Silver Falls 7 Miler

 

I have joined the crazy people.  

One week after doing the Dia de los Muertos Endurance run I had signed up to do the Silver Falls 7 Mile race.  

What was I thinking?

My feet were still trashed from the week before.  I had been wearing sandles all week because of all the blisters.  I was not sure how I was going to wear shoes and hike on trails for 7+ miles!  I lost the entire toenail on Friday on the toe that had the epic blister the week before. Yikes!

We left on Friday afternoon with the travel trailer to spend the weekend at Silver Falls State Park.  There was a big storm warning and it was a very windy drive up to the park.  We got there early enough to be able to get all set up while it was still light which was nice.  

We drove back to Sublimity to have dinner with Josh and Wendie (partners in hijinks and shenanigans) to have dinner.  A fun dinner with lots of talking and laughing, as usual.  Then we headed back to the park to settle in for the night.  

The wind had settled down but it was absolutely pouring rain.  I love the sound of the rain on the trailer!!

I woke up about 1:00 am because my C-PAP machine stopped working.  I didn't realize until later it was because there was a power outage.  At the time I thought it was a problem with the machine or the outlet in the trailer since our track lights were still on in the other side of the trailer.  

Once I woke up I realized I had a pretty bad headache.  Then my stomach started feeling awful too.  Not a fun time.  I finally got up and took some Advil to help with the headache.  That's when I realized that the microwave was off and the power had gone out.  The lights were on because they were drawing from the trailer battery.  

I went back to bed but had a hard time sleeping because I felt so crummy.  I finally managed to get back to sleep for a couple of hours.  

When I woke up my head felt better but my stomach was still not feeling great.  

Between the blisters on my feet and not sleeping well with an upset stomach I wasn't feeling very confident about being able to do this race.  

We had two friends who were starting the marathon at 8:00 am so we decided to head over early so we could say hi and cheer them at the start of the race.  

It was a little drizzly but not too bad of weather considering how much it rained the night before.  But there was water everywhere!  

Joe's bib number won a raffle so he let me pick out the prize and we got a really cool picnic backpac with a growler included.  Can't wait to use it on some of our adventures!

Getting ready!

It wasn't long before Joe was starting the 7 miler.  He was in the 9:00 wave.  The rest of us were starting in the 9:15 wave.  

Joe waving at us from the other side of the crowd!

Last time I saw these crazies until I finished the race!

I still wasn't feeling good but I figured I would start and see how it went.  If I felt like it just wasn't working I was pretty sure that I could get someone to give me a ride from the North Falls (a couple of miles into the run) back to the South Falls parking lot.  

We got going and my friends took off.  I started out slow but felt pretty good overall.  I was able to trot a lot of the Rim Trail.  Then when I got down to North Falls I decided to keep going. 

All in!

North Falls

I was able to run different parts of the trail and was moving along pretty good considering how wrecked I was just a week before. 

Lower North Falls

As always, no matter the weather or time of year, Silver Falls State Park does not disappoint.  The water was raging because of all the rain and the falls were awesome.  Full and loud!  Lots of yellow leaves on the trees.  It was gorgeous!

I was making pretty good time and started thinking that maybe I could finish in less than three hours, which all things considered would be pretty amazing. 

Then I got to the lower South Falls. 

I love this waterfall because we can walk behind it and it is the closest to the water of all the falls you can walk behind.  

I also don't like this waterfall because once you are past it, you have to walk up a bunch of stairs.  

A lot of stairs!

A ridiculous amount of stairs. 

One Hundred and Eighty Five steps!

I know this because I counted them.  

Every single one of them.

I trudged up them very, very slowly. 

All the aches and pains that I had last week came roaring back.  

My hip got pissed off, my knee hurt.  I could feel all the blisters on my feet.  

The stairs are a weird thing because they are really hard but also I know that they mean I am getting close to being done.  

Basically there is the South Falls to get around and up and then Nutcracker Hill to go up and back down to the finish.  

But those are two really big climbs when you are hurting.  

Five miles done and a little over two more to go.  

I can gut out two miles.  Right?

Now here's the weirdly cool part.  I hope this makes sense. 

I was so done. 

But kept going.

AND I didn't question it. 

I wasn't mad about where I was at.  

I wasn't crying because I was fat or slow.  (I was crying but it was because everything hurt, lol.)

I was digging deep and making it work.  

Because I know how to do hard things. 

And there was a moment on the trail, as I was walking along all alone, not questioning the craziness of what I was doing or that I could finish.  

There she is. 

That woman who does hard things and goes after shit.  Sets goals and pushes though pain.  

There she is. 

I've missed her. 

That was huge.

She's not all the way back yet.  But this is the first time in almost three years that I could even get a glimpse of her.  

That was thrilling.  

South Falls

Joe was waiting at the top of the South Falls and I'm not gonna lie, it was huge to see him.  I hurt so bad and was so glad that he was there to encourage me for the last little bit.  He walked with me over to Nutcracker Hill and then was waiting for me as I made my way back down. 

