tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10601344053012509412012-02-16T05:45:40.689-08:00A bird doesn't sing because it knows the answer; it sings because it has a song.Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.comBlogger2031100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-50842947583681230372012-02-13T10:00:00.000-08:002012-02-13T10:00:47.236-08:00

Just like last month, we will be spending the next 4 months training before I have anything solid to report in regards to racing.  Though I typically only post when I have an event to show progress (or a lack there of :-P), it's about time to post to show we're still living. Training - We're not even up to a large volume of hours yet - just 11hrs a week thus far.  I had a week (that felt like a

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-49965937374780494912012-02-04T20:29:00.000-08:002012-02-13T15:11:35.414-08:00

As I was waiting for JC to leave work one day last week, I realized I no longer look for people I know.  You see, I went to an extremely small college - there were fewer than 2000 undergraduate students.  The amazing thing about the small college I went to was that the community I experienced there will never be rivaled - never again will I have that many friends in a single location - never

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-51833856929964940302012-02-03T19:57:00.000-08:002012-02-03T19:57:34.165-08:00

Recently, I was inspired by two photography projects: 1) P52, which is a photography challenge to take new photos every single week to meet the photography theme listed for that week. 2) This clever time lapse of a bike left on the streets of New York. That said, I'm a touch time-strapped this year w/IM training (it's not too bad now, but our weekly workout hours are going to climb much

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-47004220300930875952012-01-29T16:20:00.000-08:002012-01-29T16:20:41.461-08:00

This year I decided to spice our Christmas Thank Yous up a bit. We took video of our Christmas morning and I edited together this little puppy last night. Again, thank you to all of our friends and family who thought of us over the holidays! Maybe one year we'll get our act together and send out a beautiful picture card/letter. Until then, we'll keep learning from yours ;-) Much love,

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-51064062831812408192012-01-29T16:14:00.000-08:002012-02-03T20:46:03.391-08:00

Today our triathlon team participated in something pretty awesome called the Postal Swim.  I guess it's kinda a big deal since you can be ranked nationally (for a little extra money).  The idea is that you get your own side of a lane and an hour to see how far you can swim.  Pretty simple, right? Whelp, this was the pool...and I can't say that I was in love with it.  The bottom was a bit gross

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-57995238121214953962012-01-22T20:44:00.000-08:002012-01-29T16:22:11.253-08:00

Since I've already knocked off my 2012 goal of editing together at least one video, I've decided to step up this department and list the other short films I have in mind. Videos to create in 2012    a) Splits Progress    b) X-Mas Thankyou 2011 (complete :)    c) Snow Day Jan 18th (complete :)    d) Something Ironman Training Related Aaand, this little engineer is out!

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-30998924174900420662012-01-22T20:31:00.000-08:002012-01-22T20:47:31.072-08:00

Starting on the 17th of January, 2012, the greater Seattle area got an unprecedented amount of snow.  We decided not risk the journey to work that day.  Instead, we had as many adventures as possible to enjoy the adverse weather.  For my first ever video creation, I edited together some of my GoPro footage from the day.  Enjoy. PS  Love, This Little Engineer

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-19808216695716113302012-01-18T20:38:00.000-08:002012-01-22T20:39:35.391-08:00

Writing my goals for the things I want to DO is easy! Bam, I already made a mini-post about this nearly 2-months ago. Here's the recap of what I AM going to do in 2012 ;-) Fitness (1) Run Ironman Canada! - I have some time goals in mind, but I would like to wait to roll them out till I have some training to back them up. (2) Run Boise and Lake Stevens 70.3's in prep for IM Canada! (3) Train

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-56366880374939405922012-01-10T09:58:00.000-08:002012-01-10T09:58:45.289-08:00

With the start of the new year, my training plan is focused on building a base.  That means I have a mere 6-hrs of workouts a week at this point.  While marathon training, I would knock out 1/2 of that in a single Saturday w/out missing a beat.  Now that 1/2 of that is swimming after a 4-month hiatus from swimming; whelp, lets just say I've been sleeping pretty sound.  Or, I would've been,

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-53262231289985614932012-01-07T21:24:00.001-08:002012-01-07T21:24:54.957-08:00

Perhaps I should take it as a bad omen that I spent NYE night puking after tasting too many new foods (only 2 glasses of wine passed these lips, I swear).  Perhaps an even worse omen that I’ve spent the last week with a cold.  I am going to CHOOSE to see this as my body getting all of the sickness out of way for a really stellar 2012. As for the cold, my fever finally broke on Thursday.  I still

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-36574862385193412022012-01-07T19:55:00.000-08:002012-01-07T19:55:34.011-08:00

Yes. I realize I have a lot of loose ends to wrap up in this blog. Like, what ever happened at your Christmas Marathon!?!! Oh, are you ever going to tell us about the Grand Canyon? Aaaand, we TOTALLY know you're a lister and probably have at least 3 running lists for 2012 goals! Eventually, I'll get caught up. For now, you get [drum roll, please.......... ......] CHICAGO! This is

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-78876306354641855812011-12-25T20:38:00.000-08:002012-02-13T15:08:13.924-08:00

Unfortunately, I waited to write this post well over a month after the marathon. The short story is that this marathon was kinda fun in a low key way. There were just 6 of us at the early start of the marathon. The race organizer said 'go', we looked at each other, and then just took off at a jog. Unfortunately, the course wasn't marked when the 6 of us started running, which means we ran

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-83342676420472227492011-12-18T18:42:00.000-08:002011-12-18T18:42:34.283-08:00

You're probably tired of seeing my embedded garmin reports... ...but deal w/it ;-) This is my first run after I cut my foot open.  Running did break the cut open a little and I feel I was running a touch awkwardly.  Totally needed to bust this out though.  My HR was ~ 5bpm higher than standard, but I ran an avg 9:04 min per mile pace rather than my standard 9:30 pace. Anywho.  Send me

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-82875863706611906562011-12-14T20:01:00.001-08:002011-12-14T20:01:59.810-08:00

My new bling (black pouch) on the key chain = CPR breathing barrier to go w/my (relatively) new CPR certification :)

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-72554560813410203392011-12-14T18:29:00.000-08:002011-12-14T18:29:25.072-08:00

And I managed to slice open my foot doing flip turns on my first day back to swimming. Mother of PEARL!?!! This is a lot like the time I broke my toe 7-weeks before my first half iron.

