Track Tuesday & A Warning Against the Use of CFLs!

On Tuesday Jordanne, Anya, and I headed to the track for "Track Tuesday".  It got off to a rough start after I realized I had forgotten to pack my shoes, my Garmin, AND my sports bra.  I bet you're wondering exactly what DID I pack?!  Good question.  I packed the true essentials: my Girls on the Run Coach t-shirt (the season is already half over! Can you believe it?  I can't believe I haven't posted about it yet) and my compression socks.  What else do you really need?  Luckily Jordanne and Anya didn't bail on me or kill me for being a bit late.

On the schedule was 4 x 800's, with a goal of 3:28 per 800 (always ambitious if my past speedwork sessions are any indication).  I am happy to report that this week went much better than my speed workouts the past two weeks.  All of these 800's I could actually feel (and see on the Garmin) myself running faster on the 2nd 400, which is probably at least part of the reason why I'm so terrible at 400's. 

800 splits:
3:42 (7:13)
3:35 (6:59)
3:31 (6:57)
3:33 (6:56)

Not quite the goal of 3:28, but not that far off either!  I'm proud of those 6's!  I did feel a tiny bit like throwing up at the end so you know it was a success. 

 This is a very tweet-tastic post.

In other news, last weekend this happened:

   

In just one more piece of evidence displaying my klutzy uncoordinated-ness (and perhaps being "irresponsible", as my husband might never say), I dropped a lightbulb in our bedroom while I was attempting to change it (insert joke about how many runners it takes to change a lightbulb here).  Unfortunately, this was no ordinary lightbulb, but a CFL (a compact fluorescent: the spiraly ones that save the environment by being incredibly energy efficient, I'm preventing global warming over here ya'll).  Anyway, apparently when these puppies break, it's no joke.



Cooper's a puppy (at heart) and he agrees: It's no joke.

This is because mercury, albeit a small amount, is released into the air when they break and you're supposed to wear Ghostbuster attire to clean it up (and remove that piece of carpet, yeah right, like we're doing that).  I tried to claim that I needed to protect my uterus to get out of helping (pregnant women aren't supposed to clean up the mess, and for the first time ever I was sad I wasn't pregnant), but I wasn't successful.  And now my parents are crying because they thought for a split second that I might be pregnant.  Sorry Mom & Dad.  No grandchildren yet. 

I ain't afraid of no ghost.  source

Here's the EPA's stance on the "clean-up", which you know we followed to a 'T'.  Anyway, an hour or so of mask-wearing, duct-tape bearing, careful cleaning later and CFL's are officially banned from my house.  Sorry environment. 

Did you do speedwork this week?  How did it go?  Ever have a run-in with a CFL?  What's your stance on energy-efficient lightbulbs?  Was that the most boring question I ever could have asked?!

Tennis, Road Trips, Birthdays, & Hooligans

Hey, did you check out my Nuun Hood to Coast Application yet?!  If not, please do!  Now back to today's post - good post name right?  I'm extremely creative.  My weekend wasn't incredibly exciting, but I'll recap it all the same, because that's what I do - tell boring stories. 

• The weekend started out with a Friday night tennis match.  Whew that was exhausting.  It was by far the most grueling match I've had so far.  1 hour and 40 minutes later and I was thoroughly spent and completely drenched in sweat.  My opponent had an amazing serve / overhead combo and I truly didn't expect to win but somehow I managed to barely squeak out another win 6-3, 6-4.  

 Cooper was impressed with my skills.  He said, "Good job Mom."

• After the tennis match, despite getting home around 9pm, we headed down to Portland.  Ugh, that 3-hour drive so late at night is always a bad idea.  Soooo tired by the time we got there.

 

You remember this peanut butter on crack?  I devoured a bunch of this upon our arrival. You must try it if you still haven't.