I didn't get under the three hour mark.  I was actually significantly slower than last year. But since I had horrible sleep, bad headache, upset stomach and trashed feet and muscles from the adventure the week before I will take the finish as a win.  

I didn't give up. 

I didn't get mired down in all the things I couldn't do. 

Instead I was stoked that I had done a hard thing when my body was not really in shape for it and already wrecked from the weekend before.  

We had a great time hanging out at the finish line talking to people, meeting dogs and just having fun. We were waiting to cheer our friend Troy over the finish line of his marathon.  At one point Joe and Josh went to get something to eat and while they were standing there, Troy walked up.  Oops.  Major fail! lol  

Me and my favorite guy.

Getting some birthday love.

Just walking in the rain.

Post Race Shenanigans

Joe, Josh and Troy.  Three of the best men I know!

We headed back to the trailer after that and worked on getting cleaned up and having an early dinner.  The shower felt amazing!

Cheryl came to join us for dinner and brought her Solo stove.  That was awesome!  We had a nice warm fire to sit around and talk and laugh.  The rain held off for the entire evening so we were able to enjoy being outside the entire time.

It got to be aournd 6:30 or 7 (I'm not exactly sure) and I was just done.  lol  

I headed to bed and got all snuggled in.  It was lovely to stretch out.

The next morning we got up and got ready to head back to the race to volunteer.  It had been raining pretty steady for most of the night.  So we made sure we had all our rain gear on because standing in the rain, getting soaked isn't fun. 

Sunday is the Half Marathon.  Joe and I were volunteering at the 3 mile aid station.  It's a fun one to do.  It's near the start line so it's easy to do and everyone is still smiling and doing well.  

We got to our spot and met all the other volunteers.  It was pouring rain.  Because of concerns about the timing mats, the race was going to start all at once instead of two waves.  That way if there were problems they would be able to track how long people took easier.  

The race got going and it was still raining hard.  

We had some time to finish getting the aid station set up and cups filled with water and electrolytes.  

And then it started snowing!

Big fat snowflakes!

 It was crazy. 

Then it started sticking to the ground!

Next thing we know, the ground is covered in white and it's still coming down.  

The runners started in pouring down rain and now were dealing with snow!  Wild!  

They are going to be able to tell that story for forever!!

There was this time I did a half marathon in the snow!  On a trail!! 

Once we had all the racers through the aid station we helped clean things up and then headed back to our trailer.  

We had left our pop up canaopy up and the awning to the trailer out.  Snow was not something was on our radar. 

Josh and Wendie had knocked some of the snow off when they got there to pack up their stuff.  So glad they did!  We might have had some broken things if they hadn't.  

The BEST people to have adventures with!!

It took a bit to get the snow off of the slide and the awning so we could close things up but we got it done and headed home in the snow.  

Heading Home!

For the second weekend in a row, we unloaded the trailer, put up things in the garage to dry and then crashed.  

Adventures are exhausting! 

Shoutouts!!

Big Shoutout to Run Wild Adventures.  As always, we had a great time and loved participating and volunteering.  You all do the best job organizing an amazing weekend!!  Thank you for all the work you do to make this work for us!

Thanks Gary!  

Josh and Wendie!  Once again, thanks for a wonderful weekend!  You both are amazing and I'm so thankful to have you in my life! You both ALWAYS encourage and believe in me, even when I don't believe in myself. 

And of course, as always, Joe.  Thanks for waiting for me at the top of South Falls with food and encouragement.  Thanks for getting me going up Nutcracker Hill and being there waiting for me at the bottom.  You are my rock.  I love you!

Dia de los Muertos Endurance Run 2022

So I did a thing.  

It wasn't pretty.

I wasn't in shape for it.

I wasn't ready for it.

But I did it anyway.

And it was tough.

Really tough.

But I got it done.

Here's the story. 

This is a 24 hour endurance run.  Which is a whole lot of crazy.  The premise is that you run a circular course over and over again for 24 hours and try and get as far as you can or want during that 24 hours. One of the cool things about it is that you can take breaks as needed, even take a nap in here and there if needed.  

Last year I attended the race and crewed/supported my husband and several friends as they ran around in circles crushing various goals.  It was pretty awesome to watch.  The medal was epic as well.  

That got me thinking.

I have wanted to do a marathon for quite some time but always hesitated to sign up for one.  Mostly because, even when I was in better shape I run pretty slow compared to most marathoners.  Most marathon races have a cut off time so I would have to work pretty damn hard to make that happen and most likely wouldn't be able to.  

So what if I joined the crazy people the next year and try and get a marathon?  I could take lots of time to do it.  Walk a lot of it or most of it if I needed to and take plenty of breaks.  Sounds totally doable.  Right?  

It would also be the big start of training for our Camino we are planning in June.  It all seemed to make great sense on paper so I signed up.  

Fast forward seven months later and race weekend arrives.  

I haven't been training.  

My tired levels have been ridiculous. 

My job is exhausting.

All my big plans to be crushing workouts and losing weight leading up to this had evaporated into thin air weeks ago. 

But the race didn't go away and I was still signed up. 