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-64295932358603539312011-12-08T08:44:00.000-08:002011-12-08T08:44:59.855-08:00

For my last 20-mile run, I didn't let myself look at my mile splits.  I get into too much trouble when I focus on those numbers.  Instead, I set a mental goal to keep my HR between 150bpm and 160bpm.  My goal was a bit arbitrary…I just knew this was the place where my long runs are sustainable. Here are my numbers for real though.  First, my resting heart rate (RHR) is 53bpm.  My maximum heart

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-68367374931558840892011-12-04T14:35:00.000-08:002011-12-04T14:35:58.914-08:00

After a v.busy weekend (read: 20 miles run on Friday, over 1.5 miles swam on Saturday), Sunday has been  my day to actually get some home stuff done.  This is the N.wall in our workout room.  Before had my Guatemala quilt: The new after has baskets hung for our many shoes (try race shoes, normal running kicks, and cycling shoes) as well as my newly framed signed poster of Chrissie: Awesome bit

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-83601712744788877312011-12-02T17:03:00.000-08:002011-12-02T17:04:46.069-08:00

Damn straight. 20 miles. 9:27 avg moving pace. Avg HR 155bpm. Even if I can't repeat this for the marathon in 3-weeks, I at least know what I'm capable of. Though I'm sure I'm going to fade after 20-miles... a girl can dream of holding a 9:30 pace...which would mean a finish time of 4:09. How amazing would that be!?!! Dreamin, Your Little Engineer.

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-64193527800748415452011-11-28T14:19:00.000-08:002011-12-02T17:05:03.243-08:00

Post-marathon, I've been monitoring my resting heart rate to gauge when I was fully recovered from the race. As of last weds, my morning resting HR was down to 53bpm. Game on! My first weekend post marathon, I tentatively ran 11 miles with JC.  My pace stayed around 9:30's…unfortunately, my garmin failed to recover this data.  This was a common trend I was finding when I wore my HR monitor. 

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-75540669774041346192011-11-20T18:49:00.000-08:002011-12-02T17:12:14.947-08:00

Mountains Climbed: Big Chief Bandera Red Mountain Guye Peak Elderado Rainier (almost...) I've also rock climbed at Mt. Erie & Leavenworth, been dropped into a glacial crevasse, learned to ice axe arrest, rappel, and winter camped twice.  Last month I earned my CPR and WRFA certification. Trips Taken:NV/AZ to Backpack through the Grand CanyonMcCall Idaho for the Ride MSAZ (again) for a friend's

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-36245257914084250462011-11-20T18:01:00.000-08:002011-11-20T19:55:58.886-08:00

Tis the season when shatty weather keeps us indoors.  Thankfully JC and I both managed to stay busy this weekend.  Though I got a lot done, I'm most proud that I finally put the family pics up somewhere in the house. Upstairs hallway before: Upstairs hallway after: It's taking a touch of getting used to - feels a little cluttered, but I'm more happy to have our family pics back on display. Love

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-56384154129123169472011-11-19T18:50:00.000-08:002011-11-20T19:10:32.800-08:00

Most people I know are either Chrissie or Rinny fans.  Though I respect both and love the underdog, I'm hardcore a Chrissie believer.  Give her life story a read and maybe you'll understand why she represents so much to this little engineer.  Anywho, Chrissie was in town last Friday... Yeah, that's me...AND Chrissie.  Rock on.  I wish I had more to say about the experience, but I was in a state

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-37357848206784737132011-11-17T10:07:00.000-08:002011-11-20T19:56:51.096-08:00

**Mile splits to be added when I have a working computer** Leading up to the San Antonio Rock and Roll Marathon, I had managed to fit in nearly all of the runs on my training plan.  Yes, my training plan was a truncated version of the ideal plan, but it did include ~40-50 miles a week.  I also hit a 16-miler, 2x 18-miler, and a 20-miler on my long run days.  I was feeling a lot of bad mojo (

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-65235695004161645302011-11-16T08:14:00.001-08:002011-11-16T08:14:48.657-08:00

My computer is on it's way out, which is (for the most part) why I've gotten behind on this blog.  Last weekend I flew to Austin (via IAH) to meet up w/some girlfriends from college.  We spent a night at one of their mother's house.  Since I don't cook, I watched as others prepared our dinner and tried to relax around people I still love, but realize I've lost touch with.  The three of us

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-32126920085715155482011-11-07T11:34:00.000-08:002011-12-02T17:12:39.336-08:00

Though I wanted to wait till the end of my race season to refocus, I've found my heart to be pretty sad today. The best way I know to give it a bit of a jump start is to look forward to the awesomeness in my future. In 6-days, I will run my first marathon. I have no worries about finishing the race, though I don't feel it will go as well as I hope. The standard marathon training plan is 6-

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-25595769572329202722011-10-29T15:05:00.000-07:002011-12-02T17:13:29.794-08:00

