A few early resolutions

Back from a sunny 3 mile run along the Burke-Gilman this morning and a nice relaxing 800M swim at the gym. I've decided to start working on some "New Year's" resolutions a little bit early!

1. Run at least 3x a week

2. Yoga at least 1x a week

3. Strength train at least 1x a week

4. Swim or bike at least 2x a week

Number 4 will obviously be updated once it comes closer to tri season! I just feel like I need to get started early because I need some motivation to keep getting me out there now that it's dark and rainy so much of the time. Wish me luck!

Have I mentioned yet...

how much I love my new neighborhood? For running, for how close/convenient it is to everything, and for how cute/cozy it is??

The view from my front porch during November's snow storm

One of the main streets of Wallingford... so many cute little shops and restaurants.

The trail around Green Lake

The view of downtown Seattle from Gasworks Park

And of course, the beautiful Burke-Gilman trail. <3

Upcoming race plans

Only one race left for 2010, pretty crazy to think how fast this year has flown by and how much has happened in it!


December - Jingle Bell Run 5K
January - Resolution Run 5K
Lake Youngs Pigtails race (19.6 miles)

February - Port Gamble 25K
Last Call Marathon

March - Chuckanut 50K

April - Wenatchee Marathon


And then switching focus to tri season for the summer. Pretty ambitious, I know, but I'll just take it one step at a time and do the best I can. I'll have to start hitting the trails at Tiger Mountain, Cougar Mountain, etc soon to get some more practice in!

Seattle 1/2 Marathon race report

There weren't very many good pictures of me from this race because it was so crowded... oh well.

Background - I trained a lot better for this half than the last few I've ran, including a few tempo runs, a few good hill runs, and long runs of up to 12 miles.

The race - So glad the weather cooperated after all the snow of the past week - it ended up being cool and overcast, with the sun coming out right at the finish line. I started the race off with my friend T, who was aiming for a sub 2 half - we stuck together for almost the first mile until the 2 hour pace group caught us (we started in a really weird spot) and he took off with them.

The first 4-5 miles were strong and steady, keeping a pretty decent pace without pushing too hard. A nice change from those other halfs that I hadn't trained for at all! When I hit mile 5-6, my left inner thigh/groin/hip and the inside of my left knee started cramping up so badly I could barely run. This happens occasionally, but usually I can just run it off in a few minutes. This one lasted for almost an entire mile, and at some points I was literally kind of just dragging my left leg along. I started getting kind of frustrated - NO WAY would this happen during this race that I'd actually trained for!

I was really thankful to hit the uphill part of the course starting with the Galer Street hill. I ran up it, and up Madison, with no walk breaks, and it really helped seem to loosen up that hip/thigh. They still never really felt 100% for the rest of the race, but at least I was able to run steadily again. I maintained my pace pretty well up Interlaken hills (despite an extra mile or so back to the med tent to get help for a runner that passed out on the course in front of me - YIKES - I think he ended up being ok though), and over the rolling hills over the freeway and back towards downtown. I hit the mile 12 marker and pushed pretty hard through the downhills and up that steep, obnoxious hill on Mercer Street to the finish. My mom and DBF were at the top of the Mercer Street hill, so that gave me a nice little boost to the finish.

Final time - 2:18:52 for ~14 miles. That's only 6 minutes off my PR time for 13.1 miles, so I'll definitely take it. I also negative split the course by 2 minutes, which I am pretty pleased with given all the hills in the second half! Definitely one of the strongest halfs I've run aside from that stupid leg cramp - I need to figure out how to avoid those once and for all (more strength training, probably).

Snow in Seattle!

Gotta love what happens when it snows around here... Glad I am not sitting in that!!

Got my last long run (8 miles) in yesterday before the Seattle half marathon this Sunday - I am definitely a lot better prepared than I have been for the last few halfs I've run! Can't wait to go kick some ass on those hills!

Also finally getting settled in at my new place on Green Lake - a little sore from moving furniture yesterday, but it's so nice and cozy and I LOVE the location!

Just a few more short/easy/quick runs this week, then heading to Silverdale to spend Thanksgiving with the boyfriend's family, and then the half on Sunday!

