05 September 2012
Regrouping
Since my marathon, I have run exactly two times. Pathetic! I am going to run the 10-mile race that happens before the Twin Cities Marathon on October 7th...and I've done zero training for it. I have found it difficult to get back into training mode after taking time off post-marathon. You would think a looming deadline would kick me in the butt, but I've been thinking about it more like a balloon floating around me, reminding me I should probably be training. Yikes!
20 July 2012
Enjoying time off
I am changing jobs, which I'm both excited about and anxious about at the same time. I am starting the new job Monday, and I've taken this week off in between.
It has been wonderful! Chris and I spent a day-and-a-half hiking and camping on Isle Royale, the park across from Grand Portage (near the Canadian border) which is technically part of Michigan. You have to take a ferry to get to the park and there are no motorized vehicles. I was somewhat mentally prepared for lots of mosquitoes and deer flies, but we lucked out because the mosquitoes were manageable and there were no deer flies.
On our way in, it was pouring rain and it stopped as soon as we were done with the orientation from the Park Service. Another lucky break. Our first day, we hiked in mostly forest to a campground around a cove. Turns out we had the cove to ourselves and a strong wind that kept most of the mosquitoes away. We swam for a bit, filtered water from Lake Superior, ate, read, and by then, we assumed it was starting to get close to bedtime. Not even close: it was 6:30! We had a pretty good laugh about that. Needless to say, I got a lot of reading done!
The next day was good temps and mostly sunny skies. We got to the dock to wait for the boat about 2 hours early. Perfect time to go for another dip, and this time, I was cursing under my breath as I slowly lowered myself into the cold water. In the cove, it was a combination of warm and cold water, which made it enjoyable for a while. At the dock, it was frickin' cold. I read the rest of the time waiting for the ferry, and ended up reading on the back deck of the boat all the way back to Grand Portage.
It was a fun trip and even though it was short, it was much needed. We sandwiched the Isle Royale trip with time at my parents. Banjo got to stay with them for a couple of nights, which he seemed quite happy with.
I've greatly been enjoying this time because I didn't realize just how hard it would be to leave the people at my job. My head felt like it was swimming and I felt a little overwhelmed emotionally. It all turned out well and I have a good group of people I'll be staying in touch with.
It has been wonderful! Chris and I spent a day-and-a-half hiking and camping on Isle Royale, the park across from Grand Portage (near the Canadian border) which is technically part of Michigan. You have to take a ferry to get to the park and there are no motorized vehicles. I was somewhat mentally prepared for lots of mosquitoes and deer flies, but we lucked out because the mosquitoes were manageable and there were no deer flies.
On our way in, it was pouring rain and it stopped as soon as we were done with the orientation from the Park Service. Another lucky break. Our first day, we hiked in mostly forest to a campground around a cove. Turns out we had the cove to ourselves and a strong wind that kept most of the mosquitoes away. We swam for a bit, filtered water from Lake Superior, ate, read, and by then, we assumed it was starting to get close to bedtime. Not even close: it was 6:30! We had a pretty good laugh about that. Needless to say, I got a lot of reading done!
The next day was good temps and mostly sunny skies. We got to the dock to wait for the boat about 2 hours early. Perfect time to go for another dip, and this time, I was cursing under my breath as I slowly lowered myself into the cold water. In the cove, it was a combination of warm and cold water, which made it enjoyable for a while. At the dock, it was frickin' cold. I read the rest of the time waiting for the ferry, and ended up reading on the back deck of the boat all the way back to Grand Portage.
It was a fun trip and even though it was short, it was much needed. We sandwiched the Isle Royale trip with time at my parents. Banjo got to stay with them for a couple of nights, which he seemed quite happy with.
I've greatly been enjoying this time because I didn't realize just how hard it would be to leave the people at my job. My head felt like it was swimming and I felt a little overwhelmed emotionally. It all turned out well and I have a good group of people I'll be staying in touch with.
18 June 2012
Marathon Recap - The Very Detailed Version
I'm still finding it hard to believe that I ran a marathon this weekend. I feel proud of myself for overcoming my initial fear of the 5k about 7 1/2 months ago and building distance from there. Each distance has been a fun experience, and each training run further instilled in me that I can do a lot more than I've given myself credit for in the past. I've found it to be a major confidence booster to do something I never thought I could do.
Banjo, Chris and I left for Duluth around noon on Friday in the hopes of beating some of the traffic. I had spent Thursday evening in a bad mood, feeling sorry for myself because I was still sick, because I'd missed a number of training runs, because I was second-guessing that I'd be able to complete a marathon. Friday morning I spent extremely nervous, almost to the point of shaking because I was so tense. I was second-guessing every clothing decision, every food item I thought of bringing along. What finally helped was when I stopped what I was doing, sat down, closed my eyes, and told myself I put in a lot of hours training and that I was ready. I told myself I had tested out everything I was going to wear, everything I was likely going to eat. Most importantly, I reminded myself that my only goal was to finish. It really didn't matter how long it took me; what mattered was that I show up and run the best race I could with any expectations of how I would do. After that, I felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. It was a very freeing experience.
On the trip up, I was excited and wanted to start running. By the time we got to the DECC where I'd pick up my race packet, I was wondering why we hadn't left the house sooner. There was quite the line of cars, and wherever there are that many cars, there are bound to be a ton of people. I was frustrated trying to get my packet because there were so many people at the DECC, and of course, packet pick-up was in a far-off corner that you couldn't get to without being crammed through a lot of vendor booths. I made it in and out of there successfully though, and we continued on to the house we were staying at.
A friend of a friend was extremely generous and let us stay at her house while she and her family was gone (native Duluthians tend to leave town for Grandma's weekend). She has a fantastic house and plenty of places for family members to stay. Banjo checked out the entire house and the grounds, and spent most of that first night by the door, wondering when we were going home.
Kim and Sue came up that evening and I forced everyone to watch Run Fatboy Run with Simon Pegg. I watched it before my half marathon and found it put me in a good mood. Then it was off to bed to try to get some sleep before an early wake up call.
Alarm went off at 4:45. Breakfast and tea were eaten partially at the house and partially on the way to a bus pick-up area at UMD. Chris and Banjo drove me over and the immense line-up of buses took all of us waiting runners to Two Harbors for the start of the race. I was at the start line around 6am; start time was 7:45. I had time to kill. I spent part of it talking with my high school English teacher, who aptly described all of us runners as "idiots."
Besides that, the start area was effectively a ton of porta potties. Runners gotta take care of business before taking care of business! There was a large area in between where runners were standing and sitting, all waiting to line up. The entire beginning felt like we were cattle. We all came in on buses; the buses lined up; we were all released; we followed one another to another area where we waited; finally, we lined up in a shoot and we all started moving.
Then the race started. It took some time for me to cross the start line because we had so many people ahead of us. There were 5,930 people that started the race (spoiler alert: 5,787 people crossed the finish line). The weather was predicted to be raining/thunderstorms, but it was sunny, in the 60s, and a little humid.