Thought I'd share a fun little training run I had this morning. Since I've started so late w/the marathon training, I've settled into a pretty slow pace (I hope to run 9:40's to 10 minute miles). Since I only had 10 miles on the training plan this morning, I decided to have a bit of fun. Was def fun to stretch my legs after so many training runs where I had to hold back my pace in order to

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-60916415721697877142011-10-27T13:56:00.000-07:002011-12-02T17:13:47.041-08:00

Though I'm not entirely proud of my decision to be a little crazy w/my super short training program for the San Antonio Rock and Roll Marathon, I am proud of my last long run pre-race.  I traveled 20 miles...though I forgot to turn my watch back on after the 18-ish mile rest stop I made. Pace till Mile 14: Avg. ~9:30/Mile Pace till  Mile 18: Avg ~9:50/Mile Of course miles 18-26 on the San

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-66248759689981148012011-10-11T13:47:00.000-07:002011-12-02T17:14:13.593-08:00

When I returned from our Grand Canyon Trip in the beginning of September, I looked at my calendar only to stare in amazement that the San Antonio Rock and Roll Marathon was just 2.5 months away. 2.5 months (sans roughly 2 weeks for other travel plans) is not a lot of time to prep for a 26.2 mile race. In fact, it's NOT enough time. This is when I attempted to tell my lady friends that I was

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-82150026807519113382011-09-26T17:29:00.000-07:002011-10-07T09:28:45.288-07:00

Time has slipped away as busy'ness has stolen my life. This tri was on September 10th.The Budu Lake Stevens Sprint Triathlon was the last tri on my schedule for the year. This year has been pretty lame for me in the world of triathlon - I started training late and had a real splotchy training regime based on doing what I could when I could in between a gazillion other commitments. Blarg. I

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-58344687559688733882011-09-11T14:47:00.000-07:002011-12-02T17:14:37.191-08:00

4am wake 5am driving away from the hotel 5:30am Starbucks coffee and oatmeal (thank goD) [Insert 5hrs of driving] 10:30am Arrive at Grand Canyon Village and realize we forgot our National Parks Pass [Bum around the village, purchase souvenirs, eat lunch…] 1pm Check in for Shuttle to N.Rim Lodge! 1:30pm Shuttle Departs for North Rim Lodge 6pm Arrive at North Rim Lodge 7pm Found us watching the

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-63862664727706836422011-09-11T13:55:00.000-07:002011-12-02T17:15:10.965-08:00

We flew into Las Vegas on a Friday night. After a quick trip to the Henderson REI, we checked in to the New York New York Hotel. What they don’t tell you when you check in is that you need the same credit card you made the reservation with… I assumed my license and any credit card would be good enough. Lesson learned. The good news is that we rode the roller coaster. They rob you of 50 cents

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-77319527429249032612011-09-06T11:05:00.001-07:002011-09-11T17:33:08.019-07:00

Last week was our trip to Las Vegas/Grand Canyon/Hoover Dam. We knocked out most of my 'need to see's for the area in just 5 days! To do each day (and all of its pics) justice, I'm going to make a separate entry for each day. Here was the agenda:Friday - Arrive in Las Vegas!Saturday - Journey to the Grand Canyon North RimSunday - Backpacking Day 1! North Rim Lodge to Cottonwood CampgroundMonday -

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-50613376380732197312011-08-20T10:09:00.000-07:002011-09-11T15:39:11.169-07:00

Pure swim racing events have just started to cross my mind. That said, I'm a bit behind the curve for finding out about races and such. When a team from TN Multisports needed a paddler for the Swim for Life event, a 2.25-mile swim to raise money for the Puget Sound Blood Center, I jumped on the opportunity to see and learn more about the sport. The event isn't so much a race as a supported swim.

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-84760584256713419412011-08-16T19:45:00.000-07:002011-08-16T20:01:43.444-07:00

Team track practice was canceled, but we were emailed the intended workout (rock on): 4 x 200s @ 5k pace w/200 rec 4 x 300s @ 5k pace w/300 rec 4 x 400s @ 5k pace w/400 rec We cut the rests on these a bit - we're not always patient people... 200.1 - 52s 200.2 - 49s 200.3 - 48s 200.4 - 49s 300.1 - 1m 10s 300.2 - 1m 9s 300.3 - 1m 7s 300.4 - 1m 10s 400.1 - 1m 37s 400.2 - 1m 36s 400.3 - 1m 36s

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-18625472114418652612011-08-04T13:17:00.000-07:002011-08-05T08:24:27.242-07:00

Intro: 3 weekends ago, I PR'ed my 1/2 Marathon time. Yay.2 weekends ago, we rode ~110 miles for Ride MS.Last weekend, we ran a sprint triathlon.While all of those races happened, my mom visited, we drove to Idaho, and JC's parents visited. Needless to say that our training has been all over the place and my legs were feeling pretty tired. Originally, I hadn't planned on entering this race, but

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-66780659195098948682011-08-02T19:20:00.000-07:002011-08-16T20:02:13.225-07:00

The official track workout w/the team was canceled today. Soooo, I got the intended plan from Kim and set out to knock it out. Whelp, I really struggle w/temps over 70-deg...and it was ~80-deg. Suck. The intended workout was 4 x 1000m @ 10K pace w/2 mins rest between each set. My target time was 4:35 per set. How it played out was... Set 1: 4:27 [omg. I might puke.] Set 2: 4:38 [Screw puking,

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-37670608971349862212011-08-01T19:58:00.000-07:002011-08-01T20:03:54.706-07:00

Now that JC is racing tri, he'll be racking up the medals. I couldn't find a holder that suited him... so I had this one (top) custom made:Love it, right :) He hasn't moved all his old medals onto it yet, so it's still mostly nakid. Untill next time...Love,Your little engineer.

