Old dog learns new trick

So a friend and I asked another friend to teach us how to swim this summer. When we first started we couldn't make it 1/2 lap without being out of breath. We swam weekly and after a month we could swim 1/2 lap then rest and swim back down and rest again and do about 4 laps. Well another month goes by and we are able to do 10 laps but still resting every 1/2 lap. Last month we got up to 50 laps and we asked a girl in the pool that was turning underwater to teach us so last week we practiced and today we swam 51 laps with underwater turns and able to do 10 laps without stopping.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Bellingham Bay 1/2 Marathon

Today a few of us from our "Team Footfire" group ran the Bellingham Bay 1/2 Marathon. What a gorgeous day it was!!!! This was the run that I've been helping a friend (far right) train for and she did it!!! I'm so proud of her!! I kept her pace and just like the Bank to Bay we chatted most of the way which made time just fly by. I didn't train or run with the other teammate (in the middle) which was her first 1/2 marathon also and she made it too!! Great job you two!!!

Bank to Bay 10k run

Oh the Bank to Bay 10k run was so much fun. The weather was perfect!!! I've been helping a friend train for a 1/2 marathon and I ran this one with her. Running and chatting sure does pass the time.

2009 STP - Seattle to Portland in one day - 200 miles

We did it!!!! 200 miles in one day!!! The 30th annual STP which was sold out with about 10,000 bike enthusiasts starting in Seattle, Washington and cycling the back roads all the way to downtown Portland, Oregon. Before this the furthest I've ever ridden in a single day was 100 miles. My friend to the left of me in the picture furthest ride was 60 miles. But we thought it would be fun to do it in one day. About 3/4th of the people stay overnight at the half way point but we thought it would be nice to get it over with just in case we couldn't sleep and woke up sore. This year it looks like we made the right choice because the first day was nice and sunny but the second day I heard was raining and that would have sucked. Everything was perfect for us! Perfect weather, no accidents, no flats, great attitudes, great support team and great finish!

So to document the ride we left the house about 4am and got into Seattle about 4:50am. The traffic was so backed up getting into the parking lot we decided to be dropped off about a mile from the starting line and it worked out perfect. We crossed the Start line at 5:06am. Just picture 1,000's of cyclist streaming onto the city streets. It was an amazing sight and experience.

So here we go buzzing through the backstreets in Seattle going along Lake Washington down into Renton, Tukwilla and come to our first rest stop at 23 miles in. I was amazed at the sea of people already there enjoying the great snacks they had for us. We are feeling great so far. After a few minutes we're off again going through Kent, Auburn, Puyallup and we come to what they called "the hill" a 4 mile 450ft elevation climb. The road was recently paved and it was actually a nice enjoyable little climb. It was a nice change of pace to get to stand and pedal. Our next stop was in Spanaway at 53 miles in. After filling up with water and a couple snacks off we go again. Still we're both feeling good. Now we pedal our way through Roy, McKenna, Yelm, Rainier and stop in Tenino at 82 miles in for another short water and food break. In Yelm my inner thigh muscles felt like they were starting to cramp so I drank more water and pedaled with only one foot in the clip and alternated for awhile and it cleared up. (That was the only cramp I got for the entire trip, thank goodness).

Off we go through Bucoda and come to the halfway point in Centralia. Here we got a creamsicle (yum!), more food and filled up again with water. I kind of felt like I just might gain weight with all this food. But little chance that was going to happen after finding out I burned over 12,000 calories on this ride.

Now we head off through Chehalis, Forest, Napavine and stop in Vader at mile 124. At this point I was thankful I was wearing my Underarmor heatgear long sleeve shirt under my jersey. It kept me sweat free and the sun off my arms. I just wish I had the same thing for the legs (next purchase). But sunscreen and a base tan kept any sunburn away.

Then off we go through Olequa and get to Castle Rock at mile 134 for another water refill and a short stop in the shade. My right foot started to bother me and I had an ankle support on my left foot so I moved it over and that helped. What I should have tried was to move my clips in my shoes to see if a different placement would help.

Now off through Lexington and over the Longview bridge. The bridge was beautiful but felt so dangerous because of the raised metal plates going down the backside of the bridge and it felt like they were going to either pop the tires or dent the rims. But we made it and here is where we have our first encounter with our support and cheer leading team.



