Fits and Starts

So this last month or so has been really nutty.  Really nutty.  In fact, I'm not sure how time has flown by so quickly.  We have either been super busy or not doing anything at all.  No in between.  No sense of balance.  Just living it up or being up for nothing.

The push towards the summer really ramped up at both of our jobs.  Cliff's days got a lot longer and after work he frequently went to training to become an instructor for the Spencer Butte Challenge Course this summer.  On top of that he taught Saturday school, volunteered like mad at the climbing wall, and succeeded at keeping a nice workout schedule (lifting weight at the gym, running, and climbing).

The summer is really busy working in Parks and Rec.  I think this is true especially in Oregon as we have all of 12 (well maybe 10) guaranteed weeks of non-rainey weather all year so people make the most of their summers.  With this said, I start to get a little crazy this time of year. I work a lot of non-regular hours.  Plus I've been taking a Spanish class.  Additionally, up until last week, I had been swimming two to three times a week, doing stuff in the gym once a week, and I started jogging  again once a week.  I ran the Bark in the Park 5K and felt horribly slow but it was only a few seconds off my PR from last year.  Cliff and I set out to be healthier when we moved.  By gosh, it looks like we might be doing it.

 Along with all of this awesomeness of doing things comes the need to do absolutely nothing.  Seriously.  I have been napping a whole lot recently again.  I mostly blame it on my terrible allergies. I can't enjoy a sunny morning outside without ending up in a Benadryn coma for the rest of the beautiful afternoon.  There is a fair amount of sleeping going on.  While I sleep, Cliff does a lot of reading about things on the internet to decompress.  When we fall into our times of nothingness, nothing gets in our way of doing nothing.  No dish pile can get too high.  No laundry bag can get too full.  Nothing.  Which brings me to our brief dance with Netflix.

Arrested Development is one of the best shows ever made.  Hands down.  Cliff and I own all three seasons and watch them on a regular basis as it is nice to have something funny playing in the background of doing boring things like cleaning, rowing, or doing work at home.  So I think it might be an understatement to say that I was excited about the new season coming out on Netflix after so many years of being off the air.  To prepare for the event, Cliff and I downloaded our free month trial.  Kathy and Jill decided to come down for a viewing slumber party.  Think costumes, banners (like in the show), and an entirely themed menu that featured items eaten on the show (candy beans, frozen bananas, juice, Skip's Scrambles, ice cream sandwiches, club food, bangers, margaritas, etc.) .  It was glorious.  We moved the TV closer to our computer so that we could connect the two to stream the episodes on a full screen.  We did nothing but eat, drink, and eat some more for one whole day as we marathoned our way through the 15 new episodes.  Like I said, it was glorious.

But then all of the new episodes were watched.  Kathy and Jill had gone home.  It was just Cliff and I left with another two weeks of free Netflix and a whole lot of TV available to be watched. We causally decided to leave the TV in it's temporarily inconvenient spot so that we could check out a documentary or two.   This turned into three or eight more documentaries followed by binging on Dr. Who (don't even get me started on how much I love that show).  For those two weeks I substituted my allergy napping for being a couch zombie.

It was a sad yet wonderful night when I selected to cancel our free subscription.  I won't lie.  We were totally temped to pay the $8 and keep on going to finish Dr. Who and watch SciFi/documentaries/crappy TLC shows but we knew that we needed to stop.  Like I mentioned before, there are only 12 (actually 10) weeks of solid weather in Oregon and we weren't going to spend them inside in front of a TV ramshackley wired to our computer.  No sir.  We are going to live!

Otherwise, we have tired to make the most of our weekends.  I spent five hours yard saleing at a huge community garage sale (think over 150 houses) with co-workers a few weeks ago.  I learned how to haggle from a pro and came away with a mini Weber grill, air popper, two lawn chairs, four shirts, three glasses, an iphone case, a DVD of Anchorman, and a bag of fresh caramel kettle corn for only $16.  Victory.  We've also hit up Saturday Market, tried out a new hip coffee bar called The Barn Light, ran a 5K, made two new batches of sauerkraut, climbed, frolicked with Rudy, replanted the garden, BBQ'ed with friends,  processed 20-24 lbs of fresh strawberries, went to an Emerald's game, and found time to play cornhole (I'm terrible by the way) with our neighbors.  Oh and we finally managed to get all of our laundry taken care of.  Not a dirty piece of fabric in the entire house. 

