Tuesday, February 26, 2013
50@50 Project - Event 7 - Five Miles in Hazel Dell
Event 7 in the 50@50 Project took us north, across the mighty Columbia, to Hazel Dell, WA which is either a neighborhood in Vancouver or a suburb of it - not sure, actually.
The event was the Hazel Dell 8k which was a fundraiser for an animal rescue group called Panda Paws www.pandapawsrescue.com They even had one of the rescued animals there, a beautiful dog named Winter. She was born with an affliction that caused her eyes to be too small for her head. This led to frequent infections and ultimately to her eyes being removed and lids sewn shut. I know, it sounds horrible. But this dog was gorgeous and so friendly!! I wanted to bring her home!
It was a cold morning, high 30's. We arrived and got checked in, then... back to the car to stay warm for a while. It was that awkward temperature where trying to figure out exactly what to wear was difficult. There is the standard (for us anyway) 'twenty degree rule' - knowing you'll work up a sweat, add 20 degrees to whatever the temperature is and dress for that. But I still second-guessed myself into wearing pants, which I regretted about a mile into the run. Shoulda gone with shorts. Oh, well - next time.
Bex! entertained with her 'I'm trying to stay warm by dancing' performance - video out soon. We heard the race organizers announce that the 8k would start 15 minutes after the start of the half-marathon, which was news to us. We thought they started at the same time. Sigh. So it was back to the warmth of the car for a bit.
It's a small event, not a lot of participants. Had a nice community feel to it. Our event started at 8:45 and took us around the strip mall in a big loop then off onto residential streets. Up and down, up and down - small rolling hills - an out and back course, meaning we 'fro' the same route we 'to'.
I am always impressed with the volunteers at these things. People getting up early on race day, way before the runners show up, to get route signs up and to be at intersections to send us in the right direction. They also set up water aid stations and the start/finish lines. In my experience, they almost always have smiles on their faces and an encouraging word for the participants. It's really cool and I always make a point to say thank you to them as I trundle by or refill a water bottle.
There was one pretty steep hill - no trouble bombing down it on the way out but coming back up, my right knee made this strange 'pop' sound. It was a little sore after that but I kept going. When you run, especially the longer distances, your body does all sorts of weird things and you learn which things are serious and which ones to ignore. This was an 'ignore' situation, I knew, but still stayed aware of it and how it felt as I finished up. And it's fine now, so - whew!
About the finish... (ahem)
Camera Crew will be the first to tell you that I am the romantic in our relationship. We've agreed that for these early events we want to stick together to encourage each other, knowing that the time will come when we each run our own race and that we'll meet up at the finish line. I was slightly ahead of Bex! as we approached the finish line, so I held up a little, reached back to take her hand so we could cross the line together. Which we did. But upon checking the race results, she somehow finished one spot ahead of me. I think she kicked her toe across the line while smiling and batting her eyes at me. Oh well - whatcha gonna do.
After a post-race slice of pizza (okay, I had two) and a red velvet cupcake, we headed south to P-Town, feeling pretty good about the race, given we had Event 6 the day before. We noticed that in Vancouver they give you food after races; in Portland they give you beer. I will take this into consideration going forward.
I am feeling pretty good about my progress on the 50@50 Project thus far!! We are also excited that we only have one event this coming weekend - the Red Lizard 5 Miler in Lake Oswego. Of course, not being normal folk, we're fast filling up our day off!
Thanks for following along.
See you next time! Dave - out.
The event was the Hazel Dell 8k which was a fundraiser for an animal rescue group called Panda Paws www.pandapawsrescue.com They even had one of the rescued animals there, a beautiful dog named Winter. She was born with an affliction that caused her eyes to be too small for her head. This led to frequent infections and ultimately to her eyes being removed and lids sewn shut. I know, it sounds horrible. But this dog was gorgeous and so friendly!! I wanted to bring her home!
It was a cold morning, high 30's. We arrived and got checked in, then... back to the car to stay warm for a while. It was that awkward temperature where trying to figure out exactly what to wear was difficult. There is the standard (for us anyway) 'twenty degree rule' - knowing you'll work up a sweat, add 20 degrees to whatever the temperature is and dress for that. But I still second-guessed myself into wearing pants, which I regretted about a mile into the run. Shoulda gone with shorts. Oh, well - next time.
Bex! entertained with her 'I'm trying to stay warm by dancing' performance - video out soon. We heard the race organizers announce that the 8k would start 15 minutes after the start of the half-marathon, which was news to us. We thought they started at the same time. Sigh. So it was back to the warmth of the car for a bit.
It's a small event, not a lot of participants. Had a nice community feel to it. Our event started at 8:45 and took us around the strip mall in a big loop then off onto residential streets. Up and down, up and down - small rolling hills - an out and back course, meaning we 'fro' the same route we 'to'.
I am always impressed with the volunteers at these things. People getting up early on race day, way before the runners show up, to get route signs up and to be at intersections to send us in the right direction. They also set up water aid stations and the start/finish lines. In my experience, they almost always have smiles on their faces and an encouraging word for the participants. It's really cool and I always make a point to say thank you to them as I trundle by or refill a water bottle.
There was one pretty steep hill - no trouble bombing down it on the way out but coming back up, my right knee made this strange 'pop' sound. It was a little sore after that but I kept going. When you run, especially the longer distances, your body does all sorts of weird things and you learn which things are serious and which ones to ignore. This was an 'ignore' situation, I knew, but still stayed aware of it and how it felt as I finished up. And it's fine now, so - whew!
About the finish... (ahem)
Camera Crew will be the first to tell you that I am the romantic in our relationship. We've agreed that for these early events we want to stick together to encourage each other, knowing that the time will come when we each run our own race and that we'll meet up at the finish line. I was slightly ahead of Bex! as we approached the finish line, so I held up a little, reached back to take her hand so we could cross the line together. Which we did. But upon checking the race results, she somehow finished one spot ahead of me. I think she kicked her toe across the line while smiling and batting her eyes at me. Oh well - whatcha gonna do.
After a post-race slice of pizza (okay, I had two) and a red velvet cupcake, we headed south to P-Town, feeling pretty good about the race, given we had Event 6 the day before. We noticed that in Vancouver they give you food after races; in Portland they give you beer. I will take this into consideration going forward.
I am feeling pretty good about my progress on the 50@50 Project thus far!! We are also excited that we only have one event this coming weekend - the Red Lizard 5 Miler in Lake Oswego. Of course, not being normal folk, we're fast filling up our day off!
Thanks for following along.
See you next time! Dave - out.
Monday, February 25, 2013
Cartathlon 3!!
Holy cow, what a day! Event 6 in the 50@50 Project was a bit loony, but as I said early on, my goal is to keep the events 'interesting'. This one fits the bill.
Cartathlon 3 is an event sponsored by Willamette Week, a local publication that captures a lot of the weirdness in this town. This outing was a scavenger hunt race around Portland. We had a team of five - me and my wife, Camera Crew; and Doug, Renee, and Greg. All great friends, all are obviously a little off kilter to be doing this with me.
I told you I could sucker others into this.
Cartathlon 3 is designed to highlight Portland's thriving street food scene. The food carts in town have gotten national recognition and have contributed greatly to PDX's reputation as a 'foodie' town. Hell, a few years back Pok Pok won Restaurant of the Year - and they were a food cart at the time!! For Eaters, this is a great town in which to live.
