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Gravity’s Bitch….again

Three (3!) Things Thursday

Jan 19th, 2012
by gazelle.
3 comments

1. Yesterday morning, the architect & I woke up to a very loud noise at about 2 am. We rushed to the window to see what was the matter. Turns out, it wasn’t jolly st. nick & 8 tiny reindeer. It was one of our walnut trees uprooting and falling onto the architect’s pickup. We also were powerless (well, without electricity, anyways) all night, so it was a chilly, dark, and snowy morning! I made it to work about 9:30, and the architect waited at home for PGE to come cut down the tree, since it was leaning on some lines. He waited. And waited. And after the power went on, he plugged in my kick-ass chainsaw and with the help of a couple of neighbors, cut down the biggest parts on his truck. Finally, at about 8 pm or so last night, PGE came and cut down the rest of the tree. Apparently they were a bit busy yesterday!

 

2. I am four weeks away from finishing school! I would be super excited if I wasn’t so stressed out about finishing school! And work! (ha! just kidding, mom – I am not stressed at all. In fact, I am currently floating on a zen cloud made of unicorns.)

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3. I am writing this on Wednesday night (as is my custom), and it’s 11 pm. I haven’t been asleep for almost 21 hours. I hate these periodic insomnia episodes! If I weren’t floating on unicorn clouds, I’m sure it would be stress related. The job is a bit…much right now. Good news – after Friday, the job will go back to normal stress levels, and I’m hoping to sleep for 48 hours straight this weekend. Or at least 10 hours in 2-hour increments.(This is, however, nothing to worry about if you are, by chance, my mother & are just here to see a pic of the architect’s truck. Really – I tell lies on the internet to make myself seem more interesting. I actually sleep like a baby.)

 

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Weekend in Review – a bit late

Dec 20th, 2011
by gazelle.
2 comments

Yeah – this usually happens on Monday. As it happens, I spent Monday on the couch, moaning dramatically (which did not seem to impress the cats, at least not enough for them to fetch me important things like cocoa or the remote).

I had a great weekend. Really awesome. BUT – I may have overdone it a bit. This is something I struggle with ALWAYS, and especially now.

Anyways – on to the fun!

Friday, I hit the Hatha 2 yoga class with my friend & fellow preggo Emily. It was pretty awesome, although I totally tipped over once. I’d like to blame my balance issues on pregnancy, but am pretty sure that they’ve always been with me. After yoga, we did a 5-mile hike in Forest Park (in 90 minutes, bitches!), and then refueld with brunch at Besaw’s. Yum.

Then I shopped at the Nike Employee Store (Yay!) and picked up gifties for the architect. I also really had to resist buying tiny UO onesies for Alvie. CUTE.

By the time I got home Friday, I was wiped out.

Saturday, I planned on going to the prenatal yoga class, and got up and dressed in my yoga finery. I knew the class was at noon, but just before 10, decided to check to ensure it really was noon and not 11:30 or 12:15 or something. Yeah. It was at 10. I didn’t so much make it. :(   The Wednesday prenatal class that I’d previously attended is at noon. Not so much the weekend one. Oops!

Instead I went grocery shopping and then made a delivery to east Vancouver before heading home to collapse in a pile of sore and mentally prepare for Zoolights! I have never been to Zoolights, even though I actually worked at the Zoo for the first couple of years I lived in Portland AND have been a Zoo member for the entire time. I have worked at the opening night of Zoolights, but never actually went in.

The architect & I met up with friends, and we rode MAX over to the Zoo. It was fun – and I’m glad we went. However, now we know that we ride the train FIRST, and not after walking around. Due to the 1 hr and 20 min wait for the train, we decided to just leave. We went to Mellow Mushroom for dinner (the architect was likely reminded of home, as this is a pizza chain common in the South) and then home to bed.

Sunday was naked santa nut brunch day!  (hee.) Some friends and I got together for brunch (delicious french toast bake, bacon, chocolate croissants, mimosas, OJ, toffee), then a naked lady exchange, then secret santa gift exchange, then the Nutcracker! So fun. (There was no actual nudity – sorry!)

Again, I was totally wiped out, and spent the rest of the day doing….nothing? I don’t even remember. I made chili and cornbread (which was delicious), but am not sure I did anything else.

 

We clean up nice, don’t we? Also, I am short. And blueberry-esque.

Anyways – I have all of next week off, and am planning on sleeping and working on my capstone, and sleeping. I cannot wait. I just need to get through this week of crazy work, and then 11 days in a row of no work! YAY!

 

Happy week! AND Happy Chanukah to all who will begin celebrating tonight!

