tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14848976926686784792024-03-12T19:35:45.293-07:00Chasing GraceChasing Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869690241391806803noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1484897692668678479.post-86111812963772369622013-11-27T22:07:00.003-08:002013-11-27T22:13:05.055-08:00Runner-d Holiday WishlistFirst off, where the heck did November go.<br />
<br />
'Holiday gift guides' are everywhere right now and it's semi overwhelming. BUT. If you’re like me, you fall in love with every gift you see in holiday magazine issues because after all – it’s in a magazine right? Someone did their research in which case I can sit back and just click.<br />
<br />
I’ve searched through <i>Women’s Running, Runners World, Triathlete, Competitor</i> and a few others to see what I really need... want... to get stronger. After my last half marathon in Victoria I’ve been taking a running hiatus, setting down my training log and mixing up my running routine.<br />
<br />
This is where the strength part kicks in. I signed up for a few workout classes, ordered a foam roller to grow my PT corner (skinny and sad at the moment), and threw in a few <a href="http://www.oiselle.com/blog/go-funning" target="_blank">funning runs</a> to keep things interesting. But my wish list has a few gizmos, cozies and nicknacks that would make great gifts for any runner.<br />
<div style="min-height: 14px; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="min-height: 14px;">
1. <b>Free weights</b>... which google tells me are called neoprene dumbbells. I must say buh bye to chicken arms in 2014. Said it in 2013 and that didn't happen, so here's to round two. 5 pounders and 8 pounders (maybeee 10 pounders) should do it. </div>
<div style="min-height: 14px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="min-height: 14px;">
2. <a href="http://www.oiselle.com/shop/gifts-for-runners/randies-3-pack" target="_blank">Randies.</a> How I haven't purchased these yet is beyond me. Seamless and wicking, and a little ris-kay. Love them. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3JDXGSnFiAGso2Rg3em0ChX5y1WdujiJzBYsGibP3sMCbKbXyWglXvc02RJLDFkbqnYl5xzrFtyERSBcoCQPI06mOnbx2rNAKehrV_1X1WMeuBqZ8iAxZYR-jiqV7JpxY3Nrdo4hO5F1l/s1600/Oiselle+Randies.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="448" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3JDXGSnFiAGso2Rg3em0ChX5y1WdujiJzBYsGibP3sMCbKbXyWglXvc02RJLDFkbqnYl5xzrFtyERSBcoCQPI06mOnbx2rNAKehrV_1X1WMeuBqZ8iAxZYR-jiqV7JpxY3Nrdo4hO5F1l/s640/Oiselle+Randies.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="min-height: 14px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="min-height: 14px;">
3. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Iron-Gym-Total-Upper-Workout/dp/B001EJMS6K" target="_blank">Iron Gym pull up bar.</a> If I have it I would have to use it. </div>
<div style="min-height: 14px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="min-height: 14px;">
4. <a href="http://feeturesbrand.shptron.com/p/feetures-elite-merino-ultra-light-no-show-tab/elite-merino?pp=8" target="_blank">Feetures socks.</a> I saw these at Fleet Feet Tacoma for ladies night. The merino wool is rid-i-cu-lous. Super soft and lightweight. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9yN1CtgFJ2tZ1jCQ7HFysWXTXbxX9nbQk6LZ9-Sw-1ICr2VQ2VfHra1SXINQ1SrvTxSHgy_F2XUf4d1giojhwugr-ulN9RUeXZaljUZk4qAlnBB-u7JJq28kDBtdrLnY5gOJxGu7KFWI_/s1600/Feetures+Socks.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="408" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9yN1CtgFJ2tZ1jCQ7HFysWXTXbxX9nbQk6LZ9-Sw-1ICr2VQ2VfHra1SXINQ1SrvTxSHgy_F2XUf4d1giojhwugr-ulN9RUeXZaljUZk4qAlnBB-u7JJq28kDBtdrLnY5gOJxGu7KFWI_/s640/Feetures+Socks.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="min-height: 14px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="min-height: 14px;">
5. <a href="http://www.oiselle.com/shop/running-bottoms/lux-pant-regular" target="_blank">Lux Pant.</a> As Oiselle calls it, the live-in-all-winter pant. Or as I call them, the sassy-butt-pant. Perfect for pre race warm ups and lounging around. The length option for regular or long is key. </div>
<div style="min-height: 14px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif3MWcaHD6cgRsbBpQpfH6qg-EQ4EnTdMhtjCcnMUdGHDTyQiz77HbSjHQyH2yCNT1WR8Gh6Lt3OGmoXbKTHky4CutfTj79AKZpsoIfAylKL71tbi-CsND-qhCkSyCxXIKUU21KGfdKoq2/s1600/Lux+Pant.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="530" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif3MWcaHD6cgRsbBpQpfH6qg-EQ4EnTdMhtjCcnMUdGHDTyQiz77HbSjHQyH2yCNT1WR8Gh6Lt3OGmoXbKTHky4CutfTj79AKZpsoIfAylKL71tbi-CsND-qhCkSyCxXIKUU21KGfdKoq2/s640/Lux+Pant.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="min-height: 14px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="min-height: 14px;">
6. <a href="http://www.oiselle.com/shop/high-10-shimmel-with-removable-cups" target="_blank">High 10 Shimmel.</a> My new workout classes are calling for this top. Yes it's winter, but it is ideal for any Pure Barre, boot camp, Tabata, yoga... you name it. This one comes with removable cups which I love. And it would be perfect for my December vacay.<br />
<br />
7. <a href="http://www.roadrunnersports.com/rrs/products/TDU105/tandem-sports-runner-self-defense-spray/" target="_blank">Self defense spray</a>. Self explanatory. This looked like a good one from Road Runners. I've been getting nervous lately going out in the dark - so instead of spooking myself I choose to just stay in. I miss my early morning runs but need to feel secure first. </div>
<div style="min-height: 14px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="min-height: 14px;">
And for my non-runner guilty pleasure.</div>
<div style="min-height: 14px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="min-height: 14px;">
8. <a href="http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/catalog/productdetail.jsp?navAction=jump&id=19851559&color=042&cm_sp=PRODUCT_DETAIL-_-RECOMMENDATIONS-_-19851559" target="_blank">Hibiscus Teakwood Anthropologie Candle</a>. $28 dollars, and worth every penny. The teal color brings summer to the freezing winter and can burn for 85 hours. Hot damn. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggXIZ8X6DOmdp8_r4YKu-4Wz0L69mEC8JFPiJ1ychISKglOqkF65ZlQLdXNU_BoGuAA3gqtmeoKB3hKMpLV08Kf9Mtbm7qXhyMJ-XPsy9LfMwDYzJ8_1yQyB3RyUa4rWBvlze4Y8zLinGc/s1600/Anthropologie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggXIZ8X6DOmdp8_r4YKu-4Wz0L69mEC8JFPiJ1ychISKglOqkF65ZlQLdXNU_BoGuAA3gqtmeoKB3hKMpLV08Kf9Mtbm7qXhyMJ-XPsy9LfMwDYzJ8_1yQyB3RyUa4rWBvlze4Y8zLinGc/s640/Anthropologie.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="min-height: 14px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="min-height: 14px;">
Happy Turkey Day. Good luck to all trotters racing tomorrow. I'll be out there with ya!</div>
<div style="min-height: 14px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="min-height: 14px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="min-height: 14px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="min-height: 14px;">
<br /></div>
Chasing Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869690241391806803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1484897692668678479.post-80384859016664283112013-11-20T20:13:00.001-08:002013-11-20T20:18:35.290-08:00Souper Easy Fall RecipeA little bit of this and a little bit of that... voila.<br />
<br />
Soup deserves it's own cooking category for being so dang easy to put together. It takes max 15 minutes to make and is like an abstract art where you can throw in any ingredient feel like. Today was all about shrooms.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpJhY4yiA_RDxE08Un23mNX0vFmwkBsNyPyZWzEuM1oEFGIxZofiLoSurLIj0O1C3iy8twbhTEhsPMzeQEaI8LH0J9uyLYOhLca4IZknSSpRdomX7f1fZ4OWsst8tn5ADXWCuzM5G8La7z/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-11-20+at+7.59.45+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpJhY4yiA_RDxE08Un23mNX0vFmwkBsNyPyZWzEuM1oEFGIxZofiLoSurLIj0O1C3iy8twbhTEhsPMzeQEaI8LH0J9uyLYOhLca4IZknSSpRdomX7f1fZ4OWsst8tn5ADXWCuzM5G8La7z/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-11-20+at+7.59.45+PM.png" /></a></div>
<br />
I wandered aimlessly through Trader Joe's and threw in a hodge podge of veggies, beans, chicken broth and impulse orange-cranberry cookies forced upon me at the register... they getcha every time. Surprisingly it turned out souper tasty so I'm writing it down for an even better batch the next go around.<br />
<br />
<b>Ingredients</b><br />
1 bag of kale<br />
1/2 bag white mushrooms<br />
1 pack dried mushrooms<br />
1 onion diced<br />
2 cups diced celery<br />
1 (15 ounce) can white beans<br />
20 or so small tomatoes quartered<br />
2 boxes of chicken broth<br />
2 tablespoons butter<br />
Thyme, salt and pep<br />
<br />
<b>Directions</b><br />
Heat butter in a deep pot over medium high heat. Add butter, onions and celery. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Then add kale and white beans...<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbQuu8RoI1WBo0LXOOx9Y6frDE0L4z3xLpuNR2XmVJzOrjKs2Ix58SwT2111lSxpL_aUN7nS1pxCyhyphenhyphenIczsD5yeruXLjRWEbIaH49AAb3zvn2KtXt7Wcc0kE8vWEQNhXb-3YefxIrBY_46/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-11-20+at+7.57.41+PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Toss in the rest of the goods. Mushrooms, tomatoes, thyme, salt, pepper, chicken broth. I cut up basil and added it but don't think it did much. Too fancy. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdlXxkpBNSQ49oZGP1C-3r3U0YE6zecjSP80cd8Y_wiI2z6PCyg0NFfQyI5tHy6y-y2cj5EAiF0cnHIgBgjFLYKxPeZ5MTcC2KXj-jsre_dDd3YgehockSXZAa7VUbcN_ucQJzVJ_l2PC9/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-11-20+at+7.57.08+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdlXxkpBNSQ49oZGP1C-3r3U0YE6zecjSP80cd8Y_wiI2z6PCyg0NFfQyI5tHy6y-y2cj5EAiF0cnHIgBgjFLYKxPeZ5MTcC2KXj-jsre_dDd3YgehockSXZAa7VUbcN_ucQJzVJ_l2PC9/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-11-20+at+7.57.08+PM.png" /></a></div>
</div>
<div>
<br />
After it boils, reduce to simmer for at least 10 minutes. And enjoy :)</div>
Chasing Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869690241391806803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1484897692668678479.post-61347326483599696802013-04-23T00:51:00.000-07:002013-04-23T10:38:56.378-07:00Seattle #RunForBoston. <i>April 22, 2013</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
Tonight was one for the books :)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://pavementrunner.com/boston-strong-city/" target="_blank">#RunForBoston</a> groups gathered all over the country today and Seattle was a city not to be missed. We may be nearly 3.1 thousand miles away, but from West to East Coast there was a common thread among many tonight. Runners spirits were high, camaraderie was felt, hearts were touched, all in honor of courageous men and women at Boston Marathon who are continually in our thoughts and prayers. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Today was simply gorgeous. To say the least, it was an empowering day trying to create balance from last week. I'm starting to realize it now that todays run was one that will be talked about year after year. One of those unique runs that you instinctually remember. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Hats off to every runner who has dedicated miles either today or in the future to uplift the spirits of Boston and give them the strength they need to recover. Thank you to Seattle's top running store <a href="http://superjocknjill.com/" target="_blank">Super Jock n' Jill</a> for hosting us all, and to everyone who helped bring our community together. And of course to <a href="http://www.oiselle.com/athletes" target="_blank">Oiselle Team</a> for coming out so I could see you all! Every night is a memorable night when spent with my one and only family who will go the distance to create positive change, no matter how far.</div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Photos from the day. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitJPohMbT5ghixhVy1UONPUmwVT_G-cEI5a-5JZ6XT4-JEFQFN-wZ4O_L3wSu2mpTsmRkG7mc0aaID8n3F2nEmX-HoEPpqYpuicE04Q5LUmQG8XJRO2Hznu-nu3j8yZTpTxQxFU8QA8Gve/s1600/photo-16.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitJPohMbT5ghixhVy1UONPUmwVT_G-cEI5a-5JZ6XT4-JEFQFN-wZ4O_L3wSu2mpTsmRkG7mc0aaID8n3F2nEmX-HoEPpqYpuicE04Q5LUmQG8XJRO2Hznu-nu3j8yZTpTxQxFU8QA8Gve/s640/photo-16.JPG" width="634" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Short walk to the big event. <a href="https://twitter.com/katronbomb" target="_blank">@katronbomb</a>, <a href="http://www.twitter.com/blackeyedpeanut/" target="_blank">@blackeyedpeanut</a>, Amy, Leaven, and Troop-myster! (Oiselle's undercover mascot)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6viEHeA2SqRCzkNKl0KVe0w59X0TykvQQom3XR0KxS5ybtrxjbkIjg74_YjLJQ0ln553nyIwGcFRqKhadcWIe32rp6ucoGRWkLX0wxxs6cLvInjM7TK997DNxd58kXgvP5aNhyphenhyphen4VrHxpw/s1600/photo-17.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="638" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6viEHeA2SqRCzkNKl0KVe0w59X0TykvQQom3XR0KxS5ybtrxjbkIjg74_YjLJQ0ln553nyIwGcFRqKhadcWIe32rp6ucoGRWkLX0wxxs6cLvInjM7TK997DNxd58kXgvP5aNhyphenhyphen4VrHxpw/s640/photo-17.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD6NaFbJuaXazaxIjJHKNZq-xdioz-GyCAMfZiKqBkZ5gqttK-4HEsh2804fmME_XwPcT3XMlh2GHWu0zQsCIN4K4a_gs9jVD0XTN5-EQFDewG0T7GxrLTp4U8gaDEZV1Zsio6fvIjpg9D/s1600/RunForBoston.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="632" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD6NaFbJuaXazaxIjJHKNZq-xdioz-GyCAMfZiKqBkZ5gqttK-4HEsh2804fmME_XwPcT3XMlh2GHWu0zQsCIN4K4a_gs9jVD0XTN5-EQFDewG0T7GxrLTp4U8gaDEZV1Zsio6fvIjpg9D/s640/RunForBoston.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">#RunForBoston Seattle style, Green Lake Park. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLr7mLzPTiahO4ySnLGgou0tmdxK7kHUChSemHSWLCo7YxoTua6oJTdD5fEtsx3LS4HUWZauX2xlMhaWXI9e2Tj9cHKu1cA3B9oONHjC3CJaYjtbt4xTd2M7bk_WNt_IRHWfC2uIOkSwih/s1600/photo-16.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLr7mLzPTiahO4ySnLGgou0tmdxK7kHUChSemHSWLCo7YxoTua6oJTdD5fEtsx3LS4HUWZauX2xlMhaWXI9e2Tj9cHKu1cA3B9oONHjC3CJaYjtbt4xTd2M7bk_WNt_IRHWfC2uIOkSwih/s640/photo-16.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKae8TVdKKzJk2UtPcmb3ZKhojVu2dPfEiB_jHSMZUlTDPK-eLxA8siwH8YG4vn8MdL0HLF_WJ43cYoXFmf9kT46CiGPzGbME0Q-4hml6X60yCht-kbqcgr-r5ECq-X0_bYrSk4Qku0uym/s1600/IMG_3191.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKae8TVdKKzJk2UtPcmb3ZKhojVu2dPfEiB_jHSMZUlTDPK-eLxA8siwH8YG4vn8MdL0HLF_WJ43cYoXFmf9kT46CiGPzGbME0Q-4hml6X60yCht-kbqcgr-r5ECq-X0_bYrSk4Qku0uym/s640/IMG_3191.png" width="638" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A sea of 200+ runners is a sight to be seen.<br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Where did you #RunForBoston? I'de love to see your photos + hear your story.</b></div>