The hope is that things are evening out.  I'm starting to hit my stride at work and am preparing for an exciting event season.  School is out and Cliff has a full time job for next year!  He is already working as a co-instructor for the Challenge Course and enjoying spending time with other outdoorsey cool folks.  Nice weather is here and we are enjoying out new lawn chairs and Weber grill. We are even planning on going camping this weekend with friends.  Summer is fabulous here.  We just need to figure out how to properly enjoy it.

Biggest Loser 5K/15K RunWalk

A few weeks ago a team from my work participated in the Biggest Loser 5K/15K RunWalk.  Apparently Biggest Loser has a group of former contestants that travel all around the country and promote these races.  It was a pretty big deal as it brought 1,700 plus their families to our facility to participate in a variety of wellness activities.  My work sponsored a team of about 25 of us.  We showed up decked out in out "Live It!" staff shirts to run, jog, or walk the 3.1 miles. 

Well, let me just say that it has been a really long time since I have ran.  I mean, a really long time.  Cliff and I ran all the time last year as we were both unemployed and looking for something to keep us from going crazy.  Since starting work, Cliff has been climbing a lot, I have been swimming regularly, and we both have not spent our fitness time running.  In fact, the last time I ran anything more than 3 minutes on the treadmill was back in June for the Moonlight Five.  No worries as I threw myself back into the saddle at the Biggest Loser run.  I had high/low expectations for myself.  I was hoping that I would be at the same level as I was last year based on all of the swimming I've been doing BUT I knew that I probably wouldn't be as I have not run in 10 months. 

Cliff was awesome as he came along to cheer on our group and document with photos.  He also signed up to belay at the climbing wall after the race to get folks interested in coming back to do it again.  There were so many people there.  According to the bibs there were over 1,700 walkers/runners.  The best part was the amount of first time runners/walkers.  Dan and Jackie from Biggest Loser 5 (the mother son duo) were there to start the race and cheer people on.  They asked the crowd at the starting line to raise their hands if this was their first race.  SO MANY HANDS WENT UP.  I saw people pushing walkers.  I even saw one amazing man walking and pulling his oxygen tank.  It was such an amazing thing to experience as all of us participating in the race cheering for others as we saw them on the route.  Tears.  I was emotional the whole time. 

I was pretty pleased as I ran the entire time.  I guess according to my time you could say that I jogged the entire time.  I don't care as I was able to keep it up for 3.1 miles after not running for so long.  I guess the swimming is paying off as my cardiovascular ability has improved.  But sadly my legs and body had forgotten what to do.  I was soooooo sore the next two days.  My body was confused as to what had happened.  I pretty much had to fall into every chair I tried to sit in.  Pretty hilarious but well worth it as look how victorious I was....

After the race I happily ate my little cutie, banana, and cheese bagel.  We listed to Dan from the Biggest Loser sing some country music and then we got our photo with him.  Really nice guy and he is doing great at keeping the weight off.  Five people from my work placed in their age group (nice!) and one of those folks won the whole race.  Way to represent.

 

It was a really great event and I am so happy that we got to be apart of it.  Everyone was so happy and excited.  Biggest Loser sold all sorts of mech including some pretty inspirational t-shirts.  Once again, tears.  I sadly can't help myself.  I love it when people feel proud.

Cliff and I think we might participate in a few 5Ks every year just to have something to help keep us in better running shape.  I think I am going to do Bark in the Park next month which benefits the local humane society (plus Rudy would get a fun bandana).  My work has a Summer Solstice Dash and Bash 5K coming up on the summer solstice (aka June 21st).  I will be behind the scenes so I won't be able to run but Cliff will do that one again (he placed in his age group last year).  Who knows what we will end up doing.  We are just pretty excited that we are getting out there. 