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-26344594915830723462011-08-01T06:57:00.000-07:002011-08-01T20:05:07.002-07:00

Do you see that picture of the ride medals? Ya - that pretty one?Well, I totally took that pic and shared it w/the Idaho Ride MS Facebook page. It was included on the email sent out to thank all participants. BAM. Almost famous. Time to create a watermark and start tagging my pics.Love,Your 'Almost Famous' Little Engineer

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-68690715083397277752011-07-28T11:10:00.000-07:002011-08-01T11:54:16.040-07:00

Whelp, what I haven't gotten around to mentioning is that we did the Ride MS, McCall Idaho July 23rd - 24th w/some of Joey's family. This was the FIRST social ride I've ever participated in and I'm excited that it was for a good cause, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Unfortunately, the timing was a bit off from previous years (the ride is typically held in August), which prevented a

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-47775838073893129532011-07-18T12:41:00.001-07:002011-07-19T08:25:34.031-07:00

Sunday I ran the See Jane Run Half Marathon in Seattle. The race started and ended at Gasworks Park. The course is mostly flat and I've run parts of it (mostly the Lake Union Loop) several times. Going into this race, I had the mindset that I planned on 'racing' for the first time ever by actually trying to hold to pre-planned mile splits. I had a Garmin, I knew I would run an 8 minute mile,

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-56446631931731374712011-07-12T20:21:00.000-07:002011-08-16T20:03:23.262-07:00

It seems appropriate to start documenting my track workout splits so I can look back and be like, "Wow, I was a slowpoke. Good thing I'm sooooooo fast now." ;-) Today we ran 6 x 400m sprints @ a 10K race pace w/30s rests between each lap. I still have trouble figuring out my pace for different races, but here's how things turned out... Lap 1: 1m 56s (this felt too slow to me...and that's how it

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-50208834391181443912011-07-12T08:51:00.000-07:002011-07-12T08:59:11.611-07:00

Unfortunately, my inability to really plan and control my life has bled over into my dogs' lives. I still exercise them every single day, no matter the weather and no matter how shotty my day may be going. What I'm failing at, which I SWORE I would never do as a BC owner, is challenging my brilliant girl mentally.From my first series of manual focus images w/the new canon 7d.She doesn’t seem to

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-54682065046348993442011-07-11T08:41:00.000-07:002011-07-12T08:56:52.471-07:00

Yet another rough weekend sideswiped me. Friday night I had a serious (internal) conversation with myself. Despite trying to psych myself up for the Cougar 10-Mile trail race again and again, I still couldn't convince myself that the arse kicking was in my best interest. To be clear, I don't really train on trails…I use the cougar series as long supported training runs where I know I'll push

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-47488818281676914932011-07-06T19:48:00.000-07:002011-07-10T18:38:08.321-07:00

Intro:Going into this race, I wasn't sure what to expect. I'd just finished the climbing season, which has left me slower than ever. Had I known how much momentum I'd loose in triathlon, maybe I wouldn't have taken the mountaineering class. Though I'm glad we learned the skills, it turns out that I don't have a passion for summiting mountains - I'm more of a wanderer when it comes to backpacking.

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-7365892736522608562011-06-22T09:47:00.001-07:002011-07-08T08:21:34.978-07:00

Last weekend, we attempted to climb Mt. Rainier. The 8 remaining members of team black met up at Paradise Inn on Friday night. We stayed in dorm style rooms w/sinks - you had to walk down the hall to use the restroom and shower. The place had exceedingly thin walls, but I slept like the dead anyway. Showering the morning b4 we took off was an unexpected treat…and the leisurely buffet

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-37413367723630665042011-06-17T10:40:00.000-07:002011-07-08T08:20:18.537-07:00

Little Engineer in Motion (Pic From NWTrailrun Facebook Page) After my most recent stellar (flat-course) long day, I've been reluctant to post my results from the Cougar Mountain 7 mile (really, 8 mile) Trail Race. In complete honesty, I felt strong for this race. I went out at a sustainable pace, I hammered 3/4 of the first long, hard hill (an improvement from last time) and maintained what

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-56225894442955883162011-06-15T12:41:00.000-07:002011-06-15T12:45:35.200-07:00

Stolen from a video... This might be one of the most perfect rooms ever. Totally in need of a change.We were supposed to have a new washing and drying machines installed yesterday. Instead, they broke the hot water pipe behind the wall and flooded the space behind the wall where it leaked into 2 rooms and the hallway...and then dripped through the ceiling into the main level. Thank goodness I

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-25189768445390694452011-06-06T19:14:00.000-07:002011-06-06T19:20:55.440-07:00

Things got a bit out of control while I was in the BCC. My body fat % topped out at 21%. NOT pretty. This is today's report though:Weight (129.68 lbs)Body Fat (16.3 %)Body Water (58.4 %) Bone Mass (5.5 lbs)Muscle Mass (103.1 lbs)Physique Rating (9)Visceral Fat (1)Metabolic Age (12 years)Daily Caloric Intake(2,380 C)Though I'm still a bit of a tank (I'm ~4 lbs of muscle higher than I was at the

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-70309279834105038212011-06-06T13:27:00.000-07:002011-06-08T15:17:38.141-07:00

...you can breathe deeply and still smell the sun screen.Our 9/80 work schedule kicked the weekend off properly - on Thursday night. We were a bit lame and cleaned the house so it'd be ready for JC's sisters arrival Friday night. This left Friday free for Joey to get his bike fit done on his Cervelo P3…...while I went on an epic long run. This year has started out w/v.slow times for me.