Also, my hubby and friends weren't going to let me give up before even getting started.  

Going in I made the very deliberate decision to work really hard at doing MY thing.  

Not worrying about the others.  They are big boys and girls and could take care of themselves.  (This was a little hard because I'm usually the one taking care of everyone.)

Not worrying about being slow, or not being able to keep up with others.  Just work at doing my thing and being okay with it.  

We parked our trailer in the day use area at South Beach State park to make our aid station.  It worked out really well with the course and close to where we would run by.  With the awning out and the pop up cover up we had a good space to stay dry and be able to cheer for people running by.  Having the trailer meant we had a place to cook a little out of the cold and lay down on the bed if we wanted.  All pluses for sure.  

I was a little nervous to start but not overwhelmingly so.  The event started at 10:00 am on Saturday.  I posted up in the back of the pack since I knew I would be walking.  There were a lot of people with 100 mile goals!  So cool!  

Josh, Wendie, Cheryl, Joe and Me (Rain Ready!)

The first couple of laps I got to walk with Wendie and Sheryl.  Talk about amazing and supportive women!  Finn also got to come along and help me the first couple of laps.  He was a pretty happy puppy!  Toward the end of the second lap I decided I needed to start slowing down and do my own thing instead of trying to keep up with the two powerhouse ladies.  

One lap down, 10 to go

I would stop at the trailer each time by for a few minutes to add lube to any spots I was worried about chaffing.  I also grabbed a snack and sat for a bit.  I tried to keep it under 10 minutes of sitting because I was worried if I sat too long I would get going again.  

I was doing a lap that would bring me past a 13.1 miles.  I have never done anything longer than a half-marathon before.  So once I got to that point I was pretty stoked because every step was farther than I had ever done before.  Records being broken left and right.   

Making Records! 

I had done six laps and approximately 14. 4 miles.  

I had a very long way to go.  

Then things began to hurt. 

My right hip began to get sore and made it hard to walk. 

My feet were hurting.

I was tired. 

This whole marathon idea was just stupid.  

At this point I was really struggling mentally and physically.  

All these fit and fast people were going by me and I was sure they must be thinking, "what the hell is this fat lady doing out here?"  

Which is grossly unfair because EVERYONE was super encouraging!  I got so many people chatting with me for a few minutes or giving me encouragment as they went by.  It was truly amazing.  

But when you get in your deep dark place it's hard to see that very well.  

So I'm trudging along, having my own little pity party and I hear "Caw Caw" behind me.  I turn around and here are the two most amazing ladies waving and smiling as they catch up with me.  

Perfect timing. 

We walked together for a bit but Sheryl had some goals and she wanted to keep pushing along faster.  Wendie wanted to walk with me for a bit.  

And because Wendie is my beautiful friend and she knows me so well she asked the right things that got me to let the tears begin to flow.  My little pity party became a full blown melt down with a big hug from my friend telling me to let it all go.  

Wendie got me through that lap.  She decided she was going to change her clothes into dry clothes, take a bit of a break and crew everyone for their next laps so that we could all get some warm food.  Joe was waiting at the trailer for me with a beverage to give me a boost for the next lap.  Wendie got me some Advil to help with the hurting and took my order for when I returned.  

So I dragged myself out of the chair and got to work at lap seven.  

I'm not going to lie, it was really hard to get going again.  

Everything hurt. 

I had several blisters.

I just didn't see how I was going to make this work.

There was definitely thoughts of quitting after I finished the lap.  (Although I knew 100% that my husband and friends would NOT allow that to happen.)

I got done with lap seven and have gone 16.8 miles.  Which is a lot but also I still had basically 10 miles to go to finish.  That seemed very daunting still.  Partly because I knew it would take me hours to get done.  Partly because if I hurt this bad at mile 16 I didn't want to think about how bad I would hurt by mile 26.  

Wendie had mashed potatoes waiting for me and they hit the spot!  Warm and salty food!  Everything is more grub'n when you are doing things like this.  Then I decided that I should go and change into dry clothes and take a longer break.  I got on some cozies and hung out in the trailer with Wendie while she got food ready for the others that were still out and about.  It was nice to take off my shoes and socks for a bit.  

Seven laps done.  Five left to go.  

I finally took off again but I took Finn with me so he could get a little more exercise before he went to bed for the night.  He is such a great hiking dog!

Quick pit stop at the aid station. They were making quesadillas and those tasted so good to me!

Got done with lap eight and put Finn back in the trailer.  Wendie and Sheryl were at the trailer and were going to walk with me but I had some things I needed to do so I sent them on their way.  I took care of what I needed to do and then I took off as well.  It was dark by then and I was wearing my headlamp.  I wasn't too worried about walking alone in the dark.  There were plenty of people out and about doing laps so I never was alone for very long.  The trail was easy to follow so I felt good about doing a lap by myself.  

When I got done with lap eight, Joe was waiting for me at the trailer. Joe looked at my feet and helped me with some of my blisters.  The one on my second toe had developed into a blood blister right under the nail.  It was epic.  I'm definitely going to lose that toenail!