I love hills

In the spirit of getting ready for the Seattle 1/2 Marathon on November 28, I did a mid-length run on the hilly part of the marathon course (from Galer/Madison up Interlaken almost to Seattle Center) this morning. It was beautiful running weather, and I think everyone else had the same idea I did - I saw at least 30-40 other runners out running the course. I am really appreciating living and running on Queen Anne - I know the hills are tougher when they come at mile 20 of the marathon, but coming earlier than that, they barely bothered me.

Now all that's left is to keep up with some quality midweek mileage, one more long run of 12 miles, and then a little taper before race day! Keeping my fingers crossed that the nice weather holds out, or at least returns for race day!

Full of Updates!

I will try to update more frequently now that I will have semi-regular access to the Internet on a computer instead of just on my phone! I've missed it!

First news: I got a job!! It is something that (so far) I really enjoy doing, it fits perfectly with my schedule, it's laidback, AND it pays really well (which I'm sure my bank and my landlord will appreciate!). Now I can finally start getting back to some semblance of a normal budget and not have an ucler by the time I turn 25!!

Second news: I have a fantastic DBF!! :)

And now for the running update...

I am signed up for the Seattle 1/2 Marathon on November 28. I had wanted to make the full marathon a yearly tradition, but I just didn't feel like I had the base to build up for it properly after the crazy summer I had. So, I am going to try for a PR, which is unlikely given the hills, but I am still going to run it as hard as I can. I'll be happy with anything under 2:25 or so on that course!

Training has been going well (knock on wood) - I've been consistently putting in long runs, easy runs, hill runs, and tempo runs. I ran 11 miles on Monday, and I'll do 6-8 on the hilly part of the course on Sunday as a cutback week. Can't wait! After that, my next big goal is the Chuckanut Mountain 50K in March, and then getting my revenge on the Wenatchee Marathon in April. Then I'll start gearing back up for summer tri season and get that 1/2 Ironman under my belt!

Starting Over Yet Again

Any Sex and the City fans out there might get that reference!

It's been a hectic summer and fall, and I haven't had Internet except on my phone, so my blog has kinda fallen off the face of the earth! But I am ramping up my running training for the Seattle half (I've decided to go for a half PR there and build up mileage for my first 50K in March), so I figured that I should get it going again whenever I have a computer to post on!

Job-wise, I'm still working at the Tavern on Friday and Saturday nights, and it's still fun - but I definitely need another job, stat! I've managed to scrap by for rent, etc. so far, but it's super stressful and it'd be so nice to not have to panic every time the first of the month rolls around!

I'm also in need of $ in order to run races! I haven't signed up for the Seattle half yet, or for the Chuckanut Mountain 50K, or anything else. Hopefully I'll have a job soon enough that I won't have to rely on other people's generosity!!

I know it probably seems silly to go for a half PR on such a hilly course, but I actually ran faster at the San Francisco half (much hillier than Seattle) than I did at Eugene. Short legs come in handy sometimes!

Mini-break

My internet has decided not to work for the past few weeks, so I probably won't be able to post much until we get it back! It's been weird not having it!

Shout-out to The End

Best radio station in Seattle... I don't know what I'd do without them!

www.1077theend.com

What I'm listening to this week:

Lisztomania, Phoenix
Crystalized, The XX
Just Breathe, Pearl Jam
Jane Says, Jane's Addiction
Home, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeroes
Animal, Neon Trees
Memories, Weezer
The Freshmen, The Verve Pipe
Runaway Train, Soul Asylum
In One Ear, Cage the Elephant
Everlong, Foo Fighters
Little Lion Man, Mumford & Sons
Starlight, Muse
Hammerhead, The Offspring

Just a small sample of course, but all of the music they play is so amazing!!

Danskin Sprint Tri race report

Yep, that's right, I haven't completely fallen off the face of the earth! It's just been an absolutely crazy month, up and down and exhausting and ridiculous. Which also means that I haven't done much training (read - basically none) since the San Francisco 1/2. However, in the spirit of getting back on track, here is my Danskin triathlon race report!

Background/training - As stated in the above paragraph... pretty much none. Plus I was also sick for a week... so I wasn't really expecting to even race this - just planned on doing it for fun.