It was fun to see where they were going to pop up and stop to cheer us on. At mile 168 we stopped at our last stop which was a mini mart in Columbia City to get some cold water and our support team came over to encourage us and some other rider that had a strained or torn muscle. He was in allot of pain but wanted to continue.

At this point my GPS said we only had about 22 miles to go but in reality it was 32. We started to slow down these last miles to about 16mph but we still got in right at 9pm which is when they said they were going to close the festivities at the finish line, so we just made it! There were many people there giving you hand slaps as you cycle over the finish line and made you feel like you just climbed Mount Everest. What a great feeling of accomplishment!

To see our route and stats click here.

Mt. Si - Our first group hike of the season

Our first group hike of the season took us to Mt. Si in North Bend, Washington.

The climb is 4,167 feet and 4 miles from the parking lot to the summit plateau. Vertical elevation change is about 3700 feet and starts at about 700 feet. Going up wasn't that bad at all but coming down just seemed like it took forever. The weather was a little cool but at least it didn't rain on us.

2009 Sound to Narrows 12K

So my friends at the club and I had a blast at the 2009 Sound to Narrows 12k run (7.45 miles)! It was so much fun cheering one another on coming to the finish line. We all did it in under 1:15 and I came in at 54:33. This was a very hilly course and it was pretty much a full on sprint for me at the start and finish. I got up to 13mph (going downhill in a tailwind :) but my average pace turned out to be 7:19 (8.20 mph) which was good for me.

This was really a good distance because it was over before I knew it and I wasn't sore after the run. Basically it was just like a real intense bootcamp class which is about 50 minutes long.

Oh the weather was perfect! About 55-62f and overcast. Great job team!!!

2009 North Olympic Discovery Marathon

Ok, this is getting out of control.... I just ran the North Olympic Discovery Marathon. That is 3 full marathons in 5 weeks. Well this one kicked my butt. I guess I should have listened to my friends saying that maybe this is too much and give it a rest. Well for one it was a 3 hour drive and I had to go by myself. But I really wanted to beat my last time of 3:33 to get the Boston qualifier of 3:32. So in thinking I was doing everything right I ate spaghetti for lunch and dinner I drank cytromax energy drink for a couple of days and drank about 64 oz of the stuff that morning because I woke up at 3:30am and didn't race until 9am. Plus I had breakfast at 5:00am then had to catch the bus at 6:30 to get to the start. Then waited for 2 hours before the start of the race. I think I made about 5 trips to the restroom.

The race started off very well. I actually made 13.1 miles at 1:39 which was the best time out of the 3. But then at about mile 20 I ran out of gas and my calf started locking up and so I slowed down. Then when I realized I wasn't going to get 3:32 I thought about the long drive home and so I walked the last 2 miles. Then about .75 miles from the finish a friend comes walking down the path and I was surprised they drove all that ways for me. What friends!!! So he walked with me until the last .1 miles and I ran up to and across the finish line just to look good for my other friend at the finish line. Anyways my final time was 4:05. The slowest of the 3. Oh well. Then get this we went and had dinner and he drove me home in my car.... Such awesome friends!!!!

What I learned from this one is to test out the head phones before a run... I used the iPhone headphones so I can take a call while running... Well they didn't fit my ear right so they kept falling out. Maybe not run so many marathons in a row. Maybe not drink so much energy drink before a race. Don't drive 3 hours alone thinking you can drive back after a run. It was a beautiful course though. The last 5 miles was right along the ocean.

2009 Capital City Marathon

I know, I know, why don't I give it a rest??? Well it has been 2 weeks since my last marathon :) and I looked at http://www.marathonguide.com/ last week and noticed that there was a marathon Sunday May 17th, 2009 in Olympia, Washington called the Capital City Marathon and so I signed up last Wednesday.

I still had those 2 small blisters that weren't healed yet but I used some fabric band aids and only ran 6 miles on Friday and took the rest of the night and Saturday off from exercise. This time I also wore a cycle skull cap instead of a hat and it worked really well to use as a towel for my face and it was easier to hold when it got a little warm. I also used a running belt (without water holders) instead of stuffing things in my pockets. I took my iPhone for tunes which they allowed headphones at the last minute so that really helped for the lonely streets. My legs were tired of course but there were no cramps which I was very happy about and no new blisters and the other ones didn't get worse. I made sure my socks were 100% synthetic and had no cotton this time, bandaged my blisters and lubed my toes. Plus I used Superfeet insoles.