I had three laps to go.

That sounds better than 7.2 miles left. 

I was slowing down a lot.  The Advil was wearing off and I was starting to hurt badly again.  But I kept telling myself I would do three laps.  

Joe was having problems with his knee so he decided to walk the last three laps with me.  

I love this man so much for supporting me, even when I'm grumpy and tired.  

So we walked in the dark together.  It was nice quiet time together in a way that is unique to things like this.  Sometimes we walked in the silence, and other times we would talk about all the random things that couples who have been married a long time can talk about.  

We got two laps done together and as we were coming back around to the trailer all of the rest of our crew was waiting.  They all wanted to do my last lap with me.  

I seriously love these people!!  

10 laps done, ONE to go!!!

So our happy group took off on my last lap.  (Although Josh was really hoping I'd be doing two more laps to get my 50k.  I already was 99% sure I wouldn't be doing that!)

We got about to my mile 25, just a little over a mile to go and I started getting hot spots on the balls of my feet.  Seriously?!  More blisters.  This caused me to slow down even more.  Ugh.  Quite frustrating!!

I loved watching some of my favorite people talking to each other, teasing and laughing as we walked.  Several got ahead at different points but always waited somewhere to wait for me to catch up.  

Once we got to the trailer the rest of the crew went up ahead to be waiting for me to cross my finish line.  

I got emotional (shocker, I know). 

It suddenly was really REAL!  

I was slow.

I was hurt.

My blisters had blisters.

But I was finishing a marathon!  

My marathon.  

My awesome people went up ahead and my husband walked behind me as I finished.  

When we came through the trail to the point where I could see the purple lights on the tree I was at the finish.  

I grabbed Joe's hand and we walked over the timing pad together.  

My smile was ear to ear and the tears wouldn't stop. 

Josh had told the race director that I was finishing my first marathon and Ed announced it over the speakers as I was finishing.  All the runners that were taking a break, all the crews sitting around and all the volunteers cheered for me as if I had just done a 100 miles instead of 26.2.

Joe with the newest Marathoner!

It's official!  My new glass says 26.2!!

Lots of hugs from my people.  Seriously the best people I know!  They took time out of their race and achieving their goals to support me while I finished crushing my goal.  That's a whole lot of love right there!

Side note.  I had paused my watch during my break after 14 miles and accidently stopped the activity.  I was so bummed because then my Garmin wouldn't show that I had done my first marathon, it would show two different activities.  Last night I emailed Garmin and they responded today.  Nothing they could do on their end but they found directions online on how to use another website to merge the two activites and upload it to Garmin.  They sent me all the directions and a link to the website that could do it.  I call that above and beyond!!!  So now even Garmin says I've done a marathon.  We all know that if the Garmin doesn't say it, it didn't happen.  lol 

They took off to continue their next lap.  Joe and I headed back to the trailer for some rest.  We didn't officially end our race in case we decided to add more laps in the morning.  (Josh was just sure I would go for two more laps. lol)

On the short walk back to the trailer (which seemed longer than it should) one of the blisters on my heel popped.  It started stinging so badly!  I was definitely gimping big time by the time we got to the trailer.  We changed our clothes and crawled into the bed in the trailer.  Best thing ever was have a cozy bed to get into right after we got done.  Took a while to warm up and for the muscle aches to calm down enough for me to get to sleep.  

Joe and I both got up around 6:00.  My legs felt pretty good.  My feet felt completely trashed.  Blisters on both heels. Blisters on the pads of both feet and the epic blood blister under the nail of the second toe on my right foot.  

It was so nice to sit in my little chair in the trailer, eat some breakfast and read a book for a little bit. But every time I thought about what I had accomplished I teared up again.  

Josh came knocking on the trailer door about 6:30 am.  Everyone was working on getting their last few laps in before the cutoff time of 10:00 am.  Josh was just sure that I had two more laps in me for that 50k.  My body overall probably could have done it.  My feet were saying HELL NO! He finally believed I meant it and the crew took off to finish up their epic goals for the event.  

I had originally asked Joe to grab my medal when he got done because I didn't even want to walk to the finish line to get it myself.  

But then I saw Wendie with her medal and the more I thought about it the more I wanted to get it myself.  So I go dressed and made my shoes as loose as possible.  (I couldn't put my sandals on because my feet were so swollen the straps were too tight).  Then I hobbled my way to the finish line with Wendie.  

I am so glad I did!!  

I got my medal and wow is it a stunner!

I got to see my husband and my friends finish and get their medals too.  

We got this crazy awesome picture of the whole group at the finish line.  Finn even got to be in the picture.  

The Fab Five! +Finn 💜

I'm bigger than I want to be.

I'm slower than I want to be.

I'm not anywhere close to where I want to be on so many levels. 

But this past weekend this big, out of shape body did something pretty amazing.

So I'm giving myself a whole heck of a lot of credit and being grateful for the friends and family I have that never give up on me.  And for a body that may not do all the things I want but it got the job done this weekend!

SHOUTOUTS!