• On Saturday we birthday-ed it up with our nephew.  He turned the big 3!  And he is freaking adorable.  Possibly the most adorable, happiest child in the world.  I adore him and wish we got to hang out with him more.  We got him a sweet dump truck that he loved and also a huge bubble maker thing that was really for us.  A few hours later, plus a few humongous bubbles, some frisbee, softball, and hula-hooping later, and our nephew, our three nieces, and ourselves were definitely exhausted.  

Look at that amazingly ginormous bubble!

 

JMan told me not to post this picture.  Like a good wife I did it anyway.  The world deserves to see his hula-hooping skills!

• Then we decided to drive back home.  I had no idea that would happen but was really ecstatic because it meant I would have running buddies for my long run.  But I already talked about that.

• Remember how two weekends ago someone broke into our car?  Well THIS weekend some hooligans egged that same car.  What a waste of a dozen eggs.  Don't they know eggs are pretty much my favorite food?  Lisa - forget everything you just read (I am trying to convince her to move to our neighborhood and talks of crime probably doesn't help my cause!). 

Then this happened: Blue Moon Spring Blonde Wheat Ale.  Not as good as Blue Moon Spiced Amber Ale (but nothing is), but definitely worth a looksie.  I was a good little carb-loader for Sunday's run.  Oh, beer's not a good carb source you say?  Blasphemy.

• We watched Tower Heist.  It was okay.  Not amazing but also not NOT entertaining (I love double negatives).  Several extremely poor series of special effects and some unbelievable nonsense at the end that I won't spoil for you, but it otherwise passed the time. 

• And finally, we finished my Nuun Hood to Coast application!  In case you can't tell I'm really REALLY excited about it.  Filming it was a blast and quite ridiculous.  I owe JMan a huge HUGE HUGE HUGE THANK YOU!!!  JMan is my ultimate partner in crime, always a great sport, and the #1 ultimate most fabulous director, producer, and editor of all things movie-making.  I could not have made the application without him!  I also owe him and Cooper a big THANK YOU for all of their impressive actor-work.  Don't you think Hollywood is calling their names?!

And that was my weekend!  Another lovely weekend down the drain.

How was your weekend?  What did you do?  Seen any good movies lately that I should watch?  

A 15 Mile Long Run & the Seahawks 12k!

Have you seen my Nuun Hood to Coast Application yet?!  If not go check it out RIGHT NOW!  And now back to our regularly scheduled programming...

I'm so proud!  Sunday morning I pumped out my longest run in a long long time (since October 2010) - 15.11 miles!  Let's back up a bit.  We had a busy weekend planned (recap about that coming tomorrow) and I sadly was looking at long-running alone, which I was dreading.  At the last minute though we were able to come back home Saturday night and long-running with Jordanne and Lisa was back on!  I was ecstatic.  The plan was 15 miles including the Seahawks 12k Run.  A 12k is about 7.4 miles, so we would need to get about 7.6 miles out of the way before the race.

I tried to do this run right.  I ate a big carb-tastic dinner the night before (some delicious Pad Kee Mao from our local Thai place), had oatmeal and coffee for breakfast in the morning, carried Nuun in my handheld, and ate 3 Gu shot blocks during our mini break before the race.  I think I could have eaten a bit more during the run but other than that it all worked out well.

We met up at 7:20am (ugh, I hate when my alarm goes off before 7 on the weekends!), and our pre-race run was fairly uneventful, except for being scared to death by a squirrel (yes I screamed again, two runs in a row with screams from animals).  But the wind, oh the wind.  The way out was great, the way back was a really really ridiculous headwind.  Since we ran on the route of the race we were not looking forward to the last 3 miles of the race!

We got back to the start with perfect timing, met up with Katie and Amy who did this race too, and headed to the start.  I randomly saw my friend Marie who rocked this race (way to go!) amongst the thousands of people, which is always shocking when that happens. 

