PFTW #6 / #SummerTrailRun, Mt Rainier, and the most beautiful place I've ever seen

June 28-July 4

Monday: Day 1 of some Fitness Blender Challenge I found - HIIT and lower body strength. 

Tuesday: Day 2 - Upper body and cardio

Wednesday: Day 3 - HIIT and abs

Thursday: Day 4 - This was a kickboxing video, but kickboxing confuses me (I spend so much time trying to keep the moves straight, I basically stop moving), so I did an upper body and cardio video instead

Friday: I worked, then PACKED FOR VACATION! (All of the pictures in the universe down below).

Saturday: 2 miles-ish hiking

Sunday: 7-8ish miles, hiking

July 5-11

Monday: nothing 

Tuesday: walked ALL OVER Seattle.

Wednesday: nothing (flight home followed by an all-day communications training class for me, because I'm the luckiest).

Thursday: Hold on to your hats. For the first time in almost 7 months, I pinned on a bib and RAN A RACE. 

The Renegade Summer Trail Run Race #2 was a great time, as always. It's super hard coming out of retirement (ahem not running in 10 days on top of that...), and this race was certainly challenging. 

But I've really really missed racing!! Super psyched that I made it out for this one, even if I was grossly under-hydrated and unprepared. Renegade Races are just so great. 

Friday: Nothing

Saturday: 6.5ish miles on trails while #1 was at XC hill practice - luckily, I ran into another mom who was kind enough to join me and my slow pace.

Sunday: 4 miles with ex-neighbor Will

I am working a wacky schedule for the next several weeks while I have some new hires working at night, so hoping I can fit some runs in after work (even if it's a little late). Before work is tricky, because Gab can't be left home alone, and the other kids are in XC camp until 10am. I keep making excuses in my brain about not having time, but I really just need to make the time.

I know, this is revolutionary. Don't steal my idea. 

This week!

Monday: Lower Body, HIIT 

Tuesday: Upper body, 4 miles

Wednesday: HIIT and abs

Thursday: Upper body, 4 miles

Friday: Lower Body, HIIT

Saturday: rest

Sunday: 6 miles

***VACATION!!!***

Saturday: In an effort to convince #1 that the PNW is obvs where she should spend her college years, we spent a long weekend in Seattle. #2 was dressed the part. 

We got into SEA at 11:30am, and spent the day wandering in the Carbon River area. 

Me, all weekend: Man, that is a Big Mountain. 

We trekked up a giant hill in search of a waterfall that was apparently all dried up. It was kind of pretty. 

Sunday: We headed around the north side of the mountain, stopping a gajillion times for coffee and pretty views, before landing at the Sunrise Visitor Center and doing the Frozen Lake trail. 

Aside from a bathroom incident with Gab and #2 trying to fling herself off the mountain to avoid flies, it was a lovely hike. 

After lunch in Sunrise, we headed to Tipsoo Lake, where the wildflower game was strong...

After my family was sick of hearing me exclaim, "LOOK! So many flowers!", we headed south to the Stevens Canyon entrance, and hiked Silver Falls and Grove of the Patriarchs. 

Monday: Drove up to Bellingham via Chuckanut Dr and Larrabee State Park.

We wandered around the Fairhaven district for awhile and ate delicious, delicious pizza (for real, Fat Pie Pizza in Bellingham, you should go there). We took a walking tour of Western Washington U, which #1 did not LOVE, but I kind of did, and then ate all the food in the universe at Boundary Bay Brewery, which came recommended by internet friend Alma.

The beer was great, the food was great, the desserts were great, the service was great, it was all great. 

Tuesday: So many hours of walking and drinking coffee, and farmers marketing, and monrailing. 

After a super quick coffee with Alma at the craziest library I ever have seen, we took the ferry over to Bainbridge Island, which was fun for a couple hours (and so peaceful, besides the part when #1 lost her mind because she thought we might miss the ferry back, and didn't accept that there were later ferries to be had). 

Wednesday: 3:30 wake up for a 6am flight that was delayed to almost 7am when the co-pilot's chair broke. No, really.