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-28420712728030363952011-05-31T11:59:00.000-07:002011-06-02T15:01:56.388-07:00

Lets just say that there were people that needed a break from work more than I did last week. I still have no clue who decided this was a good idea, but it made me laugh.My long weekend was spent in an all or nothing fashion. I was either being pretty extreme or doing absolutely nothing. There was more time spent on the couch this last weekend than I would like to fess up to…but my brain has

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-11425776248626800802011-05-25T12:59:00.000-07:002011-06-10T14:31:17.760-07:00

It was a shatty weekend for weather and we were the only team of 4 to summit our peak for the grad climb. I should give you a full blown trip report…but a group member of mine already did a stellar job of just that (Thanks David Grant!). Enjoy.Eldorado PeakBCC Team Black grad climbMay 21-22, 2011Students:Mike BaschakRyan CoonJoey ComptonBri LeahyEric AndersDavid GrantInstructors:Bernie

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-69082014937045966162011-05-15T09:46:00.000-07:002011-05-25T10:03:35.550-07:00

Whew. Lots going on and so little time to post.Last weekend I ran the Cougar Mountain 5-Mile Trail Race for the 3rd year. My training has still been spotty due to the alpine climbing class. My datum may be set a bit high post-70.3, but I went into this race thinking that I was in the worst running shape that I'd been in for the past 5-yrs (i.e. pre my first ever trail race). That said, I

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-55552720283438323782011-05-13T14:02:00.000-07:002011-06-22T08:00:32.400-07:00

As for the BCC, I'm behind by two entries. Soooo, you get both our Leavenworth and Nisqually Glacier weekend via short recap.Leavenworth was a night and day cultural difference from what I've gotten used to with our outings. Normally, we're surrounded by snow and constantly moving towards a summit goal. It's a bit stressful, people get yelled at, we usually really suck at some task, then we

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-73414453759841643252011-05-11T15:01:00.000-07:002011-05-13T13:37:35.470-07:00

'Crappy'. How do you like that word? Perfectly explains my frustration and acceptance.The feet in the left of this image are my feet (in case you missed that part). The example feet on the right show from top to bottom - medium, low, and high arches. My poor feets are off the charts in regards to high arches. This might explain why I couldn't push myself further than 16 miles w/out crying

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-16032999199323256182011-05-04T09:46:00.000-07:002011-05-06T20:58:54.957-07:00

This is the first race I've entered for the season and I had no idea how it would go. Though I've been running, my training has been anything but consistent. I've missed sleep and workouts and eaten poorly due to the alpine climbing class I'm taking. That all means that I’m right about 130 lbs, which is ~4 lbs heavy for where I'd like to be. With all that knowledge, I decided to start in the

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-72097901395018199482011-04-26T10:17:00.000-07:002011-04-26T11:05:17.534-07:00

With my mountaineering class wrapping up, I've switched my sights to triathlon training and have found myself infused w/energy. There's something about working my arse off 6-days a week to be stronger, better, faster (…our work is never over…) that keys me up more than pretty much anything else in my life. Part of it is the feeling of shutting out the noise and just 'doing'. Also, harder

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-85351489067096384042011-04-25T11:32:00.000-07:002011-04-25T11:34:45.229-07:00

The Commute Challenge starts next week and runs through the end of May! My team's name is the Strain Gang - my codename is Diva Knievel.Now lets see how far we can cycle this year!?!!Diva Knievel out!

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-74034770791564457132011-04-22T14:03:00.000-07:002011-04-26T11:05:41.249-07:00

Perhaps on this day that I'm struggling to focus on the world of equations and airplanes, I'll take this time to share w/you our last weekend summiting Guye Peak. I've been holding off on writing about this adventure - probably because it was a pure experience that words can do little justice to express. Even a week later, I find I'm rather speechless at the experience, so I'll let the pictures

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-34242369116130933872011-04-21T09:29:00.000-07:002011-04-21T09:35:32.578-07:00

Baby got Back!...I'm hooked and I can't stop staringOh baby, I wanna get with youAnd take your picture...Again, blog post theme courtesy of this little engineer's arse.

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-9831209898060640552011-04-18T07:42:00.001-07:002011-04-18T10:22:19.853-07:00

My past few posts have had me venting a lot. I've been trying to force myself to move on, but anger is as anger does - it takes time. This past weekend I made peace with it and, lucky you, you get a mini recap.When JC and I were banned from hanging out during our BCC hikes, I was pretty taken back - we're not PDA people, we don't flirt in public, and we rarely even hold hands. That probably

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-44396792553643100832011-04-14T07:31:00.000-07:002011-04-18T10:24:35.994-07:00

Still trying to extract my head from my arse, that is.There have been a lot of abso'frickin'lutely amazing people in my life.These are some of the people I smile just thinking about.Soooooo, it's not 100% my fault that I expect parallel awesomeness from the rest of the world. I'm really trying to back off and give it time - there are just times when you miss the people you love so much it gets

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-39205449847298602232011-04-11T07:48:00.000-07:002011-04-21T09:34:46.174-07:00

I like big butts and I cannot lieYou other brothers can't denyThat when a girl walks in w/an itty bitty waist and a round thing in your face... Blog post theme courtesy of my arse.

