I sighed up for training today! The Seattle Amica Insurance Marathon Sunday, Nov.28th
Training $200
New Shoes $100
Race Fee $95.00
Me finishing.....Priceless! (I hope!)
Trust
8 years ago
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
San Juan Island Bike Ride
It's July 26TH and I have been painting my new house like a crazy woman and shopping to find the perfect item to decorate. I have finally come to a point where I can rest now and put a hold on the house until a later date. I had ordered a book called "Biking Puget Sound", while reading and looking for my first ride I decide to hit the San Juan Islands. There are four: San Juan, Orcas, Lopez and Shaw. San Juan looked most appealing to me and the book description said this:
Difficulty: Moderate (didn't know hilly meant moderate)
Total Time: allow 3 hours (I finished 2:50, yeah!)
Total Distance: 32.6 (felt more like 50 when I was done)
Total Elevation Gain: 1,860 feet (guess I didn't pay much attention to this one, duh!)
I had to drive an hour to Anacortes, WA to catch the 10:15 am ferry which I missed. Well I thought that is okay because I have no job, no time schedule and a cat waiting for me at home. The next ferry was at 11:55 am. I began talking to this very nice family from Oregon which helped the time go by. Finally we aboard the ferry and I thumb through some brochures to see what to expect. I find a local bike shop so when I got off the ferry I headed right over. I inquired about the island and what to expect. The guy at the store said it nice but there are some "good" hills. I'm thinking okay I'm good at hills no problem. Good thing I ate a good breakfast because it was 1:30 and I was just starting my journey with a good breakfast and a cliff bar on the ferry.
I "gear" up and I'm a little anxious because one I'm by myself, not familiar with the teretority and jittery because I was drinking coffee all morning. Oh did I fail to mention it was 56 degrees while we were waiting for the ferry? Well it was and I had shorts, short-sleeve cycling jersey and a light hoodie on. I need to remind everyone I just moved from Hawaii and visitng Texas. I was cold!!!!
Anyway I head out and I'm not even a half mile out and I noticed that my heart rate monitor was not reading on my watch. For those of you that use one, this is a must! So I'm moving along and I decide to go up this driveway and into the parking lot to fix this technical difficulty so I can continue. I didn't even make it up the driveway and noticed I had fallen over on my right side still clipped in (clipped in is where my feet are still attached to my pedals! OMG how embarrising. To top it off I'm still in the town and I hear a woman yell across the street "Are you okay"? I wanted to cry deep inside but just laughed and said "yes, I'm okay", her reply was "I've done that before". I thinking yes we all have but it's still embarrassing and my left side really hurts.
I scrape myself off the pavement and get my stupid heart rate monitor to work and of course my heart rate is quite excelled at this point. I begin to pedal away and don't look back. I'm riding along and at 6.5 miles I come up over a hill and see this fabulous Lavendar Farm. It was so beautiful and even the port-a-potty has lavendar in it. I wanted to roll in it and sooth my left side of my body but didn't think it was appropirate.
At 10.5 miles I am up high over looking some cliffs and the ocean below me. I even noticed the Orca whales swimming around. That was pretty cool. I must mention that this island has no bike lanes nor shoulders. Bikers, mopeds, scooters, go-cart looking things, vehicles and cyclist all share the road. At first this made me very nervous because there were curves and nothing but forest on either side. Once I noticed the lack of cars and the many bikes then I began to feel more at ease. I was told by mile 18 there was the one killer hill. Shit, I had been doing hills all day so far! Any of you that know about heart break hill in Hawaii, well there were several! I decide to stop at San Juan County Park and carb up with the little yummy power bar "candies" filled with fruity gel in the middle. I'm ready for anything at this point! LOL I make it to the "hill" and not too bad!