<br />
<br />Chasing Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869690241391806803noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1484897692668678479.post-9311912661791567082013-04-18T07:51:00.003-07:002013-04-19T08:38:01.423-07:00Taking each run as a gift. #RunForBoston<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
No matter how you heard about the event at Copley Square this Monday, if you're a runner, you undoubtedly felt nothing but heartache and pain - that your most supportive community and family had been attacked. That is exactly how I felt trying to comprehend the situation from afar. Confusion, disbelief, and pure sadness for those affected in Boston. Being on twitter at 11:50am, following the accomplishment of where months of training leads to, and yet that joy and celebration disappeared. A sudden light switched off and everything went dark. Over 50 tweets almost simultaneously within two seconds read the same message. Hundreds of tweets folllowed, some with questions and others with live footage leaving those outside Boston to feel the scare and panic of what was happening. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I know I can speak for many saying that my physical presence was in a different city, simply viewing tweets and commentary of destruction and chaos through thin air. But my heart and identity as a runner felt completely present in the fright that blanketed over thousands in Boston. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Without getting into further details how that day played out, I think there is a bigger picture that is shedding a positive light on such a dark and painful story. It's only been a few days since the event took place, but even being on twitter the last few days has been uplifting in so many ways. Crowds of runners all around the country are gathering in group runs to commemorate and honor not only the victims, but the passion and dedication each of those individuals put into their running careers. Running communities, families, businesses, and random meet-ups are taking action to find strength together and it's leading to amazing mobilization for a faster recovery.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
_________________________________________________________________________________</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
While the swell of emotions from Monday will hardly be forgotten, I decided to take these positive vibes and try to run with it. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The best thing I knew to do was to treat Tuesday's run as a gift.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I ran around Lake Union and was positively overwhelmed by the sense of belonging and unity that came from every runner I passed, many of whom wore Boston Marathon shirts and gave me a smiling nod, like a secret code of a larger community. I was a bobbing sea of emotions the entire way. Vibrantly smiling at times from the gorgeous weather. Being rushed with frustration and questions of why bad things happen to good people. Feeling my eyes flood with water passing silly things that reminded me of Boston. And stopping to breathe to just be in the moment. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrimBX0W_MYJ2oobv_1Eok_FoHLSMHLjBY0_lvTAeBacjDXwZCRwnqANvw93HutRzBBmD_d3yp7aE0UjSQAqnpcQKkcX-H5hrLN5sEhV0w58sYVXMCmC1CjjcuG9_aH7UTZhzThaU7OH74/s1600/Boston+Run+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrimBX0W_MYJ2oobv_1Eok_FoHLSMHLjBY0_lvTAeBacjDXwZCRwnqANvw93HutRzBBmD_d3yp7aE0UjSQAqnpcQKkcX-H5hrLN5sEhV0w58sYVXMCmC1CjjcuG9_aH7UTZhzThaU7OH74/s640/Boston+Run+.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Taking this day and reflecting on the positives is a lot easier for me than those directly affected. Our running communities all around the world are such a strong force when put together that I have no doubt if we keep spirits high, there is no measure or maximum for donations, relief funds, and ultimate recovery that can be reached. I'm overly anxious to see and read about where everyone will #RunForBoston this week and next. The blogs, recaps, and stories I have been reading are touching my heart and motivating me to continually help in all ways I can. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
At the end of the day and after all that's happened this week, I feel appreciative and blessed to have the simple ability to run - and more importantly to know that the 20 plus runners I felt directly connected to, women and men who put their soul into training for Boston this year, are safe and all returning home. Its puts things into perspective, helping me recognize each time I step out my door it's a given gift that makes me stronger and allows me to put my best self forward. A gift that may not always be there, but also one that fills me up a small percentage each day propelling me to to go out and create peace in a complicated world. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><b><br /></b></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>#RunForBoston</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
If you're in Seattle, don't miss the run this coming Monday 4/22. Oiselle and many others will be meeting at Super Jock 'N Jill, all details listed <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/236968789778516/?ref=22" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />Chasing Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869690241391806803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1484897692668678479.post-85979421346532650922013-04-08T18:29:00.001-07:002013-04-08T18:31:42.401-07:00March, all wrapped up. <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:DocumentProperties>
<o:Revision>0</o:Revision>
<o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime>
<o:Pages>1</o:Pages>
<o:Words>305</o:Words>
<o:Characters>1743</o:Characters>
<o:Company>University of Oregon</o:Company>
<o:Lines>14</o:Lines>
<o:Paragraphs>4</o:Paragraphs>
<o:CharactersWithSpaces>2044</o:CharactersWithSpaces>
<o:Version>14.0</o:Version>
</o:DocumentProperties>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="276">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">I think I blinked
and March was gone – but, lots of good things happened in that peculiar month. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">St. Patty’s Day 5K</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> got my butt back into race mode, getting
second female in 20:08. I ran the hilly course with Kristin and Julie,
finally racing again with my loved trio. The race was up in Snoqualmie Ridge,
which in my mind was not far off from mini Pleasantville. The cutest little
town, but just straight up bizarre. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Winter quarter at UW wrapped up</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">. Finals week turned my brain to mush but
my 3.7 quarter GPA was well worth a straining seven day headache. Yes… 3.7!
Excuse my bragging moment, I worked hard for that sucker :)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Spring break</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> was the perfect week well spent. Started
off as a snow bunny for three days with the fam in Sun Valley - skiing,
running, dining, bar hopping, outdoor hot tubbing… embracing the ski bum
lifestyle and playing the role of serious dedicated tourists. I captured some
gorgeous photos from my birds eye view over the Cascade range on our way there.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhtCPp4upkpJAhc2sNgcTnt7BjRM3_KfyqJimsJM7kx5FIT_AujSwb4DpvDwnu47O0IUUc5dkRlvTuoyWCeuaNepsf8wLimMjWnUyEtVcWRC3UzqmrMca_irLpsdLvezyZZpkM7QjTkV85/s1600/DSCF6139.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhtCPp4upkpJAhc2sNgcTnt7BjRM3_KfyqJimsJM7kx5FIT_AujSwb4DpvDwnu47O0IUUc5dkRlvTuoyWCeuaNepsf8wLimMjWnUyEtVcWRC3UzqmrMca_irLpsdLvezyZZpkM7QjTkV85/s640/DSCF6139.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Almost a 3 hour flight Seattle to Sun Valley, up and over the Cascade Mountain range.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeaWmdX6yN3L2340Sz1YghznRQDGLf_S1uNK7heyZP0bOGuRaZPtFeNvo6WBQqanC8Z7QGD063ZvGY0LrKABgWIZbKrALLHtfXQY7c7MuWyReG7Vvf40Jq0AncupEDQv98Bodl21U_8XIl/s1600/photo-15.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeaWmdX6yN3L2340Sz1YghznRQDGLf_S1uNK7heyZP0bOGuRaZPtFeNvo6WBQqanC8Z7QGD063ZvGY0LrKABgWIZbKrALLHtfXQY7c7MuWyReG7Vvf40Jq0AncupEDQv98Bodl21U_8XIl/s640/photo-15.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sister, Dad, Me.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></b>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Then fro</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">m Sun Valley to Yakima Valley</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> for spring wine tasting with my man! Started
out by online booking the “Ho Jo” only to pull up to the hotel (more like motel
69) and tell him we are NOT staying here – booked the Hilton for a spendy $10
more. Lesson learned. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZz_CxxG8XrE94eAZmjUGYu-DNVthTcdF4iR3y6gwLGr5Ve_z9v18zdLnZuwZ97KaSUWWMSRmmw8nRynTamK6wDPP71grhYz1vypRHn8-zSNVXPUtzt-kPJElwaH-fwSzCd2-RiMN1j_J6/s1600/DSCF6163.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZz_CxxG8XrE94eAZmjUGYu-DNVthTcdF4iR3y6gwLGr5Ve_z9v18zdLnZuwZ97KaSUWWMSRmmw8nRynTamK6wDPP71grhYz1vypRHn8-zSNVXPUtzt-kPJElwaH-fwSzCd2-RiMN1j_J6/s640/DSCF6163.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first winery we visited: <a href="http://www.culturawine.com/" target="_blank">Cultura Wine</a>, Yakima Valley. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6bJhGixhPY4cm5eyafRP2pQ_JGJ_Pgjy9eC9_mfNdVdqXtAFFd1nfk_6W3RYdmqiAPGP4K-FJxTH2nzz9-9FfgvPilxJuEm0taGw7YbYjOaHe7r1x1Tjt-o8xTiJA8zgGixelyKETCeuc/s1600/DSCF6177.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6bJhGixhPY4cm5eyafRP2pQ_JGJ_Pgjy9eC9_mfNdVdqXtAFFd1nfk_6W3RYdmqiAPGP4K-FJxTH2nzz9-9FfgvPilxJuEm0taGw7YbYjOaHe7r1x1Tjt-o8xTiJA8zgGixelyKETCeuc/s640/DSCF6177.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Second winery: <a href="http://www.silverlakewinery.com/" target="_blank">Silver Lake Winery</a>. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMx3rQYHobXg-CxcX5MTz4X1TgysdJtqiquy8OkEcOpBNP86-RJmeQymhn_5Fhyphenhyphen5s1livdl37wAVsfiNvVNeIvYZMLLmkkrPBgwhSiUjKRAmxnOmk9sSimrlhyphenhyphenDf0gF6lgEVCM5XSrJnKs/s1600/DSCF6200.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMx3rQYHobXg-CxcX5MTz4X1TgysdJtqiquy8OkEcOpBNP86-RJmeQymhn_5Fhyphenhyphen5s1livdl37wAVsfiNvVNeIvYZMLLmkkrPBgwhSiUjKRAmxnOmk9sSimrlhyphenhyphenDf0gF6lgEVCM5XSrJnKs/s640/DSCF6200.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Third stop: <a href="http://www.portteus.com/" target="_blank">Portteus Winery</a>, Zillah. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnulqB-F5pYoVLoXaFqxoL1aI2aKAwrq0UAUt3sOIxBwoeHGL2IWbXzZobz-reV2gGFszLuxG4bg-tVepOrTfSiixTS9MTtCgR1FCnGfG1z-9lrgfIa9TbCMs-ueOS3ZqcgDi4diOardwF/s1600/DSCF6210.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnulqB-F5pYoVLoXaFqxoL1aI2aKAwrq0UAUt3sOIxBwoeHGL2IWbXzZobz-reV2gGFszLuxG4bg-tVepOrTfSiixTS9MTtCgR1FCnGfG1z-9lrgfIa9TbCMs-ueOS3ZqcgDi4diOardwF/s640/DSCF6210.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And my fave of them all: <a href="http://www.twomountainwinery.com/" target="_blank">Two Mountain Winery</a>. I bought a bottle of their 2011 Rose, so incredibly good. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">We had so many laughs on this trip, it was such a great time - one of those vacations you never want to end. We ventured out
into the wine country and met some of the most humble people and wine makers.