What we thought Cartathlon 3 was going to be: a race from food cart pod to food cart pod, with eating challenges at each that would require, say, devouring massive burritos or drinking triple Big Gulp-sized milk shakes or eating weird stuff from an ethnic food-oriented cart. We thought this was going to be about eating.
What Cartathlon 3 was: a lot of running around getting photos at iconic Portland landmarks or with stereotypical Stumptowners, and very little food. We should have packed snacks. Thank goodness we ate breakfast.
Our team - the Toasted Marshmellows - met up at Besaw's at 9 AM. We promptly ordered cocktails and began wondering what we were getting into. We had dreams of the aforementioned ginormous burritos. We envisioned waddling from pod to pod, so stuffed and so satisfied. Bex! pointed out that given our start time, we wouldn't likely eat til after noon, so we decided to order up. Cuz folks, the original plan was to drink knowing we would get our fill at the carts. My wife saved our bacon.
Mmmmm... bacon.
We enjoyed food and drinks, then wandered the three blocks down to the Willamette Week offices, which was the start point. After checking in and having a team photo taken, we sampled an Oatmeal Stout from Ninkasi www.ninkasibrewing.com . It paired well with the KIND bars they were sampling www.kindsnacks.com
The race organizers had us download an app called Cart Compass, which is all about food carts. In this app, they had all of our clues for the day, broken into sections of the city - NE, SE, NW, SW, N - as well as a category for 'general Portland trivia'. After standing around laying odds on whether or not it would rain on us, it was go time. The rules required teams to visit four food cart pods, where we would complete some sort of challenge. All other clues and photo ops were for bonus points. We were given 3.5 hours to complete the course. We would have the arrive at the finish line at the Green Dragon by 3 PM!! www.pdxgreendragon.com
Because she had a pen, Renee was unanimously elected Writer Downer of the Answers, a task she performed most excellently. Our Team Leader, Bex! was in charge of using her phone to snap all the pictures we needed to get to prove we completed all the various tasks. Once we figured out how to use that, we were on our way!
Since we started in NW Portland, we decided to snag some bonus points by hitting NW and SW. I won't go into detail on all the places we hit but I will say that one of the challenges was getting a photo of an awesome mustache, which we found attached to a somewhat inebriated and very genial man. He also had a cool little toy car that he said played the Blazers theme song. The song is 'Get Ready for This' by 2 Unlimited. Google it - you'll recognize it. He was selling the car, so I bought it for $2.
Now the car played the Toasted Marshmellows theme song. Booyah!! Take that, Blazers!
Another task was to do something kind for a stranger. Greg plugged the meter for a very confused man who seemed somewhat skeptical of our intentions.
After some rehearsing, I completed a task by played Patty Cake with a woman at a streetcar stop. She said 'That made my whole day!'
We sang a bawdy song to a Pittsburgh Steelers fan to complete the 'serenade a stranger' objective. We had a blast and made friends along the way.
We knocked out all of NW and SW, then hopped the yellow line to North Portland. Or as it came to be known - the Black Hole. NoPo was the location of one of the mandatory food carts, so we hit a few bonus locations on the way to Flavour Spot, a waffle cart. www.flavourspot.com This was an eating challenge.
The judge held a waffle that was spread with Nutella. He then placed it in Greg's mouth. Without using our hands or, heaven forbid, dropping the waffle-y goodness, we had to consume the waffle by passing it mouth-to-mouth from one to another. We were so hungry that this was not an issue at all. In fact, I am confident that had we dropped it, one of us would have snagged it in our teeth before it hit the ground.
Challenge completed and 'stuffed to the gills' by the three bites of waffle we each had, we hit a couple of more bonus spots then had a bevvie (thanks, Renee!) at the White Eagle. In hindsight, we should have just stayed there.
As it turns out, it's really difficult to get from that part of town to where we needed to go next, at least in a timely manner. Every bus and train was A] 20-25 minutes out and B] wanted to take us downtown to the transit mall first. Not good. We made the decision to hoof it to the Rose Garden to increase our public transportation odds by 33% because the streetcar runs there. We had a better chance of catching something - bus, big train, little train!
Well, we missed the streetcar by about 2 minutes - saw it pull in, realized it was too far to run for it, saw it pull away. We walked up to Broadway & MLK to catch the #6 bus. It arrived 9 minutes later but was full so the driver waved us off. Still on foot, we walked south to Burnside and caught the bus out to SE 28th. At this point, however, the race was pretty much over for us because we were almost out of time and had only hit one of the four mandatory carts.
At the Grilled Cheese Grill www.grilledcheesegrill.com we were given a - you guessed it - grilled cheese sandwich that was made with seven ingredients. We were to dissect, taste, analyze and then report to the judge what those ingredients were. We pretty much nailed it: bread, butter, apples, cheddar and american cheeses, onions, cinnamon. Again, five of us + one grilled cheese sandwich = hungry!! Greg, Renee and Doug tried to order from one of the carts but although open, no one was inside. Oh well.
We made the decision to skip the last two mandatory stops, head to the Green Dragon and have some food along with our free beers. Alas, upon arrival the place was jammed full and, similar to the very full #6 bus, we waved ourselves right on out the door to try our luck elsewhere.
Sidenote: at the finish line they had one more eating challenge worth 400 points. It was a habanero pepper filled with Aardvark Habanero Hot Sauce. Not worth the gastrointestinal distress this would have caused, we all skipped it. But it conjured a memory from some thirteen or so years ago when I was cooking with habaneros and I jokingly told my son (then 16-17 or so) I would give him a bright shiny quarter if he would take a teeny tiny bite of a habanero. He agreed. Not wanting to kill him, I shaved off the smallest sliver I could get with the chefs knife I was using - we're talking tiny here - and he ate it. Then the fireworks started. Good times, huh, son?
After striking out at Cascade Barrel House (no room!) Renee recommended Robo Taco, located at 607 SE Morrison (no website). Fantastic food! A great find, try them out - you won't be disappointed.
After settling on our strategy for next year - which is to wear Run DMC track suits and carry a boombox - we hopped the bus to NW and headed on home. It was a great day, a lot of fun and good memories with dear friends.
But next year, we're bringing snacks!
Cartathlon 3 is an event sponsored by Willamette Week, a local publication that captures a lot of the weirdness in this town. This outing was a scavenger hunt race around Portland. We had a team of five - me and my wife, Camera Crew; and Doug, Renee, and Greg. All great friends, all are obviously a little off kilter to be doing this with me.
I told you I could sucker others into this.
Cartathlon 3 is designed to highlight Portland's thriving street food scene. The food carts in town have gotten national recognition and have contributed greatly to PDX's reputation as a 'foodie' town. Hell, a few years back Pok Pok won Restaurant of the Year - and they were a food cart at the time!! For Eaters, this is a great town in which to live.
What we thought Cartathlon 3 was going to be: a race from food cart pod to food cart pod, with eating challenges at each that would require, say, devouring massive burritos or drinking triple Big Gulp-sized milk shakes or eating weird stuff from an ethnic food-oriented cart. We thought this was going to be about eating.
What Cartathlon 3 was: a lot of running around getting photos at iconic Portland landmarks or with stereotypical Stumptowners, and very little food. We should have packed snacks. Thank goodness we ate breakfast.
