Fall Swimming

I debated the title of this post because it makes me admit that fall is actually here.  I know that all you folks in Texas are anticipating the arrival of fall and the cooler weather it will bring.  But fall weather in the Northwest means cloudy grey skies and the beginning of 7 months of dreariness.  I knew that fall was really upon us when I went to Starbucks two weeks ago and the Pumpkin Spice Latte was back - it was a bittersweet moment.

I really wanted to go for a run yesterday after work, but alas, it was raining.  I would have put on a running hat and a wicking shirt and pushed through the mist (its what you have to do when you live in Portland), but Stephanie called and gave me a better option: swimming.  Not the fun splash-around-in-the-pool kind of swimming, but the real deal speedo-swimcap-and-goggles-in-a-lap-pool swimming.  I can't remember the last time I've actually swam for exercise, but if I had to estimate I'd say: at the Ridgewood Country Club summer kids olympics where the Brophy girls beat me every year (and then I would sulk about it and refuse to be in the picture as the "runner up" - the troubles of a 5 year old).

So Steph and I went for a swim at the Mount Scott Community Center last night and apparently I'm not quite in swimming shape.  It was tough!  During the first 2 laps, all that was running through my head was, "i can't breath. this is miserable. i bet the lifeguards are getting a kick out of my lack of swimming style. i'd rather be on the eliptical right now."  But Steph (who was a swim instructor for years) gave me some great tips on how to improve my swimming and by the end of the hour I was flipping through the water a little easier.

My big goals for this year were/are a half marathon (which I ran in July) and a full marathon (which I'm running in October).  Next year, it's a triathalon (a mini triathalon).  And I'll have the whole dreary fall and winter to splash around and train in the pool.

my childhood swim coach

my first pair of swim goggles

summers at Ridgewood - those were the days!

Olympic National Park

This past weekend consisted of a lot of time in the Great Outdoors.  My friends Alan, Scott and I decided to take advantage of the long Labor Day weekend and go backpacking/camping in Olympic National Park in Washington.  We headed North on 1-5 Friday afternoon, veered West on 101 through Sequim (the sunniest city in the Pacific Northwest) and made it to the Sol Duc trailhead on the North side of the park by nightfall.  Exhausted from the long ride, we quickly threw all of our bags and gear in the front two seats, lay down the back seats, threw down our sleeping bags, and camped in the car for the night.

Awakened by the sun the next morning, we got up, made oatmeal and coffee with Alan's nifty camping stove and french press, packed up our things, threw on our packs and started the hike "into the wild".  It took about 3.5 hours to cover the 8.5 mile hike to Appleton Pass where we decided to settle.  We nabbed an incredible camp site with stunning views, set up camp (actually, the boys set up camp while I stretched out in the sun) and explored the area.

Once we were in the park with no turning back, the boys informed me that Olympic National Park is known as Bear Country (a much wilder Bear Country than Waco, TX).  You're required to either store your food in a bear canister or hang it on a bear wire to keep bears from disturbing your campsite.  Alan and Scott crafted their own bear wire by climbing into some trees, tying a rope between the branches and hanging our bag of food high in the air out of reach of the bears.  It was actually pretty impressive!

Sunday (which just happened to be my 25th birthday) was a wonderful day!  We slept in, had some more delicious oatmeal and coffee, went for a beautiful hike where we climbed every peak we came upon, and had a relaxing afternoon napping and reading outside.  We made a warm dinner of polenta, sausage, peppers, onions and mushrooms (maybe not the birthday dinner I would have picked back home, but still yummy) and the boys were sweet enough to pack a little birthday treat for me (a smooshed zebra cake) which they put a candle in and sang Happy Birthday to me.  We made hot cocoa (a delicious treat to warm us up from the freezing wind), played cards in the tent, then dropped in our sleeping bags content from a perfect day.