Swim - Hopped in the water with my wave of about 50 people. The swim was pretty intense - it was super crowded (even once my wave got spread out, I started to run into people from the back of the wave in front of us) and the water was really really choppy because of all the people. I'm pretty sure I swallowed more lake water than I ever have before. I even had to stop and tread water for a few seconds once because I got a nice lungful of water along with a kick in the head. However, unlike the Seafair tri, I was swimming really strongly on the rare occasions I did get an open stretch of water to myself, and I was better about muscling my way in between people (although there were still a few occasions where I had to hit the brakes and go around... kind of frustrating). Time: 19:02

Transition 1 - My bike was racked in pretty much the farthest place from all the entry/exit points, so it was a loooong transition. It went pretty uneventfully, just took a lot longer to get from the water to the bike and out to the road to hop on. Time: 4:44

Bike - Once again, I was pleasantly surprised by how strong I felt on the bike. I feel like I could really make great strides and be good at the bike with more training and a decent road bike. As it is I'm fairly middle of the pack on my $5 garage sale hybrid. The course had a lot of rolling hills (the same course as Seafair plus an extra hill or two), and since Danskin is such a beginner friendly race, there were a LOT of people in front of me to pass. I was having so much fun passing people that I never really got tired, which is probably why my bike was faster than at Seafair. Time: 46:08, 15.6 mph

Transition 2 - I had a minor moment of panic at this point because my Gatorade had disappeared, and it was getting really hot and I wanted a drink before the run portion. I also couldn't find my bag with my phone and my keys in it because the transition area was such a mess, so I ran out keeping my fingers crossed that I'd find them after the race. Time: 1:54

Run - It was pretty warm out by the time I started the run, and the course didn't have much shade on it, so I made it my goal to just keep a steady pace, only walk through the water stops, make it up the hill running, and finish stronger than I did at Seafair. I managed to keep myself distracted for the first few miles by counting all the people I passed (there were LOTS of people walking) until I lost track at around 30. I drank and dumped water on myself at every aid station, and I made it up the short (but STEEEEEEP) hill running the entire way (I only saw three other people do it). I felt like I was going to puke at the top because it was so hot, but it was downhill towards the finish and I managed to kick it in pretty strong. Time: 32:27

Final time: 1:44:18

Breakdown:

Clock Time
01:44:18

Overall Place
873 / 3313

Division Place
52 / 114

Swim
00:19:02

Swimrank
720

Trans1
00:04:44

Bike
00:46:08

Bikerank
1369

Mph
15.6

Trans2
00:01:54

Runrank
1099

Run
00:32:27

Pace
00:10:28

Reflections - I was really pleased with how this race went given my lack of training and my plan to just go in and do it for fun! I thought the swim would have been faster, but I had a great time pushing it and passing people on the bike and going strong and steady on the run. I guess I just need to keep working on my swim speed and accept/acknowledge that the crowds and choppy water in big races are going to slow me down a little bit no matter what! But I wasn't expecting a PR at all, so especially given the heat and the longer transitions, I am happy with it!

Next up - Black Diamond Olympic Triathlon, September 25

More pictures to come soon!

San Francisco 1/2 Marathon race report

Once again, more professional race pictures to be added once they are up - and I will make a separate blog post about my vacation and with all my other pictures in it!

Pre-race dinner - Lisa, me, Linn, and Jen!

Running across the Golden Gate bridge!

The view from up here was totally worth all the hills!

Happy campers post-race!

Elevation map... let me tell you, all of those hills look a lot bigger when you're running them!!

Background/training - Didn't really do much for this race (surprise surprise!) - took the week pretty much off after the Seafair triathlon because of vacation!


Pre-race - Spent a lovely few days exploring San Francisco and meeting lots of new people! Jen and her husband were nice enough to let me crash in their guest bedroom on Thursday and Friday night, which was awesome! And, we were lucky enough to go to a talk/book signing with Dean Karnazes and Bart Yasso! Jen, Linn and I stayed in a hotel near Union Square on Saturday night so we could be closer to the race start - I don't think any of us got much sleep, but that's not really surprising the night before a race! We went out to dinner at an Italian place and met up with Lisa, her sister, Christina's friend Jared, and a couple of other people - super fun! Sunday morning we were up at 4 AM for the walk to the race start. It was really pretty - the Bay Bridge was all light up, and there was an arch of white balloons with little blue Christmas lights underneath them floating over it. The porta pottie lines were so long that we missed our wave, but we hopped in the next one and soon enough we were off!

