Grove Street Journal

What's a Spoon?

2011-11-20T16:27:00.000-08:00

Little Nattie Bumbus is no longer so little... last weekend she graduated from her infant car seat to the next level and is now sitting facing out in her stroller...

This weekend she decided she was ready for some real food and we attempted to feed her some rice cereal. I'm not sure she actually ate any, but it was fun to watch her try...

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T20:54:00.000-07:00

And the winner was... a little bunny!

She's been wearing bunny slippers that one of her grandmothers gave her lately... it was the natural choice.

5 Months

2011-10-30T18:54:00.000-07:00

Our little one is five months old. We can hardly believe it.

We continued a tradition this year and have now made it a family tradition... a visit to the local pumpkin patch. Little Bumbus scouted out a pumpkin almost as tall as she and declared it her own by pointing at it, sort of.

The house is decorated and our pumpkins are carved for the one trick-or-treater that comes every year... the little boy who used to live in our house.

What will little Bumbus be? Time will tell... she has three costumes she's currently debating. We will see what strikes her fancy tomorrow evening.

4 Months!

2011-10-08T18:05:00.000-07:00

Little Bumbus isn't so little anymore.

She's four months and has started "camp" (aka daycare). She seems to like it, and has become more social, even after only a week. She likes to "chat" and is constantly observing everything around her.

My favorite moment as of late was when some friends invited us over for dinner. One of our hosts, Brian, was talking to Bumbus and every time he looked at her, she looked the other way. He asked if it was just him. I had no idea and then noticed that she does it to me too.

She likes to stand (parent supported) and takes steps here and there as well. She seems to have no interest in rolling or crawling... just walking. She's a risk taker... just like her dad.

15 Weeks

2011-09-15T20:31:00.001-07:00

My favorite moment from the week...

Little bumbus threw up all over me, and then started laughing...

Her first laugh, and I will never forget it.

Life is Exhausting

2011-08-18T22:34:00.000-07:00

Ah, to be an infant...

Too tired to stay awake after playing with your toys...

7 Weeks

2011-07-17T13:05:00.000-07:00

Our little Nattie Bumbus is seven weeks old today.

Nattie Bumbus you say? Yes, Nattie Bumbus.

It's one of her many nicknames that has developed over the past few weeks. Next week it will surely be something else, but this week it's Nattie Bumbus.

We can't believe how quickly the time has gone by. We are coming out of the six week fog and are enjoying her little developing personality. We think she is on the verge of smiling -- we can't wait.

Early Arrival

2011-06-03T19:33:00.001-07:00

Our little one decided to surprise us with her arrival three weeks ahead of schedule.

RR was born at 11:21 am on May 29th. She weighed 6 pounds, 2 ounces, and was 19 inches long.

We adore her, and are so excited to finally see her face. It was worth the wait.

35 Week Ultrasound

2011-05-18T21:09:00.000-07:00

We saw our little one again yesterday, and once again, she would not show her face.

Actually, she sort of showed her face, but as she's running out of room, it was squished up against my pelvic bone and quite frankly the 3D ultrasound made her look like Dobby from Harry Potter.

All an all, a 35 week ultrasound is not nearly as exciting as our 10 and 20 week ultrasounds, where you could actually see something. But, the doctor said she looks great. As of yesterday she weighed 5 pounds and 7 ounces.

One month from today she's due... we can't wait.

A Sign? Or a Prank?

2011-05-02T19:51:00.001-07:00

I've decided someone at Judy's Family Farm in Sonoma County was really bored one day and decided to mess with a consumer or we are having twins and the second little one has remained hidden during two previous ultrasounds. I'm positive it's the former, however, after the events of the past week, I'm a little suspicious.

It started last Monday. I typically start my day with two eggs and a piece of toast.

I cracked open the last egg from a previous carton and it was a perfectly lovely egg, with a single yolk. I then cracked open an egg from a new carton and it had a double yolk. An interesting surprise, as I've never personally seen an egg with a double yolk. I started writing an email to my handsome husband with a photo of the egg and a subject line that said "Twins?", but then decided I might scare him, so I changed the subject line as not to freak him out.