Mount Pisgah at 7:30am

Yesterday Cliff and I decided to get up at our normal Monday-Friday wake up time and hike Mount Pisgah.  It was clear.  It was frosty.  It was beautiful.

We got trekking poles for Christmas and have used them twice.  We bought them for backpacking.  We also bought them because I tend to fall a lot so an extra set of legs on the ground could be beneficial.  They are pretty awesome.  I was really frustrated when I used them the first time as my mind couldn't figure out where to put them and I was constantly accidentally dragging them or kicking one.   Seriously.  I got so frustrated that I cried on a trail (really embarrassing but it happened).   Apparently I just needed to chill out and use them on a hike that totally winds me.  My brian kicked right in at 7:30am and worked those pole to help me haul my butt up and down a steep (and at times) frozen hill.  I like them now.

Funny to note, Cliff was like a fish to water with them.  Apparently Cliff had quite a thing for making walking sticks when he was little.  Knowing this I'm not sure why we didn't get them earlier. 

Did I mention that is has been kinda cold here?  It's only been getting up to the 30s the past couple of days. There was a frost on everything.  There was even some snow in the shadier spaces.  With it being so cold it has made me realize how much I want to see snow this year.  I want inches of snow.  I want to be snowed in.  I want to chop wood in snow and drink hot chocolate by the fire.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

We have really lucked out the past two weekend as it has been clear.  In January!  It just goes to show that even in Oregon you can have a little unexpected sun during that long stretch between October - June.

November

What happened to November?  The whole month flew by.  Seriously.  Where did it go?  A lot happened in those 30 little days.  In addition to turning 29 years old (let the count down to 30 begin!) and the 2nd annual Eugene Friendsgiving,  Cliff and I also did a bunch of little things.  For example, we purchased quite a few end-of-season fall bulbs and planted them in end-of-season clearance bamboo pots.  Cliff really loves flowers. 

We retrained our dog where to go to the bathroom in the yard as apparently somehow he forgot after doing it several times a day for over a year. Cliff kicked his climbing into the next gear of awesomeness and I started swimming again.   I passed my six month mark at work and now have full health benefits!  This is a good thing as I'm pretty sure I need glasses.  I helped to organize a 5K and Cliff ran in it.  And I even got my first cold of the year.  We were productive.

We also received quite a few generous and awesome gifts in the mail.  Birthdays are fun.  First came the Virginia Ham.

Then, I received a super-cool Fascinator (one of those little hats that British people wear) from Mom and Pam for my birthday.  Awesome.  Mom, Pam, and I had a good time trying them on when I was in Maryland between wedding weekends.  Mom bought one as well and now for fun we wear them when we video chat.  Again, awesome.

Cliff received his birthday crock.  We can now make homemade sauerkraut and pickle anything we can get our hands on.  It is beautiful.  This week were are going to try our first batch after we buy two cabbages.  Let's be honest, the process will warrant a whole post so get excited.

We want to thank everyone for the birthday messages, cards, gifts, and love that have been sent our way over the last two months.  We are totally spoiled.

Oh, did I mention that Cliff also grew a mustache and soul patch for Movember?  Cause he did.  In case you have been wondering what is up with all of the mustaches running around town, men are coming together to show support and promote awareness for men's health issues such as prostate and testicular cancer.  They are doing it the best way they know how...by growing facial hair.  Many of the male teachers at Cliff's school decided to take the plunge and see what their faces looked like with a 'stash.  Cliff shaved after the official Men of Movember celebration on Thursday but I think we are both curious now to see what he would look like with a full beard.  Hummmm...do I sense a winter break project?

Lots of love to all and happy December!

Climbing Update

Hello folks!

I wanted to give ya'll a quick update on the climbing process.  Cliff and I started "climbing" in May right after I got my new job.  I use quotation marks as Cliff has really been climbing and I have been...not so much climbing.