Our team - the Toasted Marshmellows - met up at Besaw's at 9 AM. We promptly ordered cocktails and began wondering what we were getting into. We had dreams of the aforementioned ginormous burritos. We envisioned waddling from pod to pod, so stuffed and so satisfied. Bex! pointed out that given our start time, we wouldn't likely eat til after noon, so we decided to order up. Cuz folks, the original plan was to drink knowing we would get our fill at the carts. My wife saved our bacon.
Mmmmm... bacon.
We enjoyed food and drinks, then wandered the three blocks down to the Willamette Week offices, which was the start point. After checking in and having a team photo taken, we sampled an Oatmeal Stout from Ninkasi www.ninkasibrewing.com . It paired well with the KIND bars they were sampling www.kindsnacks.com
The race organizers had us download an app called Cart Compass, which is all about food carts. In this app, they had all of our clues for the day, broken into sections of the city - NE, SE, NW, SW, N - as well as a category for 'general Portland trivia'. After standing around laying odds on whether or not it would rain on us, it was go time. The rules required teams to visit four food cart pods, where we would complete some sort of challenge. All other clues and photo ops were for bonus points. We were given 3.5 hours to complete the course. We would have the arrive at the finish line at the Green Dragon by 3 PM!! www.pdxgreendragon.com
Because she had a pen, Renee was unanimously elected Writer Downer of the Answers, a task she performed most excellently. Our Team Leader, Bex! was in charge of using her phone to snap all the pictures we needed to get to prove we completed all the various tasks. Once we figured out how to use that, we were on our way!
Since we started in NW Portland, we decided to snag some bonus points by hitting NW and SW. I won't go into detail on all the places we hit but I will say that one of the challenges was getting a photo of an awesome mustache, which we found attached to a somewhat inebriated and very genial man. He also had a cool little toy car that he said played the Blazers theme song. The song is 'Get Ready for This' by 2 Unlimited. Google it - you'll recognize it. He was selling the car, so I bought it for $2.
Now the car played the Toasted Marshmellows theme song. Booyah!! Take that, Blazers!
Another task was to do something kind for a stranger. Greg plugged the meter for a very confused man who seemed somewhat skeptical of our intentions.
After some rehearsing, I completed a task by played Patty Cake with a woman at a streetcar stop. She said 'That made my whole day!'
We sang a bawdy song to a Pittsburgh Steelers fan to complete the 'serenade a stranger' objective. We had a blast and made friends along the way.
We knocked out all of NW and SW, then hopped the yellow line to North Portland. Or as it came to be known - the Black Hole. NoPo was the location of one of the mandatory food carts, so we hit a few bonus locations on the way to Flavour Spot, a waffle cart. www.flavourspot.com This was an eating challenge.
The judge held a waffle that was spread with Nutella. He then placed it in Greg's mouth. Without using our hands or, heaven forbid, dropping the waffle-y goodness, we had to consume the waffle by passing it mouth-to-mouth from one to another. We were so hungry that this was not an issue at all. In fact, I am confident that had we dropped it, one of us would have snagged it in our teeth before it hit the ground.
Challenge completed and 'stuffed to the gills' by the three bites of waffle we each had, we hit a couple of more bonus spots then had a bevvie (thanks, Renee!) at the White Eagle. In hindsight, we should have just stayed there.
As it turns out, it's really difficult to get from that part of town to where we needed to go next, at least in a timely manner. Every bus and train was A] 20-25 minutes out and B] wanted to take us downtown to the transit mall first. Not good. We made the decision to hoof it to the Rose Garden to increase our public transportation odds by 33% because the streetcar runs there. We had a better chance of catching something - bus, big train, little train!
Well, we missed the streetcar by about 2 minutes - saw it pull in, realized it was too far to run for it, saw it pull away. We walked up to Broadway & MLK to catch the #6 bus. It arrived 9 minutes later but was full so the driver waved us off. Still on foot, we walked south to Burnside and caught the bus out to SE 28th. At this point, however, the race was pretty much over for us because we were almost out of time and had only hit one of the four mandatory carts.
At the Grilled Cheese Grill www.grilledcheesegrill.com we were given a - you guessed it - grilled cheese sandwich that was made with seven ingredients. We were to dissect, taste, analyze and then report to the judge what those ingredients were. We pretty much nailed it: bread, butter, apples, cheddar and american cheeses, onions, cinnamon. Again, five of us + one grilled cheese sandwich = hungry!! Greg, Renee and Doug tried to order from one of the carts but although open, no one was inside. Oh well.
We made the decision to skip the last two mandatory stops, head to the Green Dragon and have some food along with our free beers. Alas, upon arrival the place was jammed full and, similar to the very full #6 bus, we waved ourselves right on out the door to try our luck elsewhere.
Sidenote: at the finish line they had one more eating challenge worth 400 points. It was a habanero pepper filled with Aardvark Habanero Hot Sauce. Not worth the gastrointestinal distress this would have caused, we all skipped it. But it conjured a memory from some thirteen or so years ago when I was cooking with habaneros and I jokingly told my son (then 16-17 or so) I would give him a bright shiny quarter if he would take a teeny tiny bite of a habanero. He agreed. Not wanting to kill him, I shaved off the smallest sliver I could get with the chefs knife I was using - we're talking tiny here - and he ate it. Then the fireworks started. Good times, huh, son?
After striking out at Cascade Barrel House (no room!) Renee recommended Robo Taco, located at 607 SE Morrison (no website). Fantastic food! A great find, try them out - you won't be disappointed.
After settling on our strategy for next year - which is to wear Run DMC track suits and carry a boombox - we hopped the bus to NW and headed on home. It was a great day, a lot of fun and good memories with dear friends.
But next year, we're bringing snacks!
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Spokane!
Hi, gang! It's been a while since I've posted - my apologies! The two double header weekends allowed us a weekend off, so I drove up to Spokane to visit with my brothers, Rich and Jim, and their families. It was my nephew's birthday - Aiden turned 15, which I still can't believe! I have a great story about the day he was born - I'll share it sometime. My niece Meagan is getting way too TALL way too FAST. It was good to visit with Jill, too, and watch her keep Rich in line. Or try to, anyway.
Thanks to extra effort from Jim (driving into Spokane from his home in CdA) I was able to see Jenny for breakfast Sunday morning. And Jim brought Gretta out Saturday night when we went to see a high school buddy of mine, Kenny, play. He's in a band called Bakin' Phat (awesomest band name ever) and they are really really good. Rocking blues!
www.facebook.com/BakinPhat
Also got some time to have beers with Team Widmer - Tony, Sgt. Dan, Scott, Kyle. Serious strategy session for the 24 Hour Mountain Bike Race in May. Or maybe we drank beer and ate fried food. One of those.
I had a great visit with my good friend, George - he was the best man at my wedding. Always good to see him - we pick up right where we left off, each and every time. We laughed our arses off.
Rich and I got out for a short trail ride Sunday, which was fun. I had never ridden on snow and ice, and there was plenty of it in Riverside Park. Rich is truly blessed to have such a fantastic trail system so close to his home. I am jealous!
We did about 10 miles total and it was a blast. Any place the sun got through was melted off, but on the singletrack in the trees we encountered plenty of slushy snow and straight up ice. Interesting riding for sure. On the ice, you could pedal but you had to keep a very even rotation going. If you pushed down too hard the back tire would spin out and then try to slide sideways out from under you. The deep snow bogged us down just like the mud, which was in abundance. All in all, it was a ton of fun and I got dirty! But most importantly, my mountain bike got dirty!