Tuesday morning was a bit more of a shock... two eggs... BOTH with double yolks. Now I was starting to think that it was a sign, but a sign of what?

Wednesday I was too scared to make eggs, so no egg developments on Wednesday.

Thursday morning... one normal and one with a double yolk. Are you kidding me? 4 of 5 eggs have had double yolks? Was someone messing with me?

Friday morning... two double yolks, again! 6 of 7 eggs?!?! And then, at work, I received an email from my husband, who had made eggs for lunch. The email contained a photo of one normal and and one double yolked egg with a note that said 7 of 9. It was starting to freak the husband out and he didn't want to eat them.

Saturday morning... again, TWO DOUBLE YOLKS. We couldn't believe it. 9 of 11 of the eggs had yielded double yolks.

Sunday morning... one egg remaining. I had to make an egg, just to know the status of that last egg. Alas, it only had a single yolk. 9 of 12.

Three quarters of the dozen eggs had double yolks. Someone at Judy's Family Farm just HAD to be messing with us. However, when my doctor ordered an additional ultrasound today to check on the position of the baby, I must admit that I found I was looking forward to confirming that there is only one little one awaiting us...

Easter Craving

2011-04-24T19:21:00.000-07:00

I must admit I was SHOCKED when I passed my gestational diabetes test. I have a sweet tooth like no other.

My pregnancy sugar intake has been typical of my pre-pregnancy diet (my husband might contest this statement, but let me point out I ate a lot of sweets BEFORE I got pregnant as well), however, I must admit I've been CRAVING a Cadbury Creme Egg since Easter candy started showing up in stores.

Apparently, though, I was not to have any, as I never saw any Cadbury Creme Eggs -- until today. Finally, on Easter, I found one. My Easter treat.

It was exactly what the little one wanted.

Yes, it wasn't me who wanted it, rather it was the little rascal who keeps her mother up at all hours of the night. I blame her. (I only have mere weeks left to blame everything on her, so I'm running with it while I can.)

Happy Easter to all!

31 Weeks

2011-04-17T10:58:00.000-07:00

This week marks the start of our 31st week and the little one is apparently over 16 inches long and weights a whopping 3.3 pounds. We had no idea that babies were so long and lean before they started to plump up. We are apparently heading into a growth spurt where she will start to plump up, leaving her looking like a normal looking baby when she arrives.

She's definitely active, as she likes to host dance parties at 3 am. You can now see her movements on the outside of my belly, which is nice, as her father can see them too. I think he felt a little left out when I would tell him that the baby was kicking.

Last weekend we spent our entire Saturday in a childbirth class, which was somewhat helpful for me and very boring for the little one's father. We did learn, however, that it takes us 12 minutes to get to the hospital and when exactly we need to head there when the time comes. Good information to know, as we don't have that much longer. Our due date is two months from tomorrow!

We've finished the nursery, as we ordered our "glider" chair last weekend, which is due to arrive a few weeks before the baby is due. My favorite baby item so far is a shark robe that reminds me of my brother and his favorite stuffed animal when we were little, Sharkey (who was actually an Orca).

Other than wearing out rather quickly, I still feel extraordinarily lucky in our pregnancy so far. I feel relatively good, other than the fact that I have a huge belly and it makes me lose my balance.

We very much look forward to meeting our little one at the end of this pregnancy journey!

Mother's Club

2011-04-02T10:06:00.000-07:00

I was recently telling a dear friend a story about my first experience with the local mother's club, and she insisted that I share it.

My sister had great success with meeting wonderful people through her local mother's club when she had her children, so I sought out the local group and signed up. I was placed in a group with 11 other women giving birth in April, May and June of this year.

I was one of the last to sign up for the group, so they had already had two meetings before I met everyone for the first time.

A few weeks ago the group had it's last monthly meeting (my first meeting) before a short break for everyone to give birth to their little ones.