• To all the amazing people I met, chatted with, told me good job throughout my journey.  No one, not one single time was anything less than cheerful and supportive.  All while crushing the course and being amazing as you chased your own goals.  You all have no idea how much that meant to me!  
• To Ardor Adventures for putting on such an amazing event.  You all take such awesome care of everyone from start to finish.  I loved being around the event last year as crew.  Being a participant was even better.  
• To Josh, Wendie and Cheryl.  Thanks for all the smiles and all the love along the way.  You three are the best and I love you all.  Josh & Wendie, it means a lot that you two were there for this big accomplishment.  Thanks for sticking with me through thick and thin. 
• To my fabulous best friend and husband.  You never stop believing in me, even when I have stopped believing in myself.  Those three laps together at the end are the best part of the whole thing for me because I did it with you and you were right there with me when I made my goal.  Like you are always right there with me through all the things.  I love you very much!

Windy River Relay 2022

We did the Windy River Relay that was organized by Hood to Coast.  It was a one day relay and most teams had six people and each person did two legs.  

We had four people and each of us did three legs.  

Not going to lie, I was pretty wound up about doing this relay.  The reality is that I'm not even close to being in shape for something like this. 

But I did it anyway.  

We started at 5:00 am on Saturday morning  Josh was the first to take off.  It was dark and super windy.  Which makes sense since the race started and finished in Hood River in the Columbia River Gorge.  Famous for the high winds that make it a great spot for wind surfing.  That wind was cold!  

I got a bit worked up as I waited to start.  I was starting after Josh and I was glad to have one leg in the cool of the day but it was almost four miles and I hadn't done anything that long in a really long time.  

Now I was going to do it three times in one day!!

What was I thinking?

I was so happy to see Josh and just be able to stop thinking about it and go.  

I was able to run the first mile and was pretty excited about that.  The sun was coming up and I got some great views of Mt. Hood and Mt. Adams.

Mt. Adams, Washington

Mt. Hood, Oregon

When I couldn't run anymore I kept up a really good face-paced walk.  I ended my first leg in just over an hour with a decent pace.  I was pretty happy about it.  

Joe was next, followed by Wendie.  

Everyone enjoyed a relatively cool run but since we were running near the mountain, we all had hills.  

All day long.

Lots and lots of hills. 

Joe on Leg #1

Waiting for Joe to finish his first leg.

Joe handing off to Wendie for her first leg.

Wendie crushing a hill like a rock star!

My second leg was all uphill.  Literally. 

And it was getting warm. 

I did a slow trot for about a half a mile.  

Then it started to go up. 

Then it got steeper.  

I struggled.

I wanted to quit. 

It was ugly.

But the view was stunning!  Mt. Hood in all it's glory. 

We decided to start leap frogging.  During a relay it is where you start dropping additional runners on the course while other runners are still going.  We still do all the legs but some of them we are doing at the same time.  

So while I was trudging up the hill the team zipped up the road and got Josh started on his second leg.  

Meanwhile, I was the very last person into the exchange.  Not a big deal since we already had our runner going.  Except that they had already broke down the exchange and there was no one there.  

That's a bit disheartening. 

I know I am slow and that I was struggling.  

I've had this before.

It makes me feel like my effort doesn't count as far as the race people are concerned.  I know that isn't their intent.  It's just how it feels.  

But I didn't have time to dwell on that. 

Leg #2 done.  Hard not to smile with these two goofballs supporting me. 😁

I got in the truck and we headed off to check on Josh.  He said he was doing good so we went to the next exchange and dropped Joe off and then headed back to pick up Josh.  

Got Josh, went and dropped off Wendie, checked on Joe and then drove ahead to drop me off.  lol  

Funny thing was that I was at the same exchange I had left from for my second leg.  There was a volunteer there helping people get going who was there when I left for my second leg.  We chatted a bit and he was super nice and extremely encouraging.  Like I was all badass for doing three legs.  lol  

I began leg three.  It was mostly downhill but it was hot.  And my legs were just over it.  I trotted some but mostly just did a fast walk.  I was getting some hot spots on my foot the last mile or so.  I was basically over it in a big way. 

However I know my hubby and friends very well so there was no saying "I quit" because I'm pretty sure they would have locked the doors to the truck and drove away.

By this time everyone else was back in the truck and after me Joe and Wendie had the last two legs.  

I got done and that was the BEST feeling!  Joe took off.  I got a chance to cool down, use the Porta Pot and get something to eat before we took off to check on Joe.  He was good, waved us off and so we drove ahead to get ready for Wendie to finish up our day.  

Joe had a huge hill on his leg. Super steep down and then super steep up.  Steep down can be just as hard as up.  But he crushed it as always.  

We had fun hanging out at the transition and talking with other teams.  

Wasn't too long and Joe was done and we were sending Wendie off to finish up.  We gave Joe some time to cool down and then headed for the finish line.  

The finish line was back at the marina in Hood River.  Just like the morning it was WINDY!!!  At least now it wasn't cold.  

We took chairs and found a spot to sit and cheer for people finishing. 

