going thousand miles an hour

To quote a MIA song which is in turn referencing a Jonathan Richmond song, I'm a road runner. 

So, the next three weeks with minimal runs and then a much less metropolitan Marathon than I am used to will be an interesting combination of unusual exercises. Still it will be fun and having this, well run, marathon under my belt feels good. 

I began to think around mile 22 that we are meant to do endurance exercise. Humans are amazing creatures who, I think, benefit from pushing themselves physically as well as mentally. 

I'm on the lookout for new exercise programs. Yoga, biking and swimming are high on my radar. Because, who knows what is next, perhaps a triathlon? 

What are you getting into? How are you planning on staying fit as the leaves change color and the weather grows chilly? 

Portland road running

Marathon tomorrow.
I am super excited to eat donuts after this son of a gun is over. I bought new shoes but am wearing my old.
Wish me luck or at least a speedy enough recovery that I can run the Columbia Gorge Marathon in 3 weeks too.

Best of the best to ya,
Rachel

Squirreling

Chestnuts, I hear you can roast those bad boys over an open fire.

Turns out, a lot of chestnut trees spring up this time of year around Portland, dropping their meaty little packages all over the roads and sidewalks. It is a gleaner's paradise. Gathering them, has become a near daily activity for me as it is hard to pass up any free resource that will otherwise go to waste (or equally as bad. go to squirrels).

Me hopping off the bike and stuffing my little stretch pockets full of chestnuts almost seems natural until a passerby has to delicately swerve around my nut focused presence on the sidewalk. Then, I remember, it looks kinda weird to be picking food up off of the street. Oh well, winter is nigh and someone wants to be prepared for a open fire.

Time

It's about time. It's all about time. It's time to catch you sweethearts up on my life in which I feel like there isn't time for much.

To be fair, I spent all day today reading and cleaning (with a break for some farm veggie pickup and birthday cupcake ingredient gathering). There really is time but I have been spending a lot of it with a specific someone and that means less time at home cooking meals for me, keeping up with the New Yorker, or finding pants to wear in the winter.

Yesterday I did devote a span of the good stuff (a couple hours) to looking for those pants to no avail. Why is it so hard for someone with solidly muscular legs that also happen to be as short as a 12 year old's to find pants that fit? Wait, did I just answer my own question? Going shopping for pants actually makes me feel insecure about my body. I am beautiful. It is ridiculous. But, how many pairs of pants can you try on before you start to wonder why it is that your body deviates from the standard of beauty so much that you can't squeeze even a small section of the aforementioned pant over your calf?  Or you wonder why your butt crack has to hang out? Answer: because your thighs are too big to keep the appropriately fitting waist from getting quite to where it is going. Finding pants might be worse than finding a bathing suit. I'm thinking of buying quite a few pairs of merino wool tights and just calling it a tie. But, I'm not sure that I will be warm enough all winter in skirts and very thick tights. I tend to wear pants and tights with great regularity in my own home throughout the nippy season. Oh, the joys of the encroaching cold season. And the rain. Let's not get started on the rain.

Besides being basically bummed about winter wear, I have been thinking about my grandma a lot which also makes me bummed in a much more serious mournful type of way. I fear that I have really not been that much fun to hang around for the past couple of weeks. Plus, being sad makes me homesick so I miss the family and the friends of the east coast especially much.

When, I work my way back to normalcy, I have lots to do. Food to cook before it goes bad, triathlon participants to cheer on, gardens to maintain, books to read. As a bit of a coincidence I am reading "Mountains Beyond Mountains" which my lovely older brother is also reading. One of my marathon training buddies is turning the big 30 this year. Coming into another decade isn't something you get to do often and I'd like it to be a special time, so there is that in my life as well.

I'm into the tapering bit of my marathon training. Tapering always makes me feel week even though I know it is for the best. I also miss all those endorphins that go along with my long and medium runs. That probably hasn't been helping out with the general malaise that I have been feeling. Still, I'm excited (and yes, incredibly nervous) for race day. Is it stupid to do two races within 3 weeks of one another? I am beginning to think it is. But, I'm signed up, it's too late. What to do about that?