The group was filled with wonderful, successful women, one of whom lives three blocks away from us. I'm looking forward to future events, as I suspect that a few of us will become good friends.

My favorite moment from the gathering, however, was when one woman asked the others what breathing method they were going to use for the birth of their child (or children in one case). Everyone started chiming in with comments like "the Bradley method," "I'm using a doula," etc. They then continued on with how many books on the subject each had read, which books they thought were best, and the like. Then someone asked me what my birth plan was. My response, "an epidural." Silence. "What breathing method?" "Whatever feels natural." Again, silence. It was pretty funny.

We are now at 29 weeks. We cannot wait to meet our little one, as last time we saw her she hid her face.

Joy... Part II

2011-03-27T16:48:00.000-07:00

We had a simply perfect wedding. The day was exactly what we wanted -- simple, yet elegant.

Better yet, we walked away from our wedding with the perfect wedding present -- a little one on the way.

This week we start the third trimester. We are apprehensive and excited, all at the same time. In less than three months we will finally meet the little one who has decided she's a future Ironman, as she likes to engage in sprint distance events while her mother is trying to sleep.

As our families are not near, we want to use our blog to share updates and our adventures as we prepare for our biggest ultra-distance event to date -- parenthood.

Joy...

2010-09-27T22:10:00.001-07:00

I've discovered the other half of my heart.

I didn't even know it was missing until I found it.

Muddy Buddy

2010-06-15T06:38:00.000-07:00

Last year, my friends Tina and Dana did the San Jose Muddy Buddy event. The moment I saw their finishers photo, I knew Chris and I had to do this event.

We had so much fun. I felt like I was a Marine whipping over "walls" and running across balance beams.

One moment, however, caused my heart to stop. As we were waiting at the start, there was a Challenged Athlete Foundation presentation, a common occurrence at race events. A woman with a prosthetic leg, about my age, made a presentation. Typically, an athlete will share that they lost a limb in an auto accident or while in the service. Not this time. The woman speaking said that she first presented with a spider bite on her leg. The spider bite turned into a MRSA staph infection, which then spread into her bone and she lost her leg. Chris and I were speechless.

Needless to say, I am thankful for my health and happiness.

The Sighting

2010-06-07T21:38:00.000-07:00

I have known for some time that a Food Network Chef lives in the same town in which I make my home, however I had yet to see him, until this evening.

I've had pretty good luck as of late celebrity spotting at a really good restaurant a few blocks from my house... last time I dined there with friends we spotted a famous drummer.

As I was leaving this evening, I did a quick scan of the crowd until I locked eyes with none other than Tyler Florence. A bit mortified having been caught scanning the room, I departed the restaurant as quickly and gracefully as I could.

I really wanted to tell him how much I love his local kitchen store, however I refrained.

Soon, however, I will not be so restrained when I dine with my all time FAVORITE chef. I'm already sharpening my tongue as I'm going to need to be armed with many sassy remarks...

Finally!

2010-05-25T21:15:00.001-07:00

We have been waiting and waiting and waiting for our engagement photos, and today we finally received them today.

As Chris knows, it's not often I like photos of myself, but I love this one. It captures exactly how I feel about him.

Orange County Half Marathon

2010-05-05T08:10:00.000-07:00

Every August, the high school girlfriends gather in some sunny locale for an annual catch up and a lazy weekend in the sun.

Last year, while lounging poolside, harassing some poor fools from Orinda drinking Chi Chi's, my then pregnant girlfriend Cheryl declared that we all had to run a half marathon in 2010. Then and there we decided to do the Orange County Half Marathon, to be held May 2, 2010. I registered while sunning poolside.

Flash forward 8 months (Cheryl now has six month old twin girls!) and I found myself arriving in Orange County to meet my friend Lindsay for our 2010 girls weekend adventure. Typically we would all stay together at our chosen hotel, however this year Cheryl opted to stay at home with the twins.

On Saturday, we all met up at race registration. It was so fun to watch Lindsay and Cheryl get excited for their first half marathon. Armed with our timing chips and race t-shirts, we headed off for some quality catch up time while partaking in one of our favorite group activities -- shopping -- at one of my favorite all time shopping locations -- Fashion Island.