And then we were off!  It was pretty congested at the beginning.  Jordanne and I were just trudging along for the first few miles.  I felt surprisingly good for the first 3 miles (miles 8-10) or so.  It didn't seem like so far to go based on how far we'd already gone.  Of course running with the crowds made it so much easier, I want to do ALL of my long runs during a race.

The course was fairly scenic - running along the sound and past really ridiculous houses on the water.  It was an out-and-back, with the turn around involving running around the Seahawks training facility:

You couldn't really see inside except for the weight room - no one was working out. 

Someone said real live Seahawks were supposed to be handing out water but I didn't see them!  At this point I decided to turn it on a bit.  A progressive run seemed like a good idea and plus, then I would be done sooner.  This is into the headwind and up hills!  Check out the splits from the last 6 miles:  8:57, 8:42, 8:20, 8:23, 8:24, 8:14 

Then we finished!  I was really happy when the watched beeped 15.  I felt pretty good!  Certainly not like I could run 11 more but like I could have run a few more (unlike last week when 14 was the very last step I could possibly take). 

Three Seahawks were signing autographs at the finish.  I'm an idiot and don't know who they are.  Does anyone know their names?  

The two words of the day were headwind and hills.  In the whole scheme of things the elevation map doesn't look that impressive and with only 248 feet of elevation gain across 15 miles, that's not that much.  But it felt hilly at the time.  Maybe it was just emphasized by the headwind.  You can at least see how the second half (the race part) was way hillier. 

But 15.11 miles in 2:19:43 (AP 9:15) - I was proud!  My stomach started growling at 13 so I went IMMEDIATELY to Panera and ate a delicious egg sandwich and a coffee.  Then we book-clubbed it up and celebrated our accomplishments with more bagels and coffee.  A perfect morning if you ask me!

 

 This is the farthest Lisa has ever ran!  I'm so proud of her (and all 3 of us!)!  Lisa and I are twinsies.

How far did you run this weekend?  Did you race?  What's the furthest distance you have ever run? 

2012 Nuun Hood to Coast Application!

I don't think it's any secret that I LOVE Hood to Coast.  Seriously, Hood to Coast and I are best friends until the end of time.  Growing up in Oregon, I feel like I have wanted to do Hood to Coast my entire life.  In 2004, JMan and I went to Sunriver for the weekend (an amazing place to visit if you haven't) and accidentally drove back to Portland via Mt. Hood while the race was going on.  A huge mistake traffic-wise, but an incredibly inspiring drive nonetheless that forever solidified my need to race H2C.

I wasn't a runner then though and then moved to Las Vegas and forgot about my dreams of one day being in this relay.  Flash-forward to 2008.  I had just finished my first marathon and was a newly crazed and obsessed runner.  I submitted an application for the 2009 Hood to Coast team but was rejected.  Never one to give up, I submitted again the next year (you get better odds when you've been rejected!) and was accepted!  The 2010 Hood to Coast Relay was one of the best weekends of my life.  I was lucky enough to get to repeat the experience again in 2011.  Watching the Hood to Coast movie made me cry.  That's HOW amazing / life-changing this race is.  Too dramatic? 
 

Sadly though, my team got rejected for 2012.  Which was devastating... until I read about how you can apply to be part of one of three Nuun Hood to Coast female blogger teams!  I was instantly hooked.  Not only was there a chance of me getting to do my favorite race-of-all-time, but I also might get to do it with my favorite hydration company-of-all-time?!

You might think I'm just saying this, but I adore Nuun.  The ease of just dropping a tablet into my bottle of water, the health of it - no sugar!, and the delicious taste (especially Tropical, it's the best, hands down), make it my go-to hydration of choice.  Water alone no longer satisfies me, I need Nuun!  In fact, one day when I'm rich, I will ONLY drink Tropical-Nuun-flavored water.  With diamond ice cubes.  In Hawaii.

So why should Nuun pick me to be part of their 2012 Hood to Coast team?  I will be an AMAZING teammate.  I promise!  Let me show you why.

