Celebrating Oktoberfest with a Half-marathon

I ran the Leavenworth Oktoberfest run today and had an excellent time! Michelle and Darcy made it comfortable by stopping every so often w/ ice water and encouragement. They have that down to a science! Darcy took lots of pictures and Michelle made a couple of signs to celebrate crossing the finish line - very cool!

The run was well organized and supported by plenty of volunteers. The scenery was beautiful w/ lots of fall colors...typical of Leavenworth this time of year. At one point as we ran thru a park next to the river, a fisherman standing in the river had (I'm guessing) a salmon on the line. The pole was bent and he was reeling it in. It was tempting to stop to watch him get that fish.

Some runners wore costumes in line with Oktoberfest. Lederhosen were popular w/ the men. None were made of leather - that would be a challenge to wear during a run!

As I run I spend a lot of time in prayer. I remember running thru the alphabet coming up with words that describe God-- a~Amazing, my All in all, Adonai, Ancient of Days, b~Beautiful, Bread of Life, my Banner, c~Compassionate, Creator, Caring, Complete... For the letter "x" I always use "excellent" because I can never come up with anything.

After the run we went to O'Grady's Pantry. I was surprised to find it not bombarded with tons of people! Maybe not many know about it and the wonderful food they serve there. Lucky for us today! It was an exellent lunch and a peaceful drive home afterwards. The couch was waiting...zzzzzzzz.

Third One this Summer

Two weeks ago I did the Shore to Shore half marathon in Chelan. I had a lot of fun. Michelle and Darcy came with me and kept me encouraged. The weather was perfect - upper 60s and cloudy- excellent! The ladies had ice water ready for me every mile or so. It kept me refreshed and happy. At the end of the run I immediately walked down to the lake, took my shoes off and cooled my feet in the lake. Ohhh, that felt so good! The finish line was a block before the park entrance so people didn't see the lake from the street level. I hope next year that changes so the lake is obvious as we cross the finish line.

The water stations were often enough and well supplied. It was a fun experience and I always like getting the medal to add to my collection. It was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed Michelle and Darcy staying close and cheering me on. The only one missing was Ben. As I was running along, I kept thinking he would've loved the weather and enjoyed the run!

Afterwards the ladies and I went to Blueberry Hill. The food is fresh and homemade. We ate on the deck and a couple young musicians were entertaining the small crowd with songs they wrote. We topped off lunch w/ fresh made blueberry pie, ice cream and coffee.

Bummer...

My next run is the last weekend of June - 4 weeks away! I am excited! I was more excited until I went online to register. My next run was in Tukwila. I decided not to do Seattle's Rock-n-Roll run because of its size...25,000 runners. But I discovered the run Tukwila was promoting is the Seattle RnR run - Bummer! The run starts in Tukwila - guess I didn't pay enough attention to the details as I was planning out my calendar in Jan. Oh well, learn as I go along, I guess.

I searched for at least 2 hrs to find another run that would fit into my calendar and found nothing. There is a trail run that fits but I don't do trails - how do they keep their ankles from rolling? There are 5 and 10Ks w/o half-marathons but I do that distance during the week. (That sounds kinda snobby - I don't mean it that way. A 10 K isn't the sort of challenge that interests me.)

I've decided I will do my own hm and recruit someone to be my cheerleader. Michelle, I have a favor to ask...

Running is going well this summer. I run an hr M, T, W and F mornings at 6:30. I take Th and Sun off. Sat is my long run. It is working out well for me. I love running!

• It is my stress reducer
• It allows me to be in the moment.
• It teaches me goal setting, dedication and achievement.
• I am hooked.
• It keeps me strong.
• It keeps my bones strong and dense.
• It lifts my mood.
• It helps me stay positive.
• The feeling while I am running is awesome!
• It connects my mind, body, and spirit.
• It keeps me sane.
• It keeps my self-esteem and self-confidence high.
• It allows me to release anxiety.
• It relaxes me and helps me sleep soundly.
• It is my prayer time and my time to reflect.
• I come up with some of my best ideas while I am running.
  
• It teaches me consistency and builds endurance.