Mile 1-4 - The race started out along the waterfront, past Pier 39 and the Fisherman's Wharf. I had gone exploring there on Friday, but it was still fun to see, and the weather (though a bit foggy) was perfect for running. I started off slowly and just tried to get my legs to loosen up before we hit the tough parts of the course. The sourdough bread smelled so good as we ran by - so tempting! There was a steep little hill at mile 2, which I ran up and felt quite proud of myself. Hey, maybe the rest of the course wouldn't be as bad as I thought! I settled into a nice steady pace, and then...

Miles 5-9 - There was quite a big hill going up to the Golden Gate bridge - which I was expecting, but by the time I had run/walked/shuffled up to the start of the bridge, I was a little bit demoralized. If the entire course was like this I'd be lucky to finish in under 3 hours! Running across the bridge was nice (especially once we got to the midpoint and it was gradual downhill instead of gradual uphill!) - I maintained a steady pace, stayed focused, and felt good. It was fun to see Linn and Jen coming back, and I got plenty of GU at the turnaround on the other side. I stopped to take a few pictures coming back - I just couldn't resist! I was still feeling strong and steady when we came off the bridge, and I was getting ready to enjoy a nice downhill - after all, we came UP to the bridge, so we must get to go DOWN off of it, right?

Miles 9-11 - Nope. There was a bit of downhill, and then another big hill around mile 9.5. There were a lot of people walking by this point, but I managed a run/walk up the hill, and the view at the top was incredible (see the non-bridge picture at the top). We were also rewarded with the nice long downhill that I had been waiting for, and I was still feeling good!

Miles 11-13 - As you can see from the elevation map (maybe), the last two or so miles felt like running upstairs - a flat section, an uphill, a flat section, another uphill! I ran probably 3/4 of the way up every hill, took a short walk break before the top, and ran the flat sections. It was a gorgeous neighborhood, and even though I felt like I had been running uphill the entire race, I was able to stay strong and steady until we came into Golden Gate park and crossed the finish line!

Final time: 2:35

Reflections/post-race: I was very pleased with my time of 2:35. It's not fast, certainly not near my PR, but it is a minute faster than I ran on pancake-flat Eugene. I didn't train very well and I definitely didn't train for hills, but I was able to stay strong and steady and I never really faded or hit the wall. It was a really fun race, and I was so glad to have been able to meet some great people! Jen and Linn were nice enough to wait for me at the finish line, and we bussed back to the start line and then walked back to our hotel. I'm really glad we did so much walking after the race - I am probably less sore now than I have been after any other half! I had a nice post-race brunch with Christina's friend Jared at Cheesecake Factory, and then wandered around the mall at Union Square until it was time to catch the BART to the airport for our flights. Despite waiting around in SFO for 6-7 hours b/c of a delayed flight, it was a great trip and a fun race!

Next up: Danskin Sprint Tri, 8/15/10 - going for that sub 1:45!

Seafair Sprint Tri Race Report (updated w/pics)

Professional race pictures added at the bottom!

Some nice bed head before the start of the race... I was up at 4 AM, cut me some slack!

Ready to head out into the water... brrr!

Hmm, that swim was not as good as I expected... but I still beat my time goal!

On to the bike....

Getting ready for a great ride!

Trying not to do what the lady in yellow did (fall on my face)!

Starting the run course... hey, my legs still feel good!

Nice little finishing kick at the end of a good run!

Nap time plz?

Bud and I in the finish area. Yay!

Background- I was actually fairly well trained for this race, although I could have used some more running and swimming speedwork. My long run is currently 13.1 miles, so 5K is a pretty short run distance. I had biked up to 30 miles and done a few 10-12 mile tempo rides, some of them on the course, which I think really helped. I had done plenty of open water swims and I felt my form was getting even more improved. I told myself I'd be ok with anything under 2 hours, and I'd be really really happy with 1:50 or 1:45.