By now I can still feel some soreness in my left leg as I crank down on the hills but still going somewhat strong. I arrive at mile 22 and it's a small town called Roche Harbor. It was nice but I didn't stop and headed towards the San Juan Vineyard at mile 28.6. Now here is where I should of stopped but did not and continued on and arrived safe and sound back at Friday Harbor where I began. I put up all my gear, changed clothes and hit the nearest bar! I found a nice little bar and restaurant over looking the harbor where the ferries pull in. I ordered fish tacos and two beers, but drank one at a time. For those of you who do long work-outs it doesn't take much for that buzz to hit right after. I had my beers and dinner and by 6:50 I was back on the ferry and arrived home at 9:00. I was pooped but it was an awesome day and wished my honey was with me the whole time. I had to go home and rest for my 8 mile trail run the next day!
Difficulty: Moderate (didn't know hilly meant moderate)
Total Time: allow 3 hours (I finished 2:50, yeah!)
Total Distance: 32.6 (felt more like 50 when I was done)
Total Elevation Gain: 1,860 feet (guess I didn't pay much attention to this one, duh!)
I had to drive an hour to Anacortes, WA to catch the 10:15 am ferry which I missed. Well I thought that is okay because I have no job, no time schedule and a cat waiting for me at home. The next ferry was at 11:55 am. I began talking to this very nice family from Oregon which helped the time go by. Finally we aboard the ferry and I thumb through some brochures to see what to expect. I find a local bike shop so when I got off the ferry I headed right over. I inquired about the island and what to expect. The guy at the store said it nice but there are some "good" hills. I'm thinking okay I'm good at hills no problem. Good thing I ate a good breakfast because it was 1:30 and I was just starting my journey with a good breakfast and a cliff bar on the ferry.
I "gear" up and I'm a little anxious because one I'm by myself, not familiar with the teretority and jittery because I was drinking coffee all morning. Oh did I fail to mention it was 56 degrees while we were waiting for the ferry? Well it was and I had shorts, short-sleeve cycling jersey and a light hoodie on. I need to remind everyone I just moved from Hawaii and visitng Texas. I was cold!!!!
Anyway I head out and I'm not even a half mile out and I noticed that my heart rate monitor was not reading on my watch. For those of you that use one, this is a must! So I'm moving along and I decide to go up this driveway and into the parking lot to fix this technical difficulty so I can continue. I didn't even make it up the driveway and noticed I had fallen over on my right side still clipped in (clipped in is where my feet are still attached to my pedals! OMG how embarrising. To top it off I'm still in the town and I hear a woman yell across the street "Are you okay"? I wanted to cry deep inside but just laughed and said "yes, I'm okay", her reply was "I've done that before". I thinking yes we all have but it's still embarrassing and my left side really hurts.
I scrape myself off the pavement and get my stupid heart rate monitor to work and of course my heart rate is quite excelled at this point. I begin to pedal away and don't look back. I'm riding along and at 6.5 miles I come up over a hill and see this fabulous Lavendar Farm. It was so beautiful and even the port-a-potty has lavendar in it. I wanted to roll in it and sooth my left side of my body but didn't think it was appropirate.
At 10.5 miles I am up high over looking some cliffs and the ocean below me. I even noticed the Orca whales swimming around. That was pretty cool. I must mention that this island has no bike lanes nor shoulders. Bikers, mopeds, scooters, go-cart looking things, vehicles and cyclist all share the road. At first this made me very nervous because there were curves and nothing but forest on either side. Once I noticed the lack of cars and the many bikes then I began to feel more at ease. I was told by mile 18 there was the one killer hill. Shit, I had been doing hills all day so far! Any of you that know about heart break hill in Hawaii, well there were several! I decide to stop at San Juan County Park and carb up with the little yummy power bar "candies" filled with fruity gel in the middle. I'm ready for anything at this point! LOL I make it to the "hill" and not too bad!
By now I can still feel some soreness in my left leg as I crank down on the hills but still going somewhat strong. I arrive at mile 22 and it's a small town called Roche Harbor. It was nice but I didn't stop and headed towards the San Juan Vineyard at mile 28.6. Now here is where I should of stopped but did not and continued on and arrived safe and sound back at Friday Harbor where I began. I put up all my gear, changed clothes and hit the nearest bar! I found a nice little bar and restaurant over looking the harbor where the ferries pull in. I ordered fish tacos and two beers, but drank one at a time. For those of you who do long work-outs it doesn't take much for that buzz to hit right after. I had my beers and dinner and by 6:50 I was back on the ferry and arrived home at 9:00. I was pooped but it was an awesome day and wished my honey was with me the whole time. I had to go home and rest for my 8 mile trail run the next day!
