New Mizuno Sayonaras! And my other fav gear!!!

Got my new Mizuno Sayonara shoes!!! They are great. Lightweight, good tight fit through my arch (I have a high arch, so this matters to me), and perfect amount of room in my toe box. And I love the way they look!

Headed out for my 7 mile run just after five, well 2 snooze buttons, a light snack, and a PreWorkout drink after five... Just before the sun came up. 

And returned not too long after it was up.

It was cool out, pretty, and no breeze. 

Here is some of my other favorite gear:

My Nathan Fanny Pack

Amazing. Lightweight. Close to your body. Stays in place. And can easily hold my mace, my key fob, my cell phone and a gel (or two). So it's great for runs and races! Love this thing. 

My iPod, Bills BOSE ear buds and My arm band

I can't run without music. I love my iPod. Bill convinced me to kick my MP3 player and I cannot agree more with him that Apple products are the best. I borrowed Bills BOSE earbuds one morning and never gave them back. They don't move at all in your ears and NEVER fall out. They are amazing. The arm band I bought off Amazon.com, and use it everyday. I think they are all pretty much the same... Cheap and easy to use. 

DryMax Sport Socks

I recently got into these, money extremely well spent. I'm picky about my running socks, hate getting a blister. So these are perfect. And they have extra arch support. 

Under Armor Hat

I love this hat. I don't like to worry about my hair getting in my face when I run. Nor do I want every passing car, runner and bicyclist to see my non-makeup face... Perfect for both. Comfy. Doesn't hold sweat. Fits great. I love this hat. 

This morning, along with my foam rolling, did my Crunch Pilates video. It was a great additional stretch. I have forgotten how much I love Pilates. My back thanked me afterward. :)

Foam Rollin' & Bustin' Heads

Last night on the river was everything I had hoped it would be. The girls loved their new tubes, Bill and I chilled from stressful days at work, and we all had a good family night. We didn't anchor down, so we drifted quite a bit further than we usually do, was about 20 minutes to row back with the girlies behind us... Quite a little biceps workout. And Bill beat me to the dock by a ridiculous amount, I think maybe when I get up to run in the morning he secretly is in the bedroom working out... Or playing nerdy games in his iPad, I'm undecided...

This mornings run was a cool 64 degrees, 4 mile tempo run. The weather was a touch cloudier than usual, but no breeze, so it was about perfect out again. On my way to park, I looked over the path and there was no one out, not even the homeless man from the other morning, so I decided since it was such a short run I would leave my mace in the car... About mile 1.5 there was a creepy, creepy man on a drift boat,  no fishing pole in the water, pulling into a little tree covered area right along the path, I'm thinking to myself, he's going to anchor off and wait along the path to murder someone... Yes, that is my thought process, man on a boat at 5am equals murderer. So I go out to my 2 mile turn around point, loop back and scan the area for him... No sign. As I get close to where I sashimi initially I grab a nice sized rock to hold in my hand... There I am, running the levee holding a small boulder... Not only do I see the man, now fishing and reading the newspaper, I meet a bicyclist that looks at me like I am possibly a murderer... My over cautious mentality at its finest... Below is the hawk I am sure was waiting to see if I was going to be murdered on the levee.

Did I mention I ordered a foam roller???? Well it arrived last night, and all I can say is my back has never been happier about a running gear decision yet... Stretched last night, stretched before my run, and stretched nice and long after my run... Heavenly. My back is one happy camper.

So far today, foam rolling-CHECK, bustin' heads-NOT SO MUCH. 

Monday... Monday...

Wow, what a better week this has already started off to be. Up early, slept well, no stomach issues, energy back... Woo hoo! Ran an 11 mile long run, mapped it out last night on mapmyrun.com, from the Asotin parking lot to the loop just beyond the new bridge is just over 11 miles... It was a cool 64 degrees this morning when I parked, the sun hadn't come up over the hill yet, and there was a nice breeze across the water. It was downright peaceful, and one of those long runs that reminds me of why I started running to begin with. To find peace. And today, my run delivered. Came back home with time to stretch really, really good, my back has been a little stiff lately, do a few household chores and kiss on Bill a little. Made a good smoothie with protein and glutamine. Off to a great start. 

Work has been quiet so far today, lots of new residents, so lots of assessments due, but breezing right through them. Had a wonderful lunch with Bill, which truly is the perfect break in my day, we sit and laugh, talk about our days, our work things, and make plans for the evening. It is an amazing feeling having your husband be your best friend and confidant all at the same time. And the fact that I trust Bill, whole-heartedly is quite amazing to me.

Tonight we are taking the girls out on the river. We got them new tubes, that should be eaiser to pull when we are rowing, since they are plastic with no cloth liners. Looking forward to the day ending as wonderfully as it started. 

Sunday night....

Bill and I spent the whole day on the river again... Was a perfect weekend after the hellish week at work I had.  Right now I am lying on Bill's stomach as he adorably snores in my ear. I am reading this great book called, "What to Eat" by Marion Nestle. I'm not far into it but so far it has touched on organic foods, locally grown foods and the big business behind the dairy and meat productions in the US. It is mind blowing to me that we are so undereducated as a society about what we should and should not be eating and how controlled this information is by politics, money and the economy. Not what is best for our bodies, how to prevent disease and what's best for the world on a grand scale. 