Cliff is awesome.  He pretty consistently volunteers once a week to help with a Kids Climbing Club, he has climbed outdoors at the Columns, he has made climbing friends, he has lost weight and gained lots of muscle, and on top of that he is getting better and better each time he goes.

Me on the other hand?  Let's see...I have been maybe nine or ten times.  One of those I freaked before I really even hit eight feet off the group nd had to be lowered (the Spring Cling event I wrote about back in May).  The next time I got off the ground but ended up shaking so bad that I froze on the wall and kinda hyperventilated.   Another three or so I can guarantee that I cried as I clung to the holds (some of these with co-workers standing within ear shot). A few more I was plagued and intimidated by the whole process and just didn't really try.  Four times ago I told Cliff that I would go ten more times and that if I still hated it I would be done.  Neither one of us could be upset as I would have given it the old college try.

With all of this said, I have had three positive climbing experiences.  One: the first time I made it to the top of the wall.  It was the short part of the wall.  I wasn't on route.  Did I mention it was the easiest route that all of the kids easily climb?  I didn't care.  I made it.   Two: The first time I climbed up that same, sad, easy route without going off course.  That day I also managed to fling my body up the tall side of the wall.  Was I on route?  No.  Did I take breaks?  At least three.  Did I freak out and at least once tell Cliff I was done and to lower me?  Yes and yes.  I guess I'm happy about it now as he didn't listen and I made it.  Today was number three.

Let me start with Cliff's awesomeness first.  He climbed several 5.8s without a problem and did super great on a 5.9.  He even made it halfway up a 5.10 and looked fantastic doing it!  (For those folks who aren't super into climbing (aka folks like me) the numbers go up the harder the routes go).  We both were so excited.  I'm really proud of him and I know he is proud of himself.  Go Cliff!

Now my turn.  I climbed my first 5.7 ever without going off route and I didn't stop for any breaks.  I even had to jump up a bit to get to a hold which meant that not all four of my limbs were touching things.  I know right?  Also, I climbed the long route that I severely cheated on during #2 positive experience time.  I didn't make it cleanly up but that is ok as I fell going for it.  I fell!  I didn't nervously yell down to Cliff that I was going to stop.  Plus I didn't cry!!!  No tears today.  I was actually kinda liking it.  If my body didn't feel like a rubber band I might have asked to go again.  Who am I? 

Cliff was really excited as he did great and I was flippin amazing.  He really wants this to be something that we do together.  I would like that too.  It still might be a possibility as I didn't want to cry, hyperventilate, or poop my pants today.  Total win!

Moonlight Five

Last night was the Moonlight Five race in Springfield.  Cliff found the race when I was back in Virginia for my Dad's surgery and it was no brainier of a race as 100% of the proceeds go to the Stroke Center at  RiverBend Sacred Heart Center.  Perfect idea.  

The five mile race started at 9:30pm and consisted of close to 700 people (with glow in the dark accessories) running through streets and paths illuminated by luminaries.  Sadly we didn't get any photos of the paths but you can see a sample picture on their website.

Brie signed up for the race and came down early yesterday afternoon.  Both her and Cliff were super excited and antsy so they got dressed and were ready to run by 7:00pm.  I bought extra glow necklaces and brackets from the Dollar Tree so we were prepared.  Brie sported orange, Cliff was in yellow (his favorite color), and I was decked out in blue as a homage to Dad and his love for Old Dominion (I also wore all the extra bracelets). As you can see I was obviously excited to be glowing. 

It was a first five mile race for all of us.  Both Cliff and Brie have been consistently running over the past few weeks and even I have managed to run more recently.  Brie wanted to run it under 52 minutes, Cliff wanted to run it under 40 minutes, and I was praying to make it under an hour and ten minutes.  My longest single run ever came in a little over four miles so I was nervous about keeping a decent pace for five miles.  I just wanted to finish and feel good about myself.