My time was 3:33.51 which was 14 minutes faster than the last time and I came in 48th overall and 15th in my category which I'm very happy about for my second marathon.

My wife was able to be there to cheer me on so she took a couple of videos:

2009 Tacoma City Marathon

It's Sunday May 3rd and I just finished the 2009 Tacoma City Marathon and what an experience it was for my first organized marathon. I completed the full 26.2 miles in 3:47. My goal was 4 hours at least and so I made it!!! My half marathon time was 1:41 so if I would have been able to keep that pace I could have come in at 3:22. Next time :) My darn calf and hams started to tighten after mile 19 so I had to change strides which slowed me down from a 7.8mph average the first half to 6.0mph the second half.

Things I did right: Light tight fitting shirt to keep friction to a minimum. Bandaids over the nipples just in case the shirt did rub (be sure to test them for being sweat proof). Clipped my toenails and lubed my feet and toes. Didn't bring a water belt or pack (They provided plenty of water and gel). I ate a good carb meal the night before, drank lots of water. In the morning I had my normal berries and Yogurt and added a banana instead of walnuts. I heard you don't want too much fat for breakfast before a run.

Things for next time: Use different socks (I just got one small blood blister on the side of my foot and one small blister on the side of my big toe on the other foot). Not ride my bike 50 miles a few days before running (I don't know what I was thinking there).

I sure did have fun, I would always thank the police at each intersection and encourage the volunteers and make comments to the people along the road cheering us on. They would say, "you don't look tired...". I would say, please come join us.... There response, "ya right...".

Spin Class, The Utlimate Burn

Nothing has gotten me into better shape than spin class. Spinning is easy on the body while allowing it to burn up to 950 calories for a 60 minute class. But of course the burn varies depending on the effort you put into it.

When I first starting spinning I could only just sit and pedal and I bet I only burned about 200 calories but I stuck with it. For me it really hasn't gotten easier because I just turn up the resistance and work harder.

For me the order of calorie burn in the classes offered at the club have been: #1 Spin, #2 Bootcamp, #3 Zumba, #4 Body Works and #5 Step.

The first organized ride of the season

What a great day for a bike ride! The morning was a little brisk but the sun was out in no time. The Daffodil Classic gives you a choice of either a 40 or 100 mile loop. Since it was the first ride of the season my friends and I chose the 40 mile loop. We had a great time enjoying the scenery and since it wasn't a race we stopped for a latte at our favorite place.

After getting home around 2:00pm and having a chunky monkey the day was only half over so crazy me I went down by myself and did the same 40 mile ride again. I was amazed that the pit stops were still open. It was much more fun going with friends though.

Skiing at Lake Louise in Alberta Canada

We'll it's my 25th wedding anniversary April 7th and we are in the Lake Louise / Banff area in Alberta Canada. Today we are skiing at Ski Louise in Lake Louise and it is absolutely gorgeous. The runs are well groomed and long.

A Great Day of Skiing at Crystal

What a perfect day skiing!! Crystal got about 9 feet of new snow since the last time I went and the friends I went with are just plain awesome. We buzzed down the hills like no tomorrow. There was this one long trail called Kelly's gap that was so much fun we just kept going down it. One time I took a wrong turn and ended up on a double diamond run called Exterminator. That one took me some time getting down from because of all the moguls. :)

Chunky Monkey

Ahh, there's nothing like a refreshing meal replacement drink like a chunky monkey.

About 734 Calories, 29g fat (16g from the peanut butter and 12g from the Hershey bar), 9g Fiber & 40g Protein.