Jude, the volunteer who had been so awesome at my starts, saw me and came over to give me a fist bump.  He told me I was awesome and that I did a good job.  It really really meant a lot to me that he came over to say that.  He offered to go get me a beer so I could stay sitting.  I told him that I was good and that my hydroflask had an adult beverage in it.  He was all "Atta Girl!" with a big smile.  

I don't think he realized how much his interactions meant to me.  I am pretty sure I was quite literally the largest person out there.  Often times I feel overlooked or dismissed by "real" runners who are all trim, fit and fast.  Jude was all about me being awesome.  By coming and saying good job after the relay it really made me feel like he 100% meant it.  Small thing in his day I am sure but pretty big one for me.  

Joe making sure I'm good to go before Leg #3

Wendie had the best views of the day on her second leg!

I LOVE THIS WOMAN!!

Two G's and Four V's finishing together!

Whew!  What a day.  

It was really really hard!

But also really really fun.

A good reminder that my body (even at this size) can do hard things.  

I hate how I look in every single picture. 

But I love that I am in the pictures doing epic things even though I'm big.  

I also love that the people in the pictures love me and want me adventuring with them...period.  My size isn't even a thought or an issue.  

Blessed to have that love in my life!!

I have lots of things, thoughts, frustrations, discouragements, etc. running through my head.  The next few weeks I am going to be working on clearing out some of that garbage and focusing on the awesome, fun, badass things instead.  

It's All About the Shoes!!

When I first started running I really had a hard time spending $130 or more on a pair of tennis shoes.  

This was a twofold problem.  One, I didn't feel like I should be spending that kind of money on me.  That's an issue I've been working on. Two, $130 or more is a lot of money for a pair of shoes!  I didn't really think it was worth it.  

Now that I've been running for over 10 years (how crazy is that?) I absolutely know the shoe makes a HUGE difference and it is worth every penny!

Cheaper shoes, think the Foot Locker or Payless shoes, make the bottom of my feet hurt.  They don't have enough support for the pounding of running, even walking really.  When I wear them, my feet ache all along the sole.  Especially at night when I'm trying to sleep.  So then I'm a woman with sore feet and I'm crabby because I'm not sleeping well.  Not a good combo. 

If your feet hurt every time you run, you will stop running!  So it's a good idea to have something that won't make your feet hurt!  That way you keep running!

When I first started running I thought that all expensive running shoes were created equally.  This is also not true.  It takes some time and some money to figure out what works best for you.  While some shoes didn't work for running, I used all of them to wear to work since I stand most of the day.  They might not have worked for running but the money wasn't wasted because they worked great for work.  

My first couple of running shoes were Nike.  But I was having problems with how they fit on my big ole feet.  Every time I got a new pair, there was some spot that got rubbed raw and my feet always hurt.  So my husband took me down to a local running store in Salem called Gallaghers.  They watched me run, looked at how I stand, talked to me about what was hurting in the shoes I have been wearing.  

I felt listened to.  At no time during that visit, or actually any visit I've had there, did I feel discounted as a heavier person.  If I say I'm a runner, then I'm a runner and they are going to make sure I have the best shoe possible for me.  That is way cooler than most people even know!!

If you live in Oregon, Gallagher's is located in downtown Salem.  Here's the link to their website: https://activesalem.com/  Go check them out!!

After that first visit I switched to Brooks Adrenaline.  I love this shoe!  I have faithfully bought it for years and it has been my go to shoe.  It gives me solid support and my feet don't hurt after I run.  They changed the Adrenaline a few years ago and they weren't working as well as they had.  So there were a few years where I tried some other shoes, but never with the same success.  Then word on the running street (pun intended) was that Brooks had changed the Adrenaline back to more what it used to be.  I just bought another pair and I'm so happy!  

Purple Brooks Adrenaline!

Another thing I love about Brooks.  They have women sizes that go up to a size 13 for women.  Since most local running stores don't carry that many shoes in the larger sizes for women, I go directly to the Brooks website to order my shoes, now that I know what size works for me.  I wear a size 11 normally but I get a 11.5 since my feet swell up when I'm running and it's hot.  This gives me wiggle room but not so much that I slide around in the shoe.  The reason I don't just get a men's shoe is because they don't have the fun colors!  I'm pretty sure I run faster when I like the color of my shoe.  😃  https://www.brooksrunning.com/en_us

For hiking I also use Brooks only my hiking shoes are Brooks Ghosts.  More tread on the bottom for hiking which helps during the Oregon wet times where things can be slick and muddy.  

Brooks Ghost

My husband wears Hoka Speedgoats.  He loves them and has several pairs so that he rotates their use depending on what he is doing.  It took him a few tries to find the right type of Hoka for him but he has been buying the Speedgoat's for awhile.  We also buy his shoes straight from the Hoka website.  Joe also has big feet and we can find the shoe he want's and more choices in colors by going directly to the website.  https://www.hoka.com/en/us/

Hoka Speedgoats 5

If you are new to running I want to encourage you to work at finding the right shoe for you!  It is worth the money!!!  You are worth the money!!!  And when you start a new journey on being a healthier you, things are going to be sore and hurt.  That's normal.  But some things you can fix, like your feet hurting.  

