posts coming!

I have good things to write and reflect on. With both the visit of my grandma, Peg, and also the current visit by my mother in full swing, as well as the ability to FINALLY shout to the rooftops the decision to head off on an adventure to New Zealand with Tyson, I feel excited to post on this blog. Unfortunately, work and life has been pretty intense for the past two weeks. I hope to post this weekend!

Hugs to you all who read my blog!

pure joy.

Last night, I arrived home from work heavy. For weeks I've felt as though a 500lb weight has been sitting on my chest. The stress and anxiety of my workload and my new role in the agency has been intense. Coupled with the fact that after my marathon I haven't really worked out in three weeks - I think my body misses its almost daily destressing through some sort of workout.

I walked in the door to home, and it took nearly everything in me to put on my running clothes, grab my headphones and head out into the crisp, early evening. Off in the distance dark clouds loomed. I pushed play and with the first few sounds of Belle and Sebastian I was off. I whizzed by people and cars, down the sidewalk, crunching over leaves, and I felt really alive. I started laughing to myself at the joy I was experiencing. The joy of running. I rounded a corner into unknown territory thinking if possible I'd make the intended course a bit longer. When I came out the other side, much to my surprise I landed on a route facing all of downtown, Puget Sound and Lake Union. I watched the sunset as I ran along and when I finished I couldn't believe I'd neglected such a vital piece of happiness. No more! Back on the wagon I go. Running.

Similarly, several days a week I choose to forgo already delicious black coffee for something sweeter and indulge in a "skinny easy mocha, extra hot" from Vivace. The way I feel in the process of going to get the coffee and then subsequently consuming it is a coveted window in time of pure joy. There's just something so fun about treating yourself to coffee. Like when you know its going to be a rough day, somehow, getting coffee prepares you in a way nothing else can. I love coffee. And I'm not alone. Co-workers too feel this same joy. And I spoke to Birdy this morning as she waited in line at Caribou in MN - her only piece of sanity in an already stressful morning of chaos with two young kiddies at home. She too feels this love. Coffee = Joy. Thank you, coffee.

I will see you tomorrow, running & coffee. And you will make me happy!

rainy weekend.

My wonderful grandmother, Peg, is flying in for the weekend. Its supposed to be rainy. I guess we'll just have to huddle in and catch up on life.

Lights and Water from James Adamson on Vimeo.

specs.

I've been searching for new frames and would love to pull off something unusual like the ones on the gal above. Recently, Aylin and I popped into Eyes on Fremont - where they "travel the world looking for frames from small, independent eyewear designers."

I'll keep you posted...

30-FUN.

I know birthdays aren't for everyone, but I think they're splendid. Its the perfect opportunity to have a great day. Get a morning coffee. Show up a few minutes late - let's be honest, that's every day. People are generally really nice to you. Its possible a few cards will arrive in the mail and inevitable I'll receive some hilarious and thoughtful texts and phone messages. Basically, its a day where I tend to feel a lot of love. And a spanking machine if I'm lucky. This year, I was lucky.

This year, Tyson through me a birthday party complete with a keg of Pale Ale from Elysian brewery on Capitol Hill. Twenty or so of our friends crammed into my teeny condo and we spent the evening over-consuming my favorite snacks, chatting and playing Jenga.









And as any good birthday should include, they sang Happy Birthday and forced me to crawl underneath everyone's legs as they handed down my bday spankings.


Lindsay and her new home dehydration system is sending homemade fruit roll-ups into the world and I have to say, Thank Goodness. As a birthday gift I received the jar below. By Tuesday they were all gone. More, please.


Thank you to my family and friends for all of the well wishes. I felt very loved!

Born to Run.

Recently I read a NYtimes article about running barefoot. I've seen these barefoot runners and I've always thought they were a little nuts. Apparently, modern running shoes "warp our natural stride, encourage bad form and lead to injuries".

I'd like to think I'll still be running well into my golden years. Maybe running barefoot is the key?

See article and video here:
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/05/the-roving-runner-goes-barefoot/#more-1536

punkin.

Advanced Style.

One is never too old to be stylish<<<<<<




Check out the blog I found these one:
http://advancedstyle.blogspot.com/

race day : 3:58:55.

I had no idea whether or not I'd be able to sleep the night before the marathon. Turns out, I actually didn't do too bad - slept well from about 10pm to 1pm. Then up until 3:30 or so. Then back to sleep until about 5:30am. From there it was a mad dash to pack everything up, eat breakfast, grab coffee, hit the restroom and BOOM! I heard the gun go off. I looked over at Bess and thought, I guess here we go.

The first eleven miles the half marathon and the full marathon courses were the same and therefore, Bess and I were able to run together. I was surprised at both our pace and the ease and pain-free running for about the first 14 miles. We were running about a 3:52 and I could not have been happier.

Then around mile 15 I started to hit some mental walls. Its the middle. Its not the adrenaline fun from the beginning or the Sigh knowing that you're almost done. Ugh, just thinking about it makes me tired. I knew Tyson would be joining me soon which was about the only thing I could focus on. Its strange the things you focus on in order to pass the time. Little milestones. Tyson joined and mentioned an upcoming hill he saw on the map at mile 17. The hill sucked. Steep. Totally killed me for a little bit and my pace slowed to a 3:56. Finally around mile 20 I started to feel good again. Tyson ran in front of me which was a great way to stay motivated and stay with him. I jammed to some tunes on my iPod and tried to focus on the fact that I had less than an hour left.

I felt really strong until mile 24. One would think that by the time there is only two miles left, adrenaline and happy feelings would take over. They did not. Those last two miles I would venture to say, were terrible. My pace slowed. My mental focus gone. It was everything in me to keep going. And I had nothing left. When I saw the finish line I also saw Haley cheering on the sidelines. I couldn't look at her, because I knew if I did I would begin to cry.

Coming down the final stretch. Look at Haley!:



I also saw the clock, ticking away at 3:59 and on and on. My goal was to finish in under four hours. I began to sprint and when my foot crossed the finish line the clock read 4:00:08. Disbelief. After all the training and work, I'd missed my goal by only a few seconds. But alas, I had not factored in the chip time! We headed off to the Boundary Bay Brewery for some beers and calories to wait for the posted results.


Final race result: 3:58:55. I'm done. I made my goal. I'm ecstatic.

Mental prep.

Friday I skipped out of work a bit early and we headed to Lake Union for an evening paddle. The weather was perfect. Haley was hilarious. Wink, wink girls.

It was a great way to get outside and do something, and I didn't need to use my legs!