Denny Creek, Washington
I was told about a website called meetup.com, it's to meet people in your area with whatever interest you log in. I typed in Hiking, go figure, and found this fabulous group named Outdoor Women 30+. Yes, I know it's shocking, I am in my thirties for those of you that didn't know any better. LOL Anyway I met them on Saturday, July 17Th for a wonderful hike. It only took about an hour to arrive at the trail head.
The total hike was roughly nine miles round-trip and took us around 6-7 hours plus we had lunch at the lake, which was our destination. Along the way were amazing waterfalls over the rocks and some parts still had some snow.
It was amazing to know I was living here and have such beautiful country to view and enjoy. The women were great and we had lots to talk about along the way. I look forward to many more hikes in Washington State.
The total hike was roughly nine miles round-trip and took us around 6-7 hours plus we had lunch at the lake, which was our destination. Along the way were amazing waterfalls over the rocks and some parts still had some snow.
It was amazing to know I was living here and have such beautiful country to view and enjoy. The women were great and we had lots to talk about along the way. I look forward to many more hikes in Washington State.
Catching up...June-July 2010
After my big race it was time to play, play and more play. A few weeks after the race I went to Virgina to visit Brian and my friend Cori and her family. Virgina was hot but very fun. We went to a baseball game, the flying squirrels! Good time and very low key. We also did a 7 hour canoe trip down the Rappahannock river. It was fun and the "girls" boat never tipped over, can't say much for the fellas but it was all in good fun. After seeing two snakes in the river I didn't really want to "fall" over. Cori and I ran a 5K in downtown Fredericksburg. We both hadn't ran in awhile but that was our second (1st was in Hawaii) run together. It was more about running with her than trying to beat any personal records. We also attended a crab boil and that was allot of fun until Cori decided to chase Brian down the hill on a long board. She went to fast and tried to "hop" off, didn't quite happen that way. She jumped off, hit the pavement and did a face plant into the street. She look hot as ever with her later we found out broken wrist and knot on the forehead. Long story short she had to have surgery the following week.
The night before we left Virgina, Brian and I had no idea where we were headed to next. So while at the crab boil someone suggested the Outer Banks in North Carolina. Brian and I agreed and said let's go. We stayed there for two nights and had a wonderful and relaxing time. I got to do runs on the beach, we had nice seafood dinners and made it to a comedy show. The comedians were okay and we chuckled a few times. It must be hard to get in front of a live audience and keep them entertained with comedy. I do envy them for getting up there. The last day we were there we took our time and left around 9am to catch the ferries. We didn't know what we were about to face but really weren't on a time schedule and eventually wanted to get to Florida. It was North Carolina, it shouldn't take that long to get to Florida, right? Wrong! We caught the first ferry and it took us 30 min to get across to the next ferry. We got to the second ferry and had to wait over an hour but again, this was okay because we had beers on the water and some hot steamy clams! We aboard the ferry and it was a two hour ferry ride. By the time we got on the main highway it was going on 7pm. So we went less than a 100 miles in 10 hours. Wow, we thought so we kept driving and got to Dade city the next day at 8am. We were in the car for 22 hours and again this was from NC to FL.
We stayed a week with Brian's Dad and hung out with him going to dinners, movies, the bars and even Disney! We stayed two nights in Orlando and hit Hollywood Studios, Epcot and Magic Kingdom. It was fun but I'm glad I got it out of my system. I couldn't do that place year after year if I had kids! Like I said it was fun and "magical" but once was good for me.
After about a week in Dade City with Brian's Dad we went to Jacksonville. I got to see and visit some friends. It was great seeing them and getting to visit. Brian went back to Virgina to finish his last school and I just hung out in Jacksonville for a few days. Once I was done visiting, I flew back to Texas and waited for my honey to pick me up so we could head to our new home, Washington State.