We woke up on Monday morning to the blowing rain.  We forced ourselves out of our (somewhat) dry tents into the nasty mist, ate a quick breakfast, tore down the tents, stuffed our packs and started the long hike out of the wild.  I have to admit, I kept a swift pace trying to get out of the rain and back to the car.  Yes, the scenery was gorgeous, but my clothes were wet and I hadn't showered in 3 days.  I can't say that I wasn't excited to get back to civilization and drive to the nearest Starbucks for a triple grande pumpkin spice latte (nonfat, no whip, 3 pumps, extra hot with foam).

So I survived my first backpacking trip and would do it again in a heartbeat!  So many places to explore, not enough time!

A Quarter Century Old

Thank you for all of the sweet birthday wishes!  I'm sorry I wasn't able to actually answer calls and return messages on my birthday.  I honestly kept forgetting that it was my birthday on Sunday because I was disconnected from the rest of the world.  I brought along the birthday cards I had received before I left on Friday and opened them while sitting in the wilderness on Sunday afternoon.  And I loved turning on my phone on Monday evening and listening to all the voicemails and reading the text messages from my great friends and family.  This 25th year of my life is off to a great start!

Hood to Coast 2010

This weekend was Hood to Coast 2010! This was my second year to run this 197-mile relay which starts at Mount Hood and ends at Seaside, OR.  This event is called "the mother of all relays" and sounds somewhat intimidating, but it is really so much fun!  My team, Equip Africa, was organized by John Garrick the founder of Eternal Impact.  John is a ball of energy to say the least, but has been sick with an intense sinus condition that will require surgery next month.  However, he pushed through his illness and weakness and ran as the 12th leg, the anchor, of our team.  John, you are amazing!

So here's a little overview of how the relay works: You have 12 team members who each run 3 legs of the 197 miles relay.  The team has two vans; Van 1 carries runners 1-6 and Van 2 carries runners 7-12.  Someone on your team is always running.  So Van 1 runs the first 6 legs then hands of to Van 2 who runs the next 6 legs.  We go back and forth like that until all 36 legs are finished.   Van 1 started at Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood at 9:30am Friday morning.  My van took over in Sandy around 2:00pm that afternoon.

My first run was leg 7 which was 5.65 miles.  I ran it in 48:25 with an 8:24 min/mile pace.  My cousin Madison was nice enough to drive out to Sandy to cheer me on and even ran the first 4 miles of that leg with me!  Having someone run beside me and talk with me was so encouraging and made the run much easier and more enjoyable.  Thanks so much, Madison!

Our van finished our first legs under the Hawthorne Bridge in Portland where John handed the baton (which is actually a slap bracelet) off to Carly, Runner 1.  While Van 2 ran their second legs, we headed to a church where we were able to take showers, clean up and grab a Subway sandwich before heading to St Helens, OR to start our second legs.

My second run was leg 19 which was 5.89 miles and a little hilly.  I ran this leg around midnight and was a little delirious.  It was also surprisingly really cold.  The run was pretty much on a windy road through a forested area, so it was pitch black but we are required to wear a reflective running vest, head lamp and red blinking lights on our front and back.  Running in the middle of the night in the dark is totally mental.  You can't see your surroundings or where you're going, you have no idea where you really are, I couldn't just glance at my watch to see how far I had gone, and my body was wishing it was in a warm bed.  I ran that leg in 53:13 with an 8:51 pace.  After a little stretch, I headed to the back bench of the van and fell asleep while the other runners ran their second leg.  Last year I think I only got 30 mins of sleep during the whole H2C weekend - mainly because a fellow teammate snored pretty loud, not to mention any names (Ryan).  This year I bet I got abour 3-4 hours of sleep which really helped!