 THE #1 REASON RICOLE WOULD BE AN AMAZING TEAMMATE:

1.  I will train my heart out!  In fact, I've already started training!  Check out this documentary of my training to date:

If you need even MORE reasons to pick me:

2.  Energetic.  I am crazily energetic.  Didn't you just watch my video?!  I think you get the point.  Check out the "About Ricole" page to learn more.  I can put the Energizer Bunny to shame.  You need someone to get you pumped up for your next leg after not-sleeping in a field?  I'm your gal.  You need someone to rock a Yoda t-shirt and a light saber?  Look no further!  No one else wants to take on the worst legs of the relay?  I'll do it!  

3.  Enthusiastic.  Is that a synonym for energetic?  Let's pretend it's not.  You want costumes?  I've got 20!  You want Yoda-inspired iron-on t-shirts?!  I'm your gal!  I could go pro in encouragement.  I am a really good sport.  You will never see more thumbs-up signs than with me!  I will give high-fives until my palms are raw!  I will use so many exclamation points your eyes go crossed!

 

Lederhosen, tutu, or sparkle skirt - I'm there with bells on. 

4.  Girl Scout Rule #1: Be Prepared with Girl Scout Cookies.  Being prepared is absolutely vital at Hood to Coast.  Things I will come prepared with include these items you absolutely cannot live without:

• Toilet Paper.  Those port-a-potties get full quick, especially depending on your start time and where they're at in the cleaning schedule.  They're not only unbearable at times (perhaps nose plugs?!) but they're often without vital "supplies".  So you better be bringing your own TP along just in case!
• Candy.  Eat clean and blah blah blah but to survive Hood to Coast, you NEED candy!  Candy laced with caffeine is a bonus. 
• Ibuprofen.  My teams have been known to partake in ibuprofen parties, downing them by the handful.  

You're welcome, kidneys.


• Body Glide.  Chafing is the ultimate enemy.
• Nuun!  Dehydration is enemy #2 (yes I consider chafing more of an enemy than dehydration!).
• Ear Plugs & Eye Masks.  If you're going to attempt to get any sleep (every minute counts!) these are a necessity.  The constant van headlights and noise, your increased adrenaline, plus all that candy and caffeine you ate earlier makes it hard to get any real shut-eye.  Ear plugs and eye masks help.  Just make sure someone is designated to actually hear the alarm clock!

Sleep wherever & whenever you can!

5.  A really really amazing attitude.  Crazy annoying things will happen.  Teammates will be crying in port-a-potties, hanging their heads out the windows in sickness, having major bowel issues, and grappling with injuries.  Or maybe YOU will be suffering these issues.  You won't sleep, you'll eat PB & J sandwiches for 3 meals straight, and you'll tax your body incredibly by racing 3 times in a 30 hour period.  There will be lows.  So you've got to have a fabulous attitude through it all.  And just know that the highs will GREATLY outweigh the lows!  In fact, that carsickness / bowel issues / injuries / frustrations will be exactly what you'll remember as being so great about H2C!  I don't know how that works, but somehow the craziness coupled with severe adrenaline rushes and intense sleep deprivation make the experience amazing.

In 93 degree weather or crazy sideways rain, I've got a smile on my face

So there you have it.
Please please please PLEASE pick me Nuun! 

If you think Nuun should pick Ricole Runs, please tell them in the comments below, on their Facebook page, or by tweeting @nuunhydration (or all 3)!!!

Seattle RnR Marathon Training Week #2

Week #2 (of 14) of training for the Seattle Rock n Roll Marathon is in the books!  You can read about week #1 here.  

As you can see the plan is actually only 13 weeks long - I started a week early.  I wanted an extra week to play around with in case of mini-injuries (knock on wood!), sickness, just not feelin' it, etc.  14% done!  So far, so good!

