At this point, the snow was just along the side of the trail and we didn't have to run through any at all.

When you are running a trail, it is pretty imperative that you look where you are going. Even glancing up for a second can mean disaster. I made sure during this loop, though, to take my time and enjoy what was going on around me. I have the pleasure of living in such a beautiful part of the country and runs like this make me feel so grateful!

I remember thinking during the run how big the world is and how beautiful! I get caught up so much in day to day life and running on the trails helps me put my life in perspective. Your problems become so small and it's easy to escape your thoughts while you are out there. I feel like I can relate it to a yoga class where you are surrendering to and moving with your breath. Well, I always feel like my goal when I go to yoga is to get out of my head, but maybe that's just me! Anyway, while I was running on Saturday, I found myself able to let go a little and just be. T'was nice and just what I needed!

One thing I love about running on Tiger Mountain, this loop especially, is the diversity along the way. Seriously, every side of the mountain is different, so it's impossible to get bored.

Several miles after we first saw snow, it became apparent that it was only going to get worse. By worse, I mean the snow started covering the trail and we had to run (I say the term "run" loosely here) through 6-inch snow drifts.

Following Matt through the snow banks.

Eventually, Matt and I decided just to walk. It actually got pretty hysterical there for awhile. We would try to run and just get stuck or slide out. I couldn't help but burst out laughing. I wish someone had been taping us because it was seriously like Beevis and Butthead.

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree!

We started heading back uphill again, this time in the snow. Along the way, we passed the "Christmas tree". The tree is adorned with ornaments that it has collected from years of this race. It also had some lights on it. Truly spectacular looking among the snowy scene we were traversing.

Up and up and up. Just the way I like it!

The snow-scene got slightly more hysterical as we kept going up. There were several times when I broke down because I was laughing so hard after getting stuck in a several foot deep snow drift.

Jess and I. All smiles!

I was still feeling great at mile 13! I was worried about my stomach, but it was still holding out and my body was saying "more, more, more!"

Below is a picture from one of my favorite parts of the trail. At this point, you are getting close to one of the summits and you have been traversing slightly up for awhile. You can look up and see sunlight streaming in through the trees while, if you look down, it looks like a dark abyss. It's almost like daylight and darkness in one place. Very cool. If only I could run with my DSLR so I could get a better picture of it!

We finally stepped out to one of the summits to find several feet deep of snow. At this point, we started heading downhill, and I was SO scared! If only I'd known how much worse it was going to get! I took it really slow (again, feeling like I was slowing down the crew). I was amazed as some of the guys started bounding (yes, literally bounding!) down the hill. What took them 30 seconds probably took me 10 minutes at least!

By this time, my feet were a sloppy mess! Luckily it wasn't cold at all, but stepping in all the snow had left my ankles a little chilly!

Jess is wearing a t-shirt and shorts.
I was wearing 3 layers and long pants. Haha!

We finally made it through the huge snow drifts and I found myself in a place slightly more terrifying: ice!

We headed even farther down the mountain in the snow, which had become almost a solid sheet of ice. I was walking at this point, just trying not to break my neck while others were skillfully sliding down the hill next to me. Several people tried to give me advice on running down the ice: leaning slightly forward, and using small, quick steps.

Nothing helped, though. I am already a slow downhill runner, but the ice made it impossible for me. I was just getting more and more frustrated at this point. Mostly at myself because I think it was my inability to lose control (life lesson, obviously) that I couldn't get down the stupid mountain.

The farther we went, the less icy it got, thank goodness. I was finally able to keep up a bit better. It was around this time that my stomach started cramping again. I was expecting this after my 50k several weekends ago, so I guess I was grateful it held out for this long.

The last few miles were tough. Between my stomach and my knee, which had randomly started hurting, I was just putting one foot in front of the other. Every time I took a step, I felt a sharp pain in my knee. Sometimes this happens when I am going downhill, so I knew it wasn't serious, just part of the game.

3:48 FTW! Garmin looses signal in the forest,
so it only caught 13.5 miles instead of the full 15.5

We finally made it back! Almost 4 hours later. To put that in perspective, last time I ran this loop, which was several months ago sans snow, I finished a little over 3 hours. Haha. Silly ice slowing me down!

Matt and I. Matt rocked his first long race!

I must be getting stronger because last time, my legs were such a mess after running this loop. This time, my legs were fine, minus the knee pain! Jess and Jim started gearing up to head back out for another loop, and I felt a slight twinge of jealousy, but knew I would have had a very hard time and my recovery would have taken most of the week. I know I made the right decision to stick with the 25k.

The group! Matt, me, Jess and Jim.

All in all, I had a great run! I was on a running high the first 12 miles, until we hit the ice and my body started showing signs of fatigue. I was very happy, even giddy, most of the time! I feel lucky to have found this trail running community, and can't wait for more and more trails!

T'was the Weekend Before Christmas

Happy Christmas Eve! Later today I'm heading over to my parents' house for the holiday and I couldn't be more excited for an excuse to chill out a little for a few days.

Before I left, however, I wanted to post some of what I was up to this past weekend!

Friday I headed up to Cougar Mountain for a trail run.

It had been raining off and on all morning, but my favorite running buddies and I headed out and up anyways. It ended up being a nice day for running! A little chilly (I was in 3 layers!), but I like running in cold weather, so it was fine by me!