I have no idea where the day went, but all of a sudden we realized we all needed to start thinking about turning in for our very early morning the following day, and Lindsay and I rushed off to locate some sort of acceptable pre-race breakfast.

Sunday morning came early, but I was excited for the run. I think Newport Beach is a beautiful area, so I was looking forward to exploring the area on foot, which is my favorite way to explore a new area. After being dropped off at the starting line by our hotel shuttle driver, Lindsay and I located Cheryl while we waited for the start. As the appointed start time neared, I headed off to for one last pre-race bathroom break, only to discover the line was a mile long and there was no way I would make it through the line prior to the race start. No bother - as a 7+ year triathlete, quick stops in local bushes are a common practice.

This quick bush stop turned into quite an event, however, as the moment I exited the local bush I ran right into one of my clients, who was just getting out of his car.

Client: "Where are you coming from?"
Me: "No where in particular... just heading to the starting line."

Nice.

I was unsure prior to the start if we were going to try to run together, or run on our own. We decided to run together, and to take it as it came.

Shortly after 6:40 am, we were off.

About a mile into the event, I realized we would NOT be running together. Cheryl took off, and I chased after her. I ran with her until the 2nd mile marker, when I realized I was running in zone 4 -- definitely NOT coach approved. At that point I wished Cheryl a great race and fell back into a zone 2 pace. I was thankful I had the foresight to bring my iPod as I fell into a grove and ran my own event.

The run was STUNNING. The course started at Fashion Island and then wound through Corona del Mar, while overlooking the Big Corona del Mar State Beach and the Pacific Ocean. The course then traversed down the coast, past Newport Harbor, and then around the Newport Back Bay, ending at the OC Fair and Event Center. It was quite scenic and just a lot of fun.

I felt strong on the run - something I haven't felt in a long time on a run over 10 miles. The sensation was quite welcomed, as it made me excited for the final four months of my Ironman Canada training.

We all crossed the finish line in various mental states. Lindsay was thrilled to have come in under her time goal, Cheryl was frustrated to have just barely missed her goal (by about 90 seconds) and I was excited to have met my goal of beating my half marathon time from the prior weekend. Regardless, it was a wonderful day, particularly when Cheryl asked me to be a godparent! I was so honored and am so excited.

I am so blessed to have such special women in my life.

Just for Samantha...

2010-02-21T17:09:00.000-08:00

Chris and I finally were able to sneak away for a weekend and headed to the coast.

We opted for a weekend in Big Sur and were delighted to learn upon our arrival at our destination that a rumored new couple was staying there as well - Alex Rodriquez and Cameron Diaz.

It appears the rumors are true.

The Wonder Years

2009-12-20T09:04:00.000-08:00

Chris and I headed to the Napa Valley yesterday to scout wedding locations, and while there we just had to stop at Bouchon Bakery for some delicious treats.

As we were approaching Bouchon, I immediately recognized the gentleman of the couple in front of us. I squeezed Chris' hand REALLY hard, to which he responded, "WHAT?"

"Look!"

There were come cyclists snacking on some treats nearby... "At their bikes?"

"No, the guy!"

"Who is it?"

"Fred Savage!"

We laughed.

I'd actually seen Fred before, frantically running around his freshman year dorm at Stanford in his pajamas, as my sister lived in the same building.

Chris spent the remainder of the day singing the Wonder Year's theme song and Thomas Keller remains a god.

Ironman Canada Training

2009-12-06T13:36:00.001-08:00

Training for Ironman Canada officially started this week.

I realized after a not so great year of racing that I just don't motivate myself and I hired a new coach. Workouts started on Tuesday and I have jumped in with both feet.

December is going to be a not so fun month, filled with what Chris and I call "heart rate restriction" workouts, but I am excited at the possibility of a 2010 personal record, both in the half and in the full distance Ironman events.