Their pace of life is vastly different than city living and it was awesome to
experience - slow down my one speed motor brain and unplug for 48 hours. And of
course the camera never stopped clicking. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>Now, it's April!</b> Back to focusing on running, finally. Time for my body and mind to get
back into training mode simply because I haven’t felt fully complete lately.
Who knew: avoiding the track slowssss you down. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">April 1 started
my new training plan – no fools here. Next post will tell the story: new race
plan + my next race.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">What are you April goals? Are you
marathoning for April’s<a href="http://www.oiselle.com/marathon-month-april" target="_blank"> #marathonmonth</a>?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Chasing Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869690241391806803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1484897692668678479.post-67961354632012241232013-02-28T08:12:00.003-08:002013-02-28T08:15:13.938-08:00Smoothie adapted from JasyogaYou have to believe I've flipped through many smoothie recipes in my day, but somehow every time I go to make one I never ever follow the recipe exactly. Smoothies are like abstract art: it doesn't matter what goes into making them as long as it tastes scrumptious when it's finished.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwo6_E5VkzV655REOIB9w0tKNIC28Auw_cV9ww9CUkrFBLdL4-GcUtRdRRBgDw3IzDPW_Wnj-Y48Ef-sGLKtNCAVNjf3FyYpaYDelZA9eXfd_u7bXcpIhmYz0X6erOqH6ReP2YH73CaL78/s1600/photo-17.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwo6_E5VkzV655REOIB9w0tKNIC28Auw_cV9ww9CUkrFBLdL4-GcUtRdRRBgDw3IzDPW_Wnj-Y48Ef-sGLKtNCAVNjf3FyYpaYDelZA9eXfd_u7bXcpIhmYz0X6erOqH6ReP2YH73CaL78/s640/photo-17.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
This morning wasn't any different. But after being inspired (if you can get inspired over a smoothie) from <a href="http://jasyoga.com/" target="_blank">Jasyoga's</a> blog yesterday, "<a href="http://jasyoga.com/blend-up-recovery-post-a-game/" target="_blank">Blend up Recovery After Bringing Your A-Game</a>" I added some key players to this magical blend that I'm patting myself on the back for this morning: avocado + spinach.<br />
<br />
<b>Ingredients</b><br />
4 tbsp nonfat vanilla yogurt (or greek, plain etc)<br />
1/3 cup orange juice<br />
1/3 cup carrot juice<br />
1/2 frozen banana<br />
1/2 cup frozen blueberries<br />
1 cup spinach<br />
1/2 of an avacado<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGQTvNSOr8opoVkayABp7yb1iZb6rZRXpgut7HdMGblDuSzTUtEUnZ8TzSJVRDlNXWhe4RQ_IZcwl2HDdwUD8_Vs9MqRmgmeDqKlmqIi-hoSYW0hvEFPQZjLkzcwK01hERH-pcnS5UNFzS/s1600/photo-15.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGQTvNSOr8opoVkayABp7yb1iZb6rZRXpgut7HdMGblDuSzTUtEUnZ8TzSJVRDlNXWhe4RQ_IZcwl2HDdwUD8_Vs9MqRmgmeDqKlmqIi-hoSYW0hvEFPQZjLkzcwK01hERH-pcnS5UNFzS/s640/photo-15.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBDJ9H0kB6lgK0LcVmvNduLz801Kxnwo0yPhU0nWk8SSsT7ZPgBq6KuQEVUHHi6vKqigiSJdJTY7oI7A1xiZ_8Dw2FwG2eUWnM_2I4O5chab8xnHKR3UsWMkkRdMTF7jtQCISbKXBvDKku/s1600/photo-16.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBDJ9H0kB6lgK0LcVmvNduLz801Kxnwo0yPhU0nWk8SSsT7ZPgBq6KuQEVUHHi6vKqigiSJdJTY7oI7A1xiZ_8Dw2FwG2eUWnM_2I4O5chab8xnHKR3UsWMkkRdMTF7jtQCISbKXBvDKku/s640/photo-16.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Fits perfectly in the Magic Bullet, but a blender works well too. Thanks for the kick Jasyoga!<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><b><br /></b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>What's your go-to smoothie recipe? </b></div>
Chasing Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869690241391806803noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1484897692668678479.post-73495931558973692752013-02-08T07:40:00.000-08:002013-02-08T07:40:09.665-08:00Concept of a 5K<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:DocumentProperties>
<o:Revision>0</o:Revision>
<o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime>
<o:Pages>1</o:Pages>
<o:Words>342</o:Words>
<o:Characters>1954</o:Characters>
<o:Company>University of Oregon</o:Company>
<o:Lines>16</o:Lines>
<o:Paragraphs>4</o:Paragraphs>
<o:CharactersWithSpaces>2292</o:CharactersWithSpaces>
<o:Version>14.0</o:Version>
</o:DocumentProperties>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="276">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
That little race that’s five kilometers long and often
called a holiday fun run, community race, or the ever popular “5K” has got me
thinking lately. Whether it’s for a charity your company partakes in or a
simple excuse to throw on some outrageous costume and run balls to the wall,
5Ks are overly important for our sport because they invite anyone and everyone
to the partake in the fun we as runners have all year round.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL-XR1eX2gzhLqOS2KOnDID4S_BhA46n3VROGQpeJ6k8X0mLdc_r2UZYoDaj6oZ6V8Yqa6B18unr_QjVIBn9KYk2acT6K2ZBWbkZEp70nD9UbUcim841ukGLUMVJoA2bl9uYlKMb0gn9AO/s1600/DSCN1781.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL-XR1eX2gzhLqOS2KOnDID4S_BhA46n3VROGQpeJ6k8X0mLdc_r2UZYoDaj6oZ6V8Yqa6B18unr_QjVIBn9KYk2acT6K2ZBWbkZEp70nD9UbUcim841ukGLUMVJoA2bl9uYlKMb0gn9AO/s640/DSCN1781.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>Memorable 5K with my best running bud<a href="http://chasingthejourney.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"> Julie</a>... before I knew what the heck a <a href="http://www.oiselle.com/shop/running-bottoms/roga-short" target="_blank">Roga</a> was!</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I think this is why I love them so much. It’s a race that
can be what ever I want it to be. Full throttle guts out, a slogging start, a
pivotal race, the perfect training marker, or the final hump to proving I’m
injury free, 5Ks take the cake for me. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My last 5K was on Halloween, a training marker for the
Seattle Half that I ran in late November. My sub-20 finish was all I wanted to
prove that my training since college was slowly but surely kicking back into
gear. After being injured for the month of December and learning to make
friends with those I hate (hello operation elliptical), I swallowed my pride,
cross trained when I could, began lifting weights and kept a positive attitude
as much as my broken little heart could handle. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
January marked new training: round 2. For the past few weeks
building a base has been back in action, a plan drunkenly mapped out in my
training log to the tune of 2 miles here, 8 miles there, and ½ a mile
for good measure. You get the picture, I believe they call it inconsistency at
its finest. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sure it feels like square one all over again but sometimes
that square just comes at the right time and you don’t even know it. What do I
want. Why am I training. What are my goals. What are my miles building up to? It
sounds like a hot pot boiling in my brain but in reality, building a new base
is bringing me relaxation that I need right now, and I am peacefully okay with
it. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This weekend a whole flock of Oiselle birds are coming to
our backyard and racing a 5K. Community run, Love em’ or Leave em’, Valentines
Day Dash, fun-run, what ever I wanna call it, this race is to prove to myself
that I’m injury free, back on the rocker, and ready to get this lovey dovey
relationship with running all hot and bothered. And of course, another sub-20 finish wouldn't be too shabby either. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">What is a 5K to you?