Swim - The water wasn't as cold as I was expecting given how cloudy it was, but it was still COLD (low 60s). There were only a few other people without wetsuits there. I made the mistake of starting near the back of my wave because I wasn't sure how fast everyone else was, so it took me almost all the way to the first buoy to get in the clear. I was running into people, swerving, trying to get around people, getting run over, getting kicked... not so fun! By the time I came around to the second buoy, I was in a little more of a rhythm, but still wasn't feeling as fast and strong as usual. I struggled a bit on the long straightaway coming in to the shore, but I managed to push through it. I wasn't too pleased with the swim coming out, but I still managed a sub 20 800M swim. Time: 18:50ish

Transition 1 - I could probably get this a bit faster, but nothing bad happened, haha! Time: 4:30 (it was a long way to get to the bike start!)

Bike- This went way better than I was expecting. The 12 mile course is a lot of rolling hills and some flat sections, with only one big steep hill. I went out at a steady pace, not pushing too hard but riding strong and steady. I ran my bike up the steep hill and continued on across the floating bridge. I hit the turn around point in 24 minutes, well under my goal pace of 55 minutes for the bike. And my legs were still feeling great! I was able to stay really focused, strong, and steady for the entire ride. I finished in right around 49 minutes, which I was super happy with! Time: 49:20ish

Transition 2 - Uneventful, just dropped off my gloves and bike helmet. Time: 1 min

Run - I was very pleased when I started running and felt only a mild tightness in my calves and hamstrings - nothing like the incredible ouch I felt during the mock tri last weekend. I told myself that I wouldn't waste such a good bike ride by not pushing it on the run. I started off strong, steady, and still feeling good. I hit the first mile in about 10:30, which was a lot faster than I was expecting! Mile 2 came about halfway up the hill in the race, which is long and steep. I ran up most of it, only walking for about 10 seconds during the steepest part. Coming back down was a lot of fun! I ran mile 2 in about 11:00, and after coming down the hill, pushed it stronger and stronger until I saw the finish line, and then unleashed a pretty good finishing kick until I crossed the line. Time: 32:33

Final time: 1:45:33(ish)

Reflections - I am very happy with my overall time! The bike and the run were strong, steady efforts that were faster than I expected and I am very pleased with them (although I know there is always room for improvement!). I could practice my transitions a few more times but they weren't horrible. The swim got off to a rough start and I never really got settled, but I managed to push through and still finish with not a horrible time. I can't wait for the next one!

The swim start... brr!

One of the rolling hills on the bike course

I still don't look like a biker... I guess there's always room for improvement haha!

Running!

Almost time...

My first sprint tri of 2010 (and the first one I've raced, on my own) is 3 days away! The Seafair Sprint Tri will be at Seward Park on Sunday, July 18. It's a standard sprint distance - 800M swim, 12 mi bike, and 5K run. I am looking forward to it - I've had some great swims lately and a few good hard bike rides. I'm hoping to get another run or two in before the race, and hopefully the weather will cooperate!

Viva La Furia Roja!!

Congratulations to my favorite non-US team, Spain! World Cup Champions and deservedly so! The final may have been an ugly match, but Spain has been consistently dominant on the international scene the past few years and it's nice to see such beautiful football rewarded!

Now, the question is, what am I going to do with my time for the next 4 years???

Hooray for summer!

It's finally sunny and has gotten up to the 90s this week! Quite a welcome change from the 50s/60s cloudy/rainy 4th of July weekend!! I got to do my first OWS in Lake Washington on Wednesday (and it was actually WARM!) and I will be spending a lot more time at my favorite place! (Matthews Beach, above)

Tri training has still been going well after I got over that nasty little cold, and we have our first mock tri at Seward Park tomorrow - probably 800M swim, 10 mile bike, and 2.5 mile run. Then next Sunday, is my first triathlon of 2010 - Seafair Sprint Tri at Seward Park!

It will be the first sprint distance tri that I've raced, and I'm super excited for it! I'm hoping to come in under around 1:45 or 1:50 (although of course finishing strong is the main thing). I'd like to finish the 800M swim in under 18:00, the 12 mile bike in under 50:00, and the 5K run in under 35:00. Hopefully I'll be able to improve on those times even more once the Danskin Sprint Tri comes around in the middle of August!

And, only one more week until vacation (Long Beach, on the Washington coast, and then down to San Francisco to run the SF First Half on Sunday)!!

Decisions, decisions

Beaver Lake, where we've done all of our open water swim practices so far. It's beautiful!