I felt pretty good at the start. I was finally running. The scenery along Highway 61 was beautiful and every once in a while, we'd catch a glimpse of Lake Superior. Chris, Kim, Sue and Banjo were waiting for me around mile 5, and I was excited to see them. I had no idea how uplifting it would be to see people that were there to support me. It was really fun to see how many strangers were supporting all of us runners too, but there's something special about those just for you. I especially loved how Banjo howled after me the first time I passed. I heard a chorus of people mocking him behind me :)
I next saw the gang around mile 12, and I still felt pretty good. The sky then clouded over and there was a slight breeze and less humidity. The perfect conditions! I kept on running. I made it a point to stop at every water stop to make sure I was drinking enough and to give myself a small break (I walked through each water stop to try to avoid spilling the entire contents of the cups on myself.) It felt like the water stops, although 2 miles apart, were coming up quickly, which meant it felt like the miles were quickly ticking down.
At the half-way mark, I stopped to relieve my very full bladder (a sign that I was hydrating!) I saw a number of people sneak off into the bushes along the course, but I wanted to hit up a porta potty that preferably didn't have a line. I got my chance because the half marathon started at our halfway point, which meant there was another major line-up of porta potties. I kept on running.
There were people scattered here and there for the first 20 miles, and the large concentrations of people started around mile 20. Up until that point, I had lots of time to space out and enjoy the scenery. After around mile 20, I found myself scanning the crowd, thanking people for supporting us, and getting a little anxious/tired. Those last six miles felt about 3x longer than any of the earlier miles. I gave a lot of people high-fives along the route, which energized me for short bits of time. I found the most enthusiastic spectators were the drunk college kids - in this context, their antics were very much appreciated! I heard one girl exclaimed to us runners: "Way to fight obesity!"
I got choked up around mile 22 when I saw my dad's hat poking out over the crowd. My parents weren't sure if they would cheer from along the course because the website made it sound like every place was completely packed shoulder to shoulder. I had to fight back tears of gratitude/excitement/exhaustion when I saw them. I stopped briefly to give them a sweaty hug and kept on running. The sign overhead of where they were said "Only 4.1 miles to the finish." FYI - don't ever start a sentence with "Only" when you're dealing with people who've been running for about four hours already. Another 4.1 miles for me meant about another 50 minutes. It was grueling. I allowed myself to walk for short distances every so often, but I made mini deals with myself: you can walk until that stop sign for example. It worked out quite well and I kept plugging along. What was surprising to me was how many of us were walking and how much we all started to thin out as we got closer to the finish line.
I saw Chris, Kim, Sue, and Banjo around mile 24 and I had to fight back tears again. I stopped to pet Banjo and kept on moving. These last segments felt like it took forever. I wanted to stop so badly and get off my feet, but I kept moving. I would pause every so often to walk for a short distance, but I kept moving forward. Nearing the finish, we ran by the William Irvin ship. That ship is ridiculously long. I walked for a little bit and one of the spectators told me to start running once I got to the stop lights up ahead. I was grateful for her telling me that because it was like me bargaining with myself, only this time I was too tired to do so.
Chris, Kim, Sue and Banjo met me within the last bit of the race, just before the finish line came into full view. I kept moving. We runners were so spread out by now that the announcer called each of us out by name. I heard mine and whooped! I saw the finish line just ahead and was honestly a bit disappointed that more of the spectators there weren't cheering as loud as everyone else was along the course. None of it mattered though because I crossed the finish line Rocky-style. Official chip time (time from when I crossed the start line to when I crossed the finish line): 4:46:26. I was so grateful to be done and I was overwhelmed by the sense of accomplishment and the sense of urgency I had to eat and drink a lot. I got my medal, I got a red carnation, grabbed something to drink, and got my finisher shirt. I worked my way over to the reflective blanket line because although I was warm then, I still had enough mental capacity to recognize I was going to get cold soon.
Next I moved onto the food tables. I got a bagel, yogurt and salty chips. Those chips tasted amazing! I walked over to the family greeting area, where Kim found me. I almost cried again, but was too overcome by how good the chips tasted. Chris and Banjo were just behind her, and Sue was close by them. I was so completely happy and was ecstatic to be done running.
We made our way to the car, then I stopped and the car made its way to me :) Banjo amused himself by doing tricks for parts of my bagel. He was not as impressed with the marathon I had finished - he was enamored by the peanut butter-filled bagel I had acquired. We all piled into the car and Kim drove us back to the house.
Once we got there, I took off my shoes and found very small blisters along the side of my feet, the kind that you leave alone (which was amazing). My knees were a bit annoyed, but nothing I hadn't felt on a training run before. I thought I had effectively emerged from the experience unscathed. That was before I took a shower. I was surprised by a sharp stinging on my lower back. Turns out the back pocket in my shorts was rubbing small parts of my skin raw, hence the stinging. I figured if that's all the pain I have to deal with, I'm doing pretty damn good!
Once again (and I cannot stress this enough): thank you to all of you that supported me during my training and sent me good vibes before, during, and after the race! You helped me accomplish my goal! Special thanks to Kim for suggesting that first 5k, for answering my questions along the way, and for supporting me in Duluth; thanks to Sue for making the special trip up to Duluth and supporting me throughout my training, getting excited for each new distance I was thinking of doing; thanks to my parents for supporting me even when you didn't understand why I would want to run as far I did (I don't know if I fully understand it!) - it meant so incredibly much to see you on the sidelines; thanks to Chris for encouraging me to do whatever my heart desires, for comforting me whenever I hit bumps along the way, and for being helping me stick to my training schedule - you are amazing!; and to Banjo: thank you for snuggling with me during my post-run naps, thank you for getting excited every time I got home, and for making me laugh - you are a good boy.
Banjo, Chris and I left for Duluth around noon on Friday in the hopes of beating some of the traffic. I had spent Thursday evening in a bad mood, feeling sorry for myself because I was still sick, because I'd missed a number of training runs, because I was second-guessing that I'd be able to complete a marathon. Friday morning I spent extremely nervous, almost to the point of shaking because I was so tense. I was second-guessing every clothing decision, every food item I thought of bringing along. What finally helped was when I stopped what I was doing, sat down, closed my eyes, and told myself I put in a lot of hours training and that I was ready. I told myself I had tested out everything I was going to wear, everything I was likely going to eat. Most importantly, I reminded myself that my only goal was to finish. It really didn't matter how long it took me; what mattered was that I show up and run the best race I could with any expectations of how I would do. After that, I felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. It was a very freeing experience.
On the trip up, I was excited and wanted to start running. By the time we got to the DECC where I'd pick up my race packet, I was wondering why we hadn't left the house sooner. There was quite the line of cars, and wherever there are that many cars, there are bound to be a ton of people. I was frustrated trying to get my packet because there were so many people at the DECC, and of course, packet pick-up was in a far-off corner that you couldn't get to without being crammed through a lot of vendor booths. I made it in and out of there successfully though, and we continued on to the house we were staying at.
A friend of a friend was extremely generous and let us stay at her house while she and her family was gone (native Duluthians tend to leave town for Grandma's weekend). She has a fantastic house and plenty of places for family members to stay. Banjo checked out the entire house and the grounds, and spent most of that first night by the door, wondering when we were going home.
Kim and Sue came up that evening and I forced everyone to watch Run Fatboy Run with Simon Pegg. I watched it before my half marathon and found it put me in a good mood. Then it was off to bed to try to get some sleep before an early wake up call.