My faves.

While we were running, it even started snowing! It was so peaceful and we all fell silent just to enjoy hearing the sound of the snow on the leaves and trees. It was also surprisingly green for mid December!

Greenery love!

We were all feeling a little beat up, so we only did an hour and forty five minutes before calling it a day. I just adored being out there. Not only is it nice to be with my friends, but trail running is so much more calming than road running for me. I feel like there is no expectation of time so I can just run how I want to run!

We had a short but sweet Crossfit workout on Friday night. None of us noticed at first, but it was an "end of the world" workout.

Can you spot it? 12.21.2012

I tore through this and the toughest part for me were the box jumps. There weren't any boxes left at the correct height, so I had to use an extra tall one and my coach held my hand so I could get up there. Haha! I'm such a wuss. But at least I did it!

I also got all my gifts wrapped. There aren't very many since I'm just having Christmas with my parents, but I'm glad to have some under my tree at last! My apartment complex is great and has an entire room leading up to Christmas full of wrapping supplies. Otherwise, you better believe I would've just wrapped them when I got to my parent's house!

I've been getting lots of Christmas cards in the mail, all of which are on my fridge, but I just had to share my favorite one! These are my nieces and nephew-pup. Aren't they the cutest? My half-brother is also an amazing photographer, and the picture is just perfect. It makes me smile every time I see that toothy grin from Kylie!

Saturday evening after work I made it down to the gym in my apartment complex for some tabatas!!!
I ended up doing the following. 8 rounds of each exercise, 20 seconds work followed by 10 seconds of rest.

V-ups
One arm row (4 rounds each arm)
Split lunges
Skater lunges

I was feeling a happy burn by the end! Sunday morning, my hips were definitely letting me know they had been worked!

I also found not one, but TWO shake weights! The "gym" at my complex doesn't have much and I'm always requesting more equipment, so it makes me laugh that we have TWO shake weights. Seriously?!?!

Merry Christmas to all! I hope everyone has a fabulous holiday!

Back to the Barre

I had such a fun day yesterday! I may have worn myself out a bit too much, but it was my day off and I filled it with all the things I enjoy!

First, I met my running buddies Beth and Jess for an early morning trail run at Discovery Park. 

Heading out to the trails.

Our run was short and sweet. We only did 4.33 miles and took it nice and slow. I've been running on the road for the past week and a half at least, so it was nice to be on trails and using different muscles. I've mentioned before, but the stairs at Discovery are a particular brand of insanity. I must admit that we walked most of them for this loop!

Honestly, it was just nice to be running with friends without any sort of speed or distance agenda. While solo running has its benefits, there is nothing like running with two of my favorite people!

Different day, but same favorite people!

I had big plans for the rest of my morning. 

Since I've felt so off the past week, I decided to change things up a little bit. I thought about going to yoga, which I know will benefit me, and I will get back to eventually. 

However, my mind immediately went to ballet. It has been about a year since I have taken class. Remembering back to New York and how my favorite teachers gave me such goosebumps, I knew I had to make it happen here in Seattle! Luckily, Pacific Northwest Ballet has a pretty good "open" program, and I carved out time yesterday to attend one of their technique classes.

So, I pulled out my old ballet shoes (um...STINKY!)! And don't even ask about my pointe shoes. While I still have several old pairs that aren't "dead" yet, I have serious doubts I will ever strap on a pair again.

Stinky ballet shoes FTW!

I cannot begin to explain the joy I felt during the plies. Plies are generally the first exercise of a ballet class, and are done at the barre. Yesterday, plies were almost like a religious experience. As silly as it sounds, sinking in to those plies gave me a sense of artistry and creativity that I have been lacking.

Too excited for life!! Also, sneaking pictures in the
PNB dressing rooms was a funny experience. Totally awkward.

Don't get me wrong. I am absolutely head-over-heals in love with running and Crossfit, but I am definitely missing the artistic aspect of things. What I love most about ballet is...well, pretty much everything! 

First of all, I love that there is structure. Every technique class has the same set-up. You start at the barre with plies, tendus, degages, etc. And then move to the center for adagio, petit allegro and grande allegro. But, secondly, within the structure is a chance to express yourself. A chance to move your head or your arm in a slightly different direction and with senses of both musicality and grace. Not sure if that makes sense, so if not, just take my word for it that it is amazing!

My day finished up at Crossfit, of course. I didn't have much left, but I wanted to see my friends!

We had a "long" workout today that would have kicked my butt even if I hadn't already had an active day.

We started off with 50 kettlebell swings. I used a VERY light kettlebell in an effort to salvage my legs. That didn't last long. Then we did a 2000 meter row with a partner. My partner and I split it up in chunks of 500 meters.

Then we did a 10 minute AMRAP (as many rounds as possible) of 5 pull-ups, 10 push press and 15 medicine ball cleans. I have to toot my own horn here a little and say that I did all the pull ups without a band! And I was getting sets of 5 straight pretty consistently! Woo!

We book-ended things with another 2000 meter row with our partner and another 50 kettlebell swings.

The whole workout took us about 40 minutes! Woof! I had fun with this one, though, because as challenging as it was, most of it was endurance, which I have in spades.

Like I said, I probably tried to do a little too much yesterday. But I know that I am going to be taking it easy the next few days, so I am okay with it!

Here's to an equally fun Thursday!