There was a larger turnout than anticipated and folks were excited to run.  We each ran separately and we all did awesome!  Cliff ran a 39:19 and came in 81st out of 672 people (AWESOME!).  Apparently he felt like he was going to puke all of mile four as he drank water and it didn't go so well.  No worries...he muscled through.  Brie ran under her 52 minute goal and ran the entire way which is a personal best for her (SWEET!).  As for me, I was unstoppable last night.  I ran all five miles without stopping at all and I finished in 59:13.  I seriously was on top of the world.  They had a photographer at the chute snapping photos as folks finished and I'm excited/a little terrified about seeing mine.  I probably looked like a ecstatic crazed person.  I was so freaking happy!  I'm still slow...but I'm getting better...and that is fantastic.

Highlights of my run include:

• Running next to two ladies who kept playing Dog Days Are Over by Florence + The Machine over and over again on a mini boombox.  They clapped when there was clapping and they ran faster to the lyrics "Run fast for your mother and fast for your father.  Run for your children for your sisters and brothers."  I won't lie.  I teared up a bit.  I did just now even thinking about it.  I'm not sure if it was just used as a motivational tool (it's fun and has a good beat) or if they were actually running for family members.  I know I was.  Maybe that's why I got a little misty eyed.
• I ran by an older lady for a lot of the race.  She would run and pass me.  Then she would walk and I would pass her.  Repeat for two miles.  It was fun.  I was proud of both of us.
• I got to see Cliff as he was rounding the bend to go towards the finish line.  I could pick him out by his glowing yellow crown and gait.  I was excited to cheer him on as I hauled my tired butt towards the three and a half mile mark.
• We ran past the Yogi Tea factory.  I didn't know it was there.  I love Yogi Tea!  So, that was kinda cool. 

Honestly, it was just a really fun night. We hung out for a little while after the race to stretch, see if they were going to post times, and listen to the sweet DJ.  I love events that have a DJ.  Nothing makes me happier than seeing people dance freely to YMCA and Don't Stop Believing.  Let's be honest.  I sometimes tear up to people dancing to DJs.  It just makes me so happy. Brie was by far the most animated out of us and was stretching and dancing.

 

We all came home and prepared to crash.  There was more stretching, showering, and Cliff even made midnight scrambled eggs.  I don't even remember getting in bed last night.  I must have hit the sheets and passed out.  Good times.  I look forward to doing the race again next year. 

Oh, by the way we are scientists.  We did an experiment with placing half of the glow necklaces in the freezer last night to see if it really does help them live longer.  The results are in...it does!  In fact I'm wearing three as a crown right now as I type this.  I'm glowing and I'm a happy camper. 

Here is a bonus photo.  Guess who is wearing all of the necklaces?

Sale!

Apparently ever year the University of Oregon's Athletic Department has a surplus sale of all of their sporting apparel.  Over the past few weeks advertisements have been popping up all over town.  Cliff and I went for a run today in Alton Baker Park and I decided that I wanted to check out the event.  Who wants to own official U of O athletic apparel?  I do!  I do!  It was held in the football practice facility which is right across the street from the park.  After I finished my three mile run I went shopping while Cliff ran for another five miles. Great plan.

The sale started at 8:00am so by the time I strolled in around 12:00pm they were pretty wiped out.  They were selling t-shirts, shoes, sweatshirts, and anything else with the O on it or that was printed after they won the Rose Bowl.  In addition to these types of items they were also clearing out all of their practice gear.  Think warm-up pants, jerseys, cleats, football pads, and a ton of other stuff.  I think it is so smart.  Nike apparel is such a huge part of the program.  Heck, Oregon Football players set the fashion standard (in my humble opinion).  If I were two feet taller and 100lbs. heavier I could have gotten some pretty sweet new clothes.  I honestly held some basketball practice jersey up to myself and it was longer than most dresses I wear.  The warm-up pants came up past my chest with the cuffs hitting the floor.  It gave me a whole new sense of appreciation for being athletic in a body that big.  I'm mean the players must be crazy big.

