(Satish, Allison, Jaime, Megan, & Scott)

We’re getting close to marathon time and I’m glad to report that training is going strong. I’ve gradually worked my way up to a 10 mile run this morning and some hill training earlier in the week. This might actually work out better than originally expected.

Meanwhile, running has begun to temporarily saturate my existence… I’m running regularly, I got some new running shoes, I’m ‘studying’ the art of running, and of course, I’m even finding some interesting new ways to cross-train.

Running – Redmond 10-miler

Shopping – Everyday Athlete, Kirkland, WA

Studying – Run, Fat Boy, Run

Cross-training – SCCA Rally Cross

Training has been as much theory as practice these days. However being back in Jaunita, Kirkland inspires me to run. Sassy and I go out to explore and reclaim our turf. So many new shops! Before our run Sassy and I get a coffee at Urban Coffee Lounge where we watch women go in and out of Ambrosia a new medi-spa where botox is performed on site. It’s fun to see who goes in and how they look when they exit!

I tried my old loop last week and realized how hard even small hills are going to be on this half marathon. I may need to make a deal with myself that I walk up all hills the day of the run because Kirkland has some tough ones! 

I only have to run 25 miles every week to eat pizza, donuts and mac & cheese everyday without gaining any weight. 

I run so much now I can’t believe it.  I ran 8 miles on Sunday and then another 5 yesterday.  5 miles is now my ‘takin’ it easy’ distance.  That’s just silly.

A few weeks back, I went down to Colorado for an intense weekend of cross-training (snowboarding) in a remote mountain location (Vail) that could be summed up in a vintage Rocky IV style montage (sans snow plowing, tree chopping, wood hauling, bag punching, Sly, Dolph, and the Vince DiCola audio masterpiece). After a couple of days bouncing around four terrain parks, seven bowls and 5,289 acres of freeride terrain in 40+ degree weather, I got a pretty serious workout during an all out powder day on the last day in town. After thoroughly completing the leg exercises within my cross-training regiment, I tended to the mental component by waiting out the heavy traffic at Beau Jo’s, enjoying some Colorado-Style pizza. Cross-training is fun.

2 weeks of mildly effective running followed…

On March 16th, I joined my fellow PaceMakers in running the St. Patty’s Day 5k Dash from Seattle Center to Qwest Field. Actually getting out on the road with a horde of highly festive, temporarily Irish runners was truly a fun experience for me. I have very little experience in running in public alongside other people and learned many things while doing so in this race. The first is that I can run faster and longer than more people than I expected. The second is that only Seattle can turn St. Patrick’s Day into a healthy activity and still attract over 16,000 people. The third is that putting a beer garden at the end of a road race instills an unusually high level of motivation in the majority of people involved. The fourth and final learning is that commencing festivities at a beer garden at 9:30am is not quite soon enough for everybody involved.

2 more weeks of mildly effective running followed… and more strenuous training lies ahead.

  

I don’t know why…but whenever I find myself walking through a store and I happen to spot a shaker of salt, I can never resist the temptation to give it a good shake.  And that’s how I happened upon this éclair from Belle Pastry.  Owner Jean-Claude started making them at the not-so-ripe age of 14.  Their gooey, puffy, light as air, double-fisting, skin-tingling, finger-licking goodness makes you want to eat the whole thing and definitely not share.  So when I’m struggling with that 6^th mile… or maybe even that 3^rd, I’ll be thinking of you Jean-Claude and your très bel éclair.