Last night, Wally decided (with his body weight on my books) that one hour of studying was enough and it would be much better if we lay on the couch and watched TV while I pet him. I finally agreed...

Got in a lift this morning before work.

Upper Weights @ 00:40:00

Spin class was good today -- Tija had a nice mix of songs from The Birds to Simon and Garfunkle and there was NO SPRINTING! Whoop whoop :) But a LOT of climbing and other drills that were tough on my legs. I did get in lunges after but had a meeting at 2 so I still need to do my other two lower weigh exercises.

Spin Class @ 00:50:00
Lunges @ 00:10:00

Last night, we went to see the invite-only rough cut pre-screening of "For My Wife", a documentary about Charlene Strong and marriage equality. It was a pretty emotional topper to a rather difficult day and got me to bed pretty late. I did make it in for core class and plan to run to West Seattle and back during my lunch to get some of this out of my system.

Core Class @ 00:30:00

Got in a nice run to West Seattle and back. Kept the pace aerobic and just let my legs take me at their pace.

8.2 Mile Run @ 01:18:00

Spent last night studying with Wally's help...

Tough day here at the office and lost some work friends to our initiative to build a stronger company. I managed to survive it and am just grateful to still be employed.

Went to spin class today but my legs (and mind) felt pretty heavy...

Spin Class @ 00:50:00

Got a lift into work extra early this morning so I was able to test our new LiveMeeting interface before heading down for my upper weight session and then core class.

Upper Weights @ 00:30:00
Core Class @ 00:30:00

I am still quite hungry today and had a tough time generating enthusiasm for my run. I set off during lunchtime giving myself an "out" to turn around at the 1.5 mark if I was super tired. I made it past that mark and ran along the large gravel rocks and as much trail as I could find for a 5.5 mile run. Did not break a single speed record. When I got back, I did my lower weights while dripping sweat all over the place.

5.5 Mile Run @ 00:55:00

Lower Weights @ 00:10:00

Ragnar Relay 08

Today is most definitely a well-earned recovery day. I had a blast at the Ragnar Relay and very much enjoyed the group in my van as well as the adventure. Our team had 12 people, runners 1-6 in one van and runners 7-12 in the second. I was runner 7 and in Van 2. I got the first "slap bracelet" hand-off in our van and did the first 3.7 mile run and let me say for the record, "moderate, my ASS" as it climbed and climbed and climbed curve after corner after curve. Then I handed it off to Wes, runner 8 who took off and we would stop at different points and cheer for him and on and on until all our runners did the first round.

3.7 Mile Run @ 00:35:20 (9:30 pace)

Then we hooked up with their friends who were also Van2 for the other team and went to Red Robin around 10:30 PM for dinner while our Van1 did their next section. We figured I was supposed to run around 2AM so I had a nice pasta and chicken dinner figuring it would give me the perfect amount of energy and digestion time. Of course we had not bothered to look at what Van 1 was doing and most of their legs were 3ish miles and "easy" (they were running sub-6 miles) and we got a phone call just when we left the restaurant that their second to last runner was starting and my running start time was going to be midnight. YIKES.

So I quickly changed in the back seat trying to stuff my belly full of pasta into my running capri's. I got the slap bracelet right at midnight and took off -- reflective running vest in hand, water bottle in left and mini flashlight in right. I was pretty nervous -- no street lights and it was a cloudy night. But once I hit the course, I was in heaven. What an amazing gift to be able to run through a beautiful part of the country, every step an unknown. I got into a groove and loved every moment. I would definitely do that again even though there were a couple of times that were kinda dicey when an oncoming car would temporarily blind me. I handed the bracelet off, changed out of my clothes and lay down in the back seat and apparently got the best night's sleep of anyone because I did not wake up until 7:30 AM. It was not a steady sleep as I woke up a lot with all when there was a change of runners or general noise but I was always able to fall back asleep.

8.5 Mile Run @ 01:17:34 (9:07 pace)

When I finally woke up at 7:30 AM, we were parked in a high school parking lot and the stench emitting from the van had moved three people in the team to sleep outside on the lawn while the other three of us slept in it. I was the first in the group to wake up (the best rested) and got some coffee and half a muffin and enjoyed sitting on the bench looking at all people sleeping on the ground and other teams chatting and swapping stories. My third leg started around 9 AM and I had just the best run. It was either looking at or along the water. I had a hill in the beginning but the rest was either downhill or flat and I am proud to say that I pretty much smoked it.

6.6 Mile Run @ 00:50:36 (7:40 pace)

When I came in, I let the team know that this was definitely the toughest leg -- physically and emotionally and rallied everyone to figure out ways to keep our runners motivated through our legs. Wes was next and he had a rather dicey moment sitting in the forest with all the running bras we had hung in the back of the seat so we decided that was his theme. At about his 1.5 mile mark, he ran through a mini-tunnel of us waving our running bras above his head and he was cracking up. The next time we did the running bra wave and finally, the Macerana with the bras on our heads :).

Then was Kiera's turn and she had been talking earlier about how much she loved the song "Eye of the Tiger" but it wasn't on the iPod so I looked the lyrics up my Dash and we "practiced" quickly and when she came up a hill, we "sang" the chorus to her. Our next one was "Bringing Sexy Back" and we practiced as Wes' backup singers and opened the back doors to the van blaring the music and lip syncing and danced as she ran by. Chris was a great support too as he would bring water to the runners as we entertained them.

Then it was Chris' turn and we danced to "Twist and Shout" as he went by up a hill. His next song was "Brown Eyed Girl" and by that time, we had a bit of a reputation and another group joined in the dance party as we danced and I passed around pickles.

We did "Love is a Battlefield" for Katie but she didn't even notice because she was so focused (and hungry and exhausted because she had done the lion's share of the driving) but she finished freakishly strong and fast.

Finally Jessica brought us home and we did one stop/dance/song for her and Katie ran her to the finish line the last mile where the rest of the group met and ran across the line -- all 12 of us :)

It sure was fun and of course, I was eyeing the ultra-runner teams as a possibility...hmmmm.

I came home and Wally actually ran away from me when I lifted my arm and I figured that my cue to get my crusty stanky butt in the shower and triple-wash my clothes.

Last night, I put together enough clothing for a 3 month trek across multiple continents and climate changes for today's Ragnar Relay. Unfortunately I am only barely exaggerating.

Here is how it is billed on the website:

"You and 11 of your closest friends running day and night, relay-style, through some of the most scenic terrain North America could muster. Add in live bands, inside jokes and a mild case of sleep deprivation. The result? Some call it a slumber party without sleep, pillows or deodorant. We call it a Ragnar Relay..."

We leave at noon today for the race and I am pretty sure I will be runner 7. This means that Leg 1 will be 3.7 miles and moderate, Leg 2 will be 8.5 miles and very hard and Leg 3 will be 6.6 miles and hard.

I am nervous but looking forward to a new adventure even if it means spending 24 hours in a van with 10 people I have just met.

Got in my lift this morning with my new routine and then the usual pain session with Jon.

Upper Weights @ 00:30:00
Core Class @ 00:30:00

Wally and I spent the evening studying last night and made some more traction in our math knowledge gaps.

This morning, I had a 7:30 meeting but wanted to get in a run workout before that so I could do my lower weight workout in the afternoon. I had an interval run planned but a small window in which to do it. I took the earliest bus to work and used a stretch of the paved trail running parallel to Alaskan Way to do my intervals. I had run that section many times and noticed posts on either end -- it appeared to be about a quarter mile so I decided to use that.

After a very short WU, I started off and my goal was to do 5 -- and keep them about the same pace. Success! (2:00, 1:54, 1:57, 1:57, 1:56) I have no idea the exact distance but when I did the Google pedometer I figured it to be about .32 miles. When jogging back to get in a shower before the meeting, I had to remind myself of the very words I used last night "quality is better than quantity". I figured if I could lecture someone else on that, I could darn well follow my own advice and be quite happy with a shorter, yet effective workout.

3 Mile Interval Run @ 00:27:00

I checked in with Tija before class to find out what she thought about my doing my leg weights the day before the relay. She immediately nixed it and said I would not have time to recover so I was completely cool with that! Kept it pretty much only aerobic during spin.

Spin Class @ 00:50:00

Last night, I finally accepted that swimming is not my priority right now and that needs to be okay. I slept in until 6 this morning and made it in for Core class. I told Jon about my moment on Monday when I was looking in the mirror and saw what I thought was my reflection and was thrilled by how amazing my abs looked. And then I realized it was actually her reflection because we were both wearing similar outfits :( Oh well, at least something to aspire to...

Core Class @ 00:30:00

I then got in a nice hilly run up Yessler to the lake and back through the I90 tunnel. Fortunately, I was not too sore from yesterday's session with Jerome and felt strong during today's run.

6.4 Mile Run @ 01:02:00

For some reason, I thought a triple workout would be appropriate for today but reason did take over this morning and I re-set my alarm to get in another hour of sleep (Wally supported that) before heading into work.

Spin class was a lot of fun. Tija had put together a mix of songs that had TV theme songs interspersed. When one came on, we had to sprint and for some reason it was not as bad to sprint to the theme song of Gilligan's Island or The Adams Family. It was a good consistent tough workout and I made it through before dashing off to the shower for my very first session with Jerome.

Spin Class @ 00:50:00

I was a bit nervous about meeting with Jerome because I have seen how hard his clients work. He had put together a workout for me that started with push ups. Not just regular ones...ones where my hands had to change position every 5 times. OUCH. It was really cool to learn some more things to do, and how to really maximize it and engage the right muscles. I think I will be plenty sore tomorrow but it was a super session and I loved it!

Weight Session @ 01:00:00

Definitely feeling the weekend and made Core class my only workout of the day :)

Core Class @ 00:30:00

Wally and I spent the evening studying GMAT math and I think it is FINALLY beginning to sink in...

Today's scheduled run was 20 miles and I decided to give the East Lake Sammamish Trail a try since it was about 10 miles long. I started out on tired legs from yesterday (by design...) and was comforted by feeling a slight uphill in the beginning and looked forward to that downhill at the end of the run. It took me a bit of time to start to feel a rhythm but I felt good to the turn-around point in Issaquah. Then things started to heat up a bit (it was about 11:30 by then) and it started to get harder. My HR got higher but my pace never seemed to :( The last three miles took some serious self-talk and I was getting worried because I had almost finished my bottle of water and Gatorade. It did not help that the last three miles were NOT downhill, but mysteriously as uphill as they were on the way out.

It helped that I caught sight of someone ahead of me in a yellow shirt and I focused on chasing that person (not hard, of course) to the end. I finally caught and passed her just as I turned off the trail to get to the park but it did help pull me in. I was pretty out of it at the end and limped back to the car. Fortunately, I got to use the campus showers and got a nice cold chocolate milk and diet Pepsi in my stomach as well as first aid ointment for the newest wound my running bra created :(

We then headed to the company picnic and I think I did a pretty darn good job eating twice my weight in free food. :) It's been a great weekend and Wally and I look forward to completely vegging out tonight!

20 Mile Run @ 03:18:00

I stuck to staying off my legs yesterday and even was in bed by a reasonable hour after a great evening of (count them..three) dueling blues pianists at the Triple Door. I even said "no" to a second Mango Mojito (ohmygodsogood).

Still, 6:15 was a bit earlier than I was hoping it would be and I made it out to Log Boom to meet the group for the last ride. It was a nice cool morning for a ride and I got to ride with Ann, who SCHOOLED me the entire time! She is such a machine :) After I (but not Ann) finally limped back to the car, I got to catch up with Jeff over lunch. A perfect day so far and I am looking forward to eating an alarming amount of food at Amy's later today.

73 Mile Ride @ 04:40:00

This morning, I got in a good lift and then core class. I am going to try my hardest to keep that my only workout for the day to rest my legs for the upcoming cram-packed weekend.

Upper Weights @ 00:30:00
Core Class @ 00:30:00

This morning, I woke up very tired and groggy and went back to sleep. About an hour later, I made the decision to use a sick day today and slept in until...8:30! Wow. I must confess that last night's out and about activities may have contributed -- but in my defense, they were not entirely unreasonable for a school night.

Had a leisurely morning doing laundry and studying and then decided to get in a bike ride outside. It was a beautiful day for a very easy ride from home to Seward Park and back.

25 Mile Ride @ 01:45:00

And I am officially doing the Ragnar Relay next weekend because Katie's team has two members out with injuries. I think it will be good training for a long distance race.