I ran my final run, leg 31, on Saturday morning around 9:00am.  This was a nice easy 4 mile run which I finished in 31:57 with a 7:59 pace - I was really pushing it on this one!  Both vans met up in Seaside to finish the final leg with John.  We crossed the finish line on the sand (that's right, they make you run the last bit of the race when you're sore and want to fall over in the sand - cruel) after running for 28hrs 30mins and 32secs.  We received our medals, took group pictures then headed back to those smelly vans to head home where we could take a shower and drop in our beds.  I went to sleep at 7:45pm last night and woke up at 7:45am this morning - a full 12 hours of sleep!

With 1,000 amazing teams, 12,000 crazy runners and 2,000 rediculously decorated vans, there is never a dull moment in the race.  I loved being able to spend time with everyone on my team, most of whom I didn't know at all or hadn't seen since last year's race.  I had a blast this weekend and can hardly wait to run Hood to Coast again next year! 

Van 1 getting ready to load the van and start the race...

no backing out now!

Madison and I about to run my first leg

John (in the sweaty blue shirt) finishing his first leg under the Hawthorne Bridge in Portland.

Yes, there was team from Texas here flying the UT flag. I stopped them, told them I was from Texas as well and talked to them for a while - we instantly bonded, even though they are Longhorns.

We spent way too much time in these this weekend.

Equip Africa team on the beach after crossing the finish line!

Thanks again to everyone who supported the Eternal Impact cause and who encouraged me along the way.  A good friend gave me a great challenge in order to raise money for Eternal Impact: he agreed to donate $5 for every second under 9 mins I kept my average running pace.  This really motivated me to kick it in gear and run as fast as possible.  I ended up with an 8:28 average pace and a $160 donation from this friend!

That leaves me only $160 from my $1,000 fundraising goal. I ran my heart out this weekend and now I'm giving my final fundraising push for Eternal Impact... click here to make it happen!!

10 days to go...

This weekend I had my final Hood to Coast meeting before the big race which starts on Friday, August 27th.  We discussed all of the details about what to expect during the race (being smelly and exhausted, but loving every minute of it) and revisited the reason we're running this intense 200-mile race from Mount Hood to the coast of Oregon in the first place... for Uganda!

Some of you may remember that I ran Hood to Coast last year, too.  I didn't realize until after signing on with my team that besides running this insane relay, we would also be raising money for a Ugandan organization called Eternal Impact. This was very exciting to me as I have such a love for the country and people of Uganda, and it gave me extra motivation to train for what's called "the mother of all relays".  I am running on the Eternal Impact team again this year and am just as exciting about the race (minus the no showers or sleep) as I am about supporting this wonderful organization.

So apparently you're a faithful blog reader - thank you!  I can't tell you how much I appreciate your interest in and support of my everyday life, no matter how close or far you may be.  So now I'm asking you to support and encourage me in this race by helping me reach my $1,000 fundraising goal for Eternal Impact.  Don't shy away from me now!  Seriously, every little bit makes a difference - $5, $15, $50 - it all adds up and can make an incredible impact on those served in Uganda.

So log onto the Eternal Impact donation page and give whatever it is your big heart can give. (Make sure to designate funds for Hood 2 Coast Team, then Mary Carter.)  Thanks to those who have already given -- Mom and Dad, Granddaddy, Uncles Les, Uncle Bob and Aunt Judy, Kaitlyn, Laura, Hannah, Liesl, Alyssa, Anne, Kate.  I appreciate it more than you know!

One Mile at a Time

This year I am running a total of 15.45 miles over 3 legs.  My fundraising goal is $1,000.  That comes out to just under $65 per mile.  Here's my promise: if you sponsor a whole mile, then I will run that mile however you want me to run it... listening to your favorite band, wearing certain clothing, doing cartwheels (well maybe not since I'm trying to make a certain time).  This could get interesting!

Mount Adams

This was an epic weekend... Drew, Josh, Madison, Mollie and I climbed Mount Adams and made it to the top!  Mount Adams, which is part of the Cascade Range, is the 2nd highest mountain in Washington with an elevation of 12,227 ft. I have to admit I was a little nervous about this weekend's climb, but it went smoothly and was a blast!