Not to be outdone by my cycling adventure, Camera Crew ventured out in my absence to go crosscountry skiing with my sister, Susan, and niece, Julienne. All reports are that they had much fun at Teacup Lake! There were sore muscles, however, which is a good thing, right? It means ya got out and did something! And yoga certainly helps.
Here is a short vid shot from the entry into Riverside Park. You can see the snow around us, and it got worse when we got into the trees onto the singletrack. Oh, and contrary to appearances that is not Bigfoot waving at the camera - it's my brother, Rich:
Thanks to extra effort from Jim (driving into Spokane from his home in CdA) I was able to see Jenny for breakfast Sunday morning. And Jim brought Gretta out Saturday night when we went to see a high school buddy of mine, Kenny, play. He's in a band called Bakin' Phat (awesomest band name ever) and they are really really good. Rocking blues!
www.facebook.com/BakinPhat
Also got some time to have beers with Team Widmer - Tony, Sgt. Dan, Scott, Kyle. Serious strategy session for the 24 Hour Mountain Bike Race in May. Or maybe we drank beer and ate fried food. One of those.
I had a great visit with my good friend, George - he was the best man at my wedding. Always good to see him - we pick up right where we left off, each and every time. We laughed our arses off.
Rich and I got out for a short trail ride Sunday, which was fun. I had never ridden on snow and ice, and there was plenty of it in Riverside Park. Rich is truly blessed to have such a fantastic trail system so close to his home. I am jealous!
We did about 10 miles total and it was a blast. Any place the sun got through was melted off, but on the singletrack in the trees we encountered plenty of slushy snow and straight up ice. Interesting riding for sure. On the ice, you could pedal but you had to keep a very even rotation going. If you pushed down too hard the back tire would spin out and then try to slide sideways out from under you. The deep snow bogged us down just like the mud, which was in abundance. All in all, it was a ton of fun and I got dirty! But most importantly, my mountain bike got dirty!
Not to be outdone by my cycling adventure, Camera Crew ventured out in my absence to go crosscountry skiing with my sister, Susan, and niece, Julienne. All reports are that they had much fun at Teacup Lake! There were sore muscles, however, which is a good thing, right? It means ya got out and did something! And yoga certainly helps.
Here is a short vid shot from the entry into Riverside Park. You can see the snow around us, and it got worse when we got into the trees onto the singletrack. Oh, and contrary to appearances that is not Bigfoot waving at the camera - it's my brother, Rich:
Monday, February 11, 2013
First Bike Event of the Year!
Well, that went really well! Yesterday was Event 5 in the 50@50 Project, my quest to participate in 50 events in this year that I'm 50 years old.
Let's recap:
Event 1 was an 8k snow shoe race;
Events 2 & 3 were runs, a 6k and a 5k in two days;
Event 4 was the Portland Polar Plunge, a little dippity-doo in the Columbia River to raise money for Oregon Special Olympics;
This brings us to Event 5 - the Worst Day of the Year Ride, a 16 mile tour of Portland.
Because we rode to and from the race site, we actually logged close to 22 miles doing this gig. Not bad for the first time in many months to be out on two wheels.
The weather was chilly, low 40's. I was dressed in bike bibs, tights, my fave Yellow Submarine bike jersey and a riding vest to break the chill wind. Wool arm warmers and light weight gloves. I was borderline chilled throughout the day but another layer would have been too much, methinks.
The entertainment for the ride to the start was this: Bex! lamenting the differences between her road bike (which she was on for the first time in 5-ish months) and her beloved cruiser she rides every weekday from the train to her office and back. Keep in mind this girl has ridden probably 2,500 miles on her road bike. The cruiser, she rides 9/10 of a mile each way Monday through Friday. Thank goodness she didn't wreck trying to back-pedal to stop. And it took her a bit to remember she had gears. (snicker)
We reached the race start and met up with our dear friend, Lisa Sauber. We spent as much time as possible catching up with her because last time we did this ride, the start was the only time we saw her! Zoooom! However, you'll be happy to know that we actually rode the whole thing without Lisa pulling away from us. I'm going to assume it's because we're that much faster than before.
My blog, my rules remember?
It felt good being on the bike. Ever since I was a kid I've loved that feeling of freedom the bike brings. On Sunday I felt like a kid again, like I was going so fast I could fly. I remember getting my first brand new bike. Up until then it was hand-me-down bikes. I was about 6 or 7, we lived in Guam. It was Christmas morning and, although I am sure it was utter chaos with six kids, I remember those magical mornings. Us kids would always wake up early, led by Jim and Bob most likely. Mom and Dad would wake and get their coffee, then would be sure to make note of the fact that the cookies, milk and carrot sticks (the latter for the reindeer, of course) were gone (gasp!); Christmas music played, most likely Bing and Frank and Perry and Andy. And of course Dad and Mom would take their places as we all jockeyed for position around the tree. Dad would begin the tortuous (to us kids) process of handing out presents, trying to make sure each of us had a turn in the spotlight, opening our gift while everyone waited in anticipation. Anticipating not what the others got but when would it be their turn!
I remember all the gifts being opened and how excited we all were, each of us playing with our new toys. But I think maybe I was a little disappointed because I had been asking Santa for a new bike, like, forEVER. Then Dad said "Hey, big boy" - that was his nickname for me - "can you check out on the lanai for..." Here my memory escapes me - not sure what he sent me for. All I know is that I opened the sliding glass door onto the enclosed patio and there it was - my very first, brand new, all mine, not a hand-me-down bright red shiny bike. It had a bow on the handlebars, too. I probably shrieked and I ran to the bike, with the family right behind me. I remember pushing it outside into the tropical morning air. I remember standing on the left side. I remember swinging my leg over as I jumped up on the seat.
And I remember falling over because my feet couldn't touch the ground. New bike - seat hadn't been adjusted yet. Wham - on my right side. I don't think I cried. Dad adjusted the seat for me. And I've loved riding bikes ever since.
Back to Event 5: The ride was a blast, it was great catching up with Lisa. The route took us through some neat neighborhoods. It's always fun to tour by bike. It's more personal, I think.
We crossed the finish line, hugged our goodbyes to our riding partner and rode on home. Again, Bex! and I had the rest of the day to enjoy that nice feeling of accomplishment.
And, yeah, 5 events in 20 days. That's a nice little start to the 50@50 Project!
Let's recap:
Event 1 was an 8k snow shoe race;
Events 2 & 3 were runs, a 6k and a 5k in two days;
Event 4 was the Portland Polar Plunge, a little dippity-doo in the Columbia River to raise money for Oregon Special Olympics;
This brings us to Event 5 - the Worst Day of the Year Ride, a 16 mile tour of Portland.
Because we rode to and from the race site, we actually logged close to 22 miles doing this gig. Not bad for the first time in many months to be out on two wheels.
The weather was chilly, low 40's. I was dressed in bike bibs, tights, my fave Yellow Submarine bike jersey and a riding vest to break the chill wind. Wool arm warmers and light weight gloves. I was borderline chilled throughout the day but another layer would have been too much, methinks.