I really wanted to buy stuff.  I brought cash and I was ready.  Sadly, we were too late and almost anything that fit my frame walked out the door hours before.  No worries.  I got to geek out a bit and ooh and aah over all the cool stuff, the practice facility, and overhear football players chatting about how LaMichael has put on 15lbs of solid muscle over the last few months and hasn't slowed down a bit. (Which by the way I think we are going to have to watch a few 49ers games this season to see how it does.  He was/is a great Duck.)  I will admit, I would have totally bought a football practice jersey if there had been one that fit.  How cool would it be to wear something that a player wore during a winning season?  Yikes.  I think I officially just became one of those sports fans.  Oh well.  It was fun.  I'm totally going back next year. 

Yoga At Work

Today I went to my very first yoga class...and I was at work!  On Wednesday, a co-worker clued me in on the awesomeness that is lunchtime exercise.  A free hour-long yoga class takes place every week for district employees.  It was really nice.  It was dark and quite in the room.  We did a whole lot of poses that focused on releasing tension in the neck, shoulders, and back.  I felt fine before the class but since leaving the session I have felt great.  I need to buy a mat as lunchtime yoga is going to appear on my calendar from here on out.  Totally cool.


Employees can also sign up for Jazzercise two times a week.  I think once I'm settled in a bit more I might try that out too.  Holy cow.  I've always wanted to take fun exercise classes and now I might actually do it.

Really I have no excuse for not exercising three to five times a week.  Cliff and I can use the gym and pools for free, free yoga, and cheap lunchtime Jazzercise.  I can do this.

Our Epic Day

Today has been pretty fantastic.  Cliff and I got up early this morning to be at the farmer's market when they opened so that we could get cool pepper and tomato starters.  We went last week late in the afternoon and the place we liked was pretty cleared out.  Well today we had great success.  For peppers we got Bulgarian carrot, Hungarian hot wax, purple jalapenos, serrano del sol, and alma paprika.  For tomatoes we got a chocolate cherry and a sun sugar.  We also got one cucumber plant and it is a Mexican sour gherkin.  These sound awesome.  They look like little mini watermelons (1"- 2" fruits) that taste like they have already been pickled.  So excited.  We also bought red and white radish seeds as they are super gratifying to grow and pick. 

At the market we split a Red Wagon ice cream for our second breakfast.  Cliff sampled their batch of chevre, mead, pine nuts, and rosemary ice cream.  I sampled their vanilla malted strawberry-rhubarb pie ice cream.  We decided on their mix of vanilla malted, brown ale, and chocolate ice cream.  It was really tasty.

We came home, let the dog out, and planted our new starters along with more basil, fennel, and cilantro seeds.  We are really excited as this will be our first garden where we actually plant things in the ground.  In the past we have only done container gardens.  This year our garden will have parsley, sage, rosemary, oregano (sing it a little in your head,) dill, fennel, garlic chives, cilantro, chervil, basil, arugla, oak leaf lettuce, tom thumb lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, and radishes.  We have also planted sunflower seeds and birdhouse gourd seeds in the yard but we think the birds might have gotten to most of the seeds and shoots.  That stinks but we are hopeful.  Rudy really loves hanging out with us outside and he is starting to understand that he can sit near the garden...just not in it.



After our gardening session we played frisbee with Rudy.  He gets it now!  In the past we would throw things outside for him to catch and return.  He would run to them, sniff, and then run back to us without ever touching the frisbee or ball.  Over the winter we played alot of inside frisbee fetch.  Good thing too as it is finally translated outside and Rudy loves it!  We knew he was going to be a frisbee dog when we rescued him.  He loves running fast and jumping.  How couldn't he be good at it?  Now it's his favorite thing ever.  Look at that happy dog's face!

We got dressed and went to Sonic as it was on the way to our afternoon activity.  Grandma gave me a coupon for buy one get one free for the Sonic Brown Bag Meals.  Cliff and I each had a cheeseburger, tater tots, and drink (I got an ocean water).  The ocean water stained by teeth blue for a little while.  Note to self: never get that drink if I have someplace important to be within the next few hours.  Today I didn't much care and in fact I thought it was pretty funny.

