Striding for time

Ronda, Tom and I met at 53rd for Ronda's newest lesson in "How to be a fast Ultra-runner 101." Thankfully I've already had the Heart Rate Monitor prerequisite so I was spared Ronda's version of an informative summary. Namely dousing unsuspecting friend with water from his own water bottle to "moisten" the HR Monitor strap for efficient contact with skin. Uncomfortable perhaps, but effective. :] The rest of the run was crisp, cold and fun! Crossfit has helped with my power output, I think, so the short bursts seemed easy and I felt fast. Of course the carry-over to racing will take a lot more work. But it was encouraging to feel strong.

I'm determined to remember my heart rate monitor next time as the heart rate twins were beginning to scare me just a little. I was about to ask the herd of lady walkers if their heart rates were also at 147.3. It was fun to listen to Tom and Ronda's calls back and forth checking their rates. It was odd to hear the numbers match up almost perfectly every 10-15 minutes. Just another reason these two train so well together I suspect.

Emma was also throwing the hammer down. She was challenging Zoe to the usual run-ups on the steep embankments. No squirrels were sighted during the run, but don't mention that to Emma...as she is certain she treed 14 of them. After reading Ronda's blog, it seems I've been tagged (or am about to be) to mention 5 things about myself. So I will include them below. :]

1. I studied acting in college. I majored in psychology and also completed the Acting Specialist program in the theatre dept. Oddly enough I think I learned more about people in the acting program than in psychology.

2. As a child I was bossy and always the one setting the rules of the game. I was also the only kid on the block that would stop playing and go home early wondering when lunch, or dinner was going to be ready. I still wonder that everyday. :]

3. I still congratulate my 5 year old dog on going, "Outside Potty." I do this despite the pained and embarrassed looks I see on the faces of my close friends.

4. I love to bake bread, my cousin and grandma taught me, and I'm not bad at it.

5. I can hold my own: pulling hose, throwing ladders, and cutting holes on the roof.. (Even though now most of the time I hold a clipboard, talk on the radio and point.)

Snow at 1500'

Zoe and I pushed off early this morning to catch Ronda, Trisha, and Susan in the Gorge for a rainy, waterfall-gushing two hour run. Zoe, excited to sport her new rain coat with fleece underside, was all about the hills. Trisha got the prize for fastest downhill despite Zoe's attempt to cut her off by cruising off trail to skip the
switch-backs.

Game is apparently back on as I have committed to sign up for the Cuckanut 50K coming up in March. I'm looking forward to racing with Ronda, Tom and Stacey. My one goal for my third time at this distance is to finish smiling and comfortable. If I accomplish this, then we can talk about 50 miles.

Today also included a crossfit workout. I raced home after the run in time to make the 1200 class. Caleb met me there and we knocked out: 10 rounds of: 200m row, 15 DB thrusters, and a rope/hanging ladder climb. The Thrusters were killing us all. But I finished the workout. Which felt like quite an accomplishment after our 2 hour run. Going to have to come up with some type of training schedule for the run. Will be interesting to see how crossfit and diet play into performance on race day. :]

KISS

I've gotten behind in my posts...again. Halloween with the crew at 25's was a great time. I had the opportunity to be Peter Criss. For all you KISS fans out there no explanation necessary. For those of you like me, a KISS newbie, He was the drummer and wrote the infamous ballad, "Beth." You can check it out on utube if you like. Interesting.

Heading into my fourth day of being sick. Sore throat, swollen glands, exhausted. Needless to say this is driving me crazy. The sun is shining and I'm missing quality DRY fall forest park runs. The girls are getting their walks...but I think even Emma would be up for a little jog in this weather. I'm also missing Crossfit. I was starting to see results and feel much stronger. Though I know just like life, training is a journey of ups and downs. It's so frustrating to imagine my hard work draining away as I sit and hack and try to sleep and get tired walking up a tiny hill. I'm trying to use this time to really appreciate how lucky I am. Also, it's a good reminder that rest is a good thing and necessary and your body will take it whether you agree you need it or not. So listen to your body! Too bad I can't follow my own advice. For those of you enjoying this beautiful day outside- good for you!! I'm going to continue sipping my tea, drinking soup, and trying to understand the allure of watching football on tv. :]