Well now, I'm off to eat tomato pie and contemplate how life can be so wonderful as to have things such as tomato pie. Wish me luck on living with joy. Until next time.

Running

Allright, I'm addicted. The Portland marathon is in 3 weeks and 2 days and I have already signed up for the Columbia Gorge Marathon which takes place merely 2 weeks and 6 days after that. I couldn't resist. It looked so beautiful. Plus, I'll be in shape already, right?

After this, I might need to take some kind of break from running... I guess. Maybe, find me a good yoga studio again or take up swimming (as if). Maybe we'll try for the 100 mile bike ride on the fixie. One can only dream at this point.

All the best kiddos. Try to keep in shape.

MIA

So, I've basically been missing in action for the past few weeks. The thing is, that both my phone and my computer went down at the same time. At said time, I entered into a technological void.

In truth, It wasn't that I had no access to the world of technology (I had a borrowable, roomie computer and many people with phones around) but none of that was mine. Soon, I returned to the land of cellular phones but it was not such a quick process to find the right computer. After much deliberation, I have my "new" macbook pro off of the apple refurbished web site. I can only describe it as buttery. Everything is so fluid and beautiful, it makes me wonder how I made it through the two past years without a mac. This, simple and intuitive, design is what I am made to use. I think I'm in love.

So, what has happened in the past couple of weeks? So much... My sister, and most ardent reader, Katelyn, visited and then skipped town. We went to the highest point in Portland, to the famous international rose testing garden (where they breed new types of roses and keep roses from all over the world), to the gorge for a beautiful hike, on many a run and bike ride. We put fall crops in the ground for the garden and we made sun dried tomatoes and harvested a boat load of grapes and asian pears from my back yard. Also, we went on my personal favorite September activity, swift watching.

Now, if you have been reading this blog for some time, then you have already heard of swift watching but if you haven't you can read about it here. Make sure to check out that picture. It is beautiful. Since, I went with Katelyn, I have gone one more time with Alex- the gentleman that I am dating- as well as some friends and coworkers and I plan on going again on Friday. This year, I will get the most out of swift watching.

Outside of that, I have been getting sweet mail from friends and loved ones. Alex went away for a week and sent me three pieces of rad snail mail. Natalie, who lived in house for the month of August, sent a beautiful handmade card, and Rachael sent a sweet postcard from NH. All in all, it's been a good mail week (not to mention I got a computer in the mail).

Work has me by it's talons for the next couple of weeks. Today will be my 9th day at work and I have 5 more days to go before my break on Tuesday but believe you me, Tuesday will be a sweet lazy day.

Running is getting more intense as we prepare for the longest of our pre marathon runs on Saturday. It will be a 20 miler. But, right after that we go into tapering and I am, as of yet, undecided about what will follow the marathon. Maybe a half in December? Maybe for the winter, I will transfer to an indoor exercise program. Back to yoga perhaps... There is plenty of promise about, as the air grows crisp and fall approaches. Anything goes.

Sorry for the helter skelter fashion of this post. I avow to update more concisely and frequently in the near future.

All the best sweet ones.

Respect

Oftentimes it is hard to get the respect that you deserve.

Is it because others aren't ready to give as much as you need? It's hard to give that much respect, I'll admit it.  I need a whole lot.

I think the problem, for me, lies in the fact that I am generally happy. People don't take you seriously when you've got a smile on your face. How do you change that? Are you just a surprise to people your whole life? Do you have to sneak up on them with your strength, smarts, your secret serious nature and your ability to really get things done?

I guess, for me, it is better to be undersold than oversold. I can always prove myself. It would be hard to constantly falling short of people's expectations.

Do people make assumptions about you because of your demeanor? Is what they see usually what they get with you? Let me know.