Another little interesting tidbit from my day. The Crystal Light Liquid is amazing. I'm not water drinker. I want to be. I understand the benefits. I run better hydrated. I feel better hydrated. I don't like water. Today I drank 12 8-oz servings of water flavored with a little squirt of this stuff. The awesome part, it doesn't need to be refrigerated. So it's now hanging out in my purse. Waiting to hydrate me again all day tomorrow. HUGE success for me. 

Tomorrow starts another week of great runs. :) The Portland marathon is getting closer!!!

Awwwww... The weekend.

Saturday mornings when only Bill and I are home are marvelous. We sleep in, and I mean sleep in. It was after 10am before I even started to wake up. We snuggled, slept, played on our iPads and snuggled more. I love Saturday mornings... 

This morning I made a veggie omelette with fresh green peppers and onions from my garden. It doesn't get more homegrown or more organic than that. 

Bill and I took the boats out around 1. Visited, swam, joked, and relaxed. It was nice. While we were there a little boy on the beach lost his floaty toy, he tried to swim to it, but the current was faster thn he was. At this point the whole beach is watching. Another man dives in to save it. He too isn't fast enough. Then finally a couple on a skidoo rescued the floaty. The whole ordeal probably took fifteen minutes. By the time the little boy got his floaty back everyone on the dock and the beach were clapping. It was a great little feel good moment. 

After our boat trip we went to dinner and Tomato Brothers for dinner. It was a perfect, relaxing Saturday. (I made the following table cover for Bill, you can see on his face how thrilled he is...)

Boat Time!!!

Last night Bill and I took the girls out on our boats, pulling them behind on innertubes, we had the best little time. :) Rowing with the girls against the wind proved to be quite the little workout. 

This morning's run felt great. My legs have adjusted to the asphalt of the levee, the temperature was perfect and listening to Macklemore was just the perfect touch. A four mile tempo run, out around the track and back. Wore my Under Armour shoes since my Asics Blurs are about to kick the bucket... Sad day...

Horrible, horrible day at work. I don't know what I would do if I couldn't share every detail with Bill. I don't know if you know this but I am married to the most incredible man, but I am so damn lucky. We went back out on the boats tonight, perfect ending to a rough day. Isn't Bill adorable??

Running For Sanity

Was not feeling well that last two days... Poor excuse I know, but I just wasn't. Turns out my ulcer, that I probably should have taken better care of the first time is back... Only can blame myself for this, as it healed fast and I felt great and had I followed the diet the doctor put me on for two more weeks it would have been the best thing for me. SOOOOOOOO, long story short, no more wine (sad day), no more coffee (which is fine as it was quit easy to give up for tea), no more diet Pepsi (which I am happy to report has been my lifetime addiction that I have FINALLY given up), no more dairy, no more high fat meat, limit processed food (stocked the fridge with fruits and veggies yesterday), and all in all quite taking shitty care of my diet. Deal. I hate feeling tired and grumpy and I am sure Bill hates it when I do too. 

This morning's run was nice, chilly, little breeze and the sunrise was just gorgeous, starting about the time I parked and up by the time I finished... 4 miles, Tempo Run. Need to make up my missed long run this weekend...

Today was the first time that I have ever seen a homeless person sleeping on the levee. He was lying along the path, kind of tucked under a tree, with his backpack wrapped in a protective grasp, his holey shoes off next to him and a little grocery sack of food. Am I the only one that feels completely heart broken when seeing something like this? I mean, I look down and I have nice shoes (that I am about to toss), new socks designed for running, name brand running gear, and an iPod  all things that I find necessary to run just 4 miles... And here is this poor man, with less, and that is everything that he owns... It's the same feeling that I have when I pull out of Walmart and the person standing at the stop sign with their cardboard sign makes eye contact with me...  And I look away... I looped back and by the time I crossed where he was the first time, he was already gone. 

Ordered new shoes today!!! Next Wednesday I will post about them. AND I ordered a foam roller. More to come soon!

Full House

Busy weekend... All the kids here and Bills parents for the weekend. So nice to have everyone together. :) Friday was a long day for me at work, hoping today is more of a catch up day... So hard to say at 6:30 in the morning though...

Saturday we had the boys' birthday party at the house. Our kids, Bills parents, my sister, her boyfriend and his kids, my mom and of course Bill and I. Made for a loud busy house, just the way I like it. 

Sunday we spent the majority of the day at the beach, they had the sprint boat races which was neat for the kids, although pretty dang loud and the busiest I have seen the beach. 

Everyone heads home this morning, and the new nanny starts. Seems like a very sweet girl, I think it will be a good change for the girlies... Speaking of girlies, isn't Haili adorable in this picture? She is growing up so fast...

This morning, an easy three miles on the levee. Another gorgeous sunrise. Cool breeze. Exactly what I needed too, a nice silent run, melting all my stress away before the week begins...