The entertainment for the ride to the start was this: Bex! lamenting the differences between her road bike (which she was on for the first time in 5-ish months) and her beloved cruiser she rides every weekday from the train to her office and back. Keep in mind this girl has ridden probably 2,500 miles on her road bike. The cruiser, she rides 9/10 of a mile each way Monday through Friday. Thank goodness she didn't wreck trying to back-pedal to stop. And it took her a bit to remember she had gears. (snicker)
We reached the race start and met up with our dear friend, Lisa Sauber. We spent as much time as possible catching up with her because last time we did this ride, the start was the only time we saw her! Zoooom! However, you'll be happy to know that we actually rode the whole thing without Lisa pulling away from us. I'm going to assume it's because we're that much faster than before.
My blog, my rules remember?
It felt good being on the bike. Ever since I was a kid I've loved that feeling of freedom the bike brings. On Sunday I felt like a kid again, like I was going so fast I could fly. I remember getting my first brand new bike. Up until then it was hand-me-down bikes. I was about 6 or 7, we lived in Guam. It was Christmas morning and, although I am sure it was utter chaos with six kids, I remember those magical mornings. Us kids would always wake up early, led by Jim and Bob most likely. Mom and Dad would wake and get their coffee, then would be sure to make note of the fact that the cookies, milk and carrot sticks (the latter for the reindeer, of course) were gone (gasp!); Christmas music played, most likely Bing and Frank and Perry and Andy. And of course Dad and Mom would take their places as we all jockeyed for position around the tree. Dad would begin the tortuous (to us kids) process of handing out presents, trying to make sure each of us had a turn in the spotlight, opening our gift while everyone waited in anticipation. Anticipating not what the others got but when would it be their turn!
I remember all the gifts being opened and how excited we all were, each of us playing with our new toys. But I think maybe I was a little disappointed because I had been asking Santa for a new bike, like, forEVER. Then Dad said "Hey, big boy" - that was his nickname for me - "can you check out on the lanai for..." Here my memory escapes me - not sure what he sent me for. All I know is that I opened the sliding glass door onto the enclosed patio and there it was - my very first, brand new, all mine, not a hand-me-down bright red shiny bike. It had a bow on the handlebars, too. I probably shrieked and I ran to the bike, with the family right behind me. I remember pushing it outside into the tropical morning air. I remember standing on the left side. I remember swinging my leg over as I jumped up on the seat.
And I remember falling over because my feet couldn't touch the ground. New bike - seat hadn't been adjusted yet. Wham - on my right side. I don't think I cried. Dad adjusted the seat for me. And I've loved riding bikes ever since.
Back to Event 5: The ride was a blast, it was great catching up with Lisa. The route took us through some neat neighborhoods. It's always fun to tour by bike. It's more personal, I think.
We crossed the finish line, hugged our goodbyes to our riding partner and rode on home. Again, Bex! and I had the rest of the day to enjoy that nice feeling of accomplishment.
And, yeah, 5 events in 20 days. That's a nice little start to the 50@50 Project!
Saturday, February 9, 2013
Freezin' for a Reason
Holy cow! The 50@50 Project's Event #4 is done and I think I finally have some feeling back in my toes! Okay, it wasn't that bad but the water was damn cold. The Portland Polar Plunge is a fundraiser for the Oregon Special Olympics. The last figure I heard announced for donation totals put the proceeds at over $270,000!! Great cause!
We woke up around 7 this morning, got dressed and walked up to Besaw's for breakfast and mimosas, because nothing prepares you to jump in the extremely cold Columbia River like... like... okay, nothing prepares you for it! But the mimosas and food were darn tasty! It's one of our favorite restaurants. Their breakfast is fantastic, the coffee is big and bold, the drinks strong and they know us there, so the service is always A-1. The interesting thing about Besaw's is how it changes over from breakfast to lunch. For breakfast, it's 'upscale diner' - paper napkins, bare tables, quick turns. The food comes out fresh, hot and fast. But when they switch over for dinner later in the day, it's cloth napkins, table cloths, candles, dim lights. Same great service but they slow it down and make every meal feel special. www.besaws.com
After the walk back home, we finished packing for this crazy plunge thingy. Having never done anything like this before, we both were unsure of what to bring along. So we brought more than we needed (we do that a lot) and left for the river!
The drive to Broughton Beach on the Columbia took about 30 minutes. We followed the signs to parking and queued up for the shuttle buses that would take us to the plunge point. People were flowing in to the parking lot and the police who were directing traffic didn't seem to have a plan as to how cars were brought in - a few down this row, then switch to this area across the lot, then park some in this area close to the gate, then park some over yonder which blocked the bus turnaround area, etc. Me, I would have filled the parking lot in rows from the back to the front. But what do I know. Wait, don't answer that.
A bus pulled in, loaded up, left. Another bus pulled in, loaded up, left. The next bus -ours, as it happened - pulled in with rock music blaring and a bus driver who looked like he was on his way to a Grateful Dead show. He was awesome! He was so much fun that he almost missed the turn into the staging area for the Polar Plunge! With the help of the cops, he backed up enough to make the turn into the lot and we climbed out, thanking him for getting us pumped up for this event.
We milled around and I danced in front of the large bull. Don't worry, the video will make it all clear. Midway through my dance number I was accosted by my sisters!! Yep, Pat and Susan came out to cheer us on. It was so nice of them to come out to support us! Thanks, you two!!
The announcer asked everyone to start lining up to get ready for the big dip. Neat setup for the event: the water is roped off about 30 feet out so you can't go too far. And there were a bunch of rescue divers, firemen, the fire boat, paramedics. It was comforting to see they were well prepared in case someone had issues.
We were in Plunge Group 20 of 22. A lot of companies, schools, families and friends make teams so they get to go first. Those of us who signed up as individuals get placed at the end. No biggie cuz it moved fast once they started. The event organizers keep the size of the Plunge groups manageable so that rescue personnel can keep an eye on everyone, making sure we get in and get out okay.
The air temp was around 41-42 degrees, water was much colder. It was a little chilly standing in line waiting our turn. But before we knew it, they were announcing Group 16. Getting close! Yoinks! Next thing we knew, it was our turn!
Thanks to my sisters for helping out! Pat held the duffel with our very valuable warm clothes and Susan operated the video camera. And by 'video camera' I mean my iPhone. In the video of the Plunge, you'll see me in a neon yellow shirt and shorts, Bex! in her red running skirt and a tank top.
Our grand plan was to go into the water holding hands. Cute, huh? Yeah, well, that went out the window as Bex! set her sights on the water and getting it over with, so she took off running! In and out! VERY COLD! Now, I need to tell you that Pat challenged me to go all in, underwater. The announcer said we shouldn't, that up to the neck was fine. But if you know me, you know what I did. I ran out until I was a little over waist deep, then just plunked down, all the way under! I came up gasping and trying not to scream swear words, I high fived the rescue diver, then I think I ran across the water like they do in the cartoons or at least I would have if I could have!
Out, back to our towels, grabbed the duffel with the warmies and walked back up to the staging area. My awesome sisters brought us coffee and cocoa, we changed clothes, thrilled at how well it had gone, shining in the moment. Pat drove us back to the parking area and we left, laughing over the fact that we had just voluntarily jumped in the Columbia in February.
Normal people would have gone directly home, showered, warmed up. We are not normal. We drove to the Lucky Lab Brewery and picked up our race packets for tomorrow's 50@50 Project event - the Worst Day of the Year Ride.
Event 5.
Stay tuned!