Summer Trail Run #1 Recap / PFTW

Ways to make a trail race seem like an awful idea:

• run when it's super hot and sunny
• eat pizza immediately before leaving the house
• do a hiit video in the morning

This was not ideal, but somehow (probably because we're just the fastest people ever), Angry Julie and I squeaked out a course PR by FIVE MINUTES. We're amazing runners, obvs.

The course this time was the counter-clockwise loop. For some unknown reason, we (Julie, Sheila and I) decided that we remembered this route being eaaaaaasy. This was a lie, because it was HARD. Okay, maybe it was harder than we remembered because last year when we did this one, it was cool and overcast.

We started right on time (this really is the start line, despite it saying Finish), like all of Renegade's events. There were three water stations available on the course - one at about a mile, one around mile 2.5ish, and one at mile 4.

The course starts off running the bike path into the back of Peter's Canyon park, up to the ridgeline. The ridge was hot hot hot hot and so dusty, because hello drought. There are - I think? - 4 or 5 big climbs before you start downhill, then down into the canyon on the way back - and it was glorious and cool down there. Perfect.

Number 1....

We finished right around 55:35, and our time on this last year was 1:00:25, I think, so despite FEELING like it was very rough, I was pretty pleased with the time.

After the race, you're given a choice of barbeque or t-shirt (the shirt is the same for all three races in the series, and you can also choose to do both the food and the shirt for an extra $5). I always choose the food, obviously.

I really, REALLY love these races - there is a kids' obstacle course at the finish line area, and it's just so fun and family friendly.

The next race is July 10th, running the clockwise version of the course - last time, we ran faster on that course, so maybe we can PR AGAIN.

We are the champions.

*******************************************************************************

Quick recap of last week/PFTW

Monday: Nada

Tuesday: run
4 easy easy miles with run club. I am LOVING this new run club - it is a fun, social run organized by Lifetime Run. The only con (for me) is the distance - we start at the Lifetime Fitness in Laguna, so it's a bit of a trek, but luckily I've worked out some carpooling with a friend close by. (Tuesday evenings at 5:45, 1 hour - join us!)

Wednesday: Nothing

Thursday: XT, trails
I forgot that I hate HIIT. I got confused, because the video I selected was only 16 minutes, so I thought... huh, how bad could that be. THE WORST EVER, BECAUSE HIIT SUCKS. I kid, it was fine, just really hard. I did THIS video, followed by 9 minute abs/obliques, and then 20 minute Lean Arms workout - did you know rhomboids are the weakest muscles ever? I hadn't done this video in awhile, but I immediately remembered. All videos courtesy of Fitness Blender, of course.

Trail run in the evening.

Friday: Nada
Saturday: Again nothing

Sunday: "long"
6 miles - 1 mile solo, 4 with a friend, 1 with The H - he's been injured, and wanted to see how things were feeling. Apparently they're feeling GREAT, because he ran faster than me JERK.


I feel like I'm missing a key component to triathlon training. OH RIGHT, EVERYTHING BESIDES RUNNING. Hashtag lazy.
*********************************************************************

PFTW:

Monday: 3 miles easy (spoiler alert, I did 3 easy trail miles yesterday)
Tuesday: 4 easy, arms
Wednesday: Swim/Bike hahahaha
Thursday: 5 with 800s gross, arms
Friday: Swim/Bike
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: 8 miles

Summer Trail Run Series! Weekly Recap / PFTW

This week kicks off the first race of the Summer Trail Run Series!!

I absolutely love this event, and I'm SUPER excited to run again this year. Registration is still open for Thursday's race - only $33 and it includes a fun expo after the race with a barbecue (or a shirt). The series runs June 19, July 10, and August 7 - register for the full series for only $28/race. What a bargain. Use HEATHERDISCOUNT for an extra 10% off, yo.

Plus, who WOULDN'T want to run with me when I'm so fashionable.

Yeah. you know you want to.


Last week...