Alarm went off at 4:45. Breakfast and tea were eaten partially at the house and partially on the way to a bus pick-up area at UMD. Chris and Banjo drove me over and the immense line-up of buses took all of us waiting runners to Two Harbors for the start of the race. I was at the start line around 6am; start time was 7:45. I had time to kill. I spent part of it talking with my high school English teacher, who aptly described all of us runners as "idiots."
Besides that, the start area was effectively a ton of porta potties. Runners gotta take care of business before taking care of business! There was a large area in between where runners were standing and sitting, all waiting to line up. The entire beginning felt like we were cattle. We all came in on buses; the buses lined up; we were all released; we followed one another to another area where we waited; finally, we lined up in a shoot and we all started moving.
Then the race started. It took some time for me to cross the start line because we had so many people ahead of us. There were 5,930 people that started the race (spoiler alert: 5,787 people crossed the finish line). The weather was predicted to be raining/thunderstorms, but it was sunny, in the 60s, and a little humid.
I felt pretty good at the start. I was finally running. The scenery along Highway 61 was beautiful and every once in a while, we'd catch a glimpse of Lake Superior. Chris, Kim, Sue and Banjo were waiting for me around mile 5, and I was excited to see them. I had no idea how uplifting it would be to see people that were there to support me. It was really fun to see how many strangers were supporting all of us runners too, but there's something special about those just for you. I especially loved how Banjo howled after me the first time I passed. I heard a chorus of people mocking him behind me :)
I next saw the gang around mile 12, and I still felt pretty good. The sky then clouded over and there was a slight breeze and less humidity. The perfect conditions! I kept on running. I made it a point to stop at every water stop to make sure I was drinking enough and to give myself a small break (I walked through each water stop to try to avoid spilling the entire contents of the cups on myself.) It felt like the water stops, although 2 miles apart, were coming up quickly, which meant it felt like the miles were quickly ticking down.
At the half-way mark, I stopped to relieve my very full bladder (a sign that I was hydrating!) I saw a number of people sneak off into the bushes along the course, but I wanted to hit up a porta potty that preferably didn't have a line. I got my chance because the half marathon started at our halfway point, which meant there was another major line-up of porta potties. I kept on running.
There were people scattered here and there for the first 20 miles, and the large concentrations of people started around mile 20. Up until that point, I had lots of time to space out and enjoy the scenery. After around mile 20, I found myself scanning the crowd, thanking people for supporting us, and getting a little anxious/tired. Those last six miles felt about 3x longer than any of the earlier miles. I gave a lot of people high-fives along the route, which energized me for short bits of time. I found the most enthusiastic spectators were the drunk college kids - in this context, their antics were very much appreciated! I heard one girl exclaimed to us runners: "Way to fight obesity!"
I got choked up around mile 22 when I saw my dad's hat poking out over the crowd. My parents weren't sure if they would cheer from along the course because the website made it sound like every place was completely packed shoulder to shoulder. I had to fight back tears of gratitude/excitement/exhaustion when I saw them. I stopped briefly to give them a sweaty hug and kept on running. The sign overhead of where they were said "Only 4.1 miles to the finish." FYI - don't ever start a sentence with "Only" when you're dealing with people who've been running for about four hours already. Another 4.1 miles for me meant about another 50 minutes. It was grueling. I allowed myself to walk for short distances every so often, but I made mini deals with myself: you can walk until that stop sign for example. It worked out quite well and I kept plugging along. What was surprising to me was how many of us were walking and how much we all started to thin out as we got closer to the finish line.
I saw Chris, Kim, Sue, and Banjo around mile 24 and I had to fight back tears again. I stopped to pet Banjo and kept on moving. These last segments felt like it took forever. I wanted to stop so badly and get off my feet, but I kept moving. I would pause every so often to walk for a short distance, but I kept moving forward. Nearing the finish, we ran by the William Irvin ship. That ship is ridiculously long. I walked for a little bit and one of the spectators told me to start running once I got to the stop lights up ahead. I was grateful for her telling me that because it was like me bargaining with myself, only this time I was too tired to do so.
Chris, Kim, Sue and Banjo met me within the last bit of the race, just before the finish line came into full view. I kept moving. We runners were so spread out by now that the announcer called each of us out by name. I heard mine and whooped! I saw the finish line just ahead and was honestly a bit disappointed that more of the spectators there weren't cheering as loud as everyone else was along the course. None of it mattered though because I crossed the finish line Rocky-style. Official chip time (time from when I crossed the start line to when I crossed the finish line): 4:46:26. I was so grateful to be done and I was overwhelmed by the sense of accomplishment and the sense of urgency I had to eat and drink a lot. I got my medal, I got a red carnation, grabbed something to drink, and got my finisher shirt. I worked my way over to the reflective blanket line because although I was warm then, I still had enough mental capacity to recognize I was going to get cold soon.
Next I moved onto the food tables. I got a bagel, yogurt and salty chips. Those chips tasted amazing! I walked over to the family greeting area, where Kim found me. I almost cried again, but was too overcome by how good the chips tasted. Chris and Banjo were just behind her, and Sue was close by them. I was so completely happy and was ecstatic to be done running.
We made our way to the car, then I stopped and the car made its way to me :) Banjo amused himself by doing tricks for parts of my bagel. He was not as impressed with the marathon I had finished - he was enamored by the peanut butter-filled bagel I had acquired. We all piled into the car and Kim drove us back to the house.
Once we got there, I took off my shoes and found very small blisters along the side of my feet, the kind that you leave alone (which was amazing). My knees were a bit annoyed, but nothing I hadn't felt on a training run before. I thought I had effectively emerged from the experience unscathed. That was before I took a shower. I was surprised by a sharp stinging on my lower back. Turns out the back pocket in my shorts was rubbing small parts of my skin raw, hence the stinging. I figured if that's all the pain I have to deal with, I'm doing pretty damn good!
Once again (and I cannot stress this enough): thank you to all of you that supported me during my training and sent me good vibes before, during, and after the race! You helped me accomplish my goal! Special thanks to Kim for suggesting that first 5k, for answering my questions along the way, and for supporting me in Duluth; thanks to Sue for making the special trip up to Duluth and supporting me throughout my training, getting excited for each new distance I was thinking of doing; thanks to my parents for supporting me even when you didn't understand why I would want to run as far I did (I don't know if I fully understand it!) - it meant so incredibly much to see you on the sidelines; thanks to Chris for encouraging me to do whatever my heart desires, for comforting me whenever I hit bumps along the way, and for being helping me stick to my training schedule - you are amazing!; and to Banjo: thank you for snuggling with me during my post-run naps, thank you for getting excited every time I got home, and for making me laugh - you are a good boy.
16 June 2012
Marathon Finisher!
I have officially completed a marathon! My time was 4:46:26 in the 36th annual Grandma's Marathon.
I will write a longer post later this weekend, but I want you to know I had a fun time and was blown away by the support. I was so excited that Chris, Kim and Sue (along with Banjo) cheered me on along the course, and my parents came out to cheer me on too! Thank you for believing in me and cheering me on.
I will write a longer post later this weekend, but I want you to know I had a fun time and was blown away by the support. I was so excited that Chris, Kim and Sue (along with Banjo) cheered me on along the course, and my parents came out to cheer me on too! Thank you for believing in me and cheering me on.