Put in Blender:

• 8 oz Milk (I use 2%)
  
• 1 oz Coffee Concentrate (I use Victorian House Concentrated Coffee)


• 2 heaping tablespoons Peanut Butter (I use Costco's Kirkland Brand Creamy Organic Peanut Butter)


• 1/2 to 1 Frozen Banana - depending on size (You can use fresh but I found that when you unpeel and freeze them is much easier and they don't go bad)


• 2 scoops (1 serving) Chocolate Whey Protein (I use Biochem Whey Protein at VitaCost.com)


• 1/2 scoop (1/2 oz) Ghirardelli Premium Baking Cocoa Sweet Ground Chocolate


• 16 oz ice

Now blend that all up to a smoothie consistancy then this is where the chunky comes in:

• 1 serving Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate bar
  

Put the blender on low and put in the chocolate bar and let it chunk it up so you can get the chips into a straw. Then Enjoy :)

Lentil Stew

Lentils are a "super food", they are high in protein and fiber. This was one of the keys to my weight loss. I was eating canned lentil soup before and not losing much weight. This will last me about 2-3 weeks eating it for lunch. Oh, as an extra kick you can put some fresh broccoli on top of the bowl with a paper towel covering it when you reheat it and it will cook the broccoli just right.

3 qts. water
1 lb lentils, washed
2 packages or 4 cups sliced mushrooms
4 medium carrots, sliced
1 bunch green onions, fine chopped
3 stalks celery and tops, fine chopped
1 leek, fine chopped
3 medium potatoes, cut
1 can corn
2 tbsp. butter
1 tsp. garlic
1 tbsp. beef stock
1 tsp. salt (optional)

Use 4 quart pot or slow cooker. Sauté mushrooms, onions, leek, celery and garlic in butter till tender.

Put beef stock in 2 cups of water in microwave to melt beef stock.

Combine all ingredients in pot add water to almost top of pot and simmer at least 3 hours until lentils and carrots have softened. Add salt to taste.

Big Climb 2009

I had an awesome time doing the Big Climb with Team Foot Fire!

We ran up 69 floors in the Columbia Center in downtown Seattle. The Big Climb is held each year to raise funds for blood cancer research.

Even though I would consider myself being in great cardio shape it was the most labored breathing I've ever done. My time was 12:08. I was 74th out of 290 in my age group and 443 out of 2927 racers.

A professional picture was taken by the event organizers and can be seen here.

Learning to ski

Well come to find out that my new friends ski and in order to spend some time with them I thought it would be a good idea to take up skiing. Now the last time I was on skis was 25 years ago and the most I could do was snow plow. Before going to the slopes I thought I would take a look on YouTube to see if I could get any pointers. So I typed in "Learn to Ski" and found a great 12 chapter ski lesson by LasseeLyck

Well after watching these videos I headed off to Crystal Mountain with my friends and they were amazed at my abilities after watching some videos. They called me a sandbagger :)

Here is the Introduction:

Before and after picture

I went back and found a picture of me on July 20th, 2003 (left) I think I was around 220 lbs and a recent one of me on December 26th, 2008 (right) at 150 lbs.

At 42 I thought my life was basically over. I had very high cholesterol, constant back pain and could hardly move.

Well sometime in 2005 I decided to take action to improve my quality of life so I changed my eating habits (no more fast food and very limited sugar if any) and started exercising. I started with a Water Walking class at the gym. I think the 80 year olds got around better than I did. Well after about 8 months of that I was able to get around better and I found out about a spinning class and started doing that. The first month or so all I could do was light pedaling. Boy what a workout. Then that is when things really started coming off and taking off. What I learned my body does best with is eating the following:

Breakfast: 1/2 cup berries, palm full of walnuts and natural yogurt.

Lunch: Homemade lentil stew.

Dinner: switching between salmon, chicken or tuna salad.

Snacks being an orange, apple and/or natural nut bar.

In 2008 I started running outside, cycling (I did 700 miles in 3 months) and my classes I take regularly are spinning, bootcamp, body works & zumba.

In late 2008 I got a little too thin (I got down to 148 lbs) and so I started making what I call a chunky monkey protein drink. That seemed to help put on some muscle.

Marathon on a treadmill

"I just felt like running I guess". That is what I said after completing a full 26.2 miles on the treadmill at the club on December 7th, 2008. The darn machine would stop every 60 minutes so I took a picture with my iPhone and restarted it for another 60 minutes. (Sorry for the blurry picture but I still had to put it on walk to get the stats). Well it took me 4 hours and 15 minutes to do 26.2 miles. I know the distance only adds to 26.1 but I did do at least another .1 after taking the pictures. It looks like I also burned 3231 calories. Not bad.

Before this the furthest I've ever ran was about 18 miles outside. Normally I run about 6 miles on the tread mill but this Sunday morning I woke up and said, "I feel like running a marathon".