We woke up around 7 this morning, got dressed and walked up to Besaw's for breakfast and mimosas, because nothing prepares you to jump in the extremely cold Columbia River like... like... okay, nothing prepares you for it! But the mimosas and food were darn tasty! It's one of our favorite restaurants. Their breakfast is fantastic, the coffee is big and bold, the drinks strong and they know us there, so the service is always A-1. The interesting thing about Besaw's is how it changes over from breakfast to lunch. For breakfast, it's 'upscale diner' - paper napkins, bare tables, quick turns. The food comes out fresh, hot and fast. But when they switch over for dinner later in the day, it's cloth napkins, table cloths, candles, dim lights. Same great service but they slow it down and make every meal feel special. www.besaws.com
After the walk back home, we finished packing for this crazy plunge thingy. Having never done anything like this before, we both were unsure of what to bring along. So we brought more than we needed (we do that a lot) and left for the river!
The drive to Broughton Beach on the Columbia took about 30 minutes. We followed the signs to parking and queued up for the shuttle buses that would take us to the plunge point. People were flowing in to the parking lot and the police who were directing traffic didn't seem to have a plan as to how cars were brought in - a few down this row, then switch to this area across the lot, then park some in this area close to the gate, then park some over yonder which blocked the bus turnaround area, etc. Me, I would have filled the parking lot in rows from the back to the front. But what do I know. Wait, don't answer that.
A bus pulled in, loaded up, left. Another bus pulled in, loaded up, left. The next bus -ours, as it happened - pulled in with rock music blaring and a bus driver who looked like he was on his way to a Grateful Dead show. He was awesome! He was so much fun that he almost missed the turn into the staging area for the Polar Plunge! With the help of the cops, he backed up enough to make the turn into the lot and we climbed out, thanking him for getting us pumped up for this event.
We milled around and I danced in front of the large bull. Don't worry, the video will make it all clear. Midway through my dance number I was accosted by my sisters!! Yep, Pat and Susan came out to cheer us on. It was so nice of them to come out to support us! Thanks, you two!!
The announcer asked everyone to start lining up to get ready for the big dip. Neat setup for the event: the water is roped off about 30 feet out so you can't go too far. And there were a bunch of rescue divers, firemen, the fire boat, paramedics. It was comforting to see they were well prepared in case someone had issues.
We were in Plunge Group 20 of 22. A lot of companies, schools, families and friends make teams so they get to go first. Those of us who signed up as individuals get placed at the end. No biggie cuz it moved fast once they started. The event organizers keep the size of the Plunge groups manageable so that rescue personnel can keep an eye on everyone, making sure we get in and get out okay.
The air temp was around 41-42 degrees, water was much colder. It was a little chilly standing in line waiting our turn. But before we knew it, they were announcing Group 16. Getting close! Yoinks! Next thing we knew, it was our turn!
Thanks to my sisters for helping out! Pat held the duffel with our very valuable warm clothes and Susan operated the video camera. And by 'video camera' I mean my iPhone. In the video of the Plunge, you'll see me in a neon yellow shirt and shorts, Bex! in her red running skirt and a tank top.
Our grand plan was to go into the water holding hands. Cute, huh? Yeah, well, that went out the window as Bex! set her sights on the water and getting it over with, so she took off running! In and out! VERY COLD! Now, I need to tell you that Pat challenged me to go all in, underwater. The announcer said we shouldn't, that up to the neck was fine. But if you know me, you know what I did. I ran out until I was a little over waist deep, then just plunked down, all the way under! I came up gasping and trying not to scream swear words, I high fived the rescue diver, then I think I ran across the water like they do in the cartoons or at least I would have if I could have!
Out, back to our towels, grabbed the duffel with the warmies and walked back up to the staging area. My awesome sisters brought us coffee and cocoa, we changed clothes, thrilled at how well it had gone, shining in the moment. Pat drove us back to the parking area and we left, laughing over the fact that we had just voluntarily jumped in the Columbia in February.
Normal people would have gone directly home, showered, warmed up. We are not normal. We drove to the Lucky Lab Brewery and picked up our race packets for tomorrow's 50@50 Project event - the Worst Day of the Year Ride.
Event 5.
Stay tuned!
Friday, February 8, 2013
Brrrrrrrrrr... and beyond!!!
Howdy, all!
It's another double header weekend for the 50@50 Project, with tomorrows' Portland Polar Plunge and Sunday's Worst Day of the Year Ride. I think I'm more nervous about jumping in the freezing cold river than I am of riding 18 miles around town! Oh well - the project moves on!
The Portland Polar Plunge is a fundraiser for the Oregon Special Olympics. While I didn't put a lot of effort into raising money, I AM participating and in doing so I hope that shows my full support for this very worthy cause. Plus, I am super proud ofCamera Crew my wife for jumping in with me. It's metaphorical to how she's approached this whole insane project, jumping in with both feet. I love her dearly!
Sundays ride will be short and sweet, although the weather could turn it into short and crash and burn. Let's check the weather forecast, shall we: Sunday calls for a high of 50, low of 41 and mostly sunny. Worst day ride, my arse. (cross yer fingers!)
What is the 'beyond' part of this post, you ask? You DID ask, didn't you? No? Hmmm... well anyway, the beyond part is that I and my lovely, dedicated, slightly crazy-for-going-along-with-me-on-this-adventure wife have been busy signing up for more events! See, this is how you commit to these things - you sign up, you spend the money AND then you tell people.
Which events, you ask? Wha... again, you didn't ask? Well, now I'm just confused. Grrrr...
Okay, next/new events on the calendar:
February 23rd - Cartathlon 3, an adventure race around Portland wherein teams of five obtain clues from food cart pods around the city - and we get to eat!
February 24th - Hazel Dell 8k, that's right - we're heading to the 'couv
March 3rd - Red Lizard Five Miler
March 17th - Shamrock Run 8k, followed immediately by the annual Beer Garden Standing In Line Contest
March 30th - Spring Classic Duathlon, a 5k run-15 mile bike-5k run - especially excited for this one because my baby sister is doing this event, too! Go, Susie!
April 7th - Bridge to Brews 10k or as I like to call it - 'return to the scene of the crime'.
May 11th (my Dad's birthday) - the Inland Empire 50 mile bike ride, held in the beautiful Tri-Cities, WA. This weekend will be extra mah-ve-lous because the one and only Kyle Miller and his lovely wife Raynee will be joining us as well as putting us up (or is it 'putting up with us'?) And maybe - just maybe - my baby brother Rich will come down from Spokane to ride along. (hint hint)
June 9th - Portland Parks and Rec starts their $5 5k events, so we're doing those as filler for weekends when... it's not busy. (sigh) Yeah, weekends are gonna be packed - with fun and accomplishment and achieving this crazy goal of mine.
As you can see by the events thus far in the 50@50 Project, I am trying to keep it interesting by participating in a wide variety of events, not just going out and running 50 - 5k's (although that would be pretty cool, too). I mean, come on - the first event was a freakin' snowshoe race! Also note that we are willing to travel! And that the distances and complexity of the events is growing (see entry above for March 30th)
But mostly take note that we are willing to - nay, capable of - dragging others down with us.
Heh heh...
It's another double header weekend for the 50@50 Project, with tomorrows' Portland Polar Plunge and Sunday's Worst Day of the Year Ride. I think I'm more nervous about jumping in the freezing cold river than I am of riding 18 miles around town! Oh well - the project moves on!