Are you running one this weekend to tell running how much you love it JIT for Valentines Day? </b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Good Luck </i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span><o:p></o:p></i></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Chasing Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869690241391806803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1484897692668678479.post-18654102737803174232012-12-30T11:13:00.000-08:002012-12-30T11:13:02.887-08:00Blog from paradise island!Alohhaaaaa! It's not every day I get to sit on a lanai in Maui and blog about adventures in a tropical paradise.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg63ikOIOOsPkd9qPwmPIpOsn34u-eb06uWtaVWHMPN-c2-300fFTPLg3iu1Ys7zWuVHFTbSW9MLjIb422AERF2_MfBob8rTz9qa8zlP9EjVmifLRxTfC_zq4qxiOKkej4Mnfwje65pTUon/s1600/photo-14.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg63ikOIOOsPkd9qPwmPIpOsn34u-eb06uWtaVWHMPN-c2-300fFTPLg3iu1Ys7zWuVHFTbSW9MLjIb422AERF2_MfBob8rTz9qa8zlP9EjVmifLRxTfC_zq4qxiOKkej4Mnfwje65pTUon/s640/photo-14.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Before I recap the past few days, quick update on my foot injury. I've been lifting weights and spending some pleasant hours on the elliptical ever since the Seattle Half, trying to heal the nerve pains I've got going on in my left foot. <b>Long story short: I ran three miles today with ZERO PAIN</b>... and still no pain walking around today so far. Praying that this injury biz is over.<br />
<br />
What was my cure? Rest, ibuprofen, some PT work early on from Dr. Lesko, foot strengthening exercising, and most importantly... no running (fun eh?).<br />
<br />
<b>Now onto my Christmas vaca getaway...</b><br />
I got to Maui on the 26th: one day after Christmas, one day before my dad turned 53, and six days before my dads second wedding! A lot is happening over here and we've been packing in all the activities before things get crazy with wedding plans.<br />
<br />
Here's the shenanigans we've been up to.<br />
<br />
A day at the Grand Wailea water park.<b> </b>Filled with rope swings, water elevators, human hamster balls (which is hands down my new favorite way to run), ocean trampoline'ing and water slide after water slide after water slide.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbqZNmy9N2wIjH4-K-yTrvQ9nSLKG6a4JNsSAFW-dFWaJ_lVsJOflXImQKKGgLgOADfRX5eF5_RDqYiQ2qIcV6vP1Fs4KJFfMjeNnxcwWEZzioY9NuzG4HyZNeNgE3I7dDWthPNyQgH_xF/s1600/DSCF5505.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbqZNmy9N2wIjH4-K-yTrvQ9nSLKG6a4JNsSAFW-dFWaJ_lVsJOflXImQKKGgLgOADfRX5eF5_RDqYiQ2qIcV6vP1Fs4KJFfMjeNnxcwWEZzioY9NuzG4HyZNeNgE3I7dDWthPNyQgH_xF/s640/DSCF5505.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
Sarah and Noah... my soon to be step bro and sis!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDl_hhxnpdoh87TX7tCfsTALn9eFtpVU0mOM536KA7GEmJVppBK-yZqAFTIif72eYp2vPYka3kPjas6JodCm4-uMY0dKRzTbASqjZjDpT9g5reJpVfkyTu-qNLv3V7TZ_hgHdC4ZOkpG-m/s1600/DSCF5509.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDl_hhxnpdoh87TX7tCfsTALn9eFtpVU0mOM536KA7GEmJVppBK-yZqAFTIif72eYp2vPYka3kPjas6JodCm4-uMY0dKRzTbASqjZjDpT9g5reJpVfkyTu-qNLv3V7TZ_hgHdC4ZOkpG-m/s640/DSCF5509.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVK-Qjc_s-F49GrKQW5ya21aIxegl-vbsmrnV46LSyYkOMpl_LBJXPVLShBRWzEDE2ZoKRUP6BfEyqg8KhghhcYbvr1vWINZBCsc5ipAvzIAaXbzKT4OanwCnPgCxhTmJ6sQTY4fFf73qB/s1600/DSCF5511.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVK-Qjc_s-F49GrKQW5ya21aIxegl-vbsmrnV46LSyYkOMpl_LBJXPVLShBRWzEDE2ZoKRUP6BfEyqg8KhghhcYbvr1vWINZBCsc5ipAvzIAaXbzKT4OanwCnPgCxhTmJ6sQTY4fFf73qB/s640/DSCF5511.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWeYy6eR4cHOT00KfOH_vPrGhNV7sNRb8LlJcj1SrHlA2sNa4QYc6_npaozFy5SzSl873UT5op1pyVzDD6qHUlvACrsxi3pc4MOrd-nacZKKNQhbRq_rOZEsORa3JRVJkJVtT_hPGIXRoL/s1600/DSCF5514.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWeYy6eR4cHOT00KfOH_vPrGhNV7sNRb8LlJcj1SrHlA2sNa4QYc6_npaozFy5SzSl873UT5op1pyVzDD6qHUlvACrsxi3pc4MOrd-nacZKKNQhbRq_rOZEsORa3JRVJkJVtT_hPGIXRoL/s640/DSCF5514.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
Grand Wailea rope swing... Sarah's getting her Jane on!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEithViZsZDGwhaOAnKEwCOg65rr7egi6WrN6UWA9MHCScbXoLo7wvHLEshc9BVV7CKVaVrIbWVOyczYJBZ2Ah4euP-I3jMgl_Gs7a_Lnq06GgzlLAPjnAs5P3cr6xQYS9_Nt45iWrtv1bug/s1600/DSCF5521.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEithViZsZDGwhaOAnKEwCOg65rr7egi6WrN6UWA9MHCScbXoLo7wvHLEshc9BVV7CKVaVrIbWVOyczYJBZ2Ah4euP-I3jMgl_Gs7a_Lnq06GgzlLAPjnAs5P3cr6xQYS9_Nt45iWrtv1bug/s640/DSCF5521.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPjGJLujL9EL87NXx4wAA32uok_MURGhw1gw3XzeEU3wWbPaB4vlUDzxt1FNdOyuoJtr43Chu3TuJloCEtjQcqNz_5WCvEEmr3EHVAt8HgRHnn1onrhXhP7b52EOIxckobM4EnA-nsawto/s1600/DSCF5522.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPjGJLujL9EL87NXx4wAA32uok_MURGhw1gw3XzeEU3wWbPaB4vlUDzxt1FNdOyuoJtr43Chu3TuJloCEtjQcqNz_5WCvEEmr3EHVAt8HgRHnn1onrhXhP7b52EOIxckobM4EnA-nsawto/s640/DSCF5522.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhElT_CW-ETlvw2wO0E7-F1k1-GiAvoEI9aYvnti3v4wK4vWpiVuQSYL7zj9eW6ltOvf5KNCVms5TbfcSfPnRqFEArDSz6vYTRQCRzczwKEwDQe394BA6i-XUlgOMWVVRIJBau1Qz3f4X8t/s1600/DSCF5536.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhElT_CW-ETlvw2wO0E7-F1k1-GiAvoEI9aYvnti3v4wK4vWpiVuQSYL7zj9eW6ltOvf5KNCVms5TbfcSfPnRqFEArDSz6vYTRQCRzczwKEwDQe394BA6i-XUlgOMWVVRIJBau1Qz3f4X8t/s640/DSCF5536.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
Notice the trampoline says "STOP" in sharpie to the left of the ladder... mhmmm, clearly we didn't notice it either.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwiXL5V9609TiecczJwf6TYDwM2gjVZ4ResSBP13Ywd-97dsnX7XxjKdi69RguEkAp9jLat4hZtScxZGyvFvw-AdTTmwonuscgKx3-NvDj2cdtvmHk8TjKBZ1oSjJ0wRAFJn7KhJhsZegm/s1600/DSCF5544.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwiXL5V9609TiecczJwf6TYDwM2gjVZ4ResSBP13Ywd-97dsnX7XxjKdi69RguEkAp9jLat4hZtScxZGyvFvw-AdTTmwonuscgKx3-NvDj2cdtvmHk8TjKBZ1oSjJ0wRAFJn7KhJhsZegm/s640/DSCF5544.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg37L1HpzE0F24o7UZMl4Nrm-D-za0BMK0BUzIbKKdvpBvPiw_g1u-eZ9vKOhPbNvtcl-0uKehD9dhQ2MVVEFX98gcRDDykragAooXl0pKG2_XJ-P8DSLTtk913c_BivNQWOF27zOWsFX89/s1600/DSCF5558.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg37L1HpzE0F24o7UZMl4Nrm-D-za0BMK0BUzIbKKdvpBvPiw_g1u-eZ9vKOhPbNvtcl-0uKehD9dhQ2MVVEFX98gcRDDykragAooXl0pKG2_XJ-P8DSLTtk913c_BivNQWOF27zOWsFX89/s640/DSCF5558.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDFQfF9bjCRuDXx_M2WgenPUttzzmOgD-jitYAedOU54KN5lGehRCuoNasQiecRiErYdhgEdnxP5y-tOWa-zmUiLXJBAAHiKDBHZIqJIKGpYC52rO3wsdBWj89VnTcxqd5TSJ-qnFZ1R5d/s1600/DSCF5560.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDFQfF9bjCRuDXx_M2WgenPUttzzmOgD-jitYAedOU54KN5lGehRCuoNasQiecRiErYdhgEdnxP5y-tOWa-zmUiLXJBAAHiKDBHZIqJIKGpYC52rO3wsdBWj89VnTcxqd5TSJ-qnFZ1R5d/s640/DSCF5560.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<b>FishPipe.</b> YouTube it if you haven't seen it in action before. It's quite hilarious to watch. The people in control dictate the speed from slow, medium or fast and you have to try and keep up with it. Half the time I was on my butt getting tossed around in this claustrophobic human bubble. It was so much fun (and of course absurdly expensive for a 90 second ride!)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxyObCI1EHnNAXcWpE-ZyEasBoS-103P9GxT_CT4b8hwrpaYE_21v0BqddGs0WezVQOZYdsOgmmoGOC9eY2G-mQPO9D-ZS4ntHf0ik9-_mEfKj7NflTF_FYkUb9IJagt56NsOfHyiR1xsT/s1600/DSCF5584.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxyObCI1EHnNAXcWpE-ZyEasBoS-103P9GxT_CT4b8hwrpaYE_21v0BqddGs0WezVQOZYdsOgmmoGOC9eY2G-mQPO9D-ZS4ntHf0ik9-_mEfKj7NflTF_FYkUb9IJagt56NsOfHyiR1xsT/s640/DSCF5584.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSvZBsfrWvSv7YnWMJoW9HQxEbYlXSAxH5HeYapHu3cWNfeM3E93QFWcISvycAte-7DTRCCHqa1HhsKW9oR0yo-MKs-Tus7NDTSVX5SSSJqVhe8nSb_DcH_yb7_fYTe1vJOH8dnuYbTV5T/s1600/DSCF5597.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSvZBsfrWvSv7YnWMJoW9HQxEbYlXSAxH5HeYapHu3cWNfeM3E93QFWcISvycAte-7DTRCCHqa1HhsKW9oR0yo-MKs-Tus7NDTSVX5SSSJqVhe8nSb_DcH_yb7_fYTe1vJOH8dnuYbTV5T/s640/DSCF5597.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPA_bFiZufOaHmviQ8PIqDs4rlQOzVHdDhhdvhWA3UeXxrtfr72cbJVUfuPl-EfMkLsYFEQGX-u1Zv0HttveZyfML7rhgMoNpU9QFz2JzRqHb7Qbow7jhyhVu3p0yx8weXf6eYBiWNm1PE/s1600/photo-13.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPA_bFiZufOaHmviQ8PIqDs4rlQOzVHdDhhdvhWA3UeXxrtfr72cbJVUfuPl-EfMkLsYFEQGX-u1Zv0HttveZyfML7rhgMoNpU9QFz2JzRqHb7Qbow7jhyhVu3p0yx8weXf6eYBiWNm1PE/s640/photo-13.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
First sunset of the trip.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWmJ_rR7Nd2w6lEafALNf6roTIVDpLp8o74M4J1vrs76fcZk-dFnYrzCxodNeslgKya_PLUfHEQ0qV8NnEiRj1bab9KwNJYW5rTBsRBHqsh_v7hyeU5EULWdBulzdbru8nno6HCe4_yeoq/s1600/DSCF5599.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWmJ_rR7Nd2w6lEafALNf6roTIVDpLp8o74M4J1vrs76fcZk-dFnYrzCxodNeslgKya_PLUfHEQ0qV8NnEiRj1bab9KwNJYW5rTBsRBHqsh_v7hyeU5EULWdBulzdbru8nno6HCe4_yeoq/s640/DSCF5599.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi42HbClk1bkSvOpVdT9CLLjNZirDA53g5yMneg-0LPYunFPqamQzap0wmUjxbe1rCNwIDkmY3jjA0rljnwpTlB_3mmG0Gjpk6cdAL49vom_Q2_xHWGxLXiQayAHW13IdksV6tGM0N_wKHm/s1600/DSCF5602.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi42HbClk1bkSvOpVdT9CLLjNZirDA53g5yMneg-0LPYunFPqamQzap0wmUjxbe1rCNwIDkmY3jjA0rljnwpTlB_3mmG0Gjpk6cdAL49vom_Q2_xHWGxLXiQayAHW13IdksV6tGM0N_wKHm/s640/DSCF5602.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
Dad and daughter :)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwuWnDIaszfQ_OCj0K6WBCGd0baY-7fC7E8Trym3nXhE-9tVZMFpx3FoHCiCxDkM4Wd3QXz8dUKVWAi-z4xpQnigU794Tot9BJOdTa9Dx6xnhZiDdGXlHuyUl_mp4c5SRESUWFYel7RMe6/s1600/DSCF5611.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwuWnDIaszfQ_OCj0K6WBCGd0baY-7fC7E8Trym3nXhE-9tVZMFpx3FoHCiCxDkM4Wd3QXz8dUKVWAi-z4xpQnigU794Tot9BJOdTa9Dx6xnhZiDdGXlHuyUl_mp4c5SRESUWFYel7RMe6/s640/DSCF5611.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
And the soon-to-be newly weds at my dad's 53rd birthday dinner. We went to Joe's restaurant, one of our favorite places to eat on Maui. Super good food and a friendly family that owns it.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimRx7-D_Ek1Uz-fJN9pfn1sngEsnHLnOUEmAdae20iIP3j7j5YkFV2-gZdraS8Ps4woNvw0VLCCIG8_EylXzpoG7uDF4S6uGruvAMXK2OnpvQXdZveHS7_0auZvZkngcTJC4x9v-X2AVGk/s1600/DSCF5614.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimRx7-D_Ek1Uz-fJN9pfn1sngEsnHLnOUEmAdae20iIP3j7j5YkFV2-gZdraS8Ps4woNvw0VLCCIG8_EylXzpoG7uDF4S6uGruvAMXK2OnpvQXdZveHS7_0auZvZkngcTJC4x9v-X2AVGk/s640/DSCF5614.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
From left to right: my grandpa Richie, his girlfriend Caroline, my dad Mark, his fiancee Stacy, her son Noah, me, my twin sister Olivia, and little Sarah - at Joe's!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLr_RXWVKtT6jftcv5JFwFtybqKPxCPx4eovnpGqPkBHKnU0dXEz2BYta74ekNZA3yu-FoOhIeHBxFHfr8j2s45kfiUSXB6fhrCjl0L8U8KDwAUcAUggpwse3PoVODGeZFJHDV16MUdo_N/s1600/DSCF5622.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLr_RXWVKtT6jftcv5JFwFtybqKPxCPx4eovnpGqPkBHKnU0dXEz2BYta74ekNZA3yu-FoOhIeHBxFHfr8j2s45kfiUSXB6fhrCjl0L8U8KDwAUcAUggpwse3PoVODGeZFJHDV16MUdo_N/s640/DSCF5622.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
