Marathoning!

Eugene Marathon is Sunday morning.  26.2 miles of road and path starting and ending in Hayward field.  I finish up teaching this course Saturday and drive down.  I'm feeling a little weak still and have been acting all cool about the race because it's not that much longer than my Sunday long run would be anyways.  Truth is, I'm a little nervous, excited, and wondering how I'll feel to finish a race with nobody waiting for me but my own good feelings and Ori who's running too.

My first marathon! 2005

 I was remembering my first Marathon the other day.  I had decided to start running, signed up for the Muir Woods Trail Marathon and trained.  It was a huge accomplishment and finishing with Daniel, Josh, and Greer waiting for me at the finish line was wonderful.  We drank champagne on the beach after and headed back to Yosemite to a classroom full of congrats.  It was a total love fest.  Since then I've run races, coached cross country, lost 30 pounds, stopped smoking, and grabbed life by the balls as best I can.
 This Ironman has tested my personal motivations, with 100s of hours biking, running, and swimming alone, no spectators, I could take it or leave it, it doesn't really matter to anyone else, it's for me.  
 I'm thrilled and honored to run this race with Ori, it's her first marathon, she trained through the Wyoming winter, badass.  I'm thrilled to have someone to share it with.  We'll drive to the race, do our run, finish and come home.  I don't think there will be anyone at the finish line for us.  It will be for us.

Baby!

  Life's been pretty bitchin' the last week.  Baby delivery, Easter scavenger hunt, Portland time, and a little bit of sunshine.
 My sister had a baby! Getting to be there with her for the tree days of labor and the delivery was one amazing experience.  She is a lioness of power.  Words can't describe. Bryn Renee (that's right!) Pyper is a long and strong, lean mean suckling sleeping machine.  This birthing business is one rad miracle.
 3 days awake took the place of my 100 mile bike and 3 hour run, so I'm cobbling together some more intense shorter workouts at lunch and after class here in Portland this week to get ready for next Sunday's marathon in Eugene!

3 days off = hurricaine of productivity

I know it's supposed to be rest, but it is NUTS productive I can be when I have to stay in state and in phone range to be ready to zoom and help out with the birth of the nephe-iece baby any day now, pair that with taking 3 days off from training and just watch!

I celebrated spring trailer cleaning day ( a white people's tradition) by scrubbing both trailers top to bottom, seeing them both parked just so fills my heart with something awesome.  I also baked some chicken pot pies and am off to Portland for a pot pie family feast, Black Joe Lewis, a 5:30/30 bike/run block workout, Raphael Saadiq, and maybe just maybe a brand new baby!

Do you know someone who can fix trailer plumbing and a propane leak, if yes, send them my way porfa.

Low Iron Maiden

I went to do my long swim today and got 45 minutes in and realized I was hardly moving.  Weak sauce! I have been so silly tired and so silly sore this week.
Monday: I did half of my bike workout and fell asleep (which is weird for me) and felt sick
Tuesday: jammed out my run only to be crazy sore, like hit in the legs with bats sore, all the way until this morning, still felt crappy

Wednesday: I jammed out my run and bike hill workouts at a slothish pace on really painful legs, crappy.  But I DID get a bitchin massage and by bitchin I mean both incredibly painful and incredibly relaxing.
Today: Left my swim after 45 minutes when I realized how dumb I was being.

Luckily I already had a doctor's appointment and asked them to check my blood: Surprise! Anemic!
The list of symptoms is dead on:

• loss of endurance
• chronic fatigue
• low power
• recurring illness
• loss of interest in exercise and irritability
• increased incidence and duration of colds and infections 
• ridiculously hilarious sense of humor
• awesome face

The deal is that hard training stimulates production of red blood cells and blood vessel production, all those new little blood cells need irons.  Also through injury, even little ones like foot strike on hard ground and torn up muscles, and also through a lot of sweating.

So I am back to hunting down the ultimate Iron supplement, as I already eat a lot of iron rich foods.

  ALSO my coach says take 3 days off.
3 DAYS!!! YAHOO!!!! Look out trailer remodel, I've got a electric screwdriver with your name on it.

Loving Touches

 My friend Tarp told me we need seven loving touched a day.  My mission this last weekend was to get on that.  And I did.  And it was good.  Then I got sick.  I doubt from too much touching.  Maybe from too much hot tub.  Probably from too much tired.  After a late return home Sunday I moved Sunday's 17 mile run to yesterday, woke up Monday feeling like doodoo and swapped mt 5.5 hour bike + 30 minute run for a 2.5 hour bike + 20 minute run + hour long nap.  Tired body.  Things are better today, Dad's here, and after my two hours of hill workouts I get a massage in town!  Let the loving touch parade march on!
Also I got a diamond ring from Dad, he found some diamonds in the desert in Saudi Arabia, and now I have a super bling! Thanks Dad!

It' April!

Highlights of the last few days:
Visit Portland pals, swim 2.4 miles (including drills and cool down) swim sprints at Mt Scott, rent beach house with friends, do sprints at the beach, eat delicious food, log lots of hours in the hot tub, stomp the crap out of a lot of sea foam, shoot sand with the Kristen's bad ass looking camo bow at the beach, laugh my face off with said friends, throw a lot of rocks at the sea, poke some anenomes, and stock up on funnies to keep me chuckling for years to come.

Highlights to come:
Work on the trailer, train hard this week even though I just got home too late to do my long run of 17 miles today, moving it to Tuesday, which will be sore but I get a massage Wednesday!  I do my first block workout tomorrow: 5 hour ride straight into 30 minute run, I'll be there when SISTER HAS BABY!!!!!!! I'll see Black Joe Lewis, I'll see Raphael Sadiq (after my second block workout, so that will be funny dancing), get another massage.  SO despite some soreness, things are excellent and the forecast is good.