Ok, I guess I should mention that in the craziness of the last two weeks I also applied for, interviewed for, and was offered a job.  That's right.  I'm employed!  It's like my dream job; one that I was going to pine for over the next few years.  I'm going to be the Volunteer and Special Events Coordinator for a local park and recreation district.  I start on Monday.  The summer schedule looks like a lot of fun.  Outdoor movies, plays, concerts, festivals, camping events, and lots more.  Check out the events schedule to see more info on the awesomeness.

So today my new employers were offering a free indoor rock climbing and bouldering event.  Cliff found it in the program and was excited for us to try it.  It was sooo good!  We won two raffle prizes!  I got this fancy sports top from prAna.  I love their catalog and really enjoying looking through it whenever we house sit (p.s. all of the folks that we have ever house sat for get this catalog...odd).  We climbed.  Cliff was a natural.  He strapped in and climbed up that wall like Spiderman.  I was very impressed.  He got to the top with no problem at all.  I on the other hand was a different story.  I was gun-hoe until I actually got on the wall and then I froze.  I couldn't move.  My little hands were so sweaty that I didn't really make it that far off the ground before I asked to be lowered.  The photo below shows me be lowered from the overwhelming height of 10 feet. Embarrassing? Oh dear Lord yes.  Small children all around me where whizzing by as I clung terrified to the wall.  I didn't want to be a total failure so I tried the second easiest course.  My second belayer (the guy on the ground that controlled my line) gave me chalk to help easy my sweaty palm issue.  It helped as I proudly got probably 20 feet off the ground before I asked to propel down.  Oh well.  I really wasn't a climber as a kid so I don't think the natural ability is in my genes.  I will totally go back though and try again.  Best part?  That won't be a problem as it's included in my benefits!

         

At the end of the event they gave out ice cream.  Cliff and I got in line and realized that it was Red Wagon...again!  Score.  Cliff got coffee and I got vanilla.  Seriously, they gave out local, handmade ice cream over bars from the grocery store.  I haven't even started work there but I am totally impressed.

Best.  Day.  Ever.

Day 2: New Shoes

After seven years I finally had to retire my old sneakers.  Back in 2005, Mom and I each got a pair of brand new Nike Free shoes.  They were coolest thing around and they didn't make my knees hurt.  For the last year or so mine were in pretty bad shape but I couldn't imagine trading them in when I only used them every now and then.  Well, I am proud to say that since the first of the year I have been exercising three to five times a week and my shoes were showing it.  On their final hike up Spencer my foot actually split through the side of the shoe.  There was no turning back; I needed new ones.  To say goodbye I took them to the Nike store to be recycled.  Check out Reuse-A-Shoe for more information as it is pretty cool.

We went back to Eugene Running Company. They put me on the treadmill and watched my gait to see what type of shoe I needed.  I ended up with the girl version of Cliff's new Brooks.  I was a little nervous as my feet hurt on my first run but I think they were just getting use to having some structure (seriously look at the old ones).  Since then I have run in them several times and there have been no issues.  Cliff and I are starting to run multiple times each week on the roads/hills around the cottage.  Cliff is shooting for 12 miles this week and I am going to try to be right there with them.

New shoes are pretty great.  Definite good thing.

Shamrock 5K

This weekend Cliff and I traveled up to Portland to visit Brie and run with her in the Shamrock Run.  We've been excited about this race for months and it did not disappoint.   Before I tell you how awesome it was I wanted to give you a little Kim and Cliff 5K background information. 

Cliff was apart of the running clubs at his school last year and because of this he got to run in a few 5Ks.  I went to all of the races and had a whole lot of fun taking pictures and cheering on folks while Cliff, the kids, and his coworkers ran their butts off.  It looked like fun so I even decided to participate in the action.  Last February we signed up for the Girl Scout Cookie 5K.  Actually I signed up for the one mile fun run but later upgraded to the 5K when I realized that only small, small children do these.  Embarrassing.  I know.   That race was pretty awesome as it was super small and we ended up winning cookies...both of us.  My heart smiles just thinking of it.  Despite my cookie-worthy performance my time was actually pretty terrible.  I mean some people could probably walk 5K in the time that it took me to run.  As I have said before...I am slow and steady.  Anyway, since I have been exercising more I had high hopes for improving my time.  Two weeks ago Cliff and I ran a practice 5K at a park so that I could manage my expectations.  After two months of working out (workout DVDs and jogging) I was able to shed over four minutes off my 5K time from last February.  I ran it without stopping to walk.  Big victory for me.  While I was excited about that I was still a little embarrassed as my new personal record was still slow.  Looking onward to the Shamrock 5K, Cliff was encouraging and Brie was positive that I was going to shed a few more minutes.  I was skeptical. 