Running = Happy

Nov 6th, 2011
by gazelle.
3 comments

I have a (not at all) shocking confession to make. I love trail running. LOVE it. I have not run on trails since September 11. I fell on the trails that day, for the 2nd time EVER (and the second time in a month). I was pretty sure that the falling down bits were bad. After all, I was (am) pregnant, and I think that you’re not supposed to fall. On my first fall, which came about 3/4 of the way through a nearly 16 mile run, I felt flat on my face. I was so very newly pregnant, that I knew Alvie was protected by my pelvic bones and was not likely to come to harm. The second fall, I was nearly 10 weeks along, and managed to twist to one side to avoid the faceplant and possible damage to Alvie.

Now that I’m 19 weeks (tomorrow!) along, Alvie is definitely starting to poke out more and it’s not a good idea to faceplant (so I understand). So, it was with a heavy heart after my second fall that I declared no more trail running until I’m no longer with child.

And I’ve barely run since. Three runs between 9/11 & today, in fact.

This morning I decided that not only was I going to run today, I was going to Forest Park. However, I was going to play it safe and run on (the relatively flat and not really technical) Leif Erickson. I drove up Germantown Road to the Leif trail head. The parking lot was packed! So, I just kept driving, and some how ended up at the Wildwood trailhead.

I promised myself that I would take it easy, pay very close attention to the trail, and walk as much as necessary.

My plan was to go for 30  minutes, then turn around. And I followed my plan. (I actually made it back to the parking lot in 59:19, which means I had a 41 second negative split! Woo!)

The good: I feel amazing. Better than I’ve felt in ages. Plus – this 60 minute run (with approximately 7.5 minutes of walking interspersed) was waaay easier than my last 27 minute run.

The bad: Last time I ran this exact same route with the exact same plan, I ran exactly 1 mile further in the exact same time. (Today = 15 minute miles – that is barely even running!)

The ugly: I did fall down again. HOWEVER – it wasn’t while running, so I’m pretty sure that’s okay and doesn’t count. On my last walk break, I was no longer watching the trail and my feet carefully – after all, I was just walking now – and slipped in a mud puddle. It was the slowest and most controlled fall ever – I just slipped in slow motion. The entire left side of my body was coated in mud, but I think it just made me look hard core. I don’t feel that the fall was a result of bad judgment or anything – although I probably should be more careful on the walking parts as well as the running parts.

ANYWAYS – I feel great, even when I consider the slip & slide. This is honestly the most awesome I’ve felt in ages, and pretty much just proves that I need to run NOT on hard surfaces (sidewalk runs KILL me) and preferably in pretty locations at least once a week. I probably will try to stick to Leif and other similar trails and avoid the more technical trails, but I have no regrets.

Gratitude Journal

November 6, 2011: I am grateful for running – and grateful that I am still able to run. I am also grateful for my proximity to the most awesome running park in the history of the world: Forest Park.

November 5, 2011: I am grateful that I was able to discover enough courage to join Toastmasters. I know this sounds super cheesy, but it’s really made a HUGE difference in my life. I am a MUCH better person for the last couple of years as a Brave Little Toaster. AND I will achieve Competent Leader status by the end of November, and Competent Communicator status by the end of 2011! Also, there are days when I think I might need to find a job that involves more public speaking. Who am I?

November 4, 2011: I am grateful for the internet, which gives me the ability to work from home, in my pajamas, this morning.

November 3, 2011: I am grateful that I have a good job that is challenging & interesting, if not necessarily catering to my life interests. I have the opportunity for professional development (weekly leadership seminar today!), have a decent salary, good health insurance, and a bunch of people who are excited for my pregnancy and not at all worried about my maternity leave (in fact, they’ve told me to not even THINK about being available in May – i.e. budget season – and that they’d get through it without me, as long as I do all the prep work before I leave…)

November 2, 2011: I am grateful for the architect, who is simply wonderful. He picks up the household slack when I’m busy with schoolwork, brings me chicken fingers on his way home from work, and is simply the most wonderful husband I could ask for…

November 1, 2011:  I am grateful for my (so far, knock on wood) easy and wonderful pregnancy

It was the best of times, and oh yes – the worst of times

Sep 12th, 2011
by gazelle.
3 comments

The bathroom is coming right along. Unfortunately, we’ve hit a wee snag – the tile did not come in this weekend, which means that we might not have our toilet & sink hooked up by the time the inlaws arrive (which makes me very, very sad. not just for them, but for me).

The architect slaved away on the bathroom all weekend. The walls are 100% done! YAY!  AND, although I don’t have photographic evidence right now, the shower walls and the floor are a beautiful shade of red (from the waterproofing).

As soon as the tile arrives, the architect will take a day off to install the tile, and then, 36-ish hours later, we will grout. THEN, 24-ish hours later, we will sand & paint the walls this color(ish): (I think – I’m not great with color)

Anyways – the architect assures me that our vintage mauve will took fantastic in the black and white bathroom.  (Our color might be a bit lighter and slightly browner.)