In 2010, I am registered for the Oceanside 70.3 in March, the Vineman 70.3 in July and then Ironman Canada in August. I am also very excited for a fun half marathon in there as well, as me and two of my dear friends from high school are doing the Orange County Half Marathon in May.

I'm even more excited for our wedding sometime during 2010... but first we need to figure out when and where!

Thankful

2009-11-26T09:24:00.001-08:00

I have always felt I have been blessed in life, but this year I feel especially blessed.

I have a wonderful, loving family. I have my health. I have a job I love, even when the hours are long.

And now I have a fiance that I cannot wait to spend the rest of my life with.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Halloween

2009-11-04T07:04:00.000-08:00

Chris and I have created a tradition of holding a pumpkin carving contest, just the two of us, each Halloween. It gets ugly. The smack talking starts early and is brutal. This year was no exception.

I fear I lost this year, as it took FOREVER to carve my huge pumpkin, and I grew frustrated. The pumpkin walls were very thick and our little carving tools did not go all the way through. Due to my novice cleaning of the pumpkin, I essentially had to carve it twice - once on the service and then again to cut all the way through. Chris was able to carve TWO pumpkins in the same amount of time it took me to do one.

Regardless, it was a wonderful way to spend an evening, and we are still munching on four varieties of roasted pumpkin seeds.

Too bad we had ZERO visitors seeking candy on Halloween.

Speeding Killer Bears

2009-10-11T14:08:00.000-07:00

As the weather turns cooler, Chris decided we needed to enjoy one last weekend outdoors and we headed to Yosemite this weekend for an end of season hike.

On our way into the park, there was a sign that said "Speeding Kills Bears." I constantly harass Chris for not wearing his glasses and as we passed the sign he said:

"Speeding Killer Bears?"

I burst out laughing. I thought of speeding killer bears multiple times throughout the day, and burst into laughter each time I thought of it. I had visions of black and white bears, colored like Orca whales, chasing tourists around Yosemite at speeds of 80 miles per hour.

We survived the speeding killer bears, and enjoyed two hikes, the first around the Wawona Meadow and the second to Chilnualna Falls and back.

Chilnaulna Falls was beautiful. While there was little water, the falls were still stunning.

I always enjoy our adventures, and our beast of a day trip to Yosemite and back was no exception.

Levi Leipheimer's King Ridge GranFondo

2009-10-04T17:23:00.000-07:00

A few months ago, my friend Rangsiwan sent out an email soliciting company for a new century ride in Santa Rosa hosted by none other than Levi Leipheimer. I've been looking forward to it, not only for high caliber event, but because we had all decided to make a weekend out of it and had rented a house in Monte Rio, just outside of Guerneville on the Russian River.

What a great way to spend a weekend - a challenging long ride, friends and lots and lots of delicious food. We even got to meet Levi Leipheimer.

While we were standing in the registration line waiting to turn in our release forms, the man behind us challenged us to game of count the Levi look-alikes and I immediately spotted a great candidate. Ha! It was Levi himself.

Levi is incredibly tiny, and incredibly kind. He was kind to us, even as Chris chided him into completing registration forms.

As we traveled the GranFondo course, we heard many additional stories of Levi's kindness.... visits to school children, donations to local schools, organizations and emergency services.

While the GrandFondo was a challenging ride, it was the most organized century I have ever had the pleasure of participating in. There were emergency medics everywhere, the volunteers were plentiful and the rest stops were well stocked. It was also a lot of fun, particularly for the first 20 or so miles when you had to opportunity to ride in a true peloton, before the masses spread out.

The best part of the event - time with Chris and a weekend with friends.

And, as an added bonus, on the way home, we discovered a fabulous pumpkin patch in Petaluma with a corn maze! FUN.

Drunken Figs

2009-10-01T07:23:00.000-07:00

My mother sent me a recipe a few days ago for a 'runners breakfast pudding' that I knew I just had to try. I'm always looking for new foods on which to carbo load before a long workout, as I have long grown tired of oatmeal.

My mom found this recipe for Soy Milk Arborio Rