This morning was a nice 13 mile taper run in anticipation of our Ultra 50k next weekend. Barbara Rose, Abby (BR's very energetic black lab) and I met at Madison Beach and ran from there to almost Seward Park and back.

13 Mile Run @ 02:18:00

Then Jeff, Ann, Gisela, Barbara Rose and I suited up for our 4th annual Easter Sunday Swim in Lake Washington. Abby swam too, but she did not need a wetsuit and happily jumped in long before we did! Uwe took pictures and as soon as he sends them to me, I will post!

Easter "Swim" @ 00:00:02

I planned on getting in a Friday evening lift but I ended up talking with my mother (Oma) until fairly late and just crashed after.

Met the iron group at 7 AM at Japanese Gardens and we rode from there to meet up with the rest of the group in West Seattle for a hilly and occasionally rainy ride. It was pretty much a humbling experience all in all -- had to walk one hill and got my butt kicked by a couple of new girls on the flats. At the end, I still had to get in 30 more miles so Barbara Rose was kind enough to join me me for ride around the South end of the lake. I ended up only riding 70 instead of the 80 I was supposed to but I hope it all balances out because I was supposed to ride 70 last week and got in almost 80.

70 Mile Ride @ 05:15:00

This morning definitely came too early this morning. I did drag myself to swim practice. Because there is a meet tomorrow, this workout was designed for those racing tomorrow and not those with tired bodies and legs. However, I made it through most of it before getting out when they did some sets off the blocks.

2000 Swim Practice @ 00:45:00

Core was extra difficult this morning because Jon's boyfriend showed up and she kicked his butt. As well as ours :)

Core Class @ 00:30:00

It has been a month since my last time trial so I give it a shot again this morning (4 WU, 10 TT, 1 CD). My legs were very slow to warm up and about halfway through, I had to do some stern self-talking to stick with it. My 10 mile time trial was 32:30 - 18.3 mph (improvement over last month's 00:33:20 - 17.9 mph)

15 Mile Ride @ 00:53:56

I was definitely under-enthusiastic about another workout today but I did remind myself that tomorrow will be much easier. I also promised my legs that I would not ask too much of them tomorrow, except for maybe some kicking in the early AM. I got in a hill run during lunch doing 8 repeats @ 2:40-2:45 on the Beacon Hill bridge.

6ish Mile Hill Run @ 00:57:45

Swim practice this morning was TOUGH. Wednesdays are distance days and there was no shortage of hard sets ending with a 2 x 400 descending. My time was more like a bell curve - 6:45, 7:00, 6:43.

2600 Swim Practice @ 01:00:00

I then got in an aerobic run down and around Greenlake although I did really pick up the pace when I could hear these two girls running behind me and chatting. I worked very hard to stay ahead and when I started to slow, I made myself imagine that they were wearing race skirts :) It worked, or they just turned off the path.

5.5 Mile Swim @ 00:50:25

I made up for skipping last night's bike but getting up at 4:30 and driving into the gym to get in a "do it yourself" spin workout before Yoga. I was a bit tired for Yoga but it was not a bad plan at all...

Spin @ 00:45:00
Yoga Class @ 01:15:00

Got in a good lift before core class this morning.

Weights @ 00:35:00
Core @ 00:30:00

It was so beautiful out, I decided I wanted to get in a bike ride in the sunshine. However, as the afternoon progressed, I missed the bus and my legs communicated their displeasure with my idea because they were still a bit trashed from the weekend. I gave in to sloth and enjoyed a nice glass of wine on the deck while chatting on the phone. Awesome!

I met Barbara Rose at her place this morning for our 18 mile run She added another runner (a very cute one with 4 legs) and took me on a great route that included some nice hills at Carkeek. I am not sure how I will keep up with them as training progresses as I was definitely feeling tired near the end.

18 Mile Run @ 03:00:00

We had a 70 mile ride on the schedule for today and I planned a route that I thought would get us approximately the right distance. I was wrong...

We met at Gasworks and rode around the South end of the lake. In Bellevue, we went to Lake Sammamish through Factoria and to Marymoor. From there, we took the trail to Bothell and Jeff and Barbara Rose were very smart to take the trail back to the cars because we were already at 60 miles. Ann and I continued on and even though she was tired, she still dusted me on the hills. Definitely having flashbacks of chasing Ruth up many mountains...

87 Mile Ride @ 06:00:00ish

When the alarm went off at 4:45 AM, my bladder got me out of bed... But I was sleepily heading back to bed when I stopped and stood right between my bed and the bathroom - and had a conversation with myself about skipping swimming vs. going. Wally was not much help because he was not jumping on the bandwagon.

However, I was able to talk myself into going to swimming and was very glad I did although I did get out a bit early because I had not packed my stuff for the day.

1800 Swim Practice @ 00:45:00

Made it to the bus to catch core class and I am done for the day!

Core Class @ 00:30:00

This morning, the alarm woke me out of a very sound sleep but I managed to get into my bike clothes and get in an interval ride on the rollers. I did a 10 minute WU and then 3 minutes hard (@ 19 mph) and then 2 easy x10.

Bike Interval Workout 16.3 Miles @ 01:00:00

Got in a lift after work and changed up my leg work so I did not do the step up's and stress my knee. Also note that I did not do a run to try to rest it...

Upper Weights @ 00:30:00
Lower Weights @ 00:10:00

Wally and I took a vote this morning at 4:45 AM and decided against swim practice. Instead, we slept until 6 (luxury!) and then I got my butt out the door for a run down to and around Greenlake. I did pick up the pace while running around the lake, but after looking at the split (@ 28 minutes), it really does not qualify as a true tempo workout.

5.5 Mile Run @ 00:52:00

This morning I woke up worrying that the last two days were a dream...but I reassured myself by checking my phone history to see all the phone calls and know it was real.

I sure missed Yoga class when I was away and was very happy to be back. My left hamstring issue crept around a bit to the inner part of my knee during Sundays run and has been causing me some grief so I looked forward to trying to stretch it out. Did a little of it but realized just how tight I had gotten again after taking a couple of weeks off and how much further that had taken me from my goal of touching my toes. Apparently finding my birth family does not make me any more flexible ;) and I still have to work on it.

Yoga Class @ 01:15:00

After work, I did a "do it yourself" spin workout at the gym using one of TriHarder's podcasts.

15 Mile Spin @ 00:50:00

So I do this endurance thing...and it feeds me for reasons I cannot explain to anyone who does not feel that hunger but is obvious to those who do. Because I do this crazy stuff, I have some training under my belt and have done races/brutal training sessions that have helped me to survive and finish these races.

Nothing that I have done to date though had prepared me for the last 32 hours. After our run yesterday and while we were stretching, I got a call from someone named Paula. My birth sister. It turned out that the lead I had gotten at Korean Social Services allowed us to connect. I spent the rest of the day on the phone with Heather, another birth sister I did not know I had and then finally my birth mother. I am still processing/celebrating/trying to absorb it all.

So obviously, I did not sleep well last night but planned to work because I make it a rule to never call in sick on a Monday. I went to core class in the morning but I just started to cry so I realized pretty quickly on that I would be useless at work. I took the day off and had coffee with friends, got in a soak at the Sauna and then dinner with another friend. It was what I needed for today to be ready to be 100% tomorrow.

Core Class @ 00:30:00

Barbara Rose met me this morning at 7 AM and we headed East for our trail run. Once we hit the pass, we also hit some snow and were the first to leave tire marks in the road to the trail head.

From there, we ran down the Snoqualmie Valley Trail hoping to get in 13 miles and be able to just turn around. We started out in the snow and it was just beautiful! As we got to lower elevation, it got slushier and our feet got soaked. The trail unfortunately ended after an hour an a half so we turned around and came back (uphill) to the trail head. I struggled a bit at that point because my left hamstring was PISSED (and still a bit jet lagged, fighting a bit of a cold) and fortunately had Barbara Rose to help pace me.

Once we hit the trail head, we then had to still get in another hour and decided to run Iron Horse trail. At times, the snow was just ridiculous and we had to lift our legs pretty high to just get through. Fortunately, we were able to laugh about it a bit and pull each other through :)

26 Mile Run @ 04:20:00

I convinced Jeff and Ann to meet early for our 70 mile ride and we set out in the rain before it had gotten completely light. We decided to go North first to get the trail and coldest part over with first and coming down Juanita was very very cold. Once we hit Bellevue, we decided to loop around Mercer and then finish by looping the south end using the f-bomb liberally to be sure our faces did not freeze. Once we hit the I90 bridge, we re-assessed the weather and reason prevailed. We headed back over the bridge.

The bridge itself helped to reinforce that our decision was sound as the wind and rain was especially heinous. After the bridge, Ann declared that 45 was the new 70 and we limped back to the cars.

46 Mile Ride @ 03:17:00

Despite waking up - wide awake at 1:30 AM, I managed to fall back asleep and got up in time to get in a good lift and core class.

Upper Weights @ 00:20:00
Lower Weights @ 00:10:00
Core Class @ 00:30:00

Got in a nice ride on the rollers this morning. My first time on the bike in a couple of weeks and I felt fine. Of course, this is only 1/5th of the the distance of Saturday's ride...

15 Mile Roller Ride @ 00:54:45

Still feeling the effects of jet lag and a bit of a lingering cold so I did not do anything else. I also fell asleep on the couch at 7:15 PM and woke up and went to bed at 8...

Yesterday was the last travel day and I had a really tough time sleeping on the plane. Fortunately, I was able to get some sleep last night and Wally was his sweetest cuddliest ever! I missed him a lot.

I did make it to the gym this morning and caught up for a few with Tija before getting in an upper body lift and Core Class.

Upper Weights @ 00:20:00
Core Class @ 00:30:00

Yesterday's visit offered more information, some answers and more
questions. I did get to see the orphanage I was in and even got a tour
of the nursery and meet 5 beautiful residents.

My brain wouldn't let me sleep until after 2 AM but that is fine
because I have 13 hours on the plane to catch up.

Did a quick treadmill run in the gym and then got in some core before
heading to Starbucks.

5 km run @ 00:28:10
Core @ 00:10:00

Sent from my iPhone

Got in a treadmill run this morning on the 19th floor gym here. Today is my appointment with Social Services and I am anxious about what I will learn. And anxious that I may not learn a thing at all...

10 KM Run @ 00:57:30

Today was a travel day back to Seoul and the hour bus, 50 minute airplane ride and hour subway ride was so very much better than the whole ferry experience. I did not get a chance to get in a workout but did some sun salutations in the room before we left.

I went out for a run this morning armed with the resort's complimentary "jogging map" that folds nicely to the size of a matchbox. I shouldn't have wasted the tree...I of course could not follow it and did lots of backs and forths but still got in a solid aerobic run. Got to run along some really sweet wooden paths, over some bridges and see some of the beautiful countryside here.

6ish Mile Run @ 01:00:00

After my run, we went out for a walk to explore some of the local things here. There was a path that led us to three waterfalls and the legend was that faries would descend and bathe there.

We eventually made our way to the largest temple in Korea. It was breathtaking. At the entrance, we could buy three bags of rice to give to the buddhas and so I did. Trying to bow the way everyone else was but at least the intent was pure.

I posted pictures of our "ferry" below. Note how it was inappropriately named "Cozy Island". I still think it must have been a bad dream.

After arriving at our hotel, I took a nice nap and then we went for a walk on the beach where the headwind made me really earn my breakfast. This is the island where Ironman Korea was held but it is not longer. I think it is because those skinny little Koreans could not stay on their bikes in the wind.

I did finally get myself to the gym to do my first sit up in, oh a week plus... I shared the microscopic gym with one very sweaty guy who did not think he needed to wipe off the equipment after he used it.

Weights @ 00:40:00
Core @ 00:10:00

I do not even know where to begin...

A few days ago, we made our plans for the rest of the trip and that included making a reservation on a ferry to get to Jeju. I was told that I had an option of either floor room sharing with over 100 other people or a smaller room with about 28 people with a blanket. I opted for the blanket choice.

If you know me, you know that I am not the one to actually put together schedules. I like to have input. Lots of input but I usually do not handle logistics. It has been now pointed out to me that the ferry was the ONE thing I arranged...

So we arrived via taxi at the ferry terminal 2 hours and waited with the others, including a loud group of very excited women in their brand spanking new Columbia/North Face/other colorful gear complete with matching lipstick. When it finally came time to board, I was a bit excited to see what their ferries looked like and what our accommodations were to be. As we got closer to the ship, we saw this beautiful passenger ferry with nice decks for walking and seeing the journey. It was not ours. Instead, we were headed to a very large rusted cargo ship and as we climbed the swaying "steps"/gangplank, we saw the last of the outside for the next 11 hours.

Our room 310 was exactly that. A room. It was about the size of my living room with nothing but a thin cheap carpet on the floor. We initially shared it with two business men in their suits and ties, a couple of guys in traveling gear, a sweet young couple, three very loud women and were finally joined by about 5 other guys who spoke a bit of English. The group of guys split pretty quickly and we should have followed them as the three women were loud and obnoxious throughout the night. However, I was grateful that the room was not filled to capacity.
The night was long and hard. No blankets arrived and the bathroom was entirely appalling. Of course I did not have food or think through what else to bring. Fortunately, I had enough clothing to layer and used my packing cube for a pillow. The women's snoring was just as loud as their talking and I doubt I got more than an hour or so of sleep at a time. Wow, what an experience and people travel like that a lot. I hope to not have to repeat it anytime soon but I am glad for the adventure as I now write this from the 5 star Hyatt Regency in Jeju :)

Off to shower and nap before checking out the digs.

Yesterday, we took the express train (up to 303 kph) to Busan from Seoul. First class tickets cost a little over $60 and at least I get to say I traveled first class at least once :) The trip took about 3 hours.

Had a great all you can eat seafood buffet and managed to make up for all calorie deprivation I have had the last few days. This morning, I got into their pool on the 6th floor and overlooking the ocean thankyouverymuch and got in a decent workout even though I could tell my body was a bit weak. I know the pool was shorter so I am guesstimating the distance.

2000 Meter Swim @ 00:50:00

Off to see more of Busan and then on to the overnight ferry to Jeju. The tickets I got also come with a blanket and I am curious to see what kind of accommodations are in store...

Here's a picture of me and the temple we visited.

Back to the land of the living! Kind of..

I felt better yesterday, definitely not 100% but better. Jen had booked a trip to the DMZ and we set off from the USO at 7 AM for the hour long bus ride North. Our tour guide was charming although I understood only 10% of what he said. There were very strict rules once we got there regarding where we could or could not take pictures. It turned out to be fairly interesting (it was, after all the reason I was born and all) but the military really holds no special fascination for me. At one point, we were escorted into a building and watched by some very baby faced but fierce looking S Korean guards.

This soldier (Black Belt) straddled the line between North and South Korea and we could go to the other side only from where the picture was taken at the other end of the table. There was another soldier at the door to North Korea to keep us from going there. Just outside the building, we could be observed by the North Korean soldiers and were under strict orders to not make eye contact or point or gesture towards them even if we were provoked.




We were taken to various posts and outlooks and the tour finally ended around 3 PM when the bus taking us broke down. Fortunately, it happened in Seoul right near a train station so we were able to make a break for it.

After that, we headed to the Insadong area where there were great little shops and many more people spoke English. Unfortunately, I still felt nauseous and didn't get to enjoy it as much. Finally ended up in the room after vetoing trying to eat any dinner and got some more rest.

This morning, Jen woke up with the same thing I have had so now we know it was not food poisoning but some sort of stomach flu. We are supposed to go to Busan today by train but plans may change depending on what she is able to do.

I am going to try to get in some core work and sun salutations today. I had grand plans to run but since I really have not eaten much in the last couple of days, I think I can offer my body one more day of rest.

Today finds me very sick. I am not sure if it was last night's dinner or if I caught something but I spent most of the night and morning purging the contents of my stomach. Add on to that very achy quads, a fever and I am one very miserable puppy.

I did want to add a correction to my race report. I did not do it in 3:21, but 3:51. I WISH I could have hit 3:21 but probably not in this lifetime.

I also realized that I pretty much skipped over the race experience itself. There were lots and lots of traditional drummers along the way so it was the Korean version of the Rock and Roll marathon without the rock or roll. That was absolutely my favorite. I also learned that Koreans really really like to tape up their legs and most of the men had stretchy athletic tape running vertically, horizontally and in intricate designs. Like usual, I ended up running mostly with the middle age men and actually felt a bit like a giant among them at times :)

There was a point where there were some older men on the sidelines doing some sort of call and answer cheer and it was SO cool to be in the midst of the men as they responded. Really cool and powerful because I could feel the reverberations in my chest.

I have an appointment with Korean Social Services next Monday and while I may not learn anything new, I would have regretted not making effort.

Seoul Marathon Race Report 2009

I have been surprisingly casual about this race and have actually trained less for it than any other marathon I had done. I signed up for it to ground me a bit in a familiar place as I returned to the place where I was born. Last night, I was Cranky McCrankington (poor Jen got the brunt - sorry) and I suspect a bit of it was the upcoming race although that really is a blip in the other things that were swirling around and poking me.

This morning, I woke up before the planned wake up call and ate the bagel I had picked up from Starbucks along with some of Starbucks' newest product - Via, their instant coffee that is actually pretty good! Then we got on the subway and headed to the race start. Jen goaded into trash talking the Kenyans while waiting at the subway....

There was about an hour before the race was supposed to start and we found refuge in the office building lobby where I had picked up the race packet the other day. The whole place though smelled like my grandmother and not her Lavender perfume. No, the stinky icy hot kind of stuff she would wear to try to relieve her arthritis pain. Apparently the Koreans scoop that stuff up by the vatful. Not only did they thoroughly apply the stuff to their legs before, but there were people throughout the course wearing aid uniforms who would slather athletes with it at a moment's request. It made me a little nauseous after a while and if I do not smell that stuff again for a long time, it will be too soon.

Every race has its bathroom drama and this one was no exception. I got in line for a porta pottie carefully standing in line for the ones marked with the pink girl sticker. When I opened the door, there was a bit of a surprise as it was simply a hole with some sort of step up. It was too late to back out now so I did my best to squat (thank you Jerome for making me do all those squats) and I managed not to fall in. My second trip, I used the one they opened in the office building for us and noticed the men did not follow the gender guidelines as well and were hogging both the men's and women's bathroom. I am still trying to figure out which will win the worst pre-potty award. The squat or sharing the 2 stall women's bathroom with very very very gassy Korean and Japanese men...

Then it was time to get herded to the start and I was assigned to the E group. AKA the foreigner, old, slow and/or female group. The start seemed to take forever and of course, there was not a lick of English spoken over the loudspeaker so there appeared (to me) to be many false starts. There were a lot of calls and answers and I gamely participated in each one thinking that finally, we can get moving and stop freezing. But no dice and then I heard someone singing and really hoped it was the Korean National Anthem. It was but even that did not get things moving because I learned later that they put a lot of time between the A and B group and the rest of us. Finally we were off and Jen even managed to find me in the crowd and shoot a quick movie.

I set out to do a 5:30 km pace and had a tough time hitting it at the beginning when things were so crowded. I finally did my share of shoving and broke loose a bit to get in a good rhythm. At the halfway point, I was really feeling pretty good and decided that I might even be able to qualify. It is always a bad idea to re-set goals halfway through a race but I figured I would give it a try.

Of course that led to me fantasizing about all sorts of things beyond qualifying. Winning my age group...being invited back next year as an honored guest and unfortunately on and on. The next slight hill fortunately shook me back to reality and I went back to my goal of keeping my km pace.

Near the end, I really thought I was going to make it but I had done the math wrong and had 1 km to go and did not have much time left. We entered the Olympic Stadium and had to run most of the lap around the track and I really busted it (thought about last mile, Kimchee Mile thanks Ruth) but slid in 22 seconds too late to qualify. And of course win my age group or be invited back as an honored guest or be carried off on every one's shoulders...

I have no idea when the official results will be in but I have my finish time at 03:51:21 will call it good. Thanks everyone for your great energy and I took you all with me during the race!

Still dealing with the time change here and find myself wanting to take lots of naps even though I cannot actually SLEEP when I try. Last night, we went out and saw some street vendors and a a bit of a crowd and wondered what was going on. One block turned into many and we found ourselves in the thick of things and people. How fun!

I just HAD to eat some greasy thing made of some sort of glutenous rice that they deep fried on a stick. There was a vegetable leaf wrapped around it so I call that my veggie serving for the day :) Here's me waiting at the stand -- it was SO COLD last night!

Then this morning we headed off to the Korean Tourist Center and got a lot of helpful tips from the first person we met who spoke English well enough for us to converse. I got a map to the orphanage and also a number for Korean Social Services. I may call them on Monday to make an appointment but just at this point, I am trying to take things one minute at a time. It is still quite cold here even with the sun out and I am in the lobby trying to thaw out before venturing to a nearby market.

So looking at this blog, I really look like a slacker for the past 2 days but I do get to use the excuse of a day of travel (24 hours total on a bus or plane) AND losing 1.5 days in the time change.

The trip there was fairly uneventful but I did start to cry a bit when looking at everyone else who was boarding the plane to Korea but that was about it. When we finally arrived (4 movies later), I was so tired, I slept on the 45 minute bus from the airport to the hotel. Went to bed shortly after checking in @ 9 PM and slept fitfully because I was trying to sleep during my most productive time.

There is a gym on the 19th floor in the hotel, a very small but immaculate one with some very nice treadmills overlooking the city. I got in an aerobic run and overestimated my speed because I did not think km conversion thoroughly. I had to stop halfway for some water and ended up blacking out the tiniest bit so I took my speed down to a more reasonable pace to finish strong.

10 km run @ 01:00:00

This morning, I decided I wanted a real Korean breakfast and after finding a bagel for Jen, we ended up in a restaurant where there was no English evident. I ordered the rice cake soup by pointing at the picture and had it, with some Kimchee and other pickled veggie. I did okay but was chased after when leaving because I tried to leave a tip and she would not take it.

Then off to find out where to pick up the race packet and it was in an office building. After turning over my passport to the lady at the front table in exchange for a card key, I found the place, identified only by the pile of Asic boxes on the floor. My shirt is rather unattractive and rather large because I had no idea of the size and ordered the second to largest one I could find.

We were very close to the palace so we went there to take pictures and marvel at its sprawling buildings and grounds.

What is striking to me is how clean the city is. I have yet to see any litter both on the streets and in the subways. The subway appears to be easy enough to navigate but there is just little enough English to make it difficult.

For lunch, we checked out the food court across the street. It was very crowded with office workers and the system was a little intimidating. First you walked around to restaurant after restaurant and picked your dish by a number. But you had to go to a booth to order it by number and pay. Note, WRITE DOWN the number of you may find yourself eating Albalone Gruel - a green colored fish smelling bowl that ended up being one of the more expensive dishes there rather than the yummy seafood pancake thing you wanted... Oh and then being yelled at when told to pay more money than the amount the pancake was. It was okay, but I may have to hit one of the many Outback Steakhouses before we leave just to be sure I get what I mean to order.

I did have to console myself with chocolate after though and got a supply to last through my PMS :)

Fortunately, traveling with someone who is white has been helpful because she gets all sorts of help and props for trying while I am looked at curiously. Maybe I am appearing to be mentally challenged because I kinda look the part but sure cannot even fake it for a moment...

Yoga class was good again and I even had a small victory! My right
heel touched the ground during downward dog.

Yoga Class @ 01:15:00

Sent from my iPhone

The Greenlake pool is now closed for a couple of weeks so I got in a lift before core class.

Weights @ 00:30:00
Core @ 00:30:00

Then I got in an aerobic ride on the rollers before Katie came over to help clean out leftovers and help me pack.

13 Mile Roller Ride @ 00:45:00

I met BR at Gasworks for our planned 13 mile run. We ended up making up our own route and I put together a decent run that included the Arboretum, running ALL the way up Madison and Lake Union. As usual, the company was perfect and the taper run felt really great.

14 Mile Run @ 02:18:00

I opted to ride inside instead of with the cycling group because I did not want to risk getting sick right before my trip. I really did wus on the distance and got in less than 25 miles total...

24 Mile Ride @ 01:40:00

Happy Birthday to ME! Swam with the big girls today and hung on as best as I could...

2500 Swim Practice @ 01:00:00

Then went to Core and they all sang me Happy Birthday too :) Jen gave me Birthday Eve cupcakes from Cupcake Royale to take to class and they were well received!

Core Class @ 00:30:00

This morning, I did a 10 mile time trial on the rollers. I set the resistance back to zero and warmed up for 4 miles, did the time trial for 10 (00:33:20 - 17.9 mph) and then cooled down for 1 mile. Now I have a decent baseline to improve on as I continue to get in better shape.

15 Mile Ride @ 00:54:00

I planned to do a stair workout today using the stairs here because it was just so darn miserable outside. Unfortunately, when I got to the door to the stairs, there was a big sign that it was for emergency exit only and an alarm would sound :( I really need to contact facilities to get access for those for future stair workouts. So I went outside and decided to do an interval workout and used the stretch between Royal Brougham Way to Dearborn (.29 miles) with a 45 seconds or so walk/easy jog in-between. I kept negative splitting my laps unintentionally and was actually not happy about it because I did not want to kick my own ass today.

6 Mile Interval Run @ 00:50:00
10 x 2.9 @ (2:12, 2:11, 2:08, 2:06, 2:08, 2:05, 2:03, 2:06, 2:05, 2:01)

I swam in my old lane today but led it so I got in a good workout. We did a ladder increasing by 25's to 200 and back down. I got in a lot of rest in between and even managed to sprint the last 50.

2675 Swim Practice @ 01:00:00

Then I ran around the lake. I am not sure of the time because apparently I did not look closely enough at the clock when I took off so either I did a killer sprint in 23 minutes or poked around at 33 minutes. I definitely did not sprint but I did keep my pace up so I will just call it good at 30 minutes.

3.2 Mile Run @ 00:30:00

I get some serious points for getting in my lift tonight! My cousin was in town to drive with her daughter back to CA and we met for Happy Hour. Even after a drink and some appetizer bites, I still made it to the gym after I got home. The gym was super crowded and I had to do some adjustments to get in my workout. My iPhone also kept acting up on me and kept switching to the spinning MP3's I had downloaded. I guess that it was the universe's way of not letting me listen to my Pandora's playlist of country songs full of stories of regret.

Weights @ 00:30:00

Last night, Wally and I stretched (not kidding, he stretches at the top of my head) and he is way more flexible than I. This hamstring thing continues to be tight and even though I am stretching EVERY DAY, I barely seem to get any more flexibility out of it. The good news is that it does not interfere with my swimming/running/cycling.

Yoga was really good in that really hard way today.

Yoga Class @ 01:15:00

Made it to core this morning and Jon was uncharacteristically kind to us...

Core Class @ 00:30:00

Then I ended up staying at work a bit later than expected so I cut my bike workout short. However, I do not have an issue with it because I (finally) increased the resistance on my rollers by one increment and that was definitely harder!

7.6 Mile Ride @ 00:30:00

I really have been in denial about the fact that I am doing a marathon in less than 2weeks but this e-mail helped to remind me.

Thank you for contacting Seoul International marathon.

When you registered at our website, if you left foreign address or registered after Feb 23, we could not send a package(The race bib number and other amenities).

So, you have to pick it up personally.The race bib number and other amenities can be picked up on March 9 ~14.If you want pick up the package on Mar 10~14, you can pick up marthon committee. (Am 10:00 ~ PM 6:00)

Marathon Committee is 7th floor Dong A -Ilbo building which is in front of Gwanghwamun station exit number 5 on line number 5.If you want pick up March 15, you must pick it up at information center at starting point.

Start line is closer to Dong A - Ilbo building.When you pick it up, please let us know your name and birthday.

Please contact us back if this information is not enough and we will provide follow up assistance.

Warmest regards
Seoul International Marhthon Comitte
Tel : 02-2020-0708
Email : mararhon@donga.com
Fax : 02-2020-1639

동아마라톤사무국 Tel: 02-2020-1630　 Fax: 02-2020-1639

BR picked me up at 7 AM and we headed East for a run on the trail. We started at the park on Exit 32 (hi Ann!) and ran the Iron Horse Trail for 85 minutes before turning around and coming back. My quads were not very happy with me the first half hour especially since we were running slightly uphill. We hit some snow and wind about 70 minutes in but felt like bad-asses as we continued. On the way back, we had a tough time keeping our pace down and ended up negative splitting it by 10 minutes...

17 Mile Run @ 02:40:24

Here's my smile for the day from Cheryl :)

I was happy to learn that the weather was going to be conducive for a ride this morning. I started at Gasworks and did a Lake Washington South end loop. Got lots of time in my aerobars (need to continue to work on flexibility) and kept the pace steady. 45 miles is such a civilized distance and offers me the time and energy to actually enjoy the rest of my Saturday!

45.4 Mile Ride @ 03:00:00

Got in a lift today and even did my core work. I figured that I would work from the bottom up and started with legs, did core and finally upper :)

Weights @ 00:40:00

This morning was a swimmer's 50th birthday so our set was 50 x 50. Fun :)

2750 Swim Practice @ 01:00:00

Jon is currently "spring cleaning" her body and has given up caffeine, sugar, processed foods and alcohol. Unfortunately, that just means more suffering for us as she was even more energized :(

Core @ 00:30:00

I was looking forward to a light afternoon and getting in a lift before Happy Hour plans but no good deed goes unpunished in the world of web. I made a couple of quick updates to try to save a developer the time but ended up mangling a page a bit by pushing the wrong code and ended up frantically trying to fix it far too late into the afternoon :( So no lift but I did make it to the very tail end of Happy Hour and the cosmos that was waiting for me (thanks Jen!).

I am also really beginning to feel internally escalated about my trip and while I appear fully functional on the outside, too often I am fighting back a flood of tears during the most innocuous moments of the day. I found a really good article by an adoptee who wrote about her experiences going back to her birth country. While she had many good points, the last really spoke to me. I am finding myself not telling people about my history when mentioning my upcoming trip because I just don't want to deal with their excitement/expectations about it. I know people mean well but I have been searching for years for my birth family and found nothing and I know that simply going there will not offer me any more answers. This first trip is just to see how I feel when both feet are back on the ground there. I want to be immersed in the sounds/smells and see if I feel anything. I have no illusions that I will remember a thing but I wonder how being there will shape my dreams.

Just trying to breathe right now...

Just when we though spring was here, we got another blanket of snow to let us know that winter is not yet done with us. I got in a good tempo bike on the rollers even though I really find it tough to get warmed up on morning rollers workouts. The workout was a 10 minute warm up, 20 at tempo pace (17+ mph), 5 recovery, 20 tempo and 5 cool down. About 15 minutes in, I started to feel tired and had to remind myself that tempo workouts are not supposed to be FUN. They are supposed to be hard :)

15.6 Mile Tempo Bike @ 01:00:00

After waiting for 45 minutes at the bus stop for a bus that never came, I headed back home to thaw out and work from there until the roads cleared a bit. Of course, once I started to work, I could not find a breaking point to leave to hop on the bus so I just continued from there. Afterwards, I headed to the gym to get in my tempo run for the week. I warmed up for .5 at a 10 pace, then did 5 miles at an 8:34 pace followed by a .5 mile cool down. I am quite addicted to my iPhone now and the Pandora app kept me from going completely crazy!

6 Mile Tempo Run @ 00:52:00

Got in a lift this morning before core class. During core, Jon had us hula hoop and I actually was able to do it for short intervals of time.

Weights @ 00:30:00
Core @ 00:30:00

After work, I got in a run from home to and around Greenlake.

5.5 Mile Run @ 00:52:00

I was so glad to go to yoga this morning and sure did need it! It was pretty hard today because we did lots of twists but I was glad for the workout and stretch.

Yoga Class @ 01:15:00

Even though I was in bed by 8:20 last night (so whipped), I did not sleep as well because my legs ached through the night and would wake me up. I did manage to make it to swim practice and did my best to hang on with the big kids through a 1000 yard 100's workout.

2500 Swim Practice @ 01:00:00

Then I hopped on my bike to make it a brick and to make sure I got in a bike because of dinner plans tonight.

10 Mile Bike @ 00:40:00

Yesterday pretty much felt like an endurance brick workout as I went pretty much straight from cycling to girls night to sleep to running the next morning at 7:30 AM.

For the first few miles, I struggled to wake up but I had BR and Karen to keep me moving. I definitely started to really feel tired after mile 18 but was grateful to have the strength and stubbornness to make it through.

22 Mile Run @ 03:40:00

What an amazing day for a ride! I was planning to get out on my bike close to 9 AM but ended up messing around with my aero bars (AGAIN) and did not get started until after 10. I put together a great route in my mind and started at Log Boom. From there, I went over Juanita (added Holmes Point), to Bellevue and around Mercer Island. Then I took the trail through Factoria to Lake Sammamish, then Marymoor and then the trail back to Log Boom. I felt really good -- the sun sure helped and I seemed to get a lot of tailwind gifts along the way.

I also was able to get in aero position a bit and that made it worth all the futzing around this morning. Near the end of the ride, my hip flexors were getting tired and it was a good reminder to keep focusing on them. It was also 6 miles longer than I was supposed to do but I did owe a few miles from last week so it worked out. All and all, it was a perfect ride and I am very happy with it!

66 Mile Ride @ 04:20:00 (15.2 average speed)

Went to a social last night and made the mistake of telling the bartender that I had a taste for ginger. He made me a modified version of what he called the "Dark and Stormy" with bourbon. Yum! I was tired from my day and drank it like soda...that did not serve me very well the next morning when my alarm went off at 4:40. I rolled over to just skip swimming but Wally decided that I had slept enough and got me up and out the door. Swimming with the big girls, as always kicked my butt and the little bourbon haze I had going did not help....

2500 Swim Practice @ 01:00:00

Made it into core class. Jon is back from her vacation and proceeded to make us make up for HER two weeks off :(

Core Class @ 00:30:00

Got in one of Triharder's spin workouts this morning at the gym. Good workout and nice mix of effort, elevation and cadence.

Spin Workout @ 00:50:00

Got in a stair workout after work that included a 2 mile WU and 2 mile CD.

Stair Run @ 01:00:00

I swam a lane up today again and really had to hang on for dear life with today's distance workout. There was a set of 4x150 and they rotated who led. Unfortunately, they made me lead and I almost killed myself trying not to slow everyone down. After that was a 400 and by the time we hit the 150's again, I was so pathetic and slow, they just let me stay in the back.

2700 Swim Practice @ 01:00:00

I then changed into my running clothes and ran around Greenlake. I kept my clip up and managed to finally make it around the lake in under 30 minutes. Not sure how I could be so pooped in the water and then have a good run, but I will take that single victory!

3.2 Mile Run @ 00:28:00

Penni agreed to come to the 5:30 stretch class tonight before our celebratory dinner and I was so glad she did! We got in a good stretch and I learned how flexible she is :) Great conversation after and something to be repeated often I hope.

Stretch Class @ 01:15:00

Had to be at work early for a launch on our site so I went to swim practice and got out 10 minutes early.

Swim Practice @ 00:50:00

Got in my weights between work and my late afternoon appointment.

Weights @ 00:30:00
Core @ 00:10:00

I was pretty wiped last night so I slept in instead of swimming and managed to get in a good 9 hours of sleep! Went to core this morning and plan to fit in a bike ride this evening. Not sure when I will get in the lift I missed this weekend but it should be in the next day or so.

Core Class @ 00:30:00

Then I planned a nice aerobic roller ride after work but instead, I kept adjusting my aero bars so only ended up getting in 30 minutes total.

7 Mile Aerobic Bike @ 00:30:00

Met everyone at 7:30 for our 20 mile run and had another good one with BR. Other than my cycle starting at EXACTLY mile 7 and cramps hitting hard at mile 17, it was a good run with great company. My ankle held up really well and did not even need to be iced...

20 Mile Run @ 03:20:00

Today took more work than usual to get in my bike ride. I drove to North Bend to do a loop she sent me before hooking up with her for the rest of the ride. As I started to assemble my things, I realized that I only had ONE SHOE. I tore apart my bag and car looking for it but it was not there. I called her and headed back. When I got home, I found the shoe. I had actually put it away on the shelf. Who puts one shoe away on a shelf?

I also decided then that I would put on my aerobars and that, of course took longer than expected AND I still want to adjust them again. I also decided to do the ride indoors because I was so pressed for time at this point. After getting 9 miles in, I really could not stand it much longer and took off outside to get in the rest of the ride by going North around the lake.

I went out a bit too hard and by the time I was halfway through the long side of Mercer Island when I realized I was really pooped. Fortunately, Jen was kind enough to scoop me at Leschi so I would not have to ride uphill (and way past my mileage) home although I was 4 miles under the 55 I was supposed to do.

51 Mile Ride @ 03:16:00 (15.4 ave speed)

Had a really great swim workout this morning. There were just two of us in the faster lane and I was able to hang in there because the intervals were short. I also asked the coach to help me with my pull because I am so darn slow at it and he advised me to really finish my stroke and that seemed to help.

2500 Swim Practice @ 01:00:00

Core class was great too.

Core Class @ 00:30:00

For a bike workout this morning, I tried another of Tri Harder's workouts. I believe it was called Sweatfest and she was not exaggerating. Did a lot of climbing as well as some sprinting. One part that made me laugh out loud was when she was pushing us to go faster and instructed us to visualize a cyclists ahead...and on the leg of that cyclist is the number of OUR age group :)

Spin Workout @ 00:55:00

I have an appointment with my Dr. this afternoon to take a look at my foot and then I plan to drop my bike at Speedy Reedy and run around Lake Union (if I am cleared) right after before going home and back to work.

I love my doctor for many reasons but this visit was one of my favorites. She walked into the room and said, "so you decided to run 18 miles on a rolled ankle?!?" -- her tone the equivalent of a slap upside the back of the head. And on it went. She was the voice of reason and made no attempt to hide her sarcasm at whatever questions I had such as exactly when will it heal? can I run a marathon next month? if I got a brace at a drugstore, would that help? if I rest for 2 more days, can I run 20 miles on Sunday? Finally she said, "believe me, if I could give you a shot and send you on your way, I WOULD."

So basically I did stretch out a tendon that happens to get stretched when people roll their ankles but because I could bear weight, there was no need for an x-ray. The pain I felt on Monday was because my body changed my stride because my ankle hurt. She also said, "and I know this may sound crazy, but try running ONE mile and see how it feels and go from there". Her prescription is to run if I feel good and STOP when I feel pain. She only had to say that 17 times ... And she finished with this gem combined with an eye roll. "And if you really want to buy a Bartell's brace, be my guest."

So I ran around Greenlake and the foot/ankle felt good.

3.2 Mile Run @ 00:28:00

Getting into a good pattern of going to bed around 8:30 so the 4:50 AM wake up is not nearly as brutal. Today was distance day at swimming and I got to swim with only two others and was well challenged! Because it is Wednesday, I dressed to run but when I went into the parking lot, there was a thin sheet of slippery ice on it and I opted to wait to do my run later. I also have an appointment with my Dr. tomorrow afternoon so I should know more about my foot. It has been feeling a bit better because I have been wearing my Earth shoes every day this week so far and they always help.

2700 Swim Practice @ 01:00:00

Made it then into core and Tija substituted for Jon and made us all suffer...

Core Class @ 00:30:00

I had grand plans to get in my 3 mile run, a lift and check out the new deep stretch class at Seattle Fitness before dinner plans but my technical ineptitude combined with a complete lack of instructions kept me (and a very patient developer) at work much later than I was hoping. I was able to get in a lift although I did looking longingly through the glass at the stretch class because that was exactly what my tension riddled body needed. Instead, I substituted 2 martinis at dinner :)

Weights @ 00:30:00

Wally tried to wake me up at 4:30 this morning but I resisted and he let me sleep another 20 minutes before I had to get up and catch the bus. Yoga class was good and very low key -- exactly what I needed after missing last week.

Yoga @ 01:15:00

I was surprised by the snow this morning but still made it into swimming. Swam in the faster lane and was able to keep up, mostly because the set distances were shorter. I really do need to continue to focus on my pull. Our main set was a 1000, going up in increments of 25's with 5 seconds rest (for me, that just meant a gulp of air on the wall and off I went again) up to 200.

2500 Swim @ 00:55:00

I got out of the pool a few minutes early to give myself a time cushion with the weather. But it actually just meant I got more time to wake up because I opted to do my core at home instead.

Core @ 00:15:00

My foot/ankle really really hurt this morning and I had difficulty walking without pain. I did wear my earth shoes today and that seems to help. I am going to call my Dr. to get an appointment with the foot specialist she and I talked about a few months ago. I am concerned that I may not be able to run the Seoul Marathon if 12 miles makes me hurt so much :(

I had a choice tonight to go home, clean my bike and then get in a workout or go to a spin class. Unfortunately, I am not crazy about the Monday night instructor but I stumbled upon some free spinning podcast workouts by trihardest and I figured I would give it a try. I hopped on a spin bike at the gym and proceeded to get my butt kicked by the little voice coming through my ear buds. WOW! I worked much harder than I would have myself and she did a great job motivating through the workout that was challenging and had enough variety to get in a good honest workout.

Spin Workout @ 00:45:00

Had a very nice run with KarenD today and got to work some good hills. My ankle started to hurt a bit near the end but I was still able to whip out a pretty decent last mile fast mile at the very end. Then got to catch up with Jeff over a cup of Starbucks oatmeal after :)

12.2 Mile Run @ 01:56:00

Met Ann in North Bend for a ride in her area and was so glad I did. The company was perfect, the views and sun amazing and the route offered exactly what she promised -- a bit of everything. Apparently this is my time to get "schooled" as she proceeded to do so the second half of the ride. I hung on for dear life while mentally trying to figure out if I had enough parts to put on my aero bars, that were a bit mangled after IM Canada 07 so I might have a chance of keeping up with her next time.

After, I got to meet her husband who I liked instantly :) He also let me know that my fingertips were not just still cold, as I had thought but instead, that I was feeling a bit of Carpal Tunnel and needed to move my hands more during longer rides. Great to know!

31 Mile Ride @ 02:02:00

Got in a lift too before my dinner plans and because I was pressed for time, decided that I would do my core on Sunday.

Weights @ 00:40:00

Swam a lane up and got schooled by the big girls but managed to stay
with them for a 10 * 50 set.

2000 Swim Practice @ 01:00:00

Then made it to core but Jon was not there so we all did our own
class, still got in a solid workout and had fun saying things she
would say :)

Core Class @ 00:30:00

Sent from my iPhone

Wally woke me up 15 minutes before my 5:30 alarm but I felt well rested so I got up and hopped on my bike. I had planned a tempo workout with a 10 minute WU, 20 minutes @ 17 mph, 5 recovery and then 20 minutes @ 17 mph again with a 5 minute CD. It felt like a good solid workout.

Tempo Bike @ 01:00:00

During swimming today, we did "T20" after a very nice long warm up. Because my lane was so crowded, I hopped into the next one up and did get lapped during the T20. It was a really great measuring stick for Ironman (not even close to ready...) and I got in 1250.

2700 Swim Practice @ 01:00:00

After a lightening fast clothing change and a quick ankle tape, I ran around Greenlake and my pace was no faster than two weeks ago :(

3.2 Mile Run @ 00:30:00

I need to confess that I have not exactly been thorough with my weight workout. Jerome added some core stuff and that has been the first to go whenever I was the slightest bit pinched for time, or just not in the mood. I figured my core class would make up (even though Jerome was clear that this was in addition to core class). So today, I went home, did my core at home FIRST and then did the rest at the gym.

Weights @ 00:40:00

Worked from home today and rested and elevated my ankle. Because I did not go to Yoga, I did a stretch/yoga CD I had picked up a few weeks ago and it was an okay substitute...

Yoga @ 00:40:00

Last night, I iced and elevated my ankle and downed some Ibuprofen. It is still sore today and I am glad I do not have a run planned until Wednesday so hopefully it will heal a bit. Made it into core class this morning.

Core Class @ 00:30:00

My ankle is still giving me grief and I am now on the couch icing, elevating and resting it. I got in a roller workout and even was able to stand without any pain. However, once I was off the bike, the limping started again :( I already let my manager know that I may work from home tomorrow to continue to ice and elevate and I am 99% certain I will stick to it.

15 Mile Roller Bike @ 01:00:00

Worked late last night and then up again at 3 AM for more work. Got to sleep in late so that was lovely. Did some stuff around the house, ran an errand and got in an abbreviated lift.

Weights @ 00:30:0

I am scrambling a bit but am eating a light lunch and then headed out for my 18 mile run before it gets dark...

I finally headed out for my run and managed to roll my ankle within a block of my home. Fortunately, it really did not hurt until the last 2 miles. My route was pretty much made up but I got in some good elevation, including the Howe Street stairs. I forgot to do a race pace mile and was awfully glad when the run was over.

18 Mile Run @ 03:00:00

I was so excited this morning to wake up and see the sun! I drove to Gasworks and started my ride around the lake a little before 11 AM. I rode South first and was so very happy to be outside instead of inside for this ride -- been so very lucky with the weather.

I did have a small victory and did not touch my brakes when descending unless there was a reason aside from being freaked out because of the speed. I also kept gearing fairly easy and focused on my spin. I was hoping for a sweet tailwind on the trail at the end but that request was denied by the universe and I ended up having to work to keep it at 14mph.

52 Mile Ride @ 03:30:00

I woke up for swimming and just wanted to roll right over and go back to sleep. Fortunately, Wally helped me out by laying on my chest and would poke me occasionally with his paw to keep me from falling back asleep so I took that as a gift and headed to swimming. Of course, once I made it, I was glad I did and even though we had to do some starts from the block (ugghhh), it was good overall.

2000 Swim Practice @ 01:00:00

Then made it into core practice where I learned, once again how incredibly whimpy my lower abs are :(

Core Class @ 00:30:00

I slept in a bit this morning but managed to make it to the gym and get in a quick interval run before my day started. I decided to do my thing of 800's on the 3:45 and did three sets. Not bad since there was a bit of a gin cloud around me on the treadmill!

3.2 Mile Interval Run @ 00:30:00

Last night it occurred to me that I had 3.5 hours of exercise planned on a workday. So this morning I skipped swimming and ran only.

6 mile run @ 00:56:00

Seattle Fitness put together a 2 hour special spin class with 4 instructors each kicking our butts. It was a blast and my legs sure took a beating! After, we celebrated at Crimson C where they bought our first round :) Pretty much a perfect evening after a tough day at the mothership...

Spin Class @ 02:00:00

Yoga was especially nice today. Perhaps because I was not fighting with myself to stretch into poses and just let them go the best I could. I do think though that I am getting more flexible because I was happy with my results, and not just because I lowered my standards...

Yoga Class @ 01:15:00

I then went to my favorite spin class at Seattle Fitness to make up for yesterday's bike. Unfortunately, it is about a 2 hour round trip to get it in so I probably will not have a chance to do it too often.

Spin Class @ 00:55:00

I was so tired last night, I could barely keep my eyes open after 8 PM and was completely asleep before 9. I did wake up when the alarm went off for swimming but opted to sleep instead and happily did so until 6:30 when I got up for Core Class.

Core Class @ 00:30:00

I had a bike workout on my schedule but I just did not have it in me. I was battling tears all day long and when I got home, I just went straight to bed and had a good cry with Wally doing his best to comfort me. I know that booking the tickets to Korea was going to stir some stuff up for me and it seemed to peak this day. Or at least I hope it peaked because I do not want to spend any more days like this before the trip.

I woke up to light snow this morning and met the group at the Greenlake track for some quick warm up exercises before the run. BR and I did our chilly long run and got in a race pace section along the Arboretum and then did last mile fast mile on the flat section around Greenlake. It took a bit of time to warm up and I was definitely tired the first 30 minutes but rallied and felt strong and steady and even fast during the intervals when we sped up.

16 Mile Run @ 02:30:00

Got in a lift at 24 before dinnertime but really need to get my lift in on Saturdays rather than procrastinating until Sunday night.

Weights @ 00:45:00

Brrr.... I waited for a bit (a long bit) to get on my bike and started from Gasworks close to noon. I took the trail all the way to Marymoor focusing on cadence and speed. I was psyched to have averaged slightly over 16 mph even with a bit of a headwind the last 5 miles and hoped to keep it up.

I hopped on to the path parallel to 520 and got a bit mixed up in Bellevue but found my way again across Mercer Island and finally across the bridge and back to to the car. By the time I got to the car, I was quite cold and completely sweat soaked but my spirits were high and I was so glad to actually get in a sunny ride outdoors in January. I sure love living here :)

47.5 Mile Ride @ 03:11:00

Got in a god workout during swim practice and I think have finally hit the tipping point where the swim is better than the sleep. I am getting to know the team a bit better and do enjoy it. We did have a set where we needed to sprint a 100, and I have been so out of it, I was afraid of my time but was happy with my 1:28. It gives me a good starting point!

2500 Swim Practice @ 01:00:00

I had a plan to make up my run from yesterday (ended up going out to welcome a new team member on Thursday instead). Set out to do my run but had forgotten to pack a running bra :( so I just let it go.

Booked the flights to Korea and am trusting that the universe (read the economy) will not prevent me from making this important journey.

This morning's bike workout was strength. I decided to warm up for 10 minutes and then up my resistance 2 levels on my rollers and ride 4 minutes in my big gear and recover for 1 minute x 8.

Definitely got good resistance from the rollers but I know it is not comparable to the hill work I need to get done.

10 mile resistance Bike rollers @ 00:57:00

Swim practice was pretty tough this morning but in a good hard way... I ended up alternating leading a distance set and got in a great workout.

2500 Swim Practice @ 01:00:00

I had a run right after swim practice on my schedule and threw on my running clothes (always unpleasant when still wet from the pool) and ran around Greenlake in the dark and fog. Not so much fun but I was glad that the lake was not 6 miles! Next time, I need to be sure to eat or drink something before I start running because my pace was pretty slow...

3.1 Mile Run @ 00:30:00

Got in a quick lift after work at Seattle Fitness. Didn't do core so I could catch the last express bus on time and promised myself I would do it at home. Of course, by the time I got home, I was hungry and just wanted to feed and decompress from my back to back meeting day :(

Weights @ 00:40:00

Had a very tough time falling asleep last night and was up until about midnight. Did get up on time for Yoga and was so happy that Gisela came to this class to check it out.

Yoga Class @ 01:15:00

What a busy day after a busy weekend. Last night, I decided that I would sleep in to try to catch up after working late on Saturday night and getting up early both weekend mornings. I managed to sleep in until 7:30 AM and it felt marvelous :)

I also decided to work from home and call into the few meetings I had. I figured I would get in a quick spin during my lunchtime and maybe even get in a lift before my dinner plans. I changed into my indoor cycling clothes and saw a bit of glass in the rear tire that I took out. Then it was on to another and another until I started to dig a bit too much into an especially large gash and punctured the tire. They were pretty shredded anyway, not surprising because they were the same tires I raced IM Canada 07 in. So my spin turned into a trip to Greggs Cycle to get another tire and change it before my next meeting started.

When I finally thought I was getting ready to wrap up for the day, I got a couple of last minute time sensitive requests and ended up working a couple more hours and bailing on dinner :(. When I finally got on the bike, I was pretty much wound up and had some excess energy to burn and it paid off! Worked really hard on keeping my cadence up and I felt strong and fast.

18 Mile Bike @ 01:04:30

Today was the first day of Cheryl's running group and BR and I ran 14 miles together. It was great to catch up with her a bit and the weather was simply perfect for the run.

14 Mile Run @ 02:04:00

Last night's book reading was very intense and I am still trying to make sense of it all. The author is a bi-racial woman whose mother married a white American soldier and moved here with him. It cost her her life even beyond her 14 year death. I learned a new word. Yanggongju. It literally means "Western princess" and broadly refers to Korean women who have sexual relations with Americans. Also known as Yankee whore. These women, whose chance for a life better than the one in the war ravaged country would work at base camps for the Americans. Some were sex workers and others were not but it was a way for a future for them. Upward mobility was to marry a soldier and be taken the myth of a paradise in the United States. The price for that was to be shunned forever and severed from her family, culture and country.

This new information has cracked my birth mythology. I have always been told that my birth mother and father loved me very much and he was going to send for us when he reached the US. After she had not heard from him, she finally had to give me up because I would not have had a good life as a bi-racial child in Korea. But now I wonder, but may never know. I suspect that it would be very difficult to place a child of a sex worker with a nice Christian family in the US so maybe that information was scrubbed out. I also wonder how knowing something like that would have affected me growing up. Would I still be as well educated? As driven as I am today? Again, maybe not but I do know for sure that my birth mother suffered having her desires for a good life soldered with the shame of being a Yanggongju.

And that alone brings me some understanding of one of the threads of this invisible hooded cloak that weighs me down more some days than others.

Someone who had loved me once, and loved someone else recently said "It was really nice to be with someone who laughs all the time." I wondered what it would be like to be a person who does laugh all the time? How does one cross over to that place of light?

Ann and I met at Gasworks this morning for a 40 mile ride around the south end of the lake. We both questioned our sanity as we bundled up in lots of layers. Once we warmed up, it was a great ride even though we both were suffering a bit near the end. No speed records were broken but it was entirely appropriate for January base training. The company was exceptional!

40 Mile Ride @ 03:00:00

I have been encouraged to write down some of the thoughts I have have about an upcoming trip, and figured this is the only place I write consistently so I am going to give it a try here. I have decided to run the Seoul Marathon this March. The race is not nearly as significant as the location because I was born there, lived the first three years of my life there and have not been back since.

It is a place I wonder about every day and have always planned to go to at some point but could never find a clear destination for that journey. I started the search through my adoption agency for my birth family over 3 years ago but have never heard anything. I have no illusion that this journey will lead to any answers about where I came from but I need to see, smell, experience this place that imprinted me so powerfully even though I have yet to retain even a wisp of a memory from my early years.

I decided to do the marathon because that is my place of comfort and it will help to ground (exhaust) me as I travel with the range of emotions that will surround me. Tonight, we are going to the Wing Luke Museum to hear Grace Cho, who is the author of Haunting the Korean Diaspora: Shame, Secrecy and the Forgotten War. I believe that when one is determined to go down a difficult path, the universe offers all the information, help and support needed. I am a product of that war and this not entirely painless step is one to be taken today.

I went to bed AT 8:30 last night but the alarm was still not exactly welcome... Had a good swim practice and made a point of reminding myself while swimming how very much I like it.

2200 Swim Practice @ 01:00:00

Made it on time to core class and am happy to report that my (workout) day is DONE :)

Core Class @ 00:30:00

When the alarm went off this morning at 5:15, I had the worst time motivating myself to get up and even dozed for a few minutes. Finally, at Wally's insistence, I dragged myself up and on the rollers for my first hard workout of the day. Hmm....perhaps a correlation between not wanting to get up and my first double-hard workout day. Or not :)

For my bike, I warmed up for 15 minutes and then did 5x intervals of 5 minutes hard, 2 minutes recovery. During the 5 minute intervals, my hr would hit 150 and I worked to keep my rpm to 80. I definitely have a long way to go but it was a good start that I could maintain.