Talk to your friends that run or walk regularly, see what they recommend.  Go to your local running store and see what they say.  Try out something, if it doesn't work, try something else.  Yes, I know, it's a lot of money.  

But you are worth it!!  

And your feet will thank you!!

Still Moving!

Hey!  Me again.  😄

It's been a week into my journey back to being an active person.  

Last week I worked out Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday.  I took Saturday as a rest day. 

Most of those days I got up early and did the workout first thing in the morning to avoid the heat.  Because I 100% know that I hate working out in the heat and will find all the excuses to not go.  

This week I have already worked out Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and today.  Planning on a swim tomorrow, hopefully in the outside pool and the sunshine!

Gotta love purple flowers on my first run of the summer!

Love seeing the blue sky after a very rainy spring!

Love the flowers throughout the neighborhood!

Sun coming up as I finished my walk on Sunday.

Doesn't seem like much.  The distances weren't great and the time wasn't long.  But I had said I wanted to work out at least 30 minutes every day and I did that.  

So I'm taking the win.  

I did eight run/walks that totaled 19.4 miles.  One bike ride for 6.2 miles and a swim that was 437 yards.  

This totals up to 25.85 miles of exercise for the first eleven days of my working at being active again.  

Doesn't sound like a lot but when you compare it to zero miles it sounds like quite a bit.  ;-)  

Perspective.  

Tuesday I woke up with a headache and just had a hard time getting going.  I had summer school at 9:00 am so I didn't get my run done.  This meant I had to do my workout after I got done at noon.  I'm not going to lie, I didn't want to do anything when I got home.  I was tired and all I wanted to do was take a nap.  But I knew if I did that then I wouldn't do the workout at all.  

So I put on my running shoes, got the dog and headed out the door.  

At the local park there is a path that is 1/2 mile long.  I have been trying to run (slow job really) at least one lap every walk.  Today I got 6/10 of a mile.  Doesn't sound like much but I'm just wanting to do a teeny bit better each time than I did before.  It doesn't always work but I'm trying to be okay with that as well.  

Tuesday my run was a little farther, a little faster and the actual run portion was a little longer.  

I'm going to take that all as wins.  

I haven't gotten on the scale since the first part of last week.  I don't want to be discouraged so I'm ignoring that for right now.  

I have been logging my food into MyFitnessPal just to keep an eye on how much I really am eating.  That has been pretty stable overall.  But it's good to keep an eye on that to be sure. I've also been drinking more water.  I can tell that it will be really really nice to have a bathroom right next to my classroom next year.  Maybe I won't geel like I have to stop drinking water because I can't go use the restroom when I need to.  It's a lot easier to step out of the classroom for a couple of minutes (depending on the class) then it is to leave and have to go on a short trek there and back and be gone five or more minutes.  Chaos often ensues in that scenario.  lol  

It's a lot of small things.  I'm hoping by the end of the summer they have added up enough for me to see and feel changes.  

I know it won't happen overnight. 

Although I do wonder why the hell the weight goes on so fast and goes away so slow?!  It is grossly unfair!!

Joe and I have a spot to hang our race bibs and medals in the living room.  Every year we put the medals on big medal holder we have in our bedroom and start fresh in the living room.  Because of all the weirdness of the past two years I had just left our medals and bibs out in the living room.  But after putting in all of the events we have planned I decided that it was time to go back to the tradition of starting fresh each year.  You know, in June.  😉  

When I was putting the medals I earned in 2020 and 2021 I realized a couple of things.  First, I have done A LOT of different events over the years.  Which is really cool.  

I also realized that even though I feel like I have done NOTHING the last two years that isn't entirely true.  

I did a 13.1 mile bike ride for the Father's Day event my brother-in-law created at the beginning of COVID. 

I did an Aqua Bike event for Best in the West in 2020 (swim and bike) and got first place, first place in my age group AND last place.  I was the only one. 😂  It was virtual but I still did it at Foster Lake and had a fun day.  I also got my five year belt buckle because I've done five years of events at Best in the West.  That is super cool!

In 2021 I did the 5k at Best in the West, mostly so I could keep working towards getting the belt to go with my buckle.  😊

I also did the Silver Falls 7 Miler in 2021.  

So not maybe at the level of years past, but not sitting on my ass completely.  

Today for the first time in what seems like FOREVER I ran one mile without stopping!  

Slower than slow but I did it!

The crazy thing is that I was looking at my Facebook memories this came up.

Twelve years ago today was the first time I ran a mile when I first started running.  Here I am, back at it.  

On the one hand, it's hard to be starting over.  Everything hurts and I'm so slow.  

But on the other hand I haven't given up.  

I'll take that as a win.  😀

Seems like there are lots of things in the win column right now.  

Starting Slow but Starting

Well it's been a hot minute since I last posted.  September of 2021 to be exact.  I've been tired, stressed and cranky.  I hate being all of those things!