We went up to Portland on Saturday and stayed with Brie at her apartment.  We got to meet her three kitties.  They are all super cute and have their own little personalities.  Cliff was in heaven as one of her cats in pretty much a cat-dog as it is super curious and cuddly.  If I wasn't so allergic (I was heavily medicated for the trip) we would have a cat in our apartment as Cliff really likes them.  Brie made vegetarian lasagna and after dinner we hung out for a while, prepped for the race, and then went to bed.  The next morning we got up early.  Anise, Brie's friend, joined our party as her dad was going to run the 15K.  It was in the high 30's with rain on and off.  It was pretty cold. 

We were ready.  While we waited at the bus stop we decided to take some pre-race photos.  As you can tell I was feeling pretty super.  The Shamrock Run is huge.  It consists of a 5K, 8K, and 15K.  In total there were 32,000 participants.  So many people!

Brie and Anise were pumped.  Anise wasn't a big fan of the picture taking process but she was a good sport.  This was Brie's second Shamrock 5K and Anise's first (she ran the fun run last year).  They did a good job telling us what to expect as we waited for the bus. 

 

We gals got St. Patrick's Day socks from Target.  I love Target.  We wanted to be festive and nothing says 'we are athletic' like themed tube socks.

I bought a St. Paddy's Day headband at Target thinking it would be warm and sunny.  Nope.  But that's ok as Mrs. Lyddane made me an awesome orange hat for Christmas a few years ago and it worked perfectly with the theme of the day.  The hat not only kept me warm but it also helped me stick out.  Cliff was able to find us after the race in the huge crowd because of the hat.  I was a orange beacon.  It was awesome.  

The run was a success!  Cliff ran ahead of us and had a good race.  He ended up coming in 404th out of the 9,059 total 5Kers and 58th out of 469 male runners in his age group.  Awesome, right?  Seriously.  As for me, I ended up cutting over another two and a half minutes off my previous best time!  Brie was right!  I was so excited and shocked.  I finished 4,797th out of the total 9,059 5Kers and 522nd out of 1,037 gals in my age group.  I now have an ok 5K time!  I can't tell you how excited I was.  I'm still excited!  I'm kinda starting to feel athletic.  It's awesome.

After the race we stopped for a group photo.  Brie and Anise were awesome.  Brie normally runs much faster but she decided to run with us instead.  We girls ran together and so was motivating and fun.  It was really wonderful.

After the race we parted ways with Anise and we were starting to get really cold so we went to claim our victory goodies.  We started with our free cups of salmon chowder.  Holy crap it was good!  I know what you are thinking: "Chowder?  After a race?  That sounds disgusting and makes my stomach turn".  We thought the same thing! Not the case.  It was warm and smoky and it hit the spot.  I wish I was eating it now just thinking about it.  Cliff liked it so much that he had to have two at the same time.

 

After victory chowder we went to get our victory beer.  What would a St. Patrick's Day race be without free victory beer?  The buddy of the guy taking the picture was being kinda ridiculous so the photo captures all of us laughing at him. Despite the chowder and beer we were starting to get really cold so we hauled tail to the bus stop.   After we got home and changed we went out for lunch.  It was a fantastic ending to a fantastic weekend. 

I wanted to leave you guys with a little thing that I am going to call "Where's Kim?"  For those of you who are "Where's Waldo" fans (I am!) you might enjoy trying to pick me out of the end of the race crowd.  Cliff did.  Happy St. Patrick's Day (a little late) and happy hunting!