Face to Face in Seattle

Well my day started out at 3:20am....I was on the road at 3:45 on my way to PDX to fly to Seattle for a staff Face to Face meeting. Its really dark at 3:45am.....I made it to the airport in record time, could be due to the lack of traffic at that ungodly hour. Got through security and my Starbucks and settled in for the super long 45 min flight....Yes I could have drove, but really, why? This was a much safer option first of all.

Knowing that I would arrive at the hotel (at the airport) 2 and a half hours early for my meeting, I planned accordingly and ran when I arrived! Part of my training plan is working through opticals....well I did just that! I geared up, checked my map and headed out. Lucky for me the weather was decent and I had just the right amount of layers, i.e. headband and gloves!

I had to run through a tunnel, out and back. I discovered that my GPS is not a fan of tunnels.....It was kind of exciting, I pretended to be Katniss from Hunger Games running through the capital.....

Work out stats: 3.46 miles (was supposed to be 3, but my GPS was jacked up so I ran for time and adjusted my map later) 31.46 time, 9.02 min mile. Overcast, nice run. I did get a bit of a side cramp and had to work on breathing it out. Could have been the lack of food and multiple cups of coffee pre run.....

I borrowed the shower in my Dad's room since my room was not available yet and we had a nice breakfast together.

MEETING TIME! Our staff really only sees each other at conferences twice a year, so we planned to meet up in Seattle and have a staff meeting. It was a good idea and we did accomplish a lot. 

Out of the 8 of us we have 2 vegetarians, 3 no gluten,  2 no dairy, 1 no egg, 2 no sugar.......so that makes for some serious challenges when it comes to food. We all agreed on sushi! And we were all VERY happy!

Sushi!

Working hard with my Dad

Sneaking selfies under the table.....no one saw that right? ;-)

GIANT cake for dessert....CRAZY! Ok, we shared one piece, but still.

So it is now 11:59 pm on this very long day and I am ready to hit the hay. Peace out Seattle!

Changing things up

Lift day! But I had a nice little change up to my routine....went to the gym with my Pea! I haven't gone with her in months. She just got back from Maui last night, yes feel sorry for her with her tan and sand between her toes. She was freezing, that made me smile! Welcome home Pea!

So we met up after the kid drop off and broke a sweat.
We have our routine at the gym to gather, usually 4 movements 3x15, the a second set of 4 movements 3x15. Since she is just getting back and out of her normal workout schedule we decided to just tackle most of the upper body. Her is what it looked like:

Bent Row
Bicep curl (with bar)
Shoulder Press
Skull Crushers

Row
Lat pull
Lateral raise
Dumbell curl

Followed all that up with some Core work.

With all our chatting between stets it was an hour work out. We work our mouths as hard as our bodies. Hey, we had some catch up to do!

We then headed to Winco for the dreaded grocery shopping trip. Her being out of town came home to no food, and me getting the kids back on Thursday meant I need food to feed them! Shopping is always more fun with friends. Even grocery shopping.  Shockingly I did not break the bank with this trip. Buying fresh, non processed foods gets REALLY REALLY EXPENSIVE! But worth it, seriously worth it.

I am heading to Seattle tomorrow for a staff meeting. My flight is at....gasp... 6:10am! That means a 4am departure from my cozy bed.

I am currently putting off packing, doing dishes, putting the rest of the groceries away and showering. Blogging is way more fun....oh and working too. :-)

Week Three of Half Marathon Training

I cannot believe I am starting my 3rd week of training already! Dang, this is going fast!

I had a very (much needed) relaxing weekend. Watched Moose play a basketball game, got a bunch or chores done around the house, watched several movies, knitted a few projects and read (a lot).

I got up this morning to 20* and frosty. It has dried up, so no ice, thank goodness!

I decided to wait till after I dropped off the kids to hit the pavement. I am really glad I did too because it allowed for the sun to come up! Beautiful sunny morning it was.

Today was 4 miles steady. I am not sure what exactly "steady" means, but I am trying to go a bit faster and work on my pace....

It took me a good 20 min to warm up and feel my fingers again, then I was hot. But I didn't want to take any layers off for fear of freezing. Very complicated. Other than the cold, I felt great. Nothing hurts, no cramps, breathing was easy, I laughed a bit (thank you Balanced Bites), I thought about how thankful I am that I can run.

Work out stats:
4.03 miles, 36:56 time, 9.09 min mile.
20*, clear and sunny.

I layered up pretty good. Long sleeve ploy top, fleece vest, Outdoor Research sweatshirt (long, warm, wind proof, so thankful it covers my @$$), smart wool socks, knit headband, fleece gloves.  I do think I need different gloves. I am thinking of crocheting a pair of mittens. And getting some heat packs......my fingers were so cold!

Well, time to finish up my Monday. Glad the sun is out. Sure makes these short winter days a little bit better.

TGIF - 7 miles!!

LONG RUN DONE! 7 Miles in the BAG!

It has been freezing here, really actually freezing........

See the ice?

So I have been mentally planning my run all week. I knew what route I was going to take and then had to do some real thinking about what I was going to wear. Not to look cute but to stay warm!