Brian finally got to Houston after two weeks and we hit the road. We were in my jeep with many suitcases, crap and sweet little Moe for 3.5 days. We did stop at night to rest and sleep. We drove through many states which included: Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Utah, Idaho, Oregon and finally Washington. It was a long 3.5 days and saw some pretty scenery but not until Wyoming. We also heard on the radio while driving through Kansas that they were passing a seat belt law and if you got caught without it then you were fined $5 and next year it would double. You are thinking wow, but have you ever driven through that state? Country roads! It amused us coming from the city and all.
We arrive in Washington and check into the Navy Lodge on July 1st. We found the house we are currently living in on the 2ND. We looked around some more but none of them could compare to what we had already seen. So on the 8Th we signed the lease and the very next day, the 9Th, the movers brought our house hold goods. Brian and I busily unpacked all weekend. We got all our utilities hooked up, Internet and cable running, bought furniture and had delivered etc. Brian then leaves for a short deployment on the 15Th. It is now the 28Th of July and I have painted my guest bathroom, kitchen and dining room.
Yes, I was on the move for quite some time. I'm done working on the house for now and now it is time to explore Washington...........
The night before we left Virgina, Brian and I had no idea where we were headed to next. So while at the crab boil someone suggested the Outer Banks in North Carolina. Brian and I agreed and said let's go. We stayed there for two nights and had a wonderful and relaxing time. I got to do runs on the beach, we had nice seafood dinners and made it to a comedy show. The comedians were okay and we chuckled a few times. It must be hard to get in front of a live audience and keep them entertained with comedy. I do envy them for getting up there. The last day we were there we took our time and left around 9am to catch the ferries. We didn't know what we were about to face but really weren't on a time schedule and eventually wanted to get to Florida. It was North Carolina, it shouldn't take that long to get to Florida, right? Wrong! We caught the first ferry and it took us 30 min to get across to the next ferry. We got to the second ferry and had to wait over an hour but again, this was okay because we had beers on the water and some hot steamy clams! We aboard the ferry and it was a two hour ferry ride. By the time we got on the main highway it was going on 7pm. So we went less than a 100 miles in 10 hours. Wow, we thought so we kept driving and got to Dade city the next day at 8am. We were in the car for 22 hours and again this was from NC to FL.
We stayed a week with Brian's Dad and hung out with him going to dinners, movies, the bars and even Disney! We stayed two nights in Orlando and hit Hollywood Studios, Epcot and Magic Kingdom. It was fun but I'm glad I got it out of my system. I couldn't do that place year after year if I had kids! Like I said it was fun and "magical" but once was good for me.
After about a week in Dade City with Brian's Dad we went to Jacksonville. I got to see and visit some friends. It was great seeing them and getting to visit. Brian went back to Virgina to finish his last school and I just hung out in Jacksonville for a few days. Once I was done visiting, I flew back to Texas and waited for my honey to pick me up so we could head to our new home, Washington State.
Brian finally got to Houston after two weeks and we hit the road. We were in my jeep with many suitcases, crap and sweet little Moe for 3.5 days. We did stop at night to rest and sleep. We drove through many states which included: Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Utah, Idaho, Oregon and finally Washington. It was a long 3.5 days and saw some pretty scenery but not until Wyoming. We also heard on the radio while driving through Kansas that they were passing a seat belt law and if you got caught without it then you were fined $5 and next year it would double. You are thinking wow, but have you ever driven through that state? Country roads! It amused us coming from the city and all.
We arrive in Washington and check into the Navy Lodge on July 1st. We found the house we are currently living in on the 2ND. We looked around some more but none of them could compare to what we had already seen. So on the 8Th we signed the lease and the very next day, the 9Th, the movers brought our house hold goods. Brian and I busily unpacked all weekend. We got all our utilities hooked up, Internet and cable running, bought furniture and had delivered etc. Brian then leaves for a short deployment on the 15Th. It is now the 28Th of July and I have painted my guest bathroom, kitchen and dining room.
Yes, I was on the move for quite some time. I'm done working on the house for now and now it is time to explore Washington...........
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