Slept well again last night and even in until 6:15! Then I got in for core class so Jon could once again kick our butts.

Core Class @ 00:30:00

During my morning meetings, I looked longingly out the window at the sunshine, bridges and water and plotted my lunchtime run. The moment I could escape, I put on my shoes and headed towards West Seattle. I could feel the difference the trail running, speedwork (and skipping a bike workout yesterday) is making and I felt strong, light and steady the whole time. I had figured out where to turn-around to hit a total of 10.5 miles and hit it at 45 minutes and headed back keeping my pace and arms quick.

10.5 Mile Run @ 01:28:10 (8:23 pace)

I finally got a good night's sleep -- the night turned cool and it was perfect. So perfect that this morning's 5AM alarm was a bit painful. To add to it, Wally jumped on me and walked back and forth on top of me meowing at me until I finally hauled myself out of bed and his job was done. He went back to bed.

I had hill repeats on my schedule and planned to do them at Lower Woodland Park but started my WU at SJ&J. Katie and Shilo were a "maybe" so I was really happy to see them there. I have not done hill repeats on that stretch for a bit and Katie gave me excellent coaching. So good that I was able to descend every interval (1:55, 1:52, 1:45, 1:44, 1:38) ! She thinks I should be able to average a 1:40-1:45 pace for these. Just a note to myself that I ran from the tree trunk to the concrete. I was pretty pooped by the time I was done with just the 5 (6 if you count the other hill) but ran the long way back to my car.

6 Mile Hill Repeat Run @ 01:04:16

Took yesterday off completely and caught up a bit on my life :)

First of all, congratulations to Jeff, who is a first time grandfather! His granddaughter was born at 1:04 AM on Friday. Hopefully pictures on his blog will follow soon!!!

Got in a lift and core class this morning. I will run after work because I get to have lunch with Ann and catch up on all the serious BUTT she has been kicking at the last two half Irons recently!

Upper Weights @ 00:30:00
Core Class @ 00:30:00

Got in a run after work. Did a loop over 5 up Meridian, across 130th and back via Roosevelt. Legs still feeling a bit tired but I took it easy and felt good.

5.9 Mile Run @ 00:55:30

This morning was my second Cougar Mountain trail run race and this time the distance was 10.4 miles. It was advertised as 10 miles and the director let us know he threw in an extra .4 miles for free. He also said that this was going to be the toughest elevation gain because the part he added to the last race to add the extra miles was along some sort of "cliff" trail. It hurt and was so steep at points that I (and my fellow competitors) had to walk.

My goal was to try to come in at the 2 hour mark or earlier if possible and try to maintain the same pace I did for the last one (10:55). I did meet my first goal but not my second. The official results are not in yet but according to my watch, I did make it in under 2 hours! It was a lot of fun but I REALLY need to remember to use my inhaler before the next race. I was sucking some serious wind and I am afraid some of my fellow racers thought Sasquatch was chasing them. I did move over for someone right behind me on a descent and he said as he passed "I have been trying to catch you the whole race". I never saw him again :) I did piggy-back a bit with a guy -- he was a much better descender and I was better on the flats and ascending so I ended up finishing a few minutes ahead of him

Had great post-race support 'cause I was kinda dingy...(thanks Jen!) and no one in a skirt passed me, or came in ahead of me. It was a terrific workout and I had a great time! I must smell especially good because Wally (who would not even get up to say good-bye to me this morning) wants a lot of cuddling as I try to type this now. Off to the shower!

10.4 Mile Run @ 01:54:22 (10:59 Pace)
156a

Got in early and managed to sneak out for Core class. I learned this morning that we are going to move from our perfect and wonderful location in Pioneer Square (with the best gym in the world) back to the mother ship :( sometime late this year or early next. I am bumming.

Core Class @ 00:30:00

Because I have the trail run tomorrow, I took it easy today and did a quick 30 minute run on the treadmill.

3.5 Mile Run @ 00:30:00

Got in a nice lift this morning before my Thursday early AM meeting.

Upper Weights @ 00:30:00

My happy hour date cancelled tonight so I planned to go to spin class and then get in a run after work. However, I am really tired today -- maybe because I stayed up until 10:00 to watch a TV show that hooked me... so tonight may be just another study night for Wally and me.