So, I have made the decision (after lots of pondering) to switch from the 1/2 Ironman to the Olympic distance at the Black Diamond triathlon in September. I just feel that it'd be a better plan to continue building a better base, getting faster and getting more experience at the shorter distances this year, so that I'll actually be able to do well in a HIM in 2011. I feel that I could probably manage to finish this year, but it wouldn't be pretty, and I wouldn't be satisfied with just finishing (especially if I were to come in last!). I'd rather do well at sprints and oly distances this year, and build from that base to actually do well at a HIM next year.

It'll also be helpful in letting me see how much training I can realistically fit in with how much time and energy I have so that I don't end up overtrained or overwhelmed. Baby steps, right?

Part of me is a little bit disappointed, and a little bit feeling like a failure, and a little bit humbled. But hey, I'm only 23, I don't need to do everything NOW. I just keep reminding myself that the HIM will be a lot more fun and successful if I take the time to build up to it and prepare for it the best I can, even if that means waiting another year to do it. Good things come to those who wait, right?

Alive

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46nfof-gdDs&feature=related

Turns out, the (probable) reason I spent the middle miles of the Rock N Roll half feeling so sick is because, well... I was actually getting sick. And my body was probably going "Um, hello? Why are you running 13.1 miles right now??"

Anyways, it decided to thoroughly punish me by getting sick this past week. Headache, stuffy nose, runny nose, sore throat, stomachache, dizziness, sinuses, coughing, the works. It SUCKED. I am still a little stuffy and coughing, but back to work, because I have major cabin fever and I could not spend one more day inside my apartment!!

I even managed to get a short 800M swim in on my lunch break today, and it actually felt... decent. Aiming for another swim and/or run tomorrow, and then an OWS/run brick on Saturday morning. Long bike ride on Sunday, and then hopefully a 9.6 mile trail run at Lake Youngs on Monday! (Love having a three day weekend!)

Hear that, body? I have big plans for you, so you'd better cooperate!!

Rock N Roll Seattle 1/2 Marathon Race Report

Not sure where on the course this was taken... may have been coming in to the finish line?

Ian and I before the start of the race

More pictures to come (featuring yours truly) shortly!

Background - I trained a little more consistently for this one than for Eugene in May (read, I actually ran) but I still didn't have any runs longer than 7 miles. Gotta get on figuring out how to get those long runs worked in! I also started getting sick the night before the race - sore throat, sniffles, sinus headache, etc. Ick!!

The race - Got dropped off at the start line in Tukwila with only about 10 minutes to spare before the start of the race. Due to the corral start I wasn't too worried about being late, and it was nice to not have to spend hours and hours waiting around. I found a few of my friends before the start and was able to say hi, so that was fun too. The weather was PERFECT for this race - cool and overcast with a light breeze.

After watching the first 13 corrals make their way to the start, it was our turn, and we were off. I ran the first 2-3 miles with a friend from high school, which probably explains why they were a LOT faster than the rest of my miles (10 min average when I was going for 11-11:30... oops!). The 2:07 pace group passed me at mile 4 and I had an "uh oh"moment. I also started feeling like crap during this mile. My friend went on ahead and I spent the next four miles alternately running and darting to the side of the road to throw up whenever I saw a trash can (I HATE throwing up in public!). I definitely considered just throwing in the towel and calling my mom to come get me, more than once. Luckily, the 6th mile was a long, gradual downhill, and aside from the random throwing up, I was able to regain my focus a little bit and just keep moving forward step by step. I think I was all out by mile 8, so I took a GU and continued on.

The last 4-5 miles of the race were actually the best for me - I was running steady and very focused on just making it to the next mile marker, and the next one, and the next one. The only part of this race I don't like is miles 9-11ish on I-90, because the road is so cambered/slanted it is a pain to run on. I was happy to get off the bridge just before mile 12, and ran in strongly. I even managed a bit of a finishing kick, although I swear that last .1 was the longest tenth of a mile I've ever run, haha.

I crossed the finish line in 2:32, which is 20 minutes off my half PR but still 5 minutes faster than I ran in Eugene last month. Given all the throwing up and wanting to quit by mile 4, I will take the strong finish and the time!

Post-race - Hopped in the car with Mom, got some Tully's, and then went to the Tavern to watch the US game (sad sad!). Played soccer with the boys for an hour and then worked at the Tavern until 10. I think all the walking around hopefully kept me loosened up enough to speed up recovery a little bit.