15 June 2012
Day before Grandma's
I am feeling quite nervous and am trying to remind myself that I've done all the hard work already, and that all I need to do out there tomorrow is enjoy myself. It doesn't matter what my pace will be. It doesn't matter if it's raining. All that matters is that I remember is to put one foot in front of the other, to enjoy the view of Lake Superior, to appreciate all the people lined up to support us runners.
I feel ready physically (minus my mildly sore throat) and I'm hoping I will feel mostly ready mentally tomorrow morning. I have a feeling that as soon as I start running, all of my nervousness and doubt will fade away and I'll get lost in my enjoyment of the lake.
I feel ready physically (minus my mildly sore throat) and I'm hoping I will feel mostly ready mentally tomorrow morning. I have a feeling that as soon as I start running, all of my nervousness and doubt will fade away and I'll get lost in my enjoyment of the lake.
13 June 2012
Monarch caterpillars
We have two monarch caterpillars in the native plant bed! They are crapping all over the butterfly weed and I'm super excited, hoping I get to see them transform! Crazy they can do it without star bits :)
11 June 2012
The countdown begins...
I will be running in Grandma's Marathon next Saturday! Woohoo! That is if I can stop hacking long enough to do so!
A week ago, my left eye was irritated, my sinuses filled up and I started getting a sore throat. By Thursday, Chris was enjoying my sultry voice. By Friday, that sexy voice was replaced with hoarse squeaking. Not cool. After a relaxing weekend at my parents', I expected to be healed, but it turned out only to be a hope. My throat hurt a lot Friday and Saturday, and slightly better on Sunday. At least one of my eyes was crusted shut each night. Eww!
I finally resolved myself to go to the doctor today. They told me what I suspected they'd tell me: it's a virus and you have allergies. Thanks a lot Doc! I have viral pinkeye and my sinuses and throat are the result of allergies, meaning I can do little but wait for it to pass. When I asked the doctor if my pinkeye was contagious, he said "Yeah." I pressed him a bit because I was hoping he'd elaborate (should I be worried, do I have to quarantine myself, etc). He said I should wash my hands a lot and try not to touch my eye. Thanks again Doc!
I was quite frustrated that I wasted time at the doctor's office, but like Chris and my mom both said, I needed to know whether it was anything more serious so I could take action before Saturday.
This wouldn't be so bad except I was sick for about a week around Memorial Day with the crappy flu bug I get where I have no energy and am achy. That was frustrating too.
Now, I'm trying to focus on getting better for this weekend (and pausing every ten seconds in writing this post to dry cough my way closer to Hell). If any of you are interested in following my progress and want to see if I make it out alive, you can sign up to follow me via text or email here or look at the website for results afterwards. The race starts at 7:45 and I'm thinking I might be done in about 4 1/2 hours. I have no true goal time - all I want to do is enjoy the experience and finish all 26.2 miles! Thanks for your support!
A week ago, my left eye was irritated, my sinuses filled up and I started getting a sore throat. By Thursday, Chris was enjoying my sultry voice. By Friday, that sexy voice was replaced with hoarse squeaking. Not cool. After a relaxing weekend at my parents', I expected to be healed, but it turned out only to be a hope. My throat hurt a lot Friday and Saturday, and slightly better on Sunday. At least one of my eyes was crusted shut each night. Eww!
I finally resolved myself to go to the doctor today. They told me what I suspected they'd tell me: it's a virus and you have allergies. Thanks a lot Doc! I have viral pinkeye and my sinuses and throat are the result of allergies, meaning I can do little but wait for it to pass. When I asked the doctor if my pinkeye was contagious, he said "Yeah." I pressed him a bit because I was hoping he'd elaborate (should I be worried, do I have to quarantine myself, etc). He said I should wash my hands a lot and try not to touch my eye. Thanks again Doc!
I was quite frustrated that I wasted time at the doctor's office, but like Chris and my mom both said, I needed to know whether it was anything more serious so I could take action before Saturday.
This wouldn't be so bad except I was sick for about a week around Memorial Day with the crappy flu bug I get where I have no energy and am achy. That was frustrating too.
Now, I'm trying to focus on getting better for this weekend (and pausing every ten seconds in writing this post to dry cough my way closer to Hell). If any of you are interested in following my progress and want to see if I make it out alive, you can sign up to follow me via text or email here or look at the website for results afterwards. The race starts at 7:45 and I'm thinking I might be done in about 4 1/2 hours. I have no true goal time - all I want to do is enjoy the experience and finish all 26.2 miles! Thanks for your support!
22 May 2012
Tomatoes and herbs
A couple of weekends ago, I bought a couple of different varieties of tomatoes with the hopes of successfully growing them in pots on the deck. Given the forecast, I figured it would be safe to put them out. Plus I can always lug the big, heavy pots inside if there's a threat of frost (says the girl in short and a tank top.) The tomato experiment begins!
The oregano is definitely one I'll need to put outside as soon as it starts warming up outside. As an experiment last year, I plant a chunk of my oregano plant in the ground to see how it would do over winter. The thing exploded when spring hit and I luckily read in one my gardening books that oregano is super aggressive (similar to mint or worse.) I quickly dug it up and put it in a pot on the deck.
My herbs are all growing quite well:
The oregano is definitely one I'll need to put outside as soon as it starts warming up outside. As an experiment last year, I plant a chunk of my oregano plant in the ground to see how it would do over winter. The thing exploded when spring hit and I luckily read in one my gardening books that oregano is super aggressive (similar to mint or worse.) I quickly dug it up and put it in a pot on the deck.
20 May 2012
Aventures in Gardening
Last week, I did a lot of yard work. I finally mulched the pathway I "created" last fall (by created I mean, threw down round pavers...ta da!). I also finally mulched around the ash tree in the back, got the strawberry patch completely planted both at our house and at Chris's parents' house, and started weeding and mulching the front.
Here are some pictures:
Here are some pictures:
This is the raised bed Chris built excitedly, including a cover to keep the damn squirrels and chipmunks away from our berries! The cover is hinged on top, so it can be opened from either side (brilliant!)
While I was weeding around the bird feeder post, I saw a few sunflowers starting to grow from the thousands of sunflower seeds the birds kick from the feeder.
The most time-consuming part of the weekend was mulching, and it was worth it.
We finally tried the Egyptian Walking Onions I got last year from our next-door neighbor. They were quite tasty (similar to large green onions). I am quite impressed with how easily they grow - I got a handful of them last year and now I have many plants, with more on the way!
This is not how I would recommend eating them however...
06 May 2012
Training for Grandma's
After my half marathon, I decided to push myself even farther. I decided to sign up for Grandma's Marathon on June 16th. This marathon has a particularly special place in my heart since I went to school in Duluth and volunteered at it, where I saw my high school English teacher run past. I remember in high school the week after a marathon, that same English teacher walking around in sandals and telling us all about how much pain his feet were in, and I remember thinking "Why would anyone do that to themselves?" Hee hee
As I've probably mentioned to you many times, I never would have believed I could do this. Now with each run, I feel stronger and stronger. I believe I can, and the strange thing is I'm actually enjoying it. I hit another personal record yesterday with an 18ish mile run, the farthest distance I've run yet. The farthest I'll be running in training is 20 miles, because it turns out that training for long distances is stressful for your body. Who knew?!