I love running!

95 mins

It was an excellent run today. The weather is so spring-like! I love it! I kept noticing flowers, especially the little crocuses. Another day closer to the day of the run - yea!

I just heard Fran Drescher (the Nanny) say something interesting, "Some the best gifts come in the ugliest packages!" She was talking about her struggle with cancer. She believes it was a gift from God because she learned so much and is a better person as a result of the illness.

I've been following a training program for running. That's news because I've never followed a program pf any sort before - how crazy is that?! I started running a year before having my first kid and he turns 30 this year! (I should remind him that he turns 30 this year. You think he needs reminding?)

Now that I've been following a program I've discovered it makes a huge difference. Huge! I've learned to tracking minutes instead of miles. Last week my long run was 110 mins. I checked out the route later and found out I had run 8.5 miles - woohoo!

The run is April 18th - 5 weeks from now. Yikes! And before then I have a trip to Idaho, a trade show and Easter. Focus, focus, focus!

I still run like a turtle. But it feels so very good to burn that energy!

Where did that come from?

Last week I didn't do much as far as activity is concerned. I felt like a slug for most of the week. Ugh! Then it affected my attitude and went down hill from there. By Fri...lets not even go there.

I am not sure why it has come about but now I have a goal of running 10 miles a day this week. Hows that for going from one extreme to the other?? I have it all marked out in my planner. Maybe it is to prove to myself that I can accomplish whatever I set my mind on doing. Heck, I don't know...

Running went well on Sat. Sun was a little slower with some time spent walking. I give myself permission to walk and that allows me to finish my runs comfortably. If I go into them thinking I will not walk, it gets discouraging.

I am very grateful for the cooler weather which allows me to run during the day rather than only at 5AM. It gives me some freedom.

This Thurs I get to do a 10 min presentation for my BNI (Business Networking International) group. I am doing my best to stay calm about the matter. Speaking in front of groups is not my idea of a favorite activity. I figure there is no point in being worried about it - that never accomplishes anything except more worry. The purpose for the talk is to help the group get more familiar with me and my business. Then they will know what our work involves and what kind of referrals we are wanting. So I'll spend part of the week putting together that project. I will be thinking and affirming, "I LOVE to give presentations and I am SO excited about doing one on Thursday!!"

Today the fall weather is beautiful! Onward with the day!

Crossed the line!

I did it! I did it!

It was so much fun! Ben, Michelle and I left the house at 6AM and arrived at the park in Chelan in plenty of time. We rode a school bus to the start line and it started on time. The weather was perfect - cloudy and cool! Perfect!

Just as I thought - Ben ran like a gazelle. He won in his age group...even tho he pulled a hamstring earlier in the week.

Michelle did an awesome job! She kept a steady pace throughout the run. I was so proud of her! Good job Michelle!!

There was a group of people that kept the same pace as I did. They would pass me and I'd pass them...back and forth. One group was 4 young gals all dressed in hot pink tops. They chatted like girl friends all the way until the last 4-5 miles when they begin to split up focusing more on finishing the run than the conversation.

There were two military guys in BDU's -I think that is what hubby called them? One was Marine and the other was Army. They were wearing camo, boots, carrying American flags and wearing packs weighing 50lbs! I am not sure why they did it but a lot of passersby appreciated seeing them. Their young wives and kids stayed nearby throughout the run, taking pictures and cheering them on.

At one point in the last 4 miles, as they passed me, I told them I was there to give them someone to pass. One guy said it seemed like such a good idea last year when they came up with the idea.

The route was excellent. My favorite part is between Chelan and Manson where the beach is nearby and the water is lapping up on the beach. I was glad to finally cross the finish line - YEA!! Ben and Michelle were waiting for me. I don't know my time - seems like it might have been 2hr 45min or so. My goal was to finish and I did - WOOHOO!

Later we went to Blueberry Hill for lunch. It was excellent. Everything is homemade. The road thru the orchards made us wonder if someone was teasing about the existence of the restarant. All of a sudden there it was and the parking lot was full. The food was excellent and lunch with Ben and Michelle was time well spent.