The Portland Polar Plunge is a fundraiser for the Oregon Special Olympics. While I didn't put a lot of effort into raising money, I AM participating and in doing so I hope that shows my full support for this very worthy cause. Plus, I am super proud of
Sundays ride will be short and sweet, although the weather could turn it into short and crash and burn. Let's check the weather forecast, shall we: Sunday calls for a high of 50, low of 41 and mostly sunny. Worst day ride, my arse. (cross yer fingers!)
What is the 'beyond' part of this post, you ask? You DID ask, didn't you? No? Hmmm... well anyway, the beyond part is that I and my lovely, dedicated, slightly crazy-for-going-along-with-me-on-this-adventure wife have been busy signing up for more events! See, this is how you commit to these things - you sign up, you spend the money AND then you tell people.
Which events, you ask? Wha... again, you didn't ask? Well, now I'm just confused. Grrrr...
Okay, next/new events on the calendar:
February 23rd - Cartathlon 3, an adventure race around Portland wherein teams of five obtain clues from food cart pods around the city - and we get to eat!
February 24th - Hazel Dell 8k, that's right - we're heading to the 'couv
March 3rd - Red Lizard Five Miler
March 17th - Shamrock Run 8k, followed immediately by the annual Beer Garden Standing In Line Contest
March 30th - Spring Classic Duathlon, a 5k run-15 mile bike-5k run - especially excited for this one because my baby sister is doing this event, too! Go, Susie!
April 7th - Bridge to Brews 10k or as I like to call it - 'return to the scene of the crime'.
May 11th (my Dad's birthday) - the Inland Empire 50 mile bike ride, held in the beautiful Tri-Cities, WA. This weekend will be extra mah-ve-lous because the one and only Kyle Miller and his lovely wife Raynee will be joining us as well as putting us up (or is it 'putting up with us'?) And maybe - just maybe - my baby brother Rich will come down from Spokane to ride along. (hint hint)
June 9th - Portland Parks and Rec starts their $5 5k events, so we're doing those as filler for weekends when... it's not busy. (sigh) Yeah, weekends are gonna be packed - with fun and accomplishment and achieving this crazy goal of mine.
As you can see by the events thus far in the 50@50 Project, I am trying to keep it interesting by participating in a wide variety of events, not just going out and running 50 - 5k's (although that would be pretty cool, too). I mean, come on - the first event was a freakin' snowshoe race! Also note that we are willing to travel! And that the distances and complexity of the events is growing (see entry above for March 30th)
But mostly take note that we are willing to - nay, capable of - dragging others down with us.
Heh heh...
Monday, February 4, 2013
First double header weekend complete!
After Saturday's 6k run (Event 2 in my 50@50 Project), we were feeling confident as we drove about an hour south toward Salem for Event #3, the 5k Zena Road Run. Bex! and I were both a little sore, each in our own trouble areas. For me, it's my hips, especially the right one. That bugger is a constant reminder that I can never stretch enough. It feels okay once I get moving and warmed up, but until that time it... it... well, it just aches. It's hard to describe - the ache is more nuisance than anything, just a constant uncomfortable feeling. Anyhoo...
It seemed a little warmer than Saturday and it was overcast, not foggy like the previous morning. We drove through the little town of Lincoln, OR [never knew such a place existed] and out to the Spring Valley Community Center. Neat old building, looks like it was a church back in the day. We parked roadside about 1/2 mile from the 'church' and walked along the shoulder to the check in area. As you'll see in the video intro, I felt like one of the elite runners because I had bib number 9. The low digits are typically reserved for the pros. Umm, yeah. I am fairly sure that, in this case, it just means I was the ninth person to register.
We strolled back to the car, taking note of all the hills. A pre-race check of the course elevation showed us that we had about a half mile from the start before we would hit a nasty little riser, approximately 300' over a half mile. Not horrible, but this early in the season and having run the day prior - and having a general disdain for hills - this was a little spooky.
We stretched with the other several hundred participants, listened to a very nice rendition of the national anthem performed by one of the runners [with everyone else singing backup] and then we were off!
The first half mile was nice - rolling hills, gradual down hill. Then we hit the uphill! Cue ominous music. Actually, it wasn't that bad. I will say that I walked a little, mostly due to coughing up some phlegm. Sick for a week prior, remember? So, yeah, I walked a little to catch my breath.
Once we hit the top, at the one mile mark, it was a nice cruise out to the turn around point. Lickety split, we were back at the finish in a respectable 36+ minutes. Felt pretty good with the time considering: second race in two days; sick!; hills; early in the year.
We hung around for a bit, enjoying the accomplishments of the weekend. We had some cocoa and snacks. Ooh, that reminds me - big shout out to Betty Lou's Bakery - local maker of gluten-free snack bars and they are really tasty - www.bettylousinc.com ! We walked back to the car, taking a few minutes to listen to some squawking from chickens, geese and ducks roaming in a locals yard, then hit the road. FYI - the geese were very excitable and noisy, better than any watchdog, I'd say.
Since we were south of Portland near wine country, we decided to take advantage of this so we hit a couple of our favorite wineries on the way home. Winter's Hill was the site of one of our first dates and we really enjoy their wines. We walked out with 6 bottles - a 2011 Pinot Gris, a 2006 Pinot Noir [mmmmm...] and 4 bottles of the 2009 Pinot Noir. Then we hit Argyle, where our server poured us extra samples - this earned her a couple of 22 oz. bottles of Redhook Double Black Stout. We purchased some bubbles - a 2002 Extended Tirage Brut, two bottles of of their delicious Brut Rose`; we also picked up a bottle of 2010 reserve Pinot Noir and a magnum of big, bold, sassy 2003 Nuthouse Pinot Noir.
A good haul, indeed!
We arrived home about 2, made a couple of trips up and down to the car to bring our bounty inside, then showered and made nachos and micheladas for the Super Bowl.
The game didn't go the way we wanted, but all in all it was a very successful weekend!
We will be sure to stretch this week as well as get 2-3 runs in. Yoga, too. Next weekend is another double header: Saturday is the Portland Polar Plunge, a fundraiser for Oregon Special Olympics; Sunday brings the first bike event of the 50@50 Project, the 18 mile Worst Day of the Year Ride.
Thanks for following along!
It seemed a little warmer than Saturday and it was overcast, not foggy like the previous morning. We drove through the little town of Lincoln, OR [never knew such a place existed] and out to the Spring Valley Community Center. Neat old building, looks like it was a church back in the day. We parked roadside about 1/2 mile from the 'church' and walked along the shoulder to the check in area. As you'll see in the video intro, I felt like one of the elite runners because I had bib number 9. The low digits are typically reserved for the pros. Umm, yeah. I am fairly sure that, in this case, it just means I was the ninth person to register.
We strolled back to the car, taking note of all the hills. A pre-race check of the course elevation showed us that we had about a half mile from the start before we would hit a nasty little riser, approximately 300' over a half mile. Not horrible, but this early in the season and having run the day prior - and having a general disdain for hills - this was a little spooky.
We stretched with the other several hundred participants, listened to a very nice rendition of the national anthem performed by one of the runners [with everyone else singing backup] and then we were off!
The first half mile was nice - rolling hills, gradual down hill. Then we hit the uphill! Cue ominous music. Actually, it wasn't that bad. I will say that I walked a little, mostly due to coughing up some phlegm. Sick for a week prior, remember? So, yeah, I walked a little to catch my breath.