My only goal for Grandma's is to finish and to have fun doing it. Thanks for your support!
As I've probably mentioned to you many times, I never would have believed I could do this. Now with each run, I feel stronger and stronger. I believe I can, and the strange thing is I'm actually enjoying it. I hit another personal record yesterday with an 18ish mile run, the farthest distance I've run yet. The farthest I'll be running in training is 20 miles, because it turns out that training for long distances is stressful for your body. Who knew?!
My only goal for Grandma's is to finish and to have fun doing it. Thanks for your support!
Philly
Last weekend, we flew out to Pennsylvania to visit family and friends...well, let's be honest: it was also a food tour. We arrived late into Allentown (thanks to daddYman and Cheryl for picking us up!) and slept like rocks. The next morning, Chris did some work (LAME!) We took the boat - I mean the Buick :) - to make a surprise visit to Cheryl's work.
Then off to Philadelphia to visit Autumn and James. They took Friday off (the opposite of LAME) and we ate at a diner near their house (which is right next to a graveyard, so that when you're done eating, they can roll you right out and drop you in!) We went into downtown Philly to see some of the sights. First stop, the Franklin Institute. We made a trip through the heart (staple of the Institute for decades), we learned about crazy weather on the other planets of our solar system, we played with trains and we pretended to fly.
Next stop, ice cream! James took us to an old-time ice cream shop (old-time meaning it was late 1800s themed with homemade sarsaparilla and amazing ice cream). We collectively didn't believe James was actually taking us to an ice cream shop, but in James-style, he delivered right at the moment you've just about lost hope :) I miss hanging out with James and Autumn so much! We went back to their house, watched Community and laughed a lot. We ordered in sicilian-styled pizza and I had my first cannoli. Then much sangria-drinking ensued.
Next morning, I went for a run on the crazy hills near their house (those hills truly kicked my ass - I was huffing and puffing, but had no strength to knock anything down). James made delicious french toast for second breakfast (well, second breakfast for me anyway) and there was much rejoicing. We toured more of historic Philadelphia, including having my first true Philly cheese steak sandwich at Jim's. I had it whiz wit (translation Cheese Whiz with fried onions). The combination was magical and there was much rejoicing. We walk a tiny fraction of it off while checking out various sites, including the stump that was the Moon Tree (a seedling they took to the Moon and later planted in Philly and later still cut down - there's now a plaque). We tossed pennies on Ben Franklin's grave. We didn't know why we do this, but I will proudly say both of my pennies landed heads up. I think that means Ben Franklin will grant me a two wishes.
Later that night, we headed to PPL Park to watch the Philadelphia Union vs the San Jose Earthquakes (professional football...aka soccer). We had so much fun! I feared I would lose my voice the next day from all the screaming and yelling - it was a very exciting game and I got sucked right in.
The next morning, we headed out soon after we woke up to spend some time in Allentown with daddYman, Cheryl and Jabbour. We celebrated Cheryl's upcoming birthday (happy belated birthday again!) and played some Wii (her birthday present). Lunch was amazing - Salvatore pizza, sicilian-style and baked to perfection. There was much rejoicing :) Not long after, I had to head to the airport to start the journey back home.
It was a very fun time - thank you to James, Autumn, daddYman, Cheryl and Jabbour for a wonderful trip!
Then off to Philadelphia to visit Autumn and James. They took Friday off (the opposite of LAME) and we ate at a diner near their house (which is right next to a graveyard, so that when you're done eating, they can roll you right out and drop you in!) We went into downtown Philly to see some of the sights. First stop, the Franklin Institute. We made a trip through the heart (staple of the Institute for decades), we learned about crazy weather on the other planets of our solar system, we played with trains and we pretended to fly.
Next stop, ice cream! James took us to an old-time ice cream shop (old-time meaning it was late 1800s themed with homemade sarsaparilla and amazing ice cream). We collectively didn't believe James was actually taking us to an ice cream shop, but in James-style, he delivered right at the moment you've just about lost hope :) I miss hanging out with James and Autumn so much! We went back to their house, watched Community and laughed a lot. We ordered in sicilian-styled pizza and I had my first cannoli. Then much sangria-drinking ensued.
Next morning, I went for a run on the crazy hills near their house (those hills truly kicked my ass - I was huffing and puffing, but had no strength to knock anything down). James made delicious french toast for second breakfast (well, second breakfast for me anyway) and there was much rejoicing. We toured more of historic Philadelphia, including having my first true Philly cheese steak sandwich at Jim's. I had it whiz wit (translation Cheese Whiz with fried onions). The combination was magical and there was much rejoicing. We walk a tiny fraction of it off while checking out various sites, including the stump that was the Moon Tree (a seedling they took to the Moon and later planted in Philly and later still cut down - there's now a plaque). We tossed pennies on Ben Franklin's grave. We didn't know why we do this, but I will proudly say both of my pennies landed heads up. I think that means Ben Franklin will grant me a two wishes.
Later that night, we headed to PPL Park to watch the Philadelphia Union vs the San Jose Earthquakes (professional football...aka soccer). We had so much fun! I feared I would lose my voice the next day from all the screaming and yelling - it was a very exciting game and I got sucked right in.
The next morning, we headed out soon after we woke up to spend some time in Allentown with daddYman, Cheryl and Jabbour. We celebrated Cheryl's upcoming birthday (happy belated birthday again!) and played some Wii (her birthday present). Lunch was amazing - Salvatore pizza, sicilian-style and baked to perfection. There was much rejoicing :) Not long after, I had to head to the airport to start the journey back home.
It was a very fun time - thank you to James, Autumn, daddYman, Cheryl and Jabbour for a wonderful trip!
17 March 2012
Half Marathon Success!
I ran a half marathon today! I ran the Get Lucky race in St. Paul, along with over 2,400 runners. My official time was 2:16:01, one minute longer than I expected (although truthfully, I didn't really know what to expect).
I had been training in winter weather and today was anything but that. It started out humid and ended up in the 60s-70s during the race. It was also sunny. I was worried about overheating but ended up quite well. I figured out that wiping water on my face and occasionally my neck helped keep me cool.
I was really nervous starting a few days before the race because that's what I do apparently! Yesterday, I finally came to the realization that the race isn't the big deal - it's all the training that came before it. I committed a significant chunk of my time and energy training for this. That was the real accomplishment. The race was a bonus, with lots of people acknowledging all of our training. Plus I got a medal!
Chris and Sue came out to support me - it was fun to see them along the course :) Thank you to all of you supporting me! All of your warm wishes helped me through! It was a great experience all the way around.
.
I had been training in winter weather and today was anything but that. It started out humid and ended up in the 60s-70s during the race. It was also sunny. I was worried about overheating but ended up quite well. I figured out that wiping water on my face and occasionally my neck helped keep me cool.
I was really nervous starting a few days before the race because that's what I do apparently! Yesterday, I finally came to the realization that the race isn't the big deal - it's all the training that came before it. I committed a significant chunk of my time and energy training for this. That was the real accomplishment. The race was a bonus, with lots of people acknowledging all of our training. Plus I got a medal!