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-37465005113385208462011-04-08T07:43:00.000-07:002011-04-08T07:44:56.737-07:00

Aw, he11. The Boston Marathon qualifying times are getting faster.My window of hope just shrank. If the times stay the same and I'm able to maintain my pace, I should be able to qualify in 22 yrs…yeah, when I'm 50. The truth is that I haven't given marathon training a real go yet - it's always an afterthought. There's a chance I could get more speedy if I focus, but 3:35 is really frickin

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-3547083395389207472011-04-04T08:23:00.001-07:002011-04-26T11:06:25.123-07:00

It's the morning after our BCC outing to Red Mountain and that slight slowness of movement w/out soreness brings on such a feeling of peace. Today, I'm pretty sure nothing can be wrong in the world and, if it is, I'm pretty sure it can't get to me.Though I do enjoy my team, the reality that I'm reserved by comparison is somewhat apparent. While others (JC especially) seem to thrive on making

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-74517281750883254532011-03-28T20:04:00.000-07:002011-04-26T11:06:44.040-07:00

The question of the night....Image courtesy of JC Is this a trick of perspective or am I this wee? I mean, how many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop? The world may never know.Also, we went to Stevens Pass last Sunday as part of the BCC and learned lots of cool stuff - like ice axe self-arrest.Image courtesy of Danny. This started as 'falling' down the hill face first -

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-68729873107292330752011-03-22T08:06:00.001-07:002011-04-04T14:27:26.950-07:00

What's to say? Well, I picked up a cold post-Mt Erie. It was a doozy and had me immobilized for a few days (I even took some time off work). Pre-Mt Erie, I had some painful cinched back issues - the only reason Mt Erie escapades happened was thanks to a horse pill from goD - er, JC. I suppose the cold was sufficient retaliation for the abuse I put my body through (I mean climbing, hours after I'd

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-76084332476818379402011-03-15T09:54:00.000-07:002011-04-04T07:51:32.705-07:00

Last weekend we went out to Mt. Erie to practice climbing, belaying, and rappelling skills. We lucked out w/the weather - there was a 90% chance of rain yet it only sprinkled up on the mini mountain.Below is a pic of where we were climbing in the morning. It was just a little mini cliff, but it def took a while to get used to climbing (for my first time ever) while in mountaineering boots. There

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-45717687697171972692011-03-04T20:34:00.000-08:002011-03-05T08:14:27.765-08:00

Backpack - Osprey Xenon 70 - 350$ (Purchased 2009 w/20% off coupon)Zero Degree Down Bag - Mountain Hardwear Phantom 0 - 485$ (Purchased 2009 - part of our wedding registry (thanks peeps :))Insulated Sleeping Pad - Big Agnes Insulated Air Core - 95$ (Purchased 2009 - part of our wedding registry (thanks peeps :))Bag Liner - Sea to Summit Thermolite Reactor Extreme Mummy Bag Liner - 65$ - (

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-60892973018857528552011-03-04T17:04:00.000-08:002011-03-04T17:28:09.739-08:00

3/3/2011 Current ResultsWeight (127.8 lbs)Body Fat (17.7 %)Body Water (57.3 %) Bone Mass (5.3 lbs)Muscle Mass (99.8 lbs)Physique Rating (9)Visceral Fat (1)Metabolic Age (12 years)Daily Caloric Intake(2,319 C)Slow progress. I'll be happy with closer to 15% body fat, but we'll see how long it takes to get there. I've been struggling w/doing anything more than cardio lately and from history, I know

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-51467649060631685822011-02-17T11:31:00.000-08:002011-03-04T17:36:24.174-08:00

Here's the final workout room setup, starting with the new treadmill.The treadmill platform folds up, so we can still access the closet doors. My bike is on the trainer in this pic. Spinning counter-clockwise, you can see is our Torque home fitness cable weight system. My body composition scale is just to the right of the cable gym.Spinning counter-clockwise again, you can see the second bike

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-72362159699954461042011-02-14T07:46:00.000-08:002011-03-21T11:52:12.245-07:00

We attended the 747-8 Intercontinental premiere on Sunday: I've worked on components, first on the design side and now on the stress side, of this airplane for the past 4-years, sooooo I felt a bit more ownership for this beast than is standard for my apathetic nature. The event itself had a really confused vibe - they handed out thunder sticks (the type you get at a sporting event)…and yet

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-47046428177735629542011-02-10T07:00:00.000-08:002011-03-04T17:39:26.892-08:00

JC picked up a cold this past week. When I say 'cold' for him, it means a slew of things. Usually, he waits till he can tick off like 5-things wrong w/him before he goes to see a doctor. Yesterday, he finally did get to a doctor - w/the bag of drugs he came home with, I'm guessing he's going to be out of commission for the better part of a week. It sucks for him…and me. We had a 12-mile trail run

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-55192504041403328162011-02-02T07:02:00.000-08:002011-03-04T17:28:56.132-08:00

It's best to keep myself adventuresome. Otherwise, I get a bit stir-crazy and find gratification in ways I am not proud of…...like material things....like the Tanita BC-1000 Body Composition Scale I've had my eye on for nearly a year. Well, it arrived yesterday and I fell in superficial love all over again. The scale does all the website says and as a bonus communicates w/my Garmin 310xt to

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-61441584063108033792011-01-26T07:16:00.000-08:002011-01-26T07:24:22.459-08:00

...by killing the time it gives you.Something about watching this video left me v.v.restless. The awe inspiring power of (mother (yay lady)) nature makes me feel that time is running out.Sandy River Flood from alexandra erickson on Vimeo.This year will provide my last sweet summer in my 20's. &lt Gasp!&gt Obviously, I've made it through nearly 3-decades rather well - thank you well balanced

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-13417403330846591452011-01-23T07:46:00.000-08:002011-03-04T17:36:50.703-08:00