That brings us to this morning. We were off to go snorkeling and paddle boarding and I ended up seeing 2 turtles! Cutest creatures with their huge eyes and awkwardly small hands and feet (I tried to ask them how old they live to be but my tortoise friend wasn't having it). I also saw a bunch of colorful fish and some weird looking bottom creatures that looked like water lizards. Pretty neat-o.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrzGderVgs5A696mSCPWSwNXro-qrMRfi0PNFg_cM9qyQ6mgsjsP-Inpe0TbEk8qR0d5qNsUVDa6q53PLbKNTXpL2Vnm0snvdmbfBYqzJLe3Q4JD5KP4BH5GNgGOjHNsTxZSnGu-AHiIXi/s1600/DSCF5651.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrzGderVgs5A696mSCPWSwNXro-qrMRfi0PNFg_cM9qyQ6mgsjsP-Inpe0TbEk8qR0d5qNsUVDa6q53PLbKNTXpL2Vnm0snvdmbfBYqzJLe3Q4JD5KP4BH5GNgGOjHNsTxZSnGu-AHiIXi/s640/DSCF5651.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwwIMbxUUzT-y4JVVKUloBpb41qfu2OKPuTKxAckKW5O8untEGxiaZ5br0CWLS_kfTxVY-dlGDCQ-fifICr7vg4VZdUR3sHkNGpYHX0YF8ILbtD9ws2M66TxQqbXUQ-p_1TPeVjIV8ZfMu/s1600/DSCF5657.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwwIMbxUUzT-y4JVVKUloBpb41qfu2OKPuTKxAckKW5O8untEGxiaZ5br0CWLS_kfTxVY-dlGDCQ-fifICr7vg4VZdUR3sHkNGpYHX0YF8ILbtD9ws2M66TxQqbXUQ-p_1TPeVjIV8ZfMu/s640/DSCF5657.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
So there's a quick wrap up of three days. Maui has sort of been a second home to me growing up. I've been blessed to have grandparents who bought a place over here in Wailea many many years back, and as tradition in our family we've been coming here since I was a baby. As I've gotten older I've been able to appreciate the beauty that's all around this place, the incredibly friendly people, and of course the delicious food.<br />
<br />
My dad is about to make this is a very special place for another reason because he's getting married! Stacy and her two kids, Sarah (9) and Noah (12) will become part of the fam on New Years Eve right in front of my grandpa's place. Super small wedding and very low key, but of course, heavy on the photos. More updates soon!<br />
<br />Chasing Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869690241391806803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1484897692668678479.post-34223988866834484412012-12-26T08:16:00.001-08:002012-12-26T08:16:16.165-08:00Nickelback: Instagram Parody<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Christmas day Josh and I were driving to his moms for xmas breakfast and he showed me this video. I was dying laughing and knew it was way too funny not to post, if you haven't seen it already. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
If you think this may be hinting at your Instagram addiction, well I guess we're in the same boat and we're both screwed. Enjoy!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/Nn-dD-QKYN4?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />Chasing Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869690241391806803noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1484897692668678479.post-83809658646292128092012-12-12T22:04:00.000-08:002012-12-12T22:04:03.878-08:001935-2012.. life is too short. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
In loving memory of Grandpa Bob, a man who I wish I would have gotten to know more, heard more stories from about the good ol' days, and learned more about his life and his passions while he was still around. I'll take care of life as it is and take today as a simple reminder that the future is never promised and that the present is a gift to always be thankful for. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i><b>Grandpa Robert Parish</b> June 26 1935 - December 12, 2012 </i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKX15pYcovJnLAnv4ml4sUlHn7zMg6LeVL-6LeMMSJY5tmnP4J7J8YtINOtQa9eAcySk6AUmvp4yyCb06GY14RGnTrPfB8dDBRU4IG00QQXC9E9ykt7d8PoK6bBpD5kk8BLQqXq4JV2LKa/s1600/live-learn-quotes-picture.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="353" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKX15pYcovJnLAnv4ml4sUlHn7zMg6LeVL-6LeMMSJY5tmnP4J7J8YtINOtQa9eAcySk6AUmvp4yyCb06GY14RGnTrPfB8dDBRU4IG00QQXC9E9ykt7d8PoK6bBpD5kk8BLQqXq4JV2LKa/s400/live-learn-quotes-picture.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Chasing Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869690241391806803noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1484897692668678479.post-74937252780893102482012-12-09T20:17:00.001-08:002012-12-09T22:01:50.706-08:00We came, we saw, we conqueredWhere to begin after a three day adventure with the most
energized and amusing group ‘o birds Texas has ever seen. It was my first time
in Texas, my first time attending The Running Event (TRE), and the best part of
it all… I can proudly say it was my first inflight biz trip I’ve ever been on (yeeehaww to that).<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This adventure topped off 2012 and came dangerously close to
rivaling all the <a href="http://www.oiselle.com/blog/behind-scenes-oiselle-fashion-show" target="_blank">Trials Party</a><span style="color: #31849b; mso-themecolor: accent5; mso-themeshade: 191;"> </span>shenanigans from Eugene back in June. A neck and
neck tie of hysterical commentary, moments of awe and excitement, and a full scrapbook of memories. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Quick recap and highlights of our 3 day excursion. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Night number uno.<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Monday night we landed in Austin around 5:30 pm and made our
way through the airport in attempt to find transportation to the Swanky
Condo. After twenty minutes waiting for the bus, it finally arrived and we
headed towards home, conveniently close to the Convention Center where The
Running Event (TRE) was taking place. Getting off the bus we pulled out an ever
so reliable GPS iPhone…and you can only imagine what came next. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqMCmrDS8Fha5R8HooRlMM6Zx7MVldpW_LA4N1_BENWmlBmhUrrK9Qcoc00ZmY0hyphenhyphenWfzIv5FmehJIigB2b7518ZGrUER3GvkYXRkJ9rn1SBkAgWt6qehGxeZKBqYR-tL2Z8HIU7JtaVbs1/s1600/2012-12-03+18.59.11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqMCmrDS8Fha5R8HooRlMM6Zx7MVldpW_LA4N1_BENWmlBmhUrrK9Qcoc00ZmY0hyphenhyphenWfzIv5FmehJIigB2b7518ZGrUER3GvkYXRkJ9rn1SBkAgWt6qehGxeZKBqYR-tL2Z8HIU7JtaVbs1/s640/2012-12-03+18.59.11.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
What looked
like a quarter mile walk turned into a hysterical scene of utterly lost
travelers. Just picture six out of town folks with luggage up to their elbows,
off-roading through dirt roads, while playing frogger across 2 freeways and
taking a “slight” detour which turned into over a mile long journey…in the
pitch dark. It was epic and totally laughable after the tired feelings of
misery and hunger pains from a long a** flight.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkw_D7bZazpdInRgybT9bUyCGiDQwPQ0xjGRm-opTkhQ5MmoeGp6SIUZgZ1lw02kyZaR8w_lVJeJnJCLhMoBwcyXR3j3GInkKDgzxUWz8N2K6ctwCU1_NiVhbUsRHTZZWcHidJ1ZWfnj5B/s1600/2012-12-03+20.24.41.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkw_D7bZazpdInRgybT9bUyCGiDQwPQ0xjGRm-opTkhQ5MmoeGp6SIUZgZ1lw02kyZaR8w_lVJeJnJCLhMoBwcyXR3j3GInkKDgzxUWz8N2K6ctwCU1_NiVhbUsRHTZZWcHidJ1ZWfnj5B/s640/2012-12-03+20.24.41.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That night was a reunion slash meet ‘n greet with sales reps
and teammates who I <i>finally</i> got to meet IRL. After all, a virtual friendship
over email and twitter can only last so long. We caught up and hung out on the
rooftop terrace grubbing on a Texas style bbq buffet still in awe of the Austin
heat and sitting outside in summer clothes.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEqQaqHrfeA5pkhyphenhyphenDM0LGJXEtkWt09edxkpFSiY534NgyT0-lsY1Bm5msAoJWGUUL_cefaAdsZFzq2ohhO3aKv4TsECY41lTSTfGFTWmd8o8WY6yg_Xt67deYghz6i3DlLaDMvX6-1IEmX/s1600/2012-12-03+21.02.11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEqQaqHrfeA5pkhyphenhyphenDM0LGJXEtkWt09edxkpFSiY534NgyT0-lsY1Bm5msAoJWGUUL_cefaAdsZFzq2ohhO3aKv4TsECY41lTSTfGFTWmd8o8WY6yg_Xt67deYghz6i3DlLaDMvX6-1IEmX/s640/2012-12-03+21.02.11.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
And eventually got to sleep that night in our slumber party bungalow, clearly another highlight of the trip. Took us all back to elementary school sleep overs and pillow fights, of course without the truth or dare or 10 fingers games. Totally kidding. Or am I. </div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSCaFnB3_cCNrtzZD1stCDQUeq5AavlXb1onkcuI0-_V-rQlKhbO4-obIB5xH-btOKhnixLVQjGS1ZtsPetnKb__237ULJ3PbRSBaM2b76PH8W5M78W1y7S5CFf7Gxi4vfBQCRTdvRvFJU/s1600/2012-12-04+09.39.42.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSCaFnB3_cCNrtzZD1stCDQUeq5AavlXb1onkcuI0-_V-rQlKhbO4-obIB5xH-btOKhnixLVQjGS1ZtsPetnKb__237ULJ3PbRSBaM2b76PH8W5M78W1y7S5CFf7Gxi4vfBQCRTdvRvFJU/s640/2012-12-04+09.39.42.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Running Event<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My first time experiencing TRE and I would say it was a huge success that will be hard to beat next year. Dozens upon dozens of booths were set up in the Convention
Center for brands big and small to share their excitement and newest additions
for the upcoming year. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was blown away walking in because it was
literally a fish bowl of runnerds from all over the country geeking out over
the sport we all know and love.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Without going crazy into detail, the best part of the event
for me was walking around to as many booths as I could and seeing new running
products on the market with the ability/privilege to converse with reps and
learn about their swag. While each brand and biz has their unique aspects,
seeing the “behind the scenes” passion for the sport from a totally different
view was pretty motivating to be a part of. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU1wYI3NYAX8_XLz9PVeCA58ju3nlNSdKO7Cqw1HR1L4bYiqMySsTb-W4TyP3QSZ_Gmg7_ozPkEaauwaPLHGY-2LaWrGT249UZwpcDteFi8IgY-Seu_GP2_UdUSlQGSdn_zKYb0wntGGpr/s1600/2012-12-04+14.54.00.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU1wYI3NYAX8_XLz9PVeCA58ju3nlNSdKO7Cqw1HR1L4bYiqMySsTb-W4TyP3QSZ_Gmg7_ozPkEaauwaPLHGY-2LaWrGT249UZwpcDteFi8IgY-Seu_GP2_UdUSlQGSdn_zKYb0wntGGpr/s640/2012-12-04+14.54.00.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4oHTm8V7Ihfj-5zVVwGmQDqTbjXqA85Dq-fcnPrDDToQ14Starx3w_tWQm1geboEDejqGnP0YLwgeE4PzKrOSxOwK0YoIdW_VSzzeI2I5K-HMfCc9j4FR54C48Ck0tDJUMiEFcKih6Qcb/s1600/2012-12-04+15.56.50.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4oHTm8V7Ihfj-5zVVwGmQDqTbjXqA85Dq-fcnPrDDToQ14Starx3w_tWQm1geboEDejqGnP0YLwgeE4PzKrOSxOwK0YoIdW_VSzzeI2I5K-HMfCc9j4FR54C48Ck0tDJUMiEFcKih6Qcb/s640/2012-12-04+15.56.50.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I saw some great companies, many of which I had never heard
of and I got to talk one on one about new innovations and design. I felt
honored to be a part of the Oiselle crew. Having great people commend us on