Other notes- My friend T (who I ran the Seattle Marathon with in Nov.) ran the full at Rock N Roll and ran a 4:35 - a 50 minute PR! So cool for him! My friend C ran her first half and ran a 2:03, the guy I ran the first few miles with ran a 1:48 (18 minute PR), and I know plenty of other people that PR'd/BQ'd as well. I also saw a Team in Training lady with a picture of a little toddler on her shirt and underneath it it said "Mommy Misses You" - that almost made me cry. Also, there was a short, STEEP hill going up to I-90 just after the mile 9 marker, and I passed a guy in a wheelchair pushing his way up it. I don't know how he did it, but it was incredibly inspiring.

Reflections - I guess it just wasn't my day, but I'm pleased with how I was able to push through and refocus and still end up with a strong finish. Now to recover, and hopefully get some more good running in before the San Francisco half on July 25!!

World Cup links

There are some great stories floating around after the US victory today - I thought I'd save them here!!

ESPN's game story: http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report?id=264048&cc=5901&ver=us

ESPN story about US soccer: http://soccernet.espn.go.com/world-cup/columns/story/_/id/5319612/ce/us/biggest-win-us-soccer?cc=5901&ver=us

Yahoo story about fan reaction from US: http://soccernet.espn.go.com/world-cup/columns/story/_/id/5319612/ce/us/biggest-win-us-soccer?cc=5901&ver=us

Yahoo's World Cup blog has some great stories in it: http://g.sports.yahoo.com/soccer/world-cup/blog/dirty-tackle

Yahoo story about Donovan's comeback: http://g.sports.yahoo.com/soccer/world-cup/news/dramatic-goal-completes-donovan-s-redemption--fbintl_ro-donovan062310.html

Pictures and video of the goal/US celebration: http://g.sports.yahoo.com/soccer/world-cup/blog/dirty-tackle/post/Emotional-celebration-for-U-S-after-unbelievabl?urn=sow,250726#mwpphu-container

Concert Review - The Offspring

This was my second concert at the Showbox Sodo and first time being on the floor/in a mosh pit - it was CRAZY!! I went with my brother and we got there early enough to be just a couple of rows back from the stage. I lost both of my shoes during the first song (You're Gonna Go Far Kid - everyone just went NUTS)! I got plenty of bruises and I am sore today from all the jumping around, but at least I didn't end up bloody like some people that I saw!!

Showbox Sodo is a lot differently laid out from Showbox at the Market - the SODO one is basically just like a big old warehouse with a bar and a stage attached. It's still pretty cool though - it's just a lot bigger than the one at the Market, so there is less intimacy, but it's handy for shows that draw really big crowds like The Offspring.

(This isn't my picture - we were actually a lot closer to the stage than this!)

The concert was great - they played all my favorite songs (You're Gonna Go Far Kid, Hammerhead, Self Esteem, Pretty Fly For a White Guy, My Friend's Got a Girlfriend), etc. They were super high energy, sounded GREAT live, and were a great band to dance around and sing as loudly as possible to!

Here is a video of them live (not from last night): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJ4bxQ04dH8&playnext_from=TL&videos=Dn1oair2R4o&feature=rec-LGOUT-exp_fresh%2Bdiv-1r-2-HM

The tickets were fairly expensive but it was such a fun show that I'd definitely go back if my budget allowed. Concerts at the Showbox are addicting... I'm sure I would go to at least a couple every month if I could afford it! Maybe someday...

USA! USA! USA!

In honor of today's AWESOME last-minute victory by the US Men's team over Algeria, which means that the US has won their group and gets to advance to the next round, my blog is now rocking the American pride!!!

Seriously, what a game! So many chances and so close to being out, but we just kept trying and trying and it FINALLY went in!!

My only complaint is that because refs have disallowed TWO US goals this World Cup, we all paused in the middle of screaming and were afraid that this one would somehow be disallowed also!

But it wasn't and the US has fought and overcome and will continue on! Carry on, men!

I also love how this run is getting people all over the US into soccer as well! My FB news feed was literally ALL US soccer this morning... (I know the pictures are small, but you can zoom in on your screen and see - hold control on your keyboard and scroll up on your mouse).