These past few weeks JC and I have been focusing on getting errands and chores done. It feels pretty lame, but we wanted to get ahead on things before our spare time is sucked away by our alpine climbing class.Joey has been working on a new shelf for the hellion. He's holding the internal frame in this pic.Here's the finished product. The hellion approves though she wasn't willing to pose. This

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-35614686484003030562011-01-20T11:41:00.000-08:002011-04-26T11:07:44.374-07:00

My goals for 2011 have slowly been evolving, but this is what the year is looking like right now:1) Summit Mt. Rainier for the first time with the completion of our alpine climbing class.2) Backpack through the Grand Canyon w/my 2 favorite people.3) Cougar Mountain Trail Running SeriesRace #1 (5 miles): Saturday, May 14, 2011Race #2 (7 miles): Saturday, June 11, 2011Race #3 (10 miles): Saturday,

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-59487526575993525912011-01-09T08:54:00.000-08:002011-01-09T08:56:24.256-08:00

Photograph by Mike Adrian/Xterra PhotosXterra World Championship Off-Road Triathlon in MauiPretty much the most kick a$$ photo I've seen in a long time.This little engineer is out.

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-47576427924634668872011-01-03T12:25:00.000-08:002011-02-02T14:33:49.068-08:00

JC and I spent the last week of our break in Bend Oregon w/the Comptons. During the days, JC and I were out x-country skiing w/the pups. Skijoring is something I've been interested in since I was a kid - racing behind our pups on the trails was beyond elating.Eure's still not crazy about leading (and she's a touch small for the sport), but Harper never backs down from a 'joy of running' challenge

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-43376626152975580482010-12-22T21:35:00.000-08:002010-12-22T21:45:42.416-08:00

JC and I decided to run some errands today since the dogs were still a bit tuckered from the Boise trip. My highlight was finally finding a pair of Lucky Brand jeans that fit. There was a nice sales lady helping me out - she was boggled by the fact that I couldn't fit myself (read: my monster thighs) into anything smaller than a size 6. That is, until she brought me a 'curvy' pair. It turns out

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-61560725919002786832010-12-22T21:03:00.001-08:002010-12-22T21:33:21.344-08:00

Last week, we ended up deciding on an impromptu trip to Boise. Friday, we beat feet down to Idaho - the roads were clear and we made good time on the drive.Co-pilot Harper, keeping things under control.We spent Friday night through the following Monday night visiting with JC's family. JC has a LOT of family and they interact in a way that is completely different than anything I've learned w/my

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-53229563122076118492010-12-13T20:02:00.000-08:002011-03-04T17:37:54.365-08:00

Let's get one thing straight, I am not a foodie. At wedding showers, I can't guess the spices beyond cinnamon, cumin, cloves, and ginger (yes, my spice knowledge DOES revolve around pumpkin pie :). Foodies are connoisseurs. Me? I just love eating good for me food. That is, in essence, my problem. I want good for me food on demand...and good for you food, by definition is nearly always

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-2995450274132940122010-12-13T18:11:00.000-08:002010-12-13T19:07:06.314-08:00

This post is going to be a bit of a stream of conscious story about how we spent days 1 through 3 of my LOA. We have plans for the LOA to focus on some our life goals we've let slip. First though, we spent last weekend celebrating us... in Leavenworth:Friday, we drove over to Leavenworth on some clear roads but through major fog. The town was completely blanketed in fog, but you could catch a

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-79383489563322910442010-12-08T19:10:00.000-08:002010-12-08T19:26:54.278-08:00

11 Reasons to be Burned Out from 2010.

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-62175777904834422172010-12-07T12:57:00.001-08:002011-04-18T08:45:39.158-07:00

This past weekend JC and I got out hiking up in Snoqualmie Pass. It was our first hike of the snowy season and we remembered most of our gear. At first we thought we seriously under dressed (there were wind advisories just off the Interstate). A mile or so into our hike, we were down to a couple layers of l/s shirts. The pups were pretty excited about the snow.Harper is mid pounce in this pic…

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-6841148151621797062010-12-01T10:56:00.000-08:002011-03-04T17:35:22.343-08:00

We're officially in love w/the new food processor JC snagged on sale from Williams Sonoma. It's a 16-cup beast, which is a huge step up from our previous 2.5 cup F/P.Though JC is a bit more of a full meal type of guy, he's adapted well to my scavenging life style. I ALWAYS start my day off w/breakfast, but the rest of the day is just working off my body ques. Yes, I'm that person who eats

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-13138396992882624612010-11-28T17:23:00.000-08:002011-02-02T14:34:36.354-08:00

With the end of the season zapping ALL of my motivation, I've been avoiding writing a real race report. Here are a few words on the Seattle 1/2 Marathon though:First, I'm SO glad I decided to run the 1/2 marathon and not the full. When I'd reached the 16-20 mile mark during training, I just STOPPED enjoying the run. Mostly, I feel my foot muscles weren't ready for that much pounding. Another

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-36532410653704225562010-11-16T20:31:00.000-08:002010-11-16T20:51:20.825-08:00

A) Perusing a yoga blog led me to this picture of a Zand Amsterdam wrap skirt.Despite my strong aversion to the color red and the implied momness (see the kid accessory), I r-heally fell for this look. It's laid back w/a touch of feminine. This weekend, I hope to go through my fabric scraps and see what I have to work with. My enginerdery side things we can whip together a simple pattern on our

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-56485364304523946982010-10-27T11:15:00.000-07:002010-11-13T11:15:54.373-08:00

As of 10/21/10 I have been 5-years w/the Big B and am officially vested in the company. They give you a certificate, a silly pin to put on your badge, and a small gift. As much as I tried to let apathy handle this one, I got into the spirit of things and brought treats into work for my group. Yesterday, I went to my group (where by group, I mean everyone under my level 3 manager) service awards