Golfing, Dining & Today's Run

Yesterday golfing with Bills boss and all of his colleagues was actually a lot of fun. My golf game could use a lot of improvement but Bills laid back attitude and his fun personality makes anything fun. First time using my super cool OGIO golf bag. 

The bank Bill works for has some really amazing good people working there. It was nice getting to know more of them. Bills best friend was recently promoted and he is now a peer to Bills position. He golfed yesterday too in this fancy new hat...

After golf we had a dinner with everyone at the resort. It was a true 5 course meal, including lime and lavender to cleanse our pallets before dinner that unfortunately tasted a lot like shampoo... But dinner was delicious, I had the crab leg fettuccini. 

Bill and I after dinner last night:

This morning I just had my recovery run for yesterday. It was a tempo 4 miles, again on the treadmill. My body was sore and my hips were grouchy the first mile but everything relaxed and I finished my run feeling really good. Used the amazing foam roller again that felt so so so good on my stiff back. I need one of these. Had a nice light breakfast before my run, from the little market in the resort. My run had a little more pep and I didn't need to take my PreWorkout for that boost. :)

Get the girlies back today. :) cannot wait. We are going to surprise them and take them out in the boats. Should be a perfect little evening. 

Running at Northern Quest Resort

Running the next few days at the Northern Quest Resort. I was concerned that they wouldn't have much of gym or a nice hottub to relax in... Wrong on both those assumptions. They not only had excellent treadmills, but they had a full weight sets, machines and AN ENTIRE STRETCHING AREA. And the hottub was not only nice, it was very hot and there were exactly no children down there. 

In the Resort's gym there were foam rollers which I have read a lot about but never actually tried. My back has not felt better after a long run. Amazing. I've had one on my Amazon Wish List for a few months, an investment I totally think I'll be making very soon. Ran my long run today instead of Friday, so ran a slow long 14 miles, on the treadmill. So I caught up all my blog reading and did a few things for work. :) Time efficient little run. 

Today I am golfing... With Bill, his boss and his colleagues. I don't think they have any idea how horrible I golf. But I have brand new clubs and a brand new OGIO bag that Bill bought for me for Mothers Day... I'll post a few pics tomorrow. 

Early Morning Runs

I live in probably the most running friendly place imaginable, the weather is nice 75% if the year, with maybe a month of super cold weather and a month of super hot weather, and the rest of the year mild. This morning, headed out after my favorite little PreWorkout boost, Hyper FX PreWorkout and a cup of black tea.

The weather was gorgeous this morning, a cool 60 degrees, the sun just coming up. Reminded me of that TV commercial that they are producing for Nike in the movie What Women Want, where they are talking about when a woman runs, its just her and the road, the noise of her feet hitting the pavement. Running the levee here is like that, no noise, just me and the path, feeling my body work, no one wanting anything from me... just me and the road. Was scheduled for a 3 mile Tempo Run, felt so good, finished at 3.42 miles instead. :)

The view off our deck this morning:

The view from the levee:

There were deer when I made it to my half way point, on the school track. A buck and three females. They barely even looked up from the grass they were eating. 

Great Weekend Followed by an OGIO Sponsorship!

After my Friday night run, ordered a bottle of wine and crab cakes, relaxed at Davenport waiting to pick Bill up the next morning and my phone started ringing, I had a delivery!!! Flowers to my hotel room. I couldn't ask for a more amazing man to spend the rest of my life with...

Saturday morning couldn't have come soon enough, rushed to the airport and waited for Bill. Kissed all over his sunburnt face and chapped lips. :) we went home and went out for a nice little dinner, much needed night alone with no kids, no one else, just us. Was so nice. 

Saturday morning we slept in and then met my sister with her boyfriend to take our little pontoon boats out. We love going out on our little boats! 

Afterward we went back to the house, grilled up some of Bills fresh salmon and hung out with them for the night. My sister is the coolest by the way... And again, I am just so happy Bill is home. 

Saturday and Sunday are my rest days, so no running. 

Monday morning I get to work and waiting in my email is a sponsorship from OGIO!!! How cool is that? They are going to send me their free gear to races and get 40% off all of their stuff!!! I was super excited about this, emailed with the International Marketing Rep and cannot wait to get the awesome gear for my upcoming races!!! These are the bags that are coming!

Having Bill home for lunch time is so nice, we sit and visit and laugh. I love to talk about our work, people we work with and everything imaginable. He is such an amazing man, on so many levels. Tonight, we had a nice night out on our pontoon boats. This is my favorite thing to do... We take them out in the middle of the river, anchor ourselves there and bungee our boats together. Sitting out there, no cell service, no iPads, no TV, it's an amazing to unwind after the day. :) 

Then home for dinner and spinning for my crosstraining night. Bill sits and plays video games online with his sons (have I mentioned yet what an amazing father Bill is? No??? Well more to come on that...), play on his iPad or play music just sitting next to me so I don't have to workout alone. Again, he is one damn amazing man, and I am one lucky girl. :)

Night!!!