Here's a short list of the things that have been on my plate this school year:

• Teacher in the hardest year ever.  Which is saying something because teaching online wasn't a picinic!
• Youngest daughter moving to Florida for a new job.  Now all three of my kids live in far away states.  Makes for a sad momma!
• Teaching this year.
• One parental unit that lived with us for a month because their dementia had gotten significantly worse while we looked for a care facility.
• Teaching this year.
• One beautiful niece who went to heaven.  Makes me tear up just typing that.  
• Teaching this year.
• Other parental units with various health issues.  
• Have I mentioned teaching this year?  

I have pretty much stayed off of social media for the last six months.  The negativity in general and the teacher bashing was more than I could emotionally handle.  

Emotionally handling things with food was definitly a thing the last two years.  

And now I'm starting over.

Again.

But I'm working really hard at being proud of myself for taking the steps to start over again.  

I have regained all the weight I lost.  And I mean all of it.  That's hard to deal with.  

I have been really angry with myself for getting right back to this spot once again.  I've had a terrible time trying to get back to the mentality of being a mover and a shaker. 

It hasn't been easy!

I look in the mirror and see a fat lady.  Not going to sugar coat it, I see an ugly fat lady.  It's really hard to feel that way when I look in the mirror.  

I've been going to a counselor since last November and it has helped a lot.  Right now we are working on body image issues and using food for comfort.  Not easy conversations to have but it's good to have them.  I promised my counselor and my doctor that the Monday after school got out I would start making changes.  

That was the day before yesterday.  

Monday my friends Josh and Wendie came over and we walked around the neighborhood.  Only 2.1 miles but the goal was to just get out and move.  Mission accomplished!

First time with new Brooks on the first day back at it! 

Gotta love seeing purple flowers!

I had decided that instead of being pissed about not being where I used to be with my fitness, I would truly approach it as starting over.  So my goal to start with is moving at least 30 minutes every day this week.  

Tuesday I got up early and did the exact same route as the day before but I ran the 1/2 mile trail around the local park.  Actually it was more like a slow, painful trot but I was moving faster than a walk so it counts.  I almost gave up a couple of times but managed to get the whole 1/2 mile done.  So that was the win for the day. 

Wednesday (today) I went to Corvallis to meet Wendie at the pool there and have the first swim since December.  The swim before that was in June, so I have done three swims in a year.  lol  

We had planned to use the outside lap swim pool but unfortunately the swim team was using it and no lanes would be open until 8:00 am.  I am teaching summer school for a couple of weeks so that wouldn't give me enought time to swim and clean up and get back to town.  So we went inside and use the indoor pool  Little bit of a bummer but it was fine.  Again, the win was that we went.  

The pool was a 25 meter pool and boy did that feel long!  I only went 400 meters but I am defintely feeling it in my arms tonight.  

But I have worked out every day this week for at least 30 minutes.  

It's only three days but hey, it's three days better than I did last week.  

I really want to get back to being the person who working out was just a part of my normal routine.  So I'm planning to work really hard in developing those habits again during the summer so that it's easier to keep them when school starts next fall.  Hopefully, next school year will be a LOT less stressful.  That would certainly help!

Here are the crazy things I have signed up to do in order to try and motivate myself to keep moving:

We are doing a one day relay near Hood River next month.  Four of us in the van and three legs each.  I know it won't be nessicarily pretty but if I am consistent for the next four weeks it will be better than if I did it tomorrow!  

I also signed up for a 24 hour race.  This is where you have 24 hours to see how far you get doing loops.  I think the loop is 2.4 miles for this one.  I have done a 5k, a 10k and a half marathon in the past.  I have never done a marathon.  Partly because I worry about the time limit that most marathons have.  With this format I basically have the full 24 hours to get a marathon done.  Many people have far loftier goals like 100 miles.  lol  The nice part is that I can rest if I need to without the pressure of the time limit.  My thinking is that I will try to get most of it done during daylight hours so that the last bit will be "easier".  I have some work to do to get ready though.  

We will also be signing up for the Silver Falls trail weekend.  I will probably do the 7 miler again.  Last year wasn't pretty.  No training and then walking with a major migraine.  I was SLOW!! The goal this year is to go significantly faster than last year.  

Here's a funny thing.  In my head, SLOW meant that I did something like 3:30 last year.  I went to look it up and I got 2:44.  

That shows how badly my mind makes it seem like I did way worse than I actually did.  

So before this realization I was planning on shooting for less than three hours.  Obviously I did that last year.  So now I'm shooting for less than 2:20.  It's the weekend after the 24 hour race so we shall see how I do.

I haven't signed up for anything at the Best in the West weekend yet.  I am kind of waiting to see how things go for the next couple of months.  I will probably either sign up for the 5k and try to slap down last year's time.  Or I will sign up for a sprint triathlon to remind myself that I have been a triathlete and I can be again.  

I took before pictures on Monday.  I won't put them here yet, not quite ready for that! Another goal I have is to have a new set of pictures to compare (positively) when I go back to work in the fall.  When I weighed on Monday I was 270.2.  Hopefully that will be a lot less by the end of the summer.