Except the weather forecast for this week still looked like this:

Do you see that?  7 days of rain?  Yep.  I've still got issues with the weather.  

I executed the running part of my week pretty well (not 100%, failed on speedwork unfortunately).  Cross-training could be improved.  Here's how my week looked:

Monday - 37 minutes on the hotel elliptical in Vegas

Tuesday - A big fat REST day.  I was supposed to run 6 miles but the pouring rain made me too sad.  And this monster of a blister that happened thanks to my Glitter Tom's made every single step felt like a dagger stabbing my heel.

 Oh, had you just eaten?  Did you throw up a little bit?  Sorry for not warning you. 

Wednesday - 6.4 miles at Interurban Trail with Jordanne in 59:29 (AP: 9:17)

Thursday - Not much.  It's not all my fault.  We're in this weird place right now where our membership at the gym just ran out and JMan may have the hook-up through his work for a new, better gym.  So I'm in limbo.  I ran about a mile at Girls on the Run practice and did some random push-ups and such but nothing to write home about.

Friday - 3 horrible miles in the morning.  HORRIBLE.  I had 2-3 x 1 mile repeats on the agenda, with McMillan telling me I should be doing them in 7:06 (yeah right, I knew there was no chance of this).  I figured 7:30 was more realistic.  Well, after just ONE completed in a whopping 7:57, I had the worst side ache of all time, felt slightly nauseous, and knew this run was over.  I trudged along in complete torture until I hit 3 miles, went home, and called it a day.

Then I ended up getting to my tennis match a bit early in the evening, so I busted out 3 more hilly miles in about 28 minutes (I didn't have a Garmin so I have no idea how far it really was).  At least I did my 6 total I guess.

Sights seen on my run included cherry blossoms, historical societies, and fantastically ridiculous houses in the nicest neighborhood I've ever seen.  

    

There's proof.  Historical societies and cherry blossoms.

JMan - Why don't we live in a house like this?  Seriously, is that too much to ask?  I think not.

I also played 1 hour 40 minutes of grueling tennis, Friday was a busy workout day.

Saturday - 51 boring minutes on the recumbent bike.  I probably burnt 50 calories, but at least I felt like I did something.  Plus then I hula-hooped and played with bubbles with my nieces and nephew for hours.  That's got to count for something right?

Sunday - 15 glorious miles in 2:19:43 (AP: 9:15), including the Seahawks 12k.  Recap about that tomorrow.

Total miles for the week: 27.5.  Pretty good!

Now, I rest!

 The family all cozy and resting.   

I need to get the gym situation figured out so I can get back on the cross-training wagon.  But I think I really need to focus on strength-training for my legs - my legs are what is tired after a long run, definitely not my lungs.  So why am I doing so much cardio?  Uh, because I like it way better, duh.  But I don't need it, I need strength training.

Happy Monday everyone!

How did you do this week?  Is your weather better than mine?  I hope so.  What did you do this weekend?

Sunday Flashback: Another Epic 2011 Hood to Coast Relay Experience

Remember how I introduced a new staple: The Sunday Flashback?  I started with my very first big race: my first marathon in 2008 and last week I recapped my 2010 Hood to Coast experience.  Since Nuun  recently released their call for applications for the 2012 Nuun Hood to Coast team, and I am working on my application, I thought I'd recap both my two Hood to Coast experiences, so here's the 2nd one: August 2011's Hood to Coast awesomeness!

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Hood to Coast 2011 is in the book and team Run, I will (a Yoda specialty) rocked it!  In case you're wondering about the team name, no I'm not obsessed with Star Wars!  But during last year's race in our sleep-deprived delusional state we decided that talking like Yoda was the most hilarious thing EVER.  Tired, I am.  Beer, I need.  Hurt, my quads are.  You see?!  Hysterical laughing ensued, and it spawned our team name for this year. 