12.5 Mile Bike Intervals @ 00:50:00

Got in a hill workout during lunch today and repeated the Beacon Hill Bridge 8x. Kept my interval under 2:40 for all of them.

6 Mile Hill Workout @ 00:56:00

This morning's swim practice was a bit brutal and included my first 500 in months and months. Plus they made me lead :(

2650 Swim Practice @ 01:00:00

Then I came home and hopped on my bike to make up for the bike I did not do on Monday. I was sluggish, tired and my legs were sore so I did not do a lot, just enough to feel the pain of my first brick in over a year. I was a bit discouraged thinking that I had done less than the swim distance of the IM and could barely make it through 8% of the bike distance. But that is why it is January, not May, right?

8 Mile Bike Ride @ 00:35:00

Definitely tired again today. Will get a multi-vitamin this weekend and start to take it. Got in my weights at Seattle Fitness before heading home because I knew that once I got home, it would be all over!

Weights @ 00:45:00

Yoga today was really good and worked on letting my poses "flow" rather than trying to muscle into them. It did not make me any more flexible but it was a good practice for me to work on. I am definitely feeling much stronger in my upper body and was able to do some poses for a second or two longer than I have been able to do in the past.

Yoga Class @ 01:15:00

I juggled around my workout schedule after missing my bike yesterday and decided to get in a run today during lunch, and bike after swimming tomorrow.

4 Mile Aerobic Run @ 00:35:00

This past weekend was a bit tougher on me than I thought it would be so 5 AM swim practice was completely out of the question....

I did make it into core class but that was it for the day.

Core Class @ 00:30:00

Met Katie this morning for a 12 mile run. We ran the familiar route from her place, down to and around Lake Union and then back up the other side of Greenlake to the Starbucks. Ted was kind enough to pick us up there -- and I got to see the Ann's for a minute or so :)

The pace was pretty quick and of course, we blamed each other for pushing the pace and would slow a little bit when we remembered. I was definitely tired when I was done and have no question that Iron training has begun!

12 Mile Run @ 01:50:00

Speaking of Iron training, Cheryl and I met yesterday and worked out the plan for the next few months. It is going to be a bit of a challenge to get in everything but she came up with a plan that will make it all work. I did try to get her to give me extra credit for the roller ride because I heard somewhere that each mile on the trainer/rollers counts as 2 on the road, but none was given. Mistake to try to get credit from someone whose 500 mile roller record from '90 is still unbroken...

Got in a lift this evening. The gym was surprisingly busy for a Sunday night but I was glad to see that the resolutioners were still sticking with it!

Weights @ 00:45:00

I ended up choosing being social over another workout yesterday :) Ann and I also had planned to ride together this morning but we took a look at the weather and decided that we would be weather weenies while we still had a choice. We did both commit to riding indoors for a specific time or distance and I was so glad because I had to mentally remind myself of that when I wanted to quit at mile 25.

Ended up being a good ride and I mixed it up with standing and sitting and managed to keep my speed slightly above 15 mph.

35 Mile Ride @ 02:17:30

This week, I have been cutting out my nightly ritual of a glass of cheap wine at home so last night's Happy Hour did hit me a bit harder as my endurance was a bit down :)

Had a good swim practice workout this morning. After practice, the coach said "thanks for whipping your lane into shape and keeping them in line today". Apparently I can be bossy, even at 5 AM! I skipped core class in favor of a slower coffee in bed morning and packed running and lifting clothes for later today as I still have to lift a bit and get in an aerobic run.

2400 Swim Practice @ 01:00:00

I got up at 5:30 to get in a 20 mile roller ride. I started super slow and just figured that I needed time to warm up. Seven miles later, I still did not feel any stronger or warmed up so I just went for an hour and called it good. I did do a 5 count down and 5 count stand during the commercials so my quads were not too angry with me :)

14 Mile Roller Ride @ 01:00:00

Got in most of my lift after work but did not have enough time to complete it all before my Happy Hour plans with a work friend.

Weights @ 00:30:00

Got 8+ hours of sleep last night and I could have used 4 more but I settled for that and then made it to Core Class.

Core Class @ 00:30:00

I got in a good run during lunch to West Seattle and back. I worked to keep a decent pace and stayed between an 8:30 and 9:00 mile.

8 Mile Run @ 01:15:00

Last night's sleep was a little better but still the 4:45 AM alarm was a bit brutal :(

Yoga class was good -- my legs were shaky at some points but she ended it with some really nice stretching. I also rolled my IT Band last night and it feels much better today than it did yesterday.

Yoga Class @ 01:15:00

I slept horribly last night. I think the snow just made things too bright outside and I was pretty much awake every hour. When the alarm went off, I decided to skip swimming and Wally actually agreed by putting a paw over my arm and falling right back asleep. It was easy for him to fall asleep but not easy for me :( so I got up and dragged my butt to swim practice. I did need to try out my new pull bouy after all!

We did a variety of 300's and the group made me lead the larger set 0f 1200's. I was whipped by the time we were done and even though we could not get through that twice, I did convince them to do the first of the 300's again with the remaining 6 minutes we had left...

2800 Swim Practice @ 01:00:00

I called Seattle Fitness to see if Jon had made it off the hill and learned that she had so I managed to catch the bus and made it to core class.

Core Class @ 00:30:00

I had an appointment with Jerome to get a new lifting routine and I was feeling so tired, I was tempted to cancel. However, I rallied and was super glad I did! Jerome had a great new plan for me and I think it is the perfect combination for IM training.

Weights @ 00:40:00

I decided to get in an 8 mile run today to prepare for next week's Bridle Trail 10 miler. I woke up this morning with pain in my right IT Band and was quite surprised by it. I cannot imagine that I did anything to provoke it and it just seems so out of the blue. I stretched before running, after running and am still continuing to stretch but it is pretty painful. Ugh. My run was fine but my legs were a bit tired so my pace was pretty slow. I ended up running 9 miles because the route I planned did not work as well on the map.

9 Mile Run @ 01:32:00

I also decided it was time to take the "on sabbatical" part off my blog title because I am already starting to get ready for Ironman Coeur d'Alene 2009 although I have not yet met with Cheryl to get my official marching orders...

Was up last night working so I slept in a bit this morning. I thought I would get in my bike workout by now but ended up working again through the morning and early afternoon. I had to run some errands and finally ran to 24 to get in a quick lift.

Upper Weights @ 00:30:00

I added 5 miles to last week's long bike ride on the rollers and managed to get my average speed up bit but my legs were too pooped to do much standing so I sat a lot.

30 Mile Roller Ride @ 01:55:00

Swim practice this morning was a series of 25's and that was pretty much all my shoulders had in me. Definitely feeling yesterday there!

2350 Swim Practice @ 01:00:00

My soreness continues as the day progresses! I am working from home today and did get in a run during lunch on my usual route down and around Greenlake and back.

5.5 Mile Run @ 00:48:30

I decided to greet the New Year differently this year. The last couple of years, I have done the Resolution Run with a dip in the lake but since 2008 has been such a difficult year on so many levels, I really wanted to try starting this one differently. When taking the beginning yoga series, our instructor mentioned a class she does on New Year's day - 108 Sun Salutations. I decided to give it a try since she said it has been transformational for some people. It sounded hard in a new kind of way and I was intrigued.

I LOVED it. She split it up into 12 cycles of 9 and added enough variety and difficulty to keep it interesting. At the end of each cycle, she had us stand at the top of our mats, put our hands into prayer position and close our eyes while she read different passages/quotes to us. Each one was exactly what I needed to hear in the moment. I was so happy to have made it through every single one and even though I know I will feel it tomorrow, it was worth it.

Yoga Class @ 02:00:00

Oh and at about salutation 80 something, I TOUCHED MY TOES!!!!