our booth/strides we’ve made in the past year was a heartwarming validation yet again of knowing I am in the right spot in life.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A few notable companies that had terrific people working their booths: <a href="http://www.swiftwick.com/" target="_blank">Swiftwick</a>, <a href="http://www.windetergent.com/" target="_blank">Win Detergent</a>, <a href="http://www.bicbands.com/" target="_blank">BIC Bands</a>, <a href="http://www.honeystinger.com/" target="_blank">Honey Stinger</a>, <a href="http://nuun.com/" target="_blank">Nuun</a>, <a href="http://www.smartwool.com/" target="_blank">SmartWool</a>, and <a href="http://www.spidertech.com/" target="_blank">SpiderTech</a> - all extremely friendly and knowledgable.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Birds ‘N Boots </b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Words and pictures cannot do
this party justice. I'll just say it was hands down the highlight of the trip. From tons of
mingling boots, a delish free taco truck, an incredible venue, an array
of fab Oiselle peeps and friends, THE best D.J. in Austin, and a dance
party so outrageous we arguably might have been able to skip that morning
workout and still get a good sweat in, if you catch my drift. So, so, SO much
fun. Ready for 2013! </div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguu6fM4ExVfhFkxZEinTXKJcsxaWzQywyBTIumgC2jVq5W9Ntk9YCaIV7wn6HMteC46zkr7M0QBiA7AgAnDVjqIm4v03UJREWWKxJS6jDrUkJdVpsqVXUhPibIlYWpbwXopetDlyQyxoIY/s1600/2012-12-05+19.47.34.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguu6fM4ExVfhFkxZEinTXKJcsxaWzQywyBTIumgC2jVq5W9Ntk9YCaIV7wn6HMteC46zkr7M0QBiA7AgAnDVjqIm4v03UJREWWKxJS6jDrUkJdVpsqVXUhPibIlYWpbwXopetDlyQyxoIY/s640/2012-12-05+19.47.34.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieOZA8S2nxVwCaj3ViSVla3uNytNL3-8_2JyAoRasMv3afHGXsGJHrFbzOR10AfyDhoXk7Y1IEyjZ8CK1sYk2jwg4468pISbLFR9Ej2ylXY3MzWOlwfToI4D_g-P8N5qfxxzEm8N7vBBCk/s1600/2012-12-05+21.00.12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieOZA8S2nxVwCaj3ViSVla3uNytNL3-8_2JyAoRasMv3afHGXsGJHrFbzOR10AfyDhoXk7Y1IEyjZ8CK1sYk2jwg4468pISbLFR9Ej2ylXY3MzWOlwfToI4D_g-P8N5qfxxzEm8N7vBBCk/s640/2012-12-05+21.00.12.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Chasing Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869690241391806803noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1484897692668678479.post-65437366518148921982012-11-26T22:33:00.001-08:002012-11-26T22:33:13.783-08:002 thoughts for half marathon number 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYQ0X7xRozDkPlOSgIOLB2efxnh6Jj7pEobqqMJgrsr-nm55PRNAooNqk1ucSi3-UGPaoKPX0e6N93YE6pLfHiAUrj84iAKusprDU2WfkOcJNFD8pIUIdwwFTKoMe0naEr3nuby_jUJ7cM/s1600/photo-10.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYQ0X7xRozDkPlOSgIOLB2efxnh6Jj7pEobqqMJgrsr-nm55PRNAooNqk1ucSi3-UGPaoKPX0e6N93YE6pLfHiAUrj84iAKusprDU2WfkOcJNFD8pIUIdwwFTKoMe0naEr3nuby_jUJ7cM/s320/photo-10.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Two seems to be the lucky number here: I raced my second half marathon just yesterday morning and PR'd by over two minutes from Eugene Half in 2010! Second race recap about to commence...<br />
<br />
This past Saturday night was a wild, no sleep, butterfly tummy kinda night. It marked one day until Seattle Half Marathon, 10+ weeks of training, and the end of my fundraising of $1000 for <a href="http://www.everymothercounts.org/blog/201211/seattle-half-marathon" target="_blank">Every Mother Counts</a>. Being my second 13.1 ever, I was hesitant about a lot of things, mainly logistics of what to eat/what not eat, how many miles to run the week prior, which flats to wear etc etc.<br />
<br />
<b>1 week before</b><br />
Knowing that I'm in more of the minimal mileage stage right now, I chose to only run 26 miles last week: 8 mile LR + 3 mile days with minimal workouts. Who knows if this helped or hindered my "race plan" but one thing is for sure, I felt veryyy rested stepping up to the start line.<br />
<br />
<b>1 day before</b> <br />
Festivities started with pasta feed on Saturday day, hosted by the "hostess of the mostess," (Mr. and...) <a href="http://www.runningstarfish.com/" target="_blank">Mrs. Robinson</a>! Birds in the house were spoiled with apps, pasta, vino, salad, and choclatey desserts. Lucky for me, Natty P. joined us for din din and we got to chat a bunch about how she was going to pace me, where she was going to jump in, and my goals for finishing.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7FtYmEtt6O3NnKNISvlm1-iBoc5-Z9DHXRYbv1uFHPkSlZEVwHftQ8ybQOdEY0OV26xFccUfkPAnnZ-VOSfHJwJX_YLsYY5NDQ5HFmWwTHgI0bd4RI5gN3Tm6tfU-w8DHfDc3qmrPfU4X/s1600/photo-3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7FtYmEtt6O3NnKNISvlm1-iBoc5-Z9DHXRYbv1uFHPkSlZEVwHftQ8ybQOdEY0OV26xFccUfkPAnnZ-VOSfHJwJX_YLsYY5NDQ5HFmWwTHgI0bd4RI5gN3Tm6tfU-w8DHfDc3qmrPfU4X/s640/photo-3.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiih4LCqLSvtj4KuUPEQAc3foSejHZPiwsj8ixTtJfUkQf0eF_yJthYXieBLkLNqbibBTIt1txqcTtbJr7bbpx6yt5O-QdR3a4v5Lr5K4vMhx5TKii84-3Qb7kb9btOMLP-_7Kemzx9CHO2/s1600/photo-2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiih4LCqLSvtj4KuUPEQAc3foSejHZPiwsj8ixTtJfUkQf0eF_yJthYXieBLkLNqbibBTIt1txqcTtbJr7bbpx6yt5O-QdR3a4v5Lr5K4vMhx5TKii84-3Qb7kb9btOMLP-_7Kemzx9CHO2/s640/photo-2.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b>Day of...</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Sunday morning was race day! Seattle Half started at 7:30 which meant I was up at the crack-o-dawn to eat oatmeal + a banana and get in a positive mind set. The past week I'de been telling myself two thoughts that in a way became my "mantra" for the race: 1. It's going to hurt 2. It's going to be okay.. ha! Wise I know, but for some silly reason it spoke to me and it was on my mind until the start. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Horn blew and my 1:35 pacing man started running and so I followed.. using my Nike+ watch was a bust, it gave me the wrong splits and stopped half way through but lucky for me I chose not to look at it anyways! First mile started at a 7:40, then sped up each mile. Natty jumped in at mile 2 and from there on out, it was me and Natty the whole way through. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I remember feeling exhausted at certain miles, having trouble on the hills, and lacking energy at miles 11 and 12. But for each negative there were positives right there with it. It was pretty cold and foggy which I loved. At mile 3 right after the tunnel my bestie was cheering for me and shortly after, my boyfriend and his mama were yelling my name at mile 5. Mile 7 I saw the <a href="http://www.nuun.com/" target="_blank">Nuun</a> setup and Mason gave me a boost of confidence to power through the hilly miles coming up in about 30 seconds from that point. And lastly, the hill up Interlaken which I had been dreading somehow gave me a second wind and I was right by Natty's side when she told me we were going to pick up the pace. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
At mile 13, Natty dropped off to the side and let me stride the last bit to the finish. I heard a women shouting out times and after hearing "1:31...." the biggest sigh of relief hit me. Officially a 1:32:01 time, 18th female overall, and a half marathon PR that I had hoped for! </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I can't say I loved the race, but to say I was proud of myself for the hard work I put in for that morning is a very fair statement.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
My family and friends met me at the finish and I was honestly overwhelmed with gratitude for having everyone there to support me yesterday. All the people who I care about most in my life came to cheer me on, and I got to celebrate with a ton of Oiselle teammates who raced their butts off as well. It's always the little things that make racing such an addictive high. Runners know that the love and support that race day brings is unlike anything else. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Successful day, successful finish and a positive outlook on what my next race will bring me. Here's a few fun photos from Sunday, a little blurry but better than nothing for now! </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQCqGPOP_4kkmEy1yQwcmLzUMWWa-llEJ7i_fXcGTWauN6T83QklHDcvtoOU_o6v_w47_VksqBafN_3GxJOINBi5AE4mYkV6VeUeLne9ChnzjxqqI4ZSzfg4aAU9xCGxGWfU2qRpB4ukCx/s1600/photo-6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQCqGPOP_4kkmEy1yQwcmLzUMWWa-llEJ7i_fXcGTWauN6T83QklHDcvtoOU_o6v_w47_VksqBafN_3GxJOINBi5AE4mYkV6VeUeLne9ChnzjxqqI4ZSzfg4aAU9xCGxGWfU2qRpB4ukCx/s640/photo-6.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij2NKWh7eG_G0zVUEOsxHQxFXHQXryXRkoG5xbnljoDf49d4md93MPI9dUnK7Tr_fYvkI0YccWUlyMB-p1EuEsc7-ZndWHsLUkHTVQ5ZzifUXaUiItIDTO3nW53tbLW4PLiluLwcnGbXA9/s1600/photo-9.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij2NKWh7eG_G0zVUEOsxHQxFXHQXryXRkoG5xbnljoDf49d4md93MPI9dUnK7Tr_fYvkI0YccWUlyMB-p1EuEsc7-ZndWHsLUkHTVQ5ZzifUXaUiItIDTO3nW53tbLW4PLiluLwcnGbXA9/s640/photo-9.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhniO1dhn-4WF0D6_PGUDWvjrJO8LLd7To7Fq4trwzOfcV8G9KRpZQwny_xKvHZASdTM5z6DB8jLRYNBLdzBoWxx_SggHIdB7g5zunDA-Tdz50qz2gWmkVlboAQD_q7hYiXCRCjVOHx9mZj/s1600/photo-8.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhniO1dhn-4WF0D6_PGUDWvjrJO8LLd7To7Fq4trwzOfcV8G9KRpZQwny_xKvHZASdTM5z6DB8jLRYNBLdzBoWxx_SggHIdB7g5zunDA-Tdz50qz2gWmkVlboAQD_q7hYiXCRCjVOHx9mZj/s640/photo-8.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I'll put up some more a little later when I get them... and of course we can't forget the epic post race breakfast at Barrio with the crew...</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkL1SHHgiUxIgU4wn0DvY8re2N3_ZOgyMguuofeQfz2yWaBZXFCwlPdoqp89SKIO0r17l3uRVUrOVyc0lDv01cKF1j05laxmDHCPYfFnDrW1RfXkWK_j2qRKtEZsHgAYlm5cfztJdRooyE/s1600/photo-4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkL1SHHgiUxIgU4wn0DvY8re2N3_ZOgyMguuofeQfz2yWaBZXFCwlPdoqp89SKIO0r17l3uRVUrOVyc0lDv01cKF1j05laxmDHCPYfFnDrW1RfXkWK_j2qRKtEZsHgAYlm5cfztJdRooyE/s640/photo-4.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Barrio on Capitol Hill</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4q48xsryMSKN28X0RQcSpRL2KGC7roP8hklecGb5e9vygNIuzlpV4Uzi567rjcryTz6S7I15Y6dcmaid-wXPOxs07I8G7s7B4GRKtpJPK_uhWmq4wOflyMn7izirkJBswOe3V7IGgJMTI/s1600/IMG_0258.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4q48xsryMSKN28X0RQcSpRL2KGC7roP8hklecGb5e9vygNIuzlpV4Uzi567rjcryTz6S7I15Y6dcmaid-wXPOxs07I8G7s7B4GRKtpJPK_uhWmq4wOflyMn7izirkJBswOe3V7IGgJMTI/s640/IMG_0258.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Kerr ordered me a "recovery" drink of Bailey's and coffee #happycamper </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwhBdy05Vc9YQjH0xcT_vFj3yKeailj4qnYOBG0hrVBUFHs8ZY_itNWHAFY3AVPGBCNfDe66rjP958Ui5lD9tpCNg6H4Vo6gnp-Z2OM8d1nZcNZDwZEw7CjcdhXQg9e7iz64WojvvhKoCi/s1600/photo-5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwhBdy05Vc9YQjH0xcT_vFj3yKeailj4qnYOBG0hrVBUFHs8ZY_itNWHAFY3AVPGBCNfDe66rjP958Ui5lD9tpCNg6H4Vo6gnp-Z2OM8d1nZcNZDwZEw7CjcdhXQg9e7iz64WojvvhKoCi/s640/photo-5.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Mac (*and her thumbies) photo bombing my delicious Mexican style b-fast.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2kpBKROx3uxYYXU-z3CbTMWQEIRF9pumCbjVilODU6hL2i6PAwHrzwe20sQ6ZxpLoYL1AxZBnOIzby6-xVTGHkLgfIAYvioznF_l3Ronh-G0OcdQDhl0cMo7-5jzooCzzzb7wzk8J1Sm-/s1600/photo-7.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2kpBKROx3uxYYXU-z3CbTMWQEIRF9pumCbjVilODU6hL2i6PAwHrzwe20sQ6ZxpLoYL1AxZBnOIzby6-xVTGHkLgfIAYvioznF_l3Ronh-G0OcdQDhl0cMo7-5jzooCzzzb7wzk8J1Sm-/s640/photo-7.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