Chris and Sue came out to support me - it was fun to see them along the course :) Thank you to all of you supporting me! All of your warm wishes helped me through! It was a great experience all the way around.
.
26 February 2012
Roadtrip!
Chris and I went on a 4,034 roadtrip to the Southwest. It was amazing!
We went out with the intent to hike the Grand Canyon (at least that was my focus), see Great Sand Dunes, visit a family friend, and hike Zion. We hit three of the four, and I got to see Zion and Bryce. More on that later.
First stop: Great Sand Dunes
We got there earlier than expected, and we were going to stay at a hotel, but we had the opportunity to arrive after dark and camp at Great Sand Dunes. The forecast was 9 degrees Fahrenheit. When we woke up, it was around 18 degrees in the tent. First time winter camping and it was surprisingly awesome.
This is what I woke up to:
The skies were bright blue and the dunes were calling our name. We headed up and out. Chris got some fun photos that we'll all see in about a year :) Here was one picture I took:
The dunes had some major dropoffs, which made it all the more cool. We hiked to the highest point visually (there was one higher when you measure from the base to the top). I was a little worried about hiking Grand Canyon after this because of how winded I was getting hiking up sand, but I was also excited.
Second Stop: Phoenix
Because of a little thing called geography, we decided to head down to Phoenix to visit a family friend. At that point, I was starting to get even more nervous about taking the right stuff into the Grand Canyon, so this was a welcome chance to relax and enjoy an evening with Dale. It's incredible meeting the people who've had an important part in Chris's life.
Third Stop: The Grand Canyon!
Then came the big day. We packed our packs the night before, which put my mind at ease a little bit, but I still managed to toss and turn for a small part of the night. You need a backcountry permit to camp in the Grand Canyon, and we unfortunately just missed the deadline of getting it mailed out to us when we were planning our roadtrip. Chris called the park though and they said winter is definitely the off-season and we shouldn't have any issue getting a permit.
Sure enough, we walked into the Backcountry Office and got a permit without issue. We decided to take a day hiking down South Kaibab Trail, camp at Bright Angel Campground, then take Bright Angel Trail back out of the canyon in two stages with a stay at Indian Garden Campground in between. The guide books suggested this as an option and it seemed like a logical one. Plus by taking two trails, we got to see a tiny sliver more of the park than we would have otherwise.
Prior to the trip, I purchased hiking poles and I am so grateful that I did. Not sure my knees or big toes would have survived without them. The reason I say big toes is that parts of South Kaibab were quite steep and unfortunately my big toes were slamming into the front part of my hiking boots with each step. The hiking poles helped, and I think it's because of them that I didn't lose my right big toenail (it was bruised after the hike down).
I'm definitely making it sound way worse than it was, but close to the end of the first day, I was exhausted and all I wanted to do was take off my hiking boots and let my feet rest. Also, my muscles hated me at the end of the hike. Apparently, one is supposed to train some before hiking into the Grand Canyon :)
The views on the way down were absolutely incredible. What was amazing to me is the fact that we were only able to see a very small piece of the 277-mile long canyon. It was amazing! The South Kaibab Trail was great to go down because of the way it wound down into the canyon - you couldn't ever see where you were going to end up. That is the complete opposite of the Bright Angel Trail, where you can see where you're going to end up the entire way down (sounds a bit maddening to me!).
Here are some pictures from the way down:
Yep, that's the trail you see in the distance.
The elevation changes were incredible: starting at South Kaibab, we hiked from an elevation of 7,260 feet down to 4,780 feet (a total of about 7 miles). Then hiking out, we went back to an elevation of 6,860 feet over two days (a total of about 9.5 miles). I'm really glad we decided to do Bright Angel Trail over two days because my legs hurt each morning until we got back on the trail.
This was starting out from near Bright Angel Campground.
Our stay at Bright Angel Campground was great - we camped right next to Bright Angel Creek that fed into the Colorado River. It was perfect white noise to fall asleep to. Plus the temperatures were in the upper 40s/lower 50s (in other words, warm).
That first stage back out was fairly easy - the trail followed the Colorado River and we only hiked about 1/3 of the way up in terms of elevation. It felt so wonderful mostly hiking up hill instead of down. I had no idea how many different muscles were in my legs! I never thought I would enjoy hiking up!
We arrived at Indian Garden in the early afternoon, which gave us ample time to set up camp and relax in the sun. Something that was surprising is how aggressive the squirrels are. There are ammo cans at every campsite, and you are encouraged to put all of your food and plastics in those cans as soon as you arrive because of the squirrels. I didn't think it would be that bad, but sure enough, as soon as we were getting our lunch ready, a squirrel starting "sneaking" towards the campsite. We had to shoo him off several times during lunch. If only Banjo could have been there...
Here's a choppy video of our campsite at Indian Garden:
After a couple of hours relaxing, we headed out to Plateau Point to see the sunset. Plateau Point is a formation gives you a 360-degree view of the Canyon. It was incredibly beautiful. The sunset had only brief periods of brilliant colors, which would fade and a few minutes later, the brilliant colors would return again.
Here's another choppy video, this time from Plateau Point:
We went out with the intent to hike the Grand Canyon (at least that was my focus), see Great Sand Dunes, visit a family friend, and hike Zion. We hit three of the four, and I got to see Zion and Bryce. More on that later.
First stop: Great Sand Dunes
We got there earlier than expected, and we were going to stay at a hotel, but we had the opportunity to arrive after dark and camp at Great Sand Dunes. The forecast was 9 degrees Fahrenheit. When we woke up, it was around 18 degrees in the tent. First time winter camping and it was surprisingly awesome.
This is what I woke up to:
The skies were bright blue and the dunes were calling our name. We headed up and out. Chris got some fun photos that we'll all see in about a year :) Here was one picture I took:
The dunes had some major dropoffs, which made it all the more cool. We hiked to the highest point visually (there was one higher when you measure from the base to the top). I was a little worried about hiking Grand Canyon after this because of how winded I was getting hiking up sand, but I was also excited.Second Stop: Phoenix
Because of a little thing called geography, we decided to head down to Phoenix to visit a family friend. At that point, I was starting to get even more nervous about taking the right stuff into the Grand Canyon, so this was a welcome chance to relax and enjoy an evening with Dale. It's incredible meeting the people who've had an important part in Chris's life.
Third Stop: The Grand Canyon!
Then came the big day. We packed our packs the night before, which put my mind at ease a little bit, but I still managed to toss and turn for a small part of the night. You need a backcountry permit to camp in the Grand Canyon, and we unfortunately just missed the deadline of getting it mailed out to us when we were planning our roadtrip. Chris called the park though and they said winter is definitely the off-season and we shouldn't have any issue getting a permit.
Sure enough, we walked into the Backcountry Office and got a permit without issue. We decided to take a day hiking down South Kaibab Trail, camp at Bright Angel Campground, then take Bright Angel Trail back out of the canyon in two stages with a stay at Indian Garden Campground in between. The guide books suggested this as an option and it seemed like a logical one. Plus by taking two trails, we got to see a tiny sliver more of the park than we would have otherwise.