Once we hit the top, at the one mile mark, it was a nice cruise out to the turn around point. Lickety split, we were back at the finish in a respectable 36+ minutes. Felt pretty good with the time considering: second race in two days; sick!; hills; early in the year.
We hung around for a bit, enjoying the accomplishments of the weekend. We had some cocoa and snacks. Ooh, that reminds me - big shout out to Betty Lou's Bakery - local maker of gluten-free snack bars and they are really tasty - www.bettylousinc.com ! We walked back to the car, taking a few minutes to listen to some squawking from chickens, geese and ducks roaming in a locals yard, then hit the road. FYI - the geese were very excitable and noisy, better than any watchdog, I'd say.
Since we were south of Portland near wine country, we decided to take advantage of this so we hit a couple of our favorite wineries on the way home. Winter's Hill was the site of one of our first dates and we really enjoy their wines. We walked out with 6 bottles - a 2011 Pinot Gris, a 2006 Pinot Noir [mmmmm...] and 4 bottles of the 2009 Pinot Noir. Then we hit Argyle, where our server poured us extra samples - this earned her a couple of 22 oz. bottles of Redhook Double Black Stout. We purchased some bubbles - a 2002 Extended Tirage Brut, two bottles of of their delicious Brut Rose`; we also picked up a bottle of 2010 reserve Pinot Noir and a magnum of big, bold, sassy 2003 Nuthouse Pinot Noir.
A good haul, indeed!
We arrived home about 2, made a couple of trips up and down to the car to bring our bounty inside, then showered and made nachos and micheladas for the Super Bowl.
The game didn't go the way we wanted, but all in all it was a very successful weekend!
We will be sure to stretch this week as well as get 2-3 runs in. Yoga, too. Next weekend is another double header: Saturday is the Portland Polar Plunge, a fundraiser for Oregon Special Olympics; Sunday brings the first bike event of the 50@50 Project, the 18 mile Worst Day of the Year Ride.
Thanks for following along!
Saturday, February 2, 2013
A 6k in the books; a 5k tomorrow
The Worst Day of the Year Run is complete! A 'generous' 6k, mapped at 3.9 miles, it was a very flat course that was mostly paved. There were short sections on gravel, too, but nothing too rutted or bumpy. We finished in 47 minutes, which had us feeling pretty damn good considering we've both been sick for a week with congestion, coughing and sneezing.
We woke up this morning, looked outside for the weather report and saw that it was clear and cold. You could tell the sun was going to warm up the morning nicely! We were excited to go to the race, run in the chill air and feel the sun warming us along the way. We hopped into the car a little before 9 to drive north to the Expo Center in NoPo. What a surprise as we approached the Fremont Bridge and couldn't see beyond the center span due to thick thick fog!
It stayed foggy all the way up I-5 to the race site at the Expo Center. Like I said, it was cold and now with the damp air, it was not a nice day for a run. Guess that's why it's the Worst Day of the Year Run! Of course, it could have been much worse, namely 'raining'. All in all, it was tolerable.
We parked, wandered around til we found the check in area, avoided the rabid scrap bookers that were flowing into the main hall. We had snacks and stretched a little, then wandered outside for the start.
Yep, still cold and foggy. We were standing in the crowd chatting away, then all of a sudden the announcer was calling "10, 9, 8...". Next thing we knew we were off and running! Miles 1 and 2 went by pretty quickly, as did the three mile marker. The cold air and the breathing hard were getting to us, aggravating our sore throats. Bex! was coughing pretty bad but we managed to maintain a nice steady pace and finished strong, with a sweet little sprint the last 75 or so yards to the finish line.
Event #2 - complete!
We hung out for a bit, had some tasty hot chicken noodle soup and a Widmer Drop Top. Then we were off to my granddaughter's birthday party.
Cuz there ain't no party like a three year old's party!! Woot woot! Happy birthday, Sawyer!
Tomorrow: the 5k Zena Run down south near Salem. An out and back course with a nasty little hill about a 1/2 mile in - yippee! For now, it's rest and relaxation. And stretching.
And laundry.
We woke up this morning, looked outside for the weather report and saw that it was clear and cold. You could tell the sun was going to warm up the morning nicely! We were excited to go to the race, run in the chill air and feel the sun warming us along the way. We hopped into the car a little before 9 to drive north to the Expo Center in NoPo. What a surprise as we approached the Fremont Bridge and couldn't see beyond the center span due to thick thick fog!
It stayed foggy all the way up I-5 to the race site at the Expo Center. Like I said, it was cold and now with the damp air, it was not a nice day for a run. Guess that's why it's the Worst Day of the Year Run! Of course, it could have been much worse, namely 'raining'. All in all, it was tolerable.
We parked, wandered around til we found the check in area, avoided the rabid scrap bookers that were flowing into the main hall. We had snacks and stretched a little, then wandered outside for the start.
Yep, still cold and foggy. We were standing in the crowd chatting away, then all of a sudden the announcer was calling "10, 9, 8...". Next thing we knew we were off and running! Miles 1 and 2 went by pretty quickly, as did the three mile marker. The cold air and the breathing hard were getting to us, aggravating our sore throats. Bex! was coughing pretty bad but we managed to maintain a nice steady pace and finished strong, with a sweet little sprint the last 75 or so yards to the finish line.
Event #2 - complete!
We hung out for a bit, had some tasty hot chicken noodle soup and a Widmer Drop Top. Then we were off to my granddaughter's birthday party.
Cuz there ain't no party like a three year old's party!! Woot woot! Happy birthday, Sawyer!
Tomorrow: the 5k Zena Run down south near Salem. An out and back course with a nasty little hill about a 1/2 mile in - yippee! For now, it's rest and relaxation. And stretching.
And laundry.
Friday, February 1, 2013
Double header weekend is here!
Excited!!
Events #2 and #3 in the 50@50 Project are this weekend - the 6k Worst Day of the Year Run is tomorrow followed by Sunday's 5k Zena Run in Salem. As excited as I am about this challenge, I'm also nervous. My camera crew and I have been sick for about a week, just feeling a little better as I type. Congestion, coughing, sinus pressure, etc. All the fun stuff that makes breathing difficult. Let's throw in some running, cold air and exercise - that will make it better, right?!
It's a bittersweet day for me, as well. After 18 years, 4 months, 25 days today is my last day at Craft Brew Alliance. It's been an amazing ride but it's time to explore new opportunities. So, while I'm dealing with the surreal feelings of this milestone in my life, the 50@50Project goes on!
Look for a post or two or three this weekend about the races! And wish me luck!
(sniff, cough, sneeze,...)
Events #2 and #3 in the 50@50 Project are this weekend - the 6k Worst Day of the Year Run is tomorrow followed by Sunday's 5k Zena Run in Salem. As excited as I am about this challenge, I'm also nervous. My camera crew and I have been sick for about a week, just feeling a little better as I type. Congestion, coughing, sinus pressure, etc. All the fun stuff that makes breathing difficult. Let's throw in some running, cold air and exercise - that will make it better, right?!
It's a bittersweet day for me, as well. After 18 years, 4 months, 25 days today is my last day at Craft Brew Alliance. It's been an amazing ride but it's time to explore new opportunities. So, while I'm dealing with the surreal feelings of this milestone in my life, the 50@50Project goes on!
Look for a post or two or three this weekend about the races! And wish me luck!
(sniff, cough, sneeze,...)
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