Spin Class @ 00:50:00

Made it in for Core class this morning and got in a just beautiful run along the waterfront during lunch. It was sunny and I had a great time running in the rocks and along the dirt paths.

Life sure is sweet.

Core Class @ 00:30:00
6.5 Mile Aerobic Run @ 01:00:00

Took the rest of yesterday off and was able to plug through a lot of studying last night with Wally's help.

This morning, I had an interval run on my schedule and my legs are still a bit tired/sore from the weekend. I decided to do a ladder 400, 800, 1200, 1600. My 400 was very slow (1:56) even after a 20 minute warm-up! My second one was not much better and I despaired a bit but kept going. I finally hit a 7:20 with my 1600 so at least I did not leave the track feeling like a complete potato..

6 Mile Run @ 00:56:00

Spin class was super tough today. Or maybe I just really pushed it hard -- lots of climbing and I was soaked and spent by the time it was over.

Spin Class @ 00:50:00

Got in an upper body lift and core class. Legs are definitely sore and if I do anything else today, it will be a swim.

Upper Weights @ 00:30:00
Core Class @ 00:30:00

Today's run was 18 miles on tired legs. Yesterday, I noticed that the Burke-Gilman trail had a dirt/gravel path that ran parallel to the trail practically the entire way. Yes, I know that there was a trail but I did not know how far it went. I staged my run from Gasworks and ran out to the 9 mile point I had identified on my bike yesterday. I set my watch for 10 minute intervals and alternated between water and Gatorade. On the way back, I threw in a couple of blocks (margarita -- have not been able to stomach them since IMNZ). Managed to negative spit my run but I was plenty tired by the time I was done.

18 Mile Run @ 02:48:48 (9:22 Pace)
137a, 185m
9 out @ 01:20:00
9 back @ 01:18:48

What a great day for a ride! It was a small group this morning because of the holiday weekend but it was just the right size. Once I shook the cobwebs from my head (crappy sleeping with all the stupid fireworks going off as late as 1AM...), I had a great one. I think that the wind was on our backs the whole time :) Even though it rained a bit, it was actually just refreshing and the ride was fun.

63 Mile Ride @ 03:53:00

And because I cannot help it...here are some pictures of Wally....

Went for a swim with Gisela this morning. Even though there was no wind, the water was pretty choppy but we made it and had a great coffee chat after! What a terrific way to begin a holiday.

1.5 Mile Swim @ 01:00:00

Last night's thunderstorms did not make Wally happy and he lived behind the toilet for the night. Poor baby. He did curl up with me in the morning and when I left, he was in the corner of the closet. Facing the corner.

Got in a lift before an early AM conference call. I was told by a guy in the gym that I was the topic of conversation -- something about the women in this gym taking on the women in another. They agreed that I would be the one to kick the most butt. It was so weird to hear that -- I still do not think of myself as an athlete but I guess I may stand out a little in a gym with mostly corporate clients. But it did make me a bit puffy chested and I worked extra hard at my weights :)

Upper Weights @ 00:30:00

Had a fantastic run today. Decided I wanted to get in a 1.5 hour run and would run from work to West Seattle and turn around after 45 minutes. The weather was perfect (drizzling a bit) and I felt strong and smooth throughout. I usually just guesstimate my mileage based on a 10 minute mile pace, but I need to stop doing that because I don't run that pace. It felt like more of a 9:15 pace -- and I will go with that. I really need to get a Garmin....Someday.

9.5 Mile Run @ 01:28:20

Slept through swim practice and cuddled a bit with Wally -- my new chunk of boy love (18 lb Maine Coon cat). I made it in for core class.

Core Class @ 00:30:00

I had an appointment near home in the early afternoon so I went home, grabbed my wet suit and made up my swim by swimming across Greenlake during my lunch. I did learn though that I need to enter 25 yards from the swimming beach. I got yelled at by lifeguards on both ends...

1ish Mile Swim @ 00:45:00

Got in a nice hilly run this morning before work. Ran across I5 to 130th and back via Roosevelt.

6 Mile Run @ 00:56:18

Got the usual butt-kicking in spin class today. The theme was all 80's music so it was an interesting trip down memory lane :)

Spin Class @ 00:50:00