Prior to the trip, I purchased hiking poles and I am so grateful that I did. Not sure my knees or big toes would have survived without them. The reason I say big toes is that parts of South Kaibab were quite steep and unfortunately my big toes were slamming into the front part of my hiking boots with each step. The hiking poles helped, and I think it's because of them that I didn't lose my right big toenail (it was bruised after the hike down).
I'm definitely making it sound way worse than it was, but close to the end of the first day, I was exhausted and all I wanted to do was take off my hiking boots and let my feet rest. Also, my muscles hated me at the end of the hike. Apparently, one is supposed to train some before hiking into the Grand Canyon :)
The views on the way down were absolutely incredible. What was amazing to me is the fact that we were only able to see a very small piece of the 277-mile long canyon. It was amazing! The South Kaibab Trail was great to go down because of the way it wound down into the canyon - you couldn't ever see where you were going to end up. That is the complete opposite of the Bright Angel Trail, where you can see where you're going to end up the entire way down (sounds a bit maddening to me!).
Here are some pictures from the way down:
Yep, that's the trail you see in the distance. 
Chris taking some pictures at a rest point along the trail. This was the first time the Colorado River was in view.
The elevation changes were incredible: starting at South Kaibab, we hiked from an elevation of 7,260 feet down to 4,780 feet (a total of about 7 miles). Then hiking out, we went back to an elevation of 6,860 feet over two days (a total of about 9.5 miles). I'm really glad we decided to do Bright Angel Trail over two days because my legs hurt each morning until we got back on the trail.
This was starting out from near Bright Angel Campground. Our stay at Bright Angel Campground was great - we camped right next to Bright Angel Creek that fed into the Colorado River. It was perfect white noise to fall asleep to. Plus the temperatures were in the upper 40s/lower 50s (in other words, warm).
That first stage back out was fairly easy - the trail followed the Colorado River and we only hiked about 1/3 of the way up in terms of elevation. It felt so wonderful mostly hiking up hill instead of down. I had no idea how many different muscles were in my legs! I never thought I would enjoy hiking up!
We arrived at Indian Garden in the early afternoon, which gave us ample time to set up camp and relax in the sun. Something that was surprising is how aggressive the squirrels are. There are ammo cans at every campsite, and you are encouraged to put all of your food and plastics in those cans as soon as you arrive because of the squirrels. I didn't think it would be that bad, but sure enough, as soon as we were getting our lunch ready, a squirrel starting "sneaking" towards the campsite. We had to shoo him off several times during lunch. If only Banjo could have been there...
Here's a choppy video of our campsite at Indian Garden:
After a couple of hours relaxing, we headed out to Plateau Point to see the sunset. Plateau Point is a formation gives you a 360-degree view of the Canyon. It was incredibly beautiful. The sunset had only brief periods of brilliant colors, which would fade and a few minutes later, the brilliant colors would return again.
Here's another choppy video, this time from Plateau Point:
An interesting thing for me was the hike back from Plateau Point. By that time, it was getting dark, which meant we could see the Bright Angel Trailhead at the top of the rim (there's a lodge right next to it that had lots of lights). You can't see the trail itself going up Bright Angel though, which makes it look like there is no actual way out of the canyon.
I didn't take any more pictures the second day because I was focused on getting out and my camera wasn't super happy (the temperatures were cooler given the change in elevation). Chris took enough, and we'll see them when we see them :)
The final day consisted of a lot of switchbacks, meaning we headed up quickly. I'm really glad we didn't try to do Bright Angel all in one day. Another interesting thing was ice covered the trail for the last two miles. We had Stabilicers though (traction devices you stretch on the bottom of your shoes), and I managed to slip mine off each time we hit mud. For some time, the trail alternated between mud and ice.
I am pretty sure I did the final stage too quickly, but the anticipation of completing the journey was too great. We didn't see many people towards the top of Bright Angel (meaning people that were going to do day hikes), and I'm guessing it was due to the ice. The views were incredible all the way.
In early afternoon, we made it to the trailhead and there was much rejoicing (Yeaaaa....). I looked out over the Grand Canyon and felt pretty damn good. I just hiked into and out of the Grand Canyon! A few years ago, I never would have though I could do that. Running definitely helped my endurance and doing the hike during the winter months helped immensely too. I can say I never want to do a hike in the Grand Canyon in the summertime. We are thinking about doing a rim to rim hike sometime in the future - the North Rim is closed down during the winter due to snow/ice.
We celebrated our successful journey with a hamburger and onion rings for me and a chicken sandwich and fries for Chris. We took some time at the top to talk to Will from Tennessee (I was tempted to have him read us a book because I could have listened to his accent all day). We talked about other hikes and areas we have explored and would recommend. We slowly packed up the car and waited for a couple we met along the trail, who we happened to park by. They are living in Canada and were absolutely delightful.
Now it was time to figure out what we wanted to do next. We decided to move onto Zion.
Fourth Stop: Zion and Bryce
We stayed at Best Western with a restaurant sign that read: Thunderbird Restaurant Home of the Ho-Made Pies. Hee hee. Breakfast there was really tasty.
After breakfast, we headed out to Zion. I was worried in the morning about my legs. They hurt a lot and I quickly realized I wouldn't feel comfortable doing any serious hiking. We had the intention of hiking Angels Landing, which is a strenuous and challenging hike for an incredible view of Zion. We've heard from a number of people we should do it.
When we got to Zion (which was incredible), we were thinking of what to do next. Given the time of day, we decided to drive to the northern part of the park (the Kolob Canyons) to do a short hike and wait for the warmer afternoon weather before attempting Angels Landing. We did an easy, half mile hike through mud and snow to get to a point that overlooked the Kolob Canyons. I decided about 5 steps into that mini-hike that I couldn't do Angels Landing. I felt horrible about not being able to do another hike that I wanted to, but I also knew it was the right decision. I wasn't physically or mentally in shape to do such a hike.
At that point, I wanted to go home. I knew my legs were going to take a long time to heal (it's now four days after the Grand Canyon and our calves are still sore). We did driving tours through Zion and Bryce, and we've decided we'd like to do a multi-day hike in Zion, from the Kolob Canyons down to the main part of the park, sometime in the future, and I would love to do some hiking in Bryce. Did you know they have prairie dogs too?!?
Final Destination: Home
After driving through those parks, we started making our way back home. The drive through western Colorado was absolutely gorgeous. After incredible views of mountains, we reached eastern Colorado, which can be summed up in two words: boring and smelly.
We made it back to Minnesota and Banjo on Sunday afternoon. He did a kind of double-take when we got to Chris's parents and then went crazy with excitement. Thank you again for taking care of him, Sue and Jamie! Sue had soup and biscuits waiting for us when we got there and we enjoyed the first home-cooked meal in several days. It tasted very good, and there were leftovers!
We got home yesterday and quickly unpacked the car and started laundry and airing out the tent and our sleeping bags.
It was a very fun journey. Chris and I had a lot of fun on the road together and we're looking forward to future trips. We also feel a lot more comfortable with multi-day hikes. We've gotten some experience and the trust level in ourselves has grown.
Banjo has brought us Duckie, signalling it's time to go. Thank you all for your well-wishes!