...and the family, rockin #teamEMC! </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Huge congrats to all racers who completed Seattle Half/Marathon yesterday!</b></div>
Chasing Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869690241391806803noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1484897692668678479.post-86656867067139179482012-11-13T12:16:00.001-08:002012-12-09T22:02:11.721-08:00Can't outrun the flu.I should have known hanging around so many sicklings the past few days that I was bound to catch a cold or some kind of sickness. I spent the entire day with my sister doing some Sunday shopping when the night before, her and my dad caught the flu and were sick all night Saturday. Let's be real, I was asking for it. Sadly, after leaving Julie's birthday dinner early last night because I felt nauseous, that was only the beginning to a loongggggg night. No more details necessary, but the flu got the best of me.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I took a few pieces of advice from Mac's "<a href="http://www.runningstarfish.com/2012/11/sick-get-better-faster.html" target="_blank">Runner's Sick-Kickers</a>" list from last week. Echinacea, zinc lozenges, water, water, water, water, and rest. One thing I swear by to this day is good ol' ginger ale and saltine crackers. No idea why it helped but I swear it saved me last night when my body felt like I was in a coma and being hit by a bus!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The hardest part of it all is wanting to run and knowing how silly it would be at the same time. A few days off won't kill me and even though today is "Track Tuesday" in my workout world I know I can shake this sickness faster if I'm smart about it. Two weeks until Seattle Half means staying positive and just revising my run schedule:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuoE3z6XyBTW_DlTEWH1jpX1ira_aNDOgpRcwUUU6clvsrRO5RMt5XRdpY8MpiKNa79HCcmNRxxd44lOwLwIWVXDxHCNCexxmrcn_XUeQ7o_g1lIOhQR2I97vV-xz-NTzprEJMDImBRe9S/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-11-13+at+12.07.55+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="412" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuoE3z6XyBTW_DlTEWH1jpX1ira_aNDOgpRcwUUU6clvsrRO5RMt5XRdpY8MpiKNa79HCcmNRxxd44lOwLwIWVXDxHCNCexxmrcn_XUeQ7o_g1lIOhQR2I97vV-xz-NTzprEJMDImBRe9S/s640/Screen+shot+2012-11-13+at+12.07.55+PM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div>
May be a little ambitious for how I'm feeling right now, but I'll see how I feel tomorrow and reevaluate while I try to stay sane. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>When you're sick how much time do you take off of running? Does running ever make you feel better?<i> </i></b></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Chasing Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869690241391806803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1484897692668678479.post-29023475833936027222012-11-08T22:58:00.003-08:002012-11-08T22:58:59.297-08:00B-day Recap & Oiselle RunBirthday bash is almost over (one more dinner on Friday night, lucky me!) and it was seriously a crazy fun packed entertaining weekend to say the least. The best way to explain the celebrations is through pictures, but for a short recap, my girl friends came into town from Oregon and helped me celebrate through shopping, dining out, getting our nails done, throwing a party at my casa, and bar hopping in Seattle. And after singing <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjAuNhufppM" target="_blank">Taylor Swift's new song "22"</a> on repeat the entire day until I was singing it in my sleep, I'm beginning to think 23 could not come any sooner. (Click on that link if you haven't heard it, she's just brillianttt).<br />
<br />
Having old best friends in town and spending a whole weekend with them was definitely a trip down memory lane, recapping my Freshman year at UO and wining over how college goes by in the blink of an eye. The perfect way to celebrate, here's how it went down.<br />
<br />
<b>Turning 22, in pictures.</b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP_5EOfVQ78To-ssIS-yEsYi6vZtW-bbCIcouwvOay7YcWIln2pv4FFGcc_VPyZcTjDkce2Px6Q4qQ8gZnbGk1CQOlDX72Y5VtvGtZCIvdO3fSgs-1TGKqvtURq6cKT0zjHnVObmAVKwGl/s1600/IMG_0096.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP_5EOfVQ78To-ssIS-yEsYi6vZtW-bbCIcouwvOay7YcWIln2pv4FFGcc_VPyZcTjDkce2Px6Q4qQ8gZnbGk1CQOlDX72Y5VtvGtZCIvdO3fSgs-1TGKqvtURq6cKT0zjHnVObmAVKwGl/s640/IMG_0096.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Of course it began (and ended) with the red cup. We trekked over to Starbucks near my mom's house. She met us for coffee and rambled on and on and on about baby stories that I've heard a million times. Then we were off to downtown for some serious shoppin..<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha2O15GyIorYdWALan4UZExjga9XVUX-lQ84zKj8zQ2wrYACSbrhyphenhyphenKVo_9nExU0Rn-o0VfG90g3bUEAMq-rImHcND6_IDQ0G4VzJ_vjDMVmSkKDpHa9Q7DXqQH90p_FlvTNu5YFgpHAbqp/s1600/IMG_0105.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha2O15GyIorYdWALan4UZExjga9XVUX-lQ84zKj8zQ2wrYACSbrhyphenhyphenKVo_9nExU0Rn-o0VfG90g3bUEAMq-rImHcND6_IDQ0G4VzJ_vjDMVmSkKDpHa9Q7DXqQH90p_FlvTNu5YFgpHAbqp/s640/IMG_0105.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Damage was done around the city and we stopped by Nordstrom Cafe to fuel up on their unbelievably yummy salads before we headed back to Greenlake... </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUkmRPkEsZSd6jDGYu1c7U50OxcmRL0pSr-T8SyAFBQZj9d-BIE7xBQNXKc8hFZkBBePkdVddnfp4A3vRNRFXRmCAvsFf72pEtaDkM-pd_8cF_KPur6FhM0_hyC6wWv5Xiq39EDFTP6irD/s1600/IMG_0104.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUkmRPkEsZSd6jDGYu1c7U50OxcmRL0pSr-T8SyAFBQZj9d-BIE7xBQNXKc8hFZkBBePkdVddnfp4A3vRNRFXRmCAvsFf72pEtaDkM-pd_8cF_KPur6FhM0_hyC6wWv5Xiq39EDFTP6irD/s640/IMG_0104.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
We decided (well, I decided) last minute to make an appointment at a nail salon that opened up right near my place about a month ago. I can't remember the name of it but the service was pretty hilarious. At one point the lady looked at my friend Kelly and asked her to finish taking off her OWN nail polish while she started on the next girl (hense Kelly's reaction below on the far left, hahaa). I get it, we brought in 5 girls unexpectedly, but really?? May or may not go back.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6AE6xnXDwJwQRcIuMwl5yn6whAko5EUhGFmlxziR5IA4mKKvBkzwd396wz_L22moo8Q6gwUyRJANlVZpe6_w4NNv_QIwjPSjsBUtk8QtF_zqwgMK77BDEYjvCsmlCU8ivrTTc1q7EYtJZ/s1600/IMG_0112.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6AE6xnXDwJwQRcIuMwl5yn6whAko5EUhGFmlxziR5IA4mKKvBkzwd396wz_L22moo8Q6gwUyRJANlVZpe6_w4NNv_QIwjPSjsBUtk8QtF_zqwgMK77BDEYjvCsmlCU8ivrTTc1q7EYtJZ/s640/IMG_0112.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
My boyfriend Josh came over when we were all getting ready and brought these beautiful yellow roses that are still blooming on my kitchen counter, and my roomie set out champagne for mimosas in the morning!<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-VPx_q3yt-Exgs42j1iRGrUpD5rxPBcuHGGbNPD-gam0x3pzRsn0Q1npDZ7Z9wa8icmMNDZOyedku8FtlcwTKL9LMiAjWGkLMAjq0cRgM2WJzeKB_j0uurBL6yCPkcrKs4nbMraZ4PPyV/s1600/DSCF5140.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-VPx_q3yt-Exgs42j1iRGrUpD5rxPBcuHGGbNPD-gam0x3pzRsn0Q1npDZ7Z9wa8icmMNDZOyedku8FtlcwTKL9LMiAjWGkLMAjq0cRgM2WJzeKB_j0uurBL6yCPkcrKs4nbMraZ4PPyV/s640/DSCF5140.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
And more and more food trickled in...</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv9_4p0lbUYxFRAOvFzU_rWKt8BggMSuBGjbp3VhsPoolTPrxAgLwTUS0jwbb2FMzOGOGxIWKH_LwpTMZY5o9UHaoVquH4axRwcH14OXYfcRTaDaxJvIiRrNscFlBiiAPhpZwwWgQSke4V/s1600/DSCF5142.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv9_4p0lbUYxFRAOvFzU_rWKt8BggMSuBGjbp3VhsPoolTPrxAgLwTUS0jwbb2FMzOGOGxIWKH_LwpTMZY5o9UHaoVquH4axRwcH14OXYfcRTaDaxJvIiRrNscFlBiiAPhpZwwWgQSke4V/s640/DSCF5142.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
We threw a little birthday bash at my place with a bunch of girls I've become close with over my college years, from UO to UW friends from running cross country and track my sophomore year.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv9_4p0lbUYxFRAOvFzU_rWKt8BggMSuBGjbp3VhsPoolTPrxAgLwTUS0jwbb2FMzOGOGxIWKH_LwpTMZY5o9UHaoVquH4axRwcH14OXYfcRTaDaxJvIiRrNscFlBiiAPhpZwwWgQSke4V/s1600/DSCF5142.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV7FqqrT_w_Wyh1l0x-HCHmqosoQcS1jgLlglm5hP_RjQ73P_s27Tw4smm_Y5c8ZNbU05VJmewWFP7fqtCbcyj97BsfS0Fjt-C6tyDbllap5w0XoBHgweCTki-jnZ-0xv2b3MdjF21J2iM/s1600/DSCF5151.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV7FqqrT_w_Wyh1l0x-HCHmqosoQcS1jgLlglm5hP_RjQ73P_s27Tw4smm_Y5c8ZNbU05VJmewWFP7fqtCbcyj97BsfS0Fjt-C6tyDbllap5w0XoBHgweCTki-jnZ-0xv2b3MdjF21J2iM/s640/DSCF5151.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Eventually the party got moved to a friends house in the neighborhood, and we had ourselves a mighty good time.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIH6PC85rNoKnB7G65BmNUml2bUp-R-87JZA4cRj51oYMPgteEoWdNw_EhHaUS6vB5M_B7vHZPmowlGnJ7LiDIEiKd0S6u6ZLBUPoxPDxwOhbHMEFa-IXSfY9QbEjxf8xF4XyIWKbmYZcz/s1600/IMG_0147.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIH6PC85rNoKnB7G65BmNUml2bUp-R-87JZA4cRj51oYMPgteEoWdNw_EhHaUS6vB5M_B7vHZPmowlGnJ7LiDIEiKd0S6u6ZLBUPoxPDxwOhbHMEFa-IXSfY9QbEjxf8xF4XyIWKbmYZcz/s640/IMG_0147.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNweoiw0RD4WuK9UzZNRr962_SgDgOSmpxSAVlKuKk4sw_w05dQ9uqlePwlnTmuaURchRZ_4GVmZXCJ4xovMq6b0j97Q7c6SnuglEvOnjMhGj-vwDOFjw1kA8re7Z1ehTvFad5WH4xvccV/s1600/IMG_0190.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNweoiw0RD4WuK9UzZNRr962_SgDgOSmpxSAVlKuKk4sw_w05dQ9uqlePwlnTmuaURchRZ_4GVmZXCJ4xovMq6b0j97Q7c6SnuglEvOnjMhGj-vwDOFjw1kA8re7Z1ehTvFad5WH4xvccV/s640/IMG_0190.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
Thankfully daylight savings time was in our favor and us lucky ducks got an extra hour of sleep that next morning. I was meeting a bunch of Oiselle gals in front of HQ at 10 am for a run I was not about to miss.<br />
<br />
<b>Solidarity 5K for #TeamEMC.</b><br />
November 4th was a special day in itself because while the NYC Marathon was planning to be run, <a href="http://www.everymothercounts.org/" target="_blank">Every Mother Counts</a> was promoting solidarity 5Ks for anyone around the country to run in honor of maternal health awareness. Oiselle gathered a group of 8 women who all met at HQ and ran around Greenlake and up through Upper Woodlawn to cheer on our new teammate Shannon! It was awesome getting to see some everyone again and it was definitely decided that these sporadic meet ups need to happen much more often.<br />
<span id="goog_1665746835"></span><span id="goog_1665746836"></span><br />
<b>OOH. And before I forget.</b><br />
