Substitutions

I'm taking two of my lady friends to the marathon that I had planned on running earlier this month tomorrow. That means a 6am wake up time. Good golly miss Molly! That's early. But, I'm happy to do it. I'm glad that someone will be getting to run that marathon and to get out of town as well. It will be really nice to switch things up. I've been really aching to get out of town.

The east coast had me spoiled with the abundance of different cities all within a couple hours drive of bus ride from the next one. Now, when I want to get out of town, I don't know what to do or more aptly, where to go.

I'd hop down to San Fran if it wasn't flying distance away and Seattle is close, so that's always an option. I am partial to chocolate factories so it might be the very best option. Too bad I'm such a city slicker. I need to live near more of them to be comfortable.

What's your favorite living situation? Big city, small town, open country, backwoods of a national forest?

Physical hardships

My body is having a rough week. My foot is still aching from the marathon producing a limp in any journey ranging over 70 yards or so. I burn myself with sugar not once but two times throughout the workweek (sweet, sweet pain) and then again while cooking at home yesterday. While hanging out with Alex the other day I got a splinter, through my sock and into my foot. Are you for real?! And yesterday, I bought a hole punch which not only broke on it's first use but also pinched a little bit of my hand in the act of breaking, adding insult to injury.

It looks like I won't be running another race in a couple of weeks which sucks! My muscles feel great. I want to run. I just want my foot to feel better so I can run. I'm going for a sports injury massage tomorrow. Please let it help. Working six days a week this week unless someone gets excited about picking up for me. That would be great. I don't think that standing for 6 hours at a time is doing my foot any favors although it does my mind some favors because the opposite is feeling lazy sitting around all day which is THE PITS.

How do you cope with injury. I've never been physically incapable of running. I don't know what to do. At least I can still bike but the rains have come so that is not nearly so fun anymore. Time to suck it up and get that pool pass.

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.