Hood to Coast continues to be amazing and the highlight of my year.  My only complaint was that this year the traffic was a serious problem from leg 24 to the finish, which caused us to get literally zero minutes of sleep, as it took 3 hours to get from exchange 24 to the sleeping field (leaving just 45 minutes before our runner had to start, just enough time to get ready and chug some caffeine).  Vans were repeatedly not being able to go fast enough to meet their runner during this time and at the finish we were about an hour late while we just sat in horrible traffic.  Apparently they added 250 teams this year and that decision probably caused this. 

Just a small glimpse of the traffic issues!

We tried not to let it get us down though, and of course we still had a blast!  I loved our van, we had the best group of awesome rockin' girls.  Although we seemed to constantly FAIL at many of the needed tasks (such as driving correctly, following directions, drinking enough water, sleeping, etc.) we DOMINATED the actual running part.  Lisa was especially a trooper as she picked up an extra leg when it was needed at the last minute!  Everyone was just amazing and they are all my heroes. 

Getting ready to meet Van #1.  Yes I made t-shirts again!  Didn't I already tell you I'm the iron-on queen??

Waiting to finally start running our legs!  Hydrating like crazy because of the crazy heat.

Leg #9 - Friday, 3:49pm, Gresham, OR, Springwater Corridor Trail

One word to describe it = HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT.  The car says it was 92-94 degrees, and I felt it!  We saw about 15 ambulances (including one on my leg) carting heat exhausted runners off the course.  This run was on the road for about .5-1 mile, then on 3 miles of terrible rocky gravel (which it did NOT say in the course handbook!) and then 3 more miles on the paved trail.  Some shade because of all the trees and blackberry bushes which was nice, kind of boring scenery but I liked it, very nice and flat!  I only passed 3 people and I got passed by a lot of people, I was hot and the weakest link in this leg - I was the one who was 8 minutes over their predicted time!  Whoops... I blame the heat.  I had to wait at a stoplight for 30 seconds or a minute so that was probably in mile 2's time.  My water bottle (I am never running without a handheld water bottle again, I love that thing!) was gone by the end and I was seriously thirsty, but they did have a water stop which I used to throw on my head, which seriously gave me a boost for mile 6 (my fastest time).

Total Time: 1:01:32   Total Distance: 6.97 miles   Average Pace: 8:49

Splits: 8:52, 9:13, 8:38, 8:50, 8:53, 8:36, 8:44

It's hot!  I was smart and carried water.  Thanks Nathan handheld!  And yes that's a light saber!

After our first set of legs Kasey was nice enough to let us crash at her condo, where we enjoyed some Pizza Schmizza, took showers, and laid on her couch for a bit.  Then we picked up Laura (we had a runner drop at the last minute, which is why Lisa had to do an extra leg, but we were able to snag a great runner from last year to finish out the race) and headed to the St. Helens fairgrounds.

Random shenanigans occurred at Pizza Schmizza.  Yes I'm choking Batman.  Totally normal.

Leg #21 - Saturday, 2:37am, The middle of absolute nowhere, Vernonia, OR.  This was the leg I had been dreading since I knew I was going to have to be runner #9 (the toughest set of legs in our van, and up there with the toughest set of legs in the whole relay).  I seriously tried to get EVERYONE to switch legs with me but no one would!  Shocking!  :-)

One word to describe it = TERRIFYING.  I absolutely hated this leg, which was a shame because the gravel wasn't as bad as I thought it would be (yes, all on gravel, very loose in spots which was very hard but most of the time was decent, the problem was seeing the bigger rocks and potholes so you could avoid them), I didn't even wear the bandana I stole from Cooper, though I did wear it around my neck just like he does, and the weather was absolutely perfect (it said 54 but I though it felt warmer than that, I was still warm while running even in just a t-shirt and shorts). 