I layered up really well. Base layer was long sleeved poly top, fleece vest, light weight weather proof jacket. Long cold weather leggings, smart wool socks, fleece gloves, knit headband. I think I did good. I was a bit cold taking off, my fingers mostly, but after about 20 min I was toasty and comfortable.
I did an out and back route...I did better today at not looking at my run keeper every 5 min to see when I needed to turn around. That was really annoying last week. I think I only looked once and I was half mile from the turn around point. The way back was mostly at a down grade...boy did I plan well! I was very entertained by my pod cast, even laughing out loud at points, that really helps to pass the time.  At no point did anything hurt, my breathing was good, my pace was better than expected. I made it home and felt like a million bucks! I would say that was a success!

On this route, I run on an over pass and I aways feel like I am on top of the WORLD!

Work out stats:
7. 05 miles 1:07:42 time, 9:36 min mile. 32 deg, overcast, no wind. Beautiful day.

I have really long hair, down to my paints line. I have struggled along the was with how to do my hair to not annoy me when I am running. It has been easy at times and really challenging at others. I think I have finally come up with a successful plan that will hold up on the long runs (heck on the short runs too). Nothing more annoying than having hair whipping you and flopping around on your back. I have ended up with some gnarly knots in it too from letting it just fall loose, bad bad bad idea!

So here is what I do.....Low, tight pony tail, wrap around into a tight bun and secure with another elastic. Making sure to get it as tight as possible and securing the ends.
This one held up with no issue for over an hour run. YAY!

And here is a little early morning shenanigans with the wild beast and moose.

2 hour delay

I woke up this morning to an alert that the schools in our area were on a 2 hour delay. We had freezing rain over night and the roads were not safe to transport kids on. I do find our district humorous in how easily they delay school. I don't remember hardly ever being on a delay or canceling school due to weather when I was in school and we got a lot worse weather. Also, people don't know how to drive in anything other than rain...I shake my head thinking about it. Oh well, that meant we all got to sleep in. That also means I did not get my work out done first thing this morning. And that means it took some serious convincing to get me out to the garage to get it done.
I am learning that if I don't do it first thing, it can be hard to motivate. I get distracted, busy working or what ever else my day throws at me.
I did get out there before noon though, the idea of a hot shower really helped!

My WOD today was:
Warm up
10 Overhead Squats #45
15 High Pull #45
10 Push up
25 Hip Thruster on the Ball
CORE
2 min butt kicks

I did warm up a bit, hardly broke a sweat. And I was really glad I have gloves for lifting because that bar is SO cold!

Feeling pretty good, no longer as sore like last week. I think this schedule is working out pretty good.

Tomorrow is long run Friday. 7 miles and the weather is saying it will likely be raining and just above freezing. Oh Joy. I did read this great article about running in the cold. Check it out HERE.

Hump Day

Polar Vortex? Doubt it, but man is it cold!

Moose told me last night that he wanted to get up with me and skate while I did my run. I warned him that it was supposed to be freezing - literally - and VERY dark. He didn't seem to care. So, at 5:45 am he got up with me, got dressed and headed out the door. It was freezing, 24 deg to be exact. And very dark. He made it about 2 blocks and realized skateboarding in the dark is not an easy thing to do and asked if he could go home. Kudos to him for trying and getting up so dang early! 

After he headed back I had to pick it up cause I thought I might freeze if I stayed out to long. It was a good run, very pretty  pre dawn sky. I am SO thankful for my headlamp. No way I could be out running at that time of day with out it, I would have broken something by now.

Work out stats:

3.02 miles, 27:27 time, 9.06 min mile. 24 deg, DARK.

Over all good run. I do need gloves. And to not wear my hoodie. To much air flow. 

Last night I finished my Newsboy Hat. Turned out pretty good. I am LOVING it. Good timing too with the cold weather arriving.

Moose and I have the afternoons together since Beast is at Wrestling till 5:30pm. Its pretty quiet around here. But we do get in some good snuggles. :-)

Week 2, Day 2 and some extras

Another cold morning met me in the Gym today. I did get to sleep in a bit as it is Veterans Day and the kids are home....I hit the Box at about 7:30am (hey, that is sleeping in!).  My bar was so cold I had to put on gloves, I thought my hands might fall off and it is hard to keep a good grip with numb hands.

Todays Workout:
Warm up
Push press #45
Bent Row #45
Kettle Bell Swing #20
4 rounds, 15 reps
Deadlift 115# 5x5
Core

I miss my hot box from a few months ago where I was sweating before even starting my workout. Time to start bundling up better.

Yesterday was the Beast's first wrestling meet for her Jr High. It was round robin style (4 kids grouped together, each wrestling 3 matches). She did good. Went all 3 rounds in each match, went to OT in the last match. She has some good take aways for next time and what she needs to work on.

I am working on a new hat style I have never done before. It is a crochet Newsboy Hat. I am excited for how it is coming along. The pattern I have is for Newborn to Adult, so I have lots of options.

The kids are home today enjoying their Veterans Day.
We do want to thank the Veterans in our lives and most importantly in our family. Bryce Pitman, thank you for your service. We love you very much and are VERY proud of you.
Ron Stockenberg, thank you for your service. We are very thankful for the sacrifice you have made for our country.