If you follow me on <a href="http://www.instagram.com/jackelizabethk" target="_blank">instagram</a>, you most likely saw my new obsession and all time favorite gift to shoot my running addiction through the roof: a new GPS watch from my bf! I got many twitter comments on this watch asking how well I've liked it so far (called the Nike+ Sport Watch) and so far everything has been smooth sailing except for a minor bump today. I couldn't get it to link this morning after walking around aimlessly for 10 minutes trying to find "satellites," BUT... the look of it, the light weight, and all of its features are exactly what I need in a watch to help me keep track of my pace and intervals. Here's a little looksie of it (I debated between the black and yellow or the all black, but they also have white too).<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjILMZaxd8fgsRm2jO30Xf-wc07fu6f7RmRRlAjPI6crSY-z6FgdMZPtLQ9VeDCXIz0u6aQDK4fcxd0dezvJ_et4WcfP8G84zlVuvVAJoz34uhYPqQ0iFv83CT6pEHwiJW4j9CQIZ87D6W-/s1600/871340c4279b11e2959322000a1f9d56_7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjILMZaxd8fgsRm2jO30Xf-wc07fu6f7RmRRlAjPI6crSY-z6FgdMZPtLQ9VeDCXIz0u6aQDK4fcxd0dezvJ_et4WcfP8G84zlVuvVAJoz34uhYPqQ0iFv83CT6pEHwiJW4j9CQIZ87D6W-/s640/871340c4279b11e2959322000a1f9d56_7.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
It's a gem, and a keeper.<br />
<br />
There ya have it, last weekends recap posted a week later (it's okay, I know I'm talking to a wall). Ultimately for me, school comes first and sporadic blogging has to happen when papers need to be written too!Chasing Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869690241391806803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1484897692668678479.post-19704983233293803392012-11-01T16:56:00.002-07:002012-11-01T16:57:47.503-07:0022 on November 3!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg03-8ppL-Mvj4L7ssPbZmFs4MUZjWr5vYtzRPg_Defl_RRIlXRlNOFcFcKQ47maXsNNkgIPaQNF9SWezKeuoSFSn4N590IDFcKZA1B4sdMkLQSXFu_whcX2bD8jhcXCh0zIOn9N5NV7l5s/s1600/IMG_4684.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg03-8ppL-Mvj4L7ssPbZmFs4MUZjWr5vYtzRPg_Defl_RRIlXRlNOFcFcKQ47maXsNNkgIPaQNF9SWezKeuoSFSn4N590IDFcKZA1B4sdMkLQSXFu_whcX2bD8jhcXCh0zIOn9N5NV7l5s/s400/IMG_4684.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;">
Two days away until I turn 22! Birthdays to me are the funniest memories. What used to be the cool Skate King parties with the fancy ice cream cakes and competitive party favors, somehow turned into quaint dinners with a group of best friends and a night out at the bars in celebration. To say I feel more "mature" as a descriptor is quite telling, but in my head the jump from 21 to 22 is dauntingly OLD.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;">
Last year I celebrated my 21st in a foreign country with new friends and a new city I called home for nearly three months (that post will come soon). Australia was possibly the most memorable place to turn 21, but now I'll be 22 and new memories are ready to be made.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;">
After catching up with my old roommate Kelly from freshman year at U of Oregon, we got to talking about my birthday which conveniently falls on a weekend this year. Little did I know that my three closest friends from U of O wanted to come to Seattle and celebrate 22 with me! Kelly, Alie, Jen and I basically did everything together our first year of college. We lived in the same dorm, went to all the football games, coordinated our class schedules to match and road tripped all along the west coast from Washington, Oregon, Idaho and California. I miss them all the time and lucky for me, even after being away from those three amazing girls for so long, they're so excited for yet another road trip to come up to Seattle!</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUscV1O4qOpGNudmYiFTsEXiTK8B-kCW_GMJ199enkOnmFLQ9r08mYK-beh2qjxFWDJjTMMSPwjAKYPlL4UKh0FxMiFu_qr14zV77PxlDAWstf-Ux-ts_FfeyyrhQ7S9vPRKbB0tU7UZiK/s1600/DSCN0337.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUscV1O4qOpGNudmYiFTsEXiTK8B-kCW_GMJ199enkOnmFLQ9r08mYK-beh2qjxFWDJjTMMSPwjAKYPlL4UKh0FxMiFu_qr14zV77PxlDAWstf-Ux-ts_FfeyyrhQ7S9vPRKbB0tU7UZiK/s400/DSCN0337.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
(Me, Alie, Kelly, Jen, and my twin sis Olivia)</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiDZ3fRBat7-SlhjmRZ6WxnXRz4HyuTMF2yazFW1OBCjagzhs8rwYarNVFOAkZWYpAvkaDSH6JbTjXCsV-8LoTYRWC12_OzrouaKGwkczV2QoLVRgto9QuTsYhgKNt9T8xAn86OW-8JOj3/s1600/DSCN0315.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiDZ3fRBat7-SlhjmRZ6WxnXRz4HyuTMF2yazFW1OBCjagzhs8rwYarNVFOAkZWYpAvkaDSH6JbTjXCsV-8LoTYRWC12_OzrouaKGwkczV2QoLVRgto9QuTsYhgKNt9T8xAn86OW-8JOj3/s400/DSCN0315.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFCu-xHlhc6DBrQUYayNnbRvfuTa9vsI3TObnHOm7iAzM12bQVJ62CSTDlsgQhAQg7qYmA-uD7zLuzgomxOHy9FqwSSuQS78QIxwvIVGvi-GBWzi38oeevXFJUg7gBBJGXd1PtYtTt9UZU/s1600/IMG_4682.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFCu-xHlhc6DBrQUYayNnbRvfuTa9vsI3TObnHOm7iAzM12bQVJ62CSTDlsgQhAQg7qYmA-uD7zLuzgomxOHy9FqwSSuQS78QIxwvIVGvi-GBWzi38oeevXFJUg7gBBJGXd1PtYtTt9UZU/s400/IMG_4682.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;">
For now it's time to clean, buy groceries, get in a seven mile run with my roomie Julie before it gets dark, and try to find mattresses to house three girls in my baby sized apartment - any thoughts? (and as I say to my Oisellista's, it's almost the weekend...and I'm DTP!!)</div>
Chasing Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869690241391806803noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1484897692668678479.post-75701338405388869272012-10-28T17:41:00.001-07:002012-10-28T21:50:42.431-07:00Fun Run Victory While most people showed up to the Zoo Pumpkin Dash 5K in full costume from little monkeys, to elephants, lions and, the most memorable, a man in a full body zebra spandex suit (say that 10 times fast)... I showed up like this:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaNyjMGa6ELkZljuc8j-9qFEO2t15lmnwG40oAyCS4jEDlRYqq8blEqfAt1dMuZNHFHMrd1At_JOOs-3JXEgp_0pZGJ1e9UpMxKgGtGwNH-keRSUT9EbjJ22hFtISu1Haw69SC3PP_q52Y/s1600/Resampled_2012-10-28_16-52-30_118.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaNyjMGa6ELkZljuc8j-9qFEO2t15lmnwG40oAyCS4jEDlRYqq8blEqfAt1dMuZNHFHMrd1At_JOOs-3JXEgp_0pZGJ1e9UpMxKgGtGwNH-keRSUT9EbjJ22hFtISu1Haw69SC3PP_q52Y/s400/Resampled_2012-10-28_16-52-30_118.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Second time wearing my Oiselle singlet and first time in Oiselle & racing flats, it totaled a dangerous combo. 5K fun runs are meant to be funny and light hearted with no nerves creeping around, and that's what I love about them. But stepping up to the start line it didn't matter how many lions and cheetahs were puzzily staring at my full blown racing kit, cause I was ready to feel like a cheetah and "race my little heart out" as mama used to say. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I had 2 goals for this race. 1. Negative splits, and 2. Run sub-20 for 5K. One out of two accomplished was a pretty successful way to finish. In the first mile I hit 6:16, thinking to myself how I blew my first goal outta the water going out just a leetle too fast. But the last 2.1 miles I pushed myself harder than I thought I could. There was a pack of five ahead of me and I managed to catch them around mile 2. Negative splits weren't happening but a sub-20 was still in sight. The two women ahead of me were working together and with 100 meters to go I snuck up behind them and kicked my roga butt into gear, finishing with a 19:52 and a 1st place female finish (the bird on the right)! </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT5F1xr_SPAzDoe0KgyJ1-D5b0D8814jpJjptPKccEpoNoroMMLpozArowJcLmyEH80E9iUieEjAg875VqmZEBSg1dhfa3mfDQAgZGX2Di2YXUO-9IJ1vUBM1yrCQ5IYKYiQ3EVZfoLqwa/s1600/A6TwUUHCYAA41ei.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT5F1xr_SPAzDoe0KgyJ1-D5b0D8814jpJjptPKccEpoNoroMMLpozArowJcLmyEH80E9iUieEjAg875VqmZEBSg1dhfa3mfDQAgZGX2Di2YXUO-9IJ1vUBM1yrCQ5IYKYiQ3EVZfoLqwa/s400/A6TwUUHCYAA41ei.jpg" width="298" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Not every race is the best race yet or gives me confidence to dominate the next one, but I think each race motivates me in its own way to keep training and getting faster on the track. This race <i>was</i> a "fun run" in a nut shell. It was the perfect bench mark that I needed to think more realistically about Seattle Half on November 25th. $70 left to raise for <a href="http://everymothercounts.org/">Every Mother Counts</a> and a hopeful sub-1:30 finish on the way. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>How do you learn to negative split each mile during a race? Any tips and tricks or workouts that help you get there? </b></div>
Chasing Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869690241391806803noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1484897692668678479.post-9050267859941665962012-10-25T17:00:00.001-07:002012-10-25T17:29:46.751-07:00Let the party begin!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxqT2ugepVT0ljyju1WdTdlUVXr_hYuIppQnahoDXhFrRkxr08tOo5HjoVLZ_9TSvO3izaEpQEMGCSM1MslYaTr_9rY_C9WXbwRZfT1tjjY2a3Vb54t5Tsx3FEbqyvib4IrSw8n6B5u4Sp/s1600/IMG_0238.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxqT2ugepVT0ljyju1WdTdlUVXr_hYuIppQnahoDXhFrRkxr08tOo5HjoVLZ_9TSvO3izaEpQEMGCSM1MslYaTr_9rY_C9WXbwRZfT1tjjY2a3Vb54t5Tsx3FEbqyvib4IrSw8n6B5u4Sp/s320/IMG_0238.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
As I'm beginning to see even before my first post, blogging is one of those things in life that you just have to go for, it's all in or nothing. I made a blog a few years ago when my nephew was born and wrote one post until it gathered dust in the archives for 2 years and was never revisited. This time will be different. I'm approaching 22 next week and in many ways this next year is going to seem like a milestone. Running my second half marathon this November, graduating college in June, and hopefully hopping the pond to spend sometime in Europe next summer with many many stories (and photos!) along the way. From food blogs, running, design and fashion blogs, I follow and read peoples thoughts day in and day out. I'm a blogger at heart and it's about time I start a few posts of my own. After all, life's a party in the moment and ya just gotta live it :)</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8df0kYCIfgQgOUoydrgjuECjwST7poOvsfZ6XBUPrADJoR5Ui6JQvrKiiS5rTywcS09rVSZb7qlSKu9v5hJAKmqjdp6M9O9eF4ynpIJ0YYqUTO2P3M4Q7hOMG1xihSP3yKxjyO24lbLkJ/s1600/a8356ff4f8a511e1a63622000a1d0283_7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8df0kYCIfgQgOUoydrgjuECjwST7poOvsfZ6XBUPrADJoR5Ui6JQvrKiiS5rTywcS09rVSZb7qlSKu9v5hJAKmqjdp6M9O9eF4ynpIJ0YYqUTO2P3M4Q7hOMG1xihSP3yKxjyO24lbLkJ/s320/a8356ff4f8a511e1a63622000a1d0283_7.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpFL8BEqUeRpoBHzQ7L_Er4yzB8r3fmroW_V_ivzGLHe9tOyEPY1Aa8nftVZYkBjeWBg0uaUyF6Yz5njzwp6dsNp06qlu9ykHwrXLakr3tzrXBv8XCzrMh_-fo9m0MGhpLo7U-1Z1bEqso/s1600/DSCN4009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpFL8BEqUeRpoBHzQ7L_Er4yzB8r3fmroW_V_ivzGLHe9tOyEPY1Aa8nftVZYkBjeWBg0uaUyF6Yz5njzwp6dsNp06qlu9ykHwrXLakr3tzrXBv8XCzrMh_-fo9m0MGhpLo7U-1Z1bEqso/s320/DSCN4009.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
Chasing Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06869690241391806803noreply@blogger.com0