The 5K Fun

Okay, so a while back I blogged about the dreaded Week 5 of my Couch to 5K program. Well, unfortunately, Week 5 was just the beginning of the really hard stuff. As the time for the Pioneer Days Fun Run got closer, I got no further in running than two miles. I couldn't make it past that distance and most of the time I couldn't do it without stopping. I decided to try something new and leave the cushiony softness of the track. I headed to the Greenway that runs along the river. Each quarter mile is marked and so you can easily see how far you have come or haven't come. It seemed to help, a little. I could find a rock, tree, or bend in the trail to shoot for. Then once I reached that spot I would find another spot and shoot for that goal. The trail has some hills which helped with my strength but still it was so hard and I had such a mental block that I couldn't get past the two miles. 

Then we went on vacation and I didn't run at all. This may have been helpful, in retrospect. I came back with just a few days to train before the race. Still couldn't get past that block, which I realized was more mental than anything else. I just had to think I could. Sounded easy enough.

Me, Mom, Vicki, Cristy, and Wendy ready to start the race

The morning of the race came. I met my sisters and my mom and then we all walked to the starting line together, a sort of warm up. I am so glad we did it together. There were good times ahead. Kenna came too. She had decided to walk with Grandma.

Wendy, Cristy, and I ran the race while Vicki, Mom, and Kenna walked. Cristy is young and in shape so she was way faster than Wendy and me. She left us in her dust. But, Wendy and stuck together, along with my running buddy, Camille. Wendy and I had both decided that we wouldn't walk a single step. Deciding together was very helpful. We encouraged each other along the way. In the last mile Wendy and I separated, which was fun because I wanted to cheer her on as she came in. And, we made it! We didn't walk a single step. Although it is nothing to brag about, I finished under 36:00. I was hoping for 32:00 but I hadn't even run three miles before - EVER. I think in 9th Grade I had to run a mile and that was the end of my running career.

The runners at the finish line and drinking much deserved water

The walkers at the finish line - notice how Mom is distancing herself from those two crazies 

Well, that was all it took. I can now run four miles now and will be doing five next week. Yes the pain is there. But, what hurts at a half mile doesn't hurt more at four miles. I am just more numb. Once I realized that the mental block was broken. Now I am shooting for the 10K in next summer's Fun Run. I am excited about that goal.

Life is good - and I really like running!

All Good Things Come to an End - Summer Vacation Part 3

So, our last day became a day for Dad, because he had followed me everywhere I wanted to go, and a day for teenage girls because a trip to the Oregon Coast isn't as exciting as a trip to Disneyland. Early that morning, Trent, the twins, and I went to the free crabbing docks to check out the situation. Trent had read all about crabbing. He had watched many youtube videos to see how it was done. He had been planning this since we decided to go. So, he went to check on the rentals of the traps. When he came back, the best option was to rent a small skiff and take three pots out into the bay. 

Adri didn't want to have anything to do with us floating around in a boat that we knew nothing about with raw meat as bait catching critters that she had no interest in eating. She stayed back to man the house. But, Trent, Kenna, Katy, and I donned our life jackets, our three frozen mink carcasses, and our little motor driven skiff and headed into the bay. We had a blast. It was a stretching experience for many of us. I had to tie dead, frozen mink to crabbing pots. Katy had to keep her toes and fingers out of the way of the snapping crabs. McKenna had to "drive" us around the bay. And Trent, the skipper of this operation, had to teach us all what to do while staying within the legal rules of the crabbing industry. We caught about thirty crabs, but only one of them was big enough and a male. We kept it for awhile so Katy could play with it. But, then, since we only had one, we released it as we headed into the dock. It was great fun and possibly one of the best memories of the whole trip.

These are the seals that laze on the sand bar all day long. We loved watching them here and swimming in the water.

After crabbing, we did what teenage girls like to do - SHOPPING. We went to the Tanger Outlets in Lincoln City. It was a really long drive but, we got some delicious salt water taffy to hold us all together. We were tired. I think everyone was happy. But, I had to squeeze one more thing in. We stopped at Seal Rock again, since it was low tide, to check out the tide pools again. The tide wasn't out nearly as far as before but we did find some great sea creatures. It was also quite cold. We didn't stay very long and Adri and Trent were back at the car. I think they had seen all the starfish and sea anemone that they could stand.

Back at the house, we got everything packed up and ready for a very long trip back to Idaho. Our vacation had come to an end. Early the next morning, we bid farewell to the ocean, the beach, the lush green forests, and vacation. We drove along US 20 on the way home. It was absolutely beautiful, again, until we got on the east side of the mountains. Then it looked like Idaho and I knew we were back. 

We had a great time together. Built many memories. And laughed our heads off at times. I am so grateful that we had this chance to vacation again.

Life is Good - And Oregon is my favorite place in the world (right now)!

Summer Vacation Part 2

Since we, I mean "I", had so much fun on an early morning walk the day before, I decided to do it again. This time, I dragged Trent and Kenna out with me. We drove to Seal Rock which had a lot of  rocks and was sure to produce fantastic tide pools. We were not disappointed. I sure wish Adri and Katy had come with us. They love sleep and didn't seem to feel bad about missing it.

After tide pool hunting, we had breakfast and got ready for the day. Today we were heading south. Waldport is said to be "where the forest meets the sea" and it is true. All those beautiful green trees, ferns, and flowers go right up to the ocean water from Waldport south. Amazing! I loved it. If it hadn't been so cold, I would have stuck my head out the window and breathed that beautiful air. But, I hate it when my nostrils freeze together. 

We visited "Devil's Churn" and the Sea Lion Cave. We also stopped at Heceta Head Lighthouse but had so much fun on the beach that we didn't hike up to the lighthouse.

This is Devil's Churn. The water comes rushing in here, crashes against the walls of the little gorge,  create a large deep booming sound and swirl out of control. This is not a swimming hole.

The waves also crash onto people if you are close enough. Get closer girls!

The Sea Lion Cave is in interestingly touristy type place. I was wearing my Chicago sweatshirt and this ticket lady was from the Chicago area. She gave us a great discount because Trent told her he had lived there.  It was nice to see but not really worth the money, even with the discount. Plus, it stinks in there!  That smell will stay with me for a long time.

This is the view out of the Sea Lion Cave. It was beautiful to look out there.

Next we stopped at Heceta Head beach. It was a perfect place to be. There is also a beautiful creek that runs out of the mountains and into the ocean. It is COLD. We also wanted Collin to know that we missed him and were thinking of him.

One more day of exploration down and five exhausted explorers headed home. We crashed into bed after another walk on our beach. I truly do love this place.