But it was DARK.  As dark as dark gets.  I guess because there was no moon; we were literally on a tiny gravel road in the middle of nowhere forest in Oregon (you should have seen the stars!), and I was pretty much waiting for a coyote / bear / bobcat / etc. to jump out of the woods 1 foot from me and take me down (it didn't help that I kept hearing rustling!).  I had been warned about hillbillies and shacks (ha!) but that was not an issue, just the complete darkness so much so that I could barely run because I couldn't see where my feet were landing or what was ahead of me.  I wish I'd carried more light somehow.  I passed one lady almost immediately (one of my only 2 roadkills on this leg) and I knew I should just slow way down and run with her but I'm stupid and didn't because I just wanted it to be over. 

In the first mile I felt extremely alone and wanted to cry and even walked for a bit because I couldn't see ANYTHING.  Then I took my headlamp off and used it like a flashlight instead and then I could at least see a little.  After that I would try and keep up with the guys that would pass me for as long as I could, desperately wanting a buddy and some extra light from their headlamps, but I just couldn't keep up.  Every time they came or a van came (rarely!) I would sprint while I had the light.  I've never been so happy to be done!  It's a shame I was so slow because I felt like I was going as fast as I possibly could since I just wanted to be done!  I guess the gravel, the darkness, and I think it was a gradual uphill the second half, took its toll.  It's kind of embarassing that I was so scared, last year running in the dark was awesome!  I just needed to carry way more light somehow.  A headlamp AND a flashlight AND knuckle lights.  AND mace.  For sure mace. 

Total Time: 43:30   Total Distance: 5.00 miles    Average Pace: 8:42

Splits: 9:02, 8:35, 8:29, 8:30, 8:57

Trying to rest while others were running since we didn't sleep for a single minute. 

Waiting to run our 3rd and final legs!

Leg #33 - Saturday, 11:41am, the middle of nowhere, Astoria, OR

One word to describe it = HILLY.  Definitely challenging rolling hills, you were either always going up or going down, and the leg was so long that this never seemed like it was going to end!  It was about 75 degrees outside which felt great if you were just hanging out but running plus the direct overhead sun made it quite hot.  Thank you handheld water bottle again.   Some kids were spraying runners with water which was greatly appreciated except the last set of two boys who whipped out their POWER SPRAYER and sprayed me at point-blank range (felt like they were beating me up!) and then violently threw two cups of water as hard-as-they-possibly-could right in my face!  The spectators (there were several at this point!) thought it was HILARIOUS and were very entertained by me getting beat up by two little boys and water!  I ended up passing 20 people here which made me feel way better (until Jordanne passed 20 people on a leg half as long as this!), although by now we were catching up with some of the walkers. 

The scenery on this leg was beautiful - beautiful sun and blue skies, cows, rivers, meadows, etc.  General loveliness, except for the hills!  Again, like last year, this leg hit me with the thanksfulness gene - I was so thanksful to be out running, to be healthy enough to run, to have the opportunity to do this amazing race again!

Total Time: 1:07:52   Total Distance: 7.73 miles   Average Pace: 8:47

Splits: 9:03, 9:12, 8:43, 8:28, 8:41, 8:49, 8:48, 8:25

Then we headed to Seaside - and ran Lisa in to the finish!  Team Run, I Will: awesome, the team is! 

So glad we stayed the night there this year.  That was a big win over last year when we didn't have a hotel room.  Our room was very luxurious and we could see the fireworks from the balcony! 

Cheers-ing with our delicious free Widmer beer from our "van decorating kits"!

Wow, what consistency throughout those 3 legs! I ran way way WAY faster last year which makes me a little sad (I do feel more out of shape this year in terms of speed, I think Singapore killed it) but in my defense, the heat, gravel, and hills really played a factor as well.  Another epic adventure, can't wait until next year already!

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But sadly my team didn't get in this year!  So I NEED to make something amazing so Nuun picks me!  Are you going to apply?  Hood to Coast is seriously THE BEST THING EVER!  Have you seen the movie?