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-15087858945100222292010-10-20T07:39:00.000-07:002011-03-04T17:40:24.674-08:00

Life feels a bit lame right now; how about a few pictures?This is the new front door set-up. The colors jive a lot better than this picture shows. The tree is BRIGHT green and the two pots are vividly green as well. The door mat has muted pebble colors (greys, blues, browns, and mossy greens). The lavender wreath is the one my mom made upon her last visit. It's turned a muted brown color but

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-39832505752790254332010-10-18T12:53:00.001-07:002010-10-20T08:01:11.518-07:00

Despite three female joggers being attacked in the area w/in the last week, I managed to get in my long run on Sunday. The day started in the 40's and I did NOT want to leave the house (not that it's much warmer since I'm still holding off on turning on the heat). The late start around noon worked out well since the path I run is packed in the middle of a sunny day. The good part of my workout

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-38388231694820691002010-10-14T09:38:00.001-07:002010-10-20T08:01:43.907-07:00

Post Black Diamond 1/2 Ironman, I've "started training for the Seattle Marathon". Really, I've spend the past two official weeks of training visciously fighting my thoughts of how much easier it would be to NOT be training for anything. Though I've bribed myself with some bad a$$ sleeves and some beautiful lulu tights, I can't find the fire to strive for awesomeness. In the end, I've come to

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-38938247426982001932010-09-29T08:09:00.001-07:002010-09-29T08:12:42.020-07:00

Coming off my final triathlon for the season, I managed to pick up a bit of a cold. I have an immune system of the goDs - I NEVER get sick. That said, I'm not taking this well. Sore throat, fever, stiff neck...yuck. Yesterday, I made it home w/just enough energy to take the dogs to our field for their daily run...and then I was reduced to sitting on the couch and watching TV. Wasted day.

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-73591377264631778952010-09-27T08:25:00.001-07:002011-02-02T14:35:14.112-08:00

Intro: After the Lake Stevens 70.3 (LS), I was feeling ridiculously unmotivated. Somehow, I convinced myself to do the Lake Stevens Sprint Triathlon a few weeks ago...and swore I was done for the year. At this point, I was looking at 6-weeks of barely training. Aaaaaand...yet...I knew I wasn't going to feel completely satisfied with my season if I didn't push through the Black Diamond 70.3

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-61336934997145244072010-09-12T07:50:00.000-07:002011-02-02T14:35:37.107-08:00

Conditions: Well, I should say that I hadn’t been taking care of my body before this race. I’ve been drinking soda and eating crap food. It’s been a bit of a rut while I decide where I’m going. Anyway, I didn’t feel hydrated or ‘ready’ for this race. Thankfully, it was only a sprint.Swim: I started well in this race. I was in the second line back w/a clear shot to the front of my group.

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-55155322742447297162010-09-05T20:28:00.000-07:002010-09-05T20:39:29.932-07:00

JC is in Iraq. I'm in Washington.If he'd been home, we could've swung a 10-day vacay w/only 4 vacay days used...and backpacked The Wonderland Trail. Instead, I went hiking in kinda our honor (really, I was just in a pi$sy mood and needed to get off my arse).This is what Blanca Lake is supposed to look like:This is what it looked like today: (The water was that odd light blue color...pics just

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-70961466476562639892010-08-26T14:38:00.001-07:002010-09-06T15:17:47.211-07:00

These past few weeks I've had a bit of trouble focusing my restlessness. I consider it to be a big part of post-70.3 depression. Basically, I achieved a higher state of awesomeness than I have in a long time...and everything else seems rather bland in comparison. Since the 70.3, I've been living in books to cope. I've gone through 1800 pages of fiction in the past two weeks (if that tells you

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-9527731655582365752010-08-20T12:38:00.000-07:002010-08-20T12:45:38.460-07:00

This week, I'm spending on self-regulated 'down time'. My brain and body need this, so it is good. Last night, the temps dropped low enough for me to get a SOLID night's sleep. It was my first in many weeks and my body is asking for a bit more. I am doing a little running to keep my muscles flushed and healing. Otherwise, this is the first bit of 'nothing' that has felt awesome all summer.

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-91963257056947073372010-08-19T17:39:00.000-07:002011-02-02T14:37:14.023-08:00

StreamOfConciousRaceReport! Go!After a few nights of v.little sleep, race day rolled around and my mom and I found ourselves in the nearly vacant Lake Stevens High School parking lot. We jumped on a bus and were efficiently ushered to the transition start. Getting into transition, it turns out the set-up was EXACTLY the same as every other race I'd run...just more compact racking. The ladies

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-35552545846770102462010-08-12T07:02:00.000-07:002010-08-12T07:11:54.392-07:00

Some of my friends and family question why I'm so anal about my dogs always being supervised in ANY outdoor area. This is just one incident in hundreds of family pets suffering because they found themselves unprotected in a bad situation...King 5 Report of a Randomly Abused Family DogAll I can say is not my dogs. Not all people like dogs, not all people have good intentions, and some people

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1060134405301250941.post-55135861295876587162010-08-10T06:31:00.000-07:002010-08-12T12:25:43.269-07:00

Since I'm a newbie to the sport AND the 70.3 distance, I've been using intense training like a security blanket to convince myself that I'm going to be able to do this (huah!). Take away the training, say for tapering, and it starts to be a bit more difficult to hold off the doubts. What am I doing anyway? I read blogs of a dozen impressive age groupers and pro athletes. It's a life style I am

Wee Brihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026973778575414332noreply@blogger.com0