I didn't take any more pictures the second day because I was focused on getting out and my camera wasn't super happy (the temperatures were cooler given the change in elevation). Chris took enough, and we'll see them when we see them :)
The final day consisted of a lot of switchbacks, meaning we headed up quickly. I'm really glad we didn't try to do Bright Angel all in one day. Another interesting thing was ice covered the trail for the last two miles. We had Stabilicers though (traction devices you stretch on the bottom of your shoes), and I managed to slip mine off each time we hit mud. For some time, the trail alternated between mud and ice.
I am pretty sure I did the final stage too quickly, but the anticipation of completing the journey was too great. We didn't see many people towards the top of Bright Angel (meaning people that were going to do day hikes), and I'm guessing it was due to the ice. The views were incredible all the way.
In early afternoon, we made it to the trailhead and there was much rejoicing (Yeaaaa....). I looked out over the Grand Canyon and felt pretty damn good. I just hiked into and out of the Grand Canyon! A few years ago, I never would have though I could do that. Running definitely helped my endurance and doing the hike during the winter months helped immensely too. I can say I never want to do a hike in the Grand Canyon in the summertime. We are thinking about doing a rim to rim hike sometime in the future - the North Rim is closed down during the winter due to snow/ice.
We celebrated our successful journey with a hamburger and onion rings for me and a chicken sandwich and fries for Chris. We took some time at the top to talk to Will from Tennessee (I was tempted to have him read us a book because I could have listened to his accent all day). We talked about other hikes and areas we have explored and would recommend. We slowly packed up the car and waited for a couple we met along the trail, who we happened to park by. They are living in Canada and were absolutely delightful.
Now it was time to figure out what we wanted to do next. We decided to move onto Zion.
Fourth Stop: Zion and Bryce
We stayed at Best Western with a restaurant sign that read: Thunderbird Restaurant Home of the Ho-Made Pies. Hee hee. Breakfast there was really tasty.
After breakfast, we headed out to Zion. I was worried in the morning about my legs. They hurt a lot and I quickly realized I wouldn't feel comfortable doing any serious hiking. We had the intention of hiking Angels Landing, which is a strenuous and challenging hike for an incredible view of Zion. We've heard from a number of people we should do it.
When we got to Zion (which was incredible), we were thinking of what to do next. Given the time of day, we decided to drive to the northern part of the park (the Kolob Canyons) to do a short hike and wait for the warmer afternoon weather before attempting Angels Landing. We did an easy, half mile hike through mud and snow to get to a point that overlooked the Kolob Canyons. I decided about 5 steps into that mini-hike that I couldn't do Angels Landing. I felt horrible about not being able to do another hike that I wanted to, but I also knew it was the right decision. I wasn't physically or mentally in shape to do such a hike.
At that point, I wanted to go home. I knew my legs were going to take a long time to heal (it's now four days after the Grand Canyon and our calves are still sore). We did driving tours through Zion and Bryce, and we've decided we'd like to do a multi-day hike in Zion, from the Kolob Canyons down to the main part of the park, sometime in the future, and I would love to do some hiking in Bryce. Did you know they have prairie dogs too?!?
Final Destination: Home
After driving through those parks, we started making our way back home. The drive through western Colorado was absolutely gorgeous. After incredible views of mountains, we reached eastern Colorado, which can be summed up in two words: boring and smelly.
We made it back to Minnesota and Banjo on Sunday afternoon. He did a kind of double-take when we got to Chris's parents and then went crazy with excitement. Thank you again for taking care of him, Sue and Jamie! Sue had soup and biscuits waiting for us when we got there and we enjoyed the first home-cooked meal in several days. It tasted very good, and there were leftovers!
We got home yesterday and quickly unpacked the car and started laundry and airing out the tent and our sleeping bags.
It was a very fun journey. Chris and I had a lot of fun on the road together and we're looking forward to future trips. We also feel a lot more comfortable with multi-day hikes. We've gotten some experience and the trust level in ourselves has grown.
Banjo has brought us Duckie, signalling it's time to go. Thank you all for your well-wishes!
20 January 2012
A slightly-less-new year and new ambitions
Now that it's finally gotten really cold, I've started thinking about next year's garden. I'm really excited for Chris and I to build a couple of raised beds and to fill those suckers full of yummy stuff. We are going to have one dedicated to strawberries and the other whatever vegetables I want. I am thinking snow peas, spinach, lettuce, garlic and cherry tomatoes. Depending on space, I will likely be planting some of it elsewhere. I will be trying another potato experiment this year in hopes that I get potatoes that are larger than last year. The squirrels seemed uninterested in both the potatoes and my Egyptian Walking Onions last year, so I'm guessing the garlic would be safe to plant on its own. Plus I can utilize the deck planters too, but I might have those filled with more herbs.
I've been drinking a lot of herbal tea so far this winter, and I'm liking it more and more. I'm thinking about starting an herbal tea garden (fancy name for herb garden filled with herbs that are great for tea). I would really like to grow chamomile, lemon verbena, bergamot, lavendar and anise hyssop. I would also love to have a rose bush for rose hips (Rosa rugosa). Has anyone out there made their own tea? Any tips? Does anyone have any of these plants and would you be willing to share?
I tend to really enjoy either really fruity teas or ones that are essentially one plant. That statement makes perfect sense to me, by the way :) I've been reading the labels of the teas I like the most and some of them have a ridiculous list of random stuff. I'm going to be much simpler.
The thought of making my own tea rose from doing a variety of cooking and experimenting with a variety of herbs. I was blown away by how bold the oregano was that I dried this past summer. It really packed some punch and makes me realize how stale a lot of our spices have gotten. It was really fun to cut parsley fresh from the windowsill to use in a wild rice casserole dish I made this past weekend. I also experimented with making my own cream of mushroom soup to go into the casserole. I never though I would actually buy fresh mushrooms because I really don't like them. I made sure I cut them into very tiny pieces to effectively hide them. I'm glad I went through the process of making my own soup because the casserole was quite good.
And all this cooking makes me all that more excited about gardening this spring/summer because of all the yummy stuff I can make with it!
I've been drinking a lot of herbal tea so far this winter, and I'm liking it more and more. I'm thinking about starting an herbal tea garden (fancy name for herb garden filled with herbs that are great for tea). I would really like to grow chamomile, lemon verbena, bergamot, lavendar and anise hyssop. I would also love to have a rose bush for rose hips (Rosa rugosa). Has anyone out there made their own tea? Any tips? Does anyone have any of these plants and would you be willing to share?
I tend to really enjoy either really fruity teas or ones that are essentially one plant. That statement makes perfect sense to me, by the way :) I've been reading the labels of the teas I like the most and some of them have a ridiculous list of random stuff. I'm going to be much simpler.
The thought of making my own tea rose from doing a variety of cooking and experimenting with a variety of herbs. I was blown away by how bold the oregano was that I dried this past summer. It really packed some punch and makes me realize how stale a lot of our spices have gotten. It was really fun to cut parsley fresh from the windowsill to use in a wild rice casserole dish I made this past weekend. I also experimented with making my own cream of mushroom soup to go into the casserole. I never though I would actually buy fresh mushrooms because I really don't like them. I made sure I cut them into very tiny pieces to effectively hide them. I'm glad I went through the process of making my own soup because the casserole was quite good.
And all this cooking makes me all that more excited about gardening this spring/summer because of all the yummy stuff I can make with it!
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