Monday: Nothing

Tuesday: Nothing

Wednesday: run/xt
Did 5 miles with 4x400 at a relatively easy pace (it was actually my goal 5k pace, so "easy"). I haven't done real speedwork for awhile, so I wanted to ease in. Went well. Followed that in the gym with a total body video from FitnessBlender - this wasn't so bad while I was doing it, but the next day I could barely even move, my hamstrings were sooooo sore. So tricky, FB!

Thursday: Nothing, again!

Friday: run/xt
4 miles, easy pace, and this was teeeerrrrrriiiiibbbbllllle. I didn't enjoy it, is what I'm saying. Followed by an old FB arms video, which was also terrible, so I guess it was just an off day. Lame.

Saturday: Nothing!!

Sunday: run
TEMPO! I had no idea how this would go, but I thought I'd give it a shot. 2 mile warm up, 3 at tempo (9-8:42), 1 mile cool. I was close - 9:05, 9:01, 8:42. It was hard. But, looking back at my older workouts, it's the fastest I've run since last October, so I guess there's that!

Related: I think I've lost a handful of pounds over the last month, but since I'm not doing nearly as much strength work (because I'm lazy), I'm assuming it's muscle loss. Womp.

Related: Instead of working out, apparently, I spent the entire week just cooking things.

Mmmmm. Pork.

PFTW

Monday: nothing
Tuesday: 4 miles easy, XT
Wednesday: Swim
Thursday: trails! and arms
Friday: Bike, swim
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: Bike, run long


Unrelated to training, but related to everything else, I've jumped back into job hunting and golly, is it the Least Fun Activity Ever. People are crazy, man. Interviewing is so bizarre. Sigh. SIGH.

Renegade #SummerTrailRun - Recap

Last night, I ran race # 2 in the Renegade Racing Summer Trail Run Series.

Registration was only $30, and included a barbecue afterwards (or a shirt, your choice).

The final race in the series is going to be held August 1st, and registration is still open at $30 for that one (increases to $33 after July 26th).

The course is a challenging loop from Cedar Grove Park in Tustin, and through Peter's Canyon.

The whole day was cloudy and cool, until the race started - and the sun came out just in time for us to climb up to the ridge.

 

 

Once you get to the ridge, it's a series of Hills. With a capital H. The next mile or so was a series of these hills - no flats, just continuous UP, with very little down (this is where we gained all of our elevation).

 

The views were terrible. I don't know why we run here.

At the last hill of the ridge, Kelly from Team Sparkle recruited and manned an otter pop station!

The elevation high point comes around 2.5, then you descend back into the canyon, and it's a slight downhill back to the finish. As soon as we made it off the ridge, the clouds rolled back in and it was cool again. That's cute.

My food and raffle tickets practically disintegrated in my pocket. Sorry to the volunteer that had to take that from me.

After the race, we stopped by the Renegade stage to say hi, and then grabbed some delicious food and hang out on the grass, being all sweaty and gross, watching a pretty sunset.

 

The goodie bags (which I didn't take a picture of because I'm lame) were AMAZING -great samples, including a 3-pack of Starbucks Via Iced Coffee. We're camping this weekend, and I was FOR REAL on my way to the store after the race to buy some of this stuff. What a happy coincidence! And, check out the cute bib!

Renegade consistently puts out GREAT events. I was pretty nervous going in - every time I run a trail race, I'm petrified that I'll be the very last person - but I had a fantastic time, and I'm glad I convinced Julie and Sheila to run with me. This was Julie's first trail race ever, and maaaaaaybe she'll try it again?

Overall, I did better than I anticipated doing. I wore the Pure Grit's again, and they were fantastic- I never felt like I was going to fall or slide around. The course reverses direction next time, and at first I was unsure that I would want to hit all those hills on the second half - but looking at my Garmin data, the reverse actually looks like it might be easier? Or I'm confused and have run-nesia.

me, Julie, Sheila post race, courtesy of Kelly (and stolen from Julie)

TL;DR - it was a great event, I had so much fun, it was a hard course, and I'll be back for the August 1st race. You should do it. You can register HERE.