After the painting, we will put in the wainscoting (which will be white), and one wall (minimum) of shower tiles. At that point, the plumber can come back & hook everything up.  If the tiles come this week, that means that the floor could be in by Friday, and then on Friday (my day off), I could start sanding (with clear instructions, I can do lots of stuff!), and then hopefully we could paint & wainscot on Saturday/Sunday, and maybe even do the one shower wall, and then could have the plumber come in on the 23rd (Friday) to hook up before the in-laws showed up. Of course, all of that is contingent on the tile arriving in a timely fashion this week.  *fingers crossed*

 

In other good news – I got to watch my friend Jen finish a 31 mile run on her 31st birthday. She ran the entirety of Wildwood Trail (30 miles) + an extra mile in honor of her birthday. She finished strong in 6:19ish, and looked great at the finish line.  (Also looking great at the finish line? Celebratory champagne and cupcakes! YAY!)

****

Yesterday, I went to pick tomatoes, and as I filled up my bowl, I emptied the bowl into my (normal sized) kitchen sink.  By the time I picked everything ripe (i.e. maybe 1/2 of the tomatoes out there), my kitchen looked like this:

IMAG0571

Just in case you’re curious, after peeling, coring & seeding all those tomatoes, that is approximately 13 qts of chopped tomatoes.

Do you know how long it takes to can 17 pints of salsa & 8.5 qts of marinara?

FIFTEEN YEARS!

Or, more accurately, about 7 hours. By 8 pm last night, my kitchen looked like a murder scene, and I looked like a serial killer who bathed in the blood of my victims. It was pretty awesome.

I can’t wait to do it all again in 2-3 weeks when I’m sure I’ll have another sink and a half of tomatoes! (I’m serious – I love canning, and when the next batch is ready, I’m guessing it won’t be 90 degrees.)

Next up – maybe another 6 pints of salsa (we go through about 2/month on average; another 3-4 qts of marinara (1/month here), and then FUN things! Like ketchup! And whole tomatoes! And maybe soup. YAY!

***

When I hit the trail, I hit it HARD!

And now, for the worst of times. I was on a trail run yesterday morning (before tomato-palooza), having a grand time. The best run I’d had since my 15.5 miler (also a trail run) at the end of July. Everything was going so well. I felt great. I was happy with my pace. I’d hit my turn around right on schedule, and was FLYING (relatively speaking) back to my car. About 1.25 miles from the trailhead, I bit it. Unlike last time, I didn’t transition directly from upright to faceplant. This was more of a slow motion fall.

I hit pretty hard on the left side of my body. So hard, in fact, that one of my water bottles, after digging into my side, flew off my fuel belt and landed several feet down the trail (behind me). My right hand is a little bruised and swollen, I have some cuts on my left hand, some pretty bruises in the vicinity of my right knee, and a little road rash on my left elbow. I can feel the deep bruising on the left side of my back, but the best part of my body is my left leg below the knee.

This picture doesn’t really do it justice, since I just took it now, sitting at my desk at work (those of you who followed my exciting foot photo series will recognize the carpet), but I’m thinking I’ll have some spectacular bruising in a day or so…..

IMAG0573

(Please note that my calf isn’t that humungous, but it’s hard to take a picture of your own leg and not get a weird angle.)

That is beautiful, right?

I hurt all over my body. My left side especially. It hurts to move. And to sit. And to lay still, even. It especially hurts to be headbutted by affectionate cats. (On a completely unrelated note – does anyone want to buy a used cat?)

I’m hoping this heels up pretty quickly!

Happy week, everyone! Watch out for gravity!

Long Run – So Many Firsts!

Jul 31st, 2011
by gazelle.
2 comments

Today was my 15 mile long run in the marathon training cycle. There were so many firsts!

  1. First time I’ve ever run in Forest Park and started & ended at my house
  2. First time I’ve ever had to “find some bushes” while running
  3. First time I’ve almost gotten caught while using said bushes
  4. First time I’ve run over 14 miles since my last marathon in October 2009
  5. First time I’ve ever fallen during a run.

The last item is the only one that is even mildly upsetting.

I was running along on Wildwood, having a great run, and all of a sudden I was laying face first on the trail. I seriously felt like I’d gone from upright to kissing dirt with no transition.

The first thing I did (of course) was stop my Garmin. Then, and only then, did I evaluate the injury potential. My right shoulder was a bit sore – it seems apparent that I tried to break my fall with my right arm (it’s apparent by the fact that the entire underside of my arm from wrist to pit is covered in dirt).

The trail was dry, but I wasn’t, so my sweat mixed with the trail dust and gave me a lovely mud puddle look.

I decided I was fine – I didn’t even have any cuts (no blood, no foul, right?), so after walking a couple of minutes, I just started back up again.

My overall pace for my 15.25 mile run was 12:51, which considering the ~1700 feet of elevation gain is pretty damn good for me.

I think this is the best long run I’ve ever had, and that’s not just the endorphins talking!  With the exception of the fall, everything just went perfectly. I love Forest Park.

 

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