Our group drove out to the mountain near Trout Lake in South Central Washington on Saturday evening. We set up camp near the trailhead, ate a pasta dinner, then headed of to bed (actually sleeping bag) around 8:00pm. When climbing in snow, you want to start your climb very early in the morning when the snow is frozen and packed as opposed to slushy in the afternoon. So the plan was to get 4 hours of sleep, wake up at midnight, and start climbing around 1:00am.  But I didn't sleep a wink - I wasn't tired, I wasn't too comfortable and I was anxious to get on the mountain.  So after laying awake for 4 hours, it was time to get up, get ready and begin the climb.

It was pitch dark so we used head lamps to light our way up the South Spur Route which starts at 5,600 ft and gains nearly 7,000 ft of elevation over 5.7 miles.  A few hours in, right before we got to the "Lunch Counter", I felt something dragging on my boot.  Surely I didn't step in gum on a snowy mountain!  I looked down to see what was hanging off the bottom of my boot... and it was the sole of my boot!  I'd rented these boots from an outdoor store that I have used before, but these boots had definitely seen better days.  Thankfully Mollie had some duct tape in her bag (you're a lifesaver, Mollie!) so Drew and Josh mended my boot with athletic tape and duct tape and we kept climbing.  Problem solved.  Or so we thought.  Throughout the climb, my shoes continued to fall apart.  Not only did we have to keep mending the right shoe, but on the descent the entire sole of my left shoe came off in my crampon (those spikey boot attachments that provide traction in ice and snow).  By the end of the day, after at least half a dozen repairs with tape, string and rope, I just ripped the soles completely off of the boots - so frustrating, but at least it didn't completely ruin the trip.  Thanks for taking care of me, Big D!

Besides that, everything else was great.  The weather was perfect: sunny and clear skies with just a little wind.  The views were incredible: from the top of Adams you could see Mount Hood, Mount Jefferson and Mount St Helens.  And being on the mountain as the sun was rising was breathtaking.  And the company was the best: I loved getting to spend quality time with each person while on the mountain.  Being out in nature with no distractons and nothing but time is a great way to build relationships with those around you.

I'm so thankful to Drew and Josh for guiding us up Mount Adams.  What a great weekend - one of the best I've had up here in the Great Northwest.  I can't wait for the next big adventure!

Summer Reading

Remember when summertime used to mean three-month long sabbaticals, relaxing vacations, daily adventures, and a much-needed break from the norm?  Well those days are long gone and my summertime adventures are cut down to two-day weekends and books that help me escape in my mind.  In the past few months, I've rediscovered my love for reading and have figuratively been on many amazing adventures.  I have:

- traveled to Pakistan to help build schools for young boys who otherwise might fall under the power of the Taliban and young girls who otherwise might never receive an education that empowers them with confidence and self-worth

- followed my dreams across Egypt in search of treasures - a journey that lead to faith and wisdom

- been confined to a hospital bed due to "locked-in syndrome" with my memory and imagination as the only escape

- lived in Brooklyn in the early 1900s and overcome the hardships of poverty and family tribulations

- and most recently, hitch-hiked across America reaching the final destination of the Alaskan wilderness

I highly recommend each of these books.  This was my 3rd time to read the Alchemist (my all-time favorite book), my 2nd time to read Three Cups of Tea (my 2nd favorite book), and my first time to read Into the Wild (which has quickly become my 3rd favorite).

What books would you recommend?

Favorite Book Quotes
“When you want something with all your heart, that’s when you are closest to the Soul of the World. It’s always a positive force.”

- Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

"If we try to resolve terrorism with military might and nothing else, then we will be no safer than we were before 9/11. If we truly want a legacy of peace for our children, we need to understand that this is a war that will ultimately be won with books, not with bombs."

- Greg Mortenson, Three Cups of Tea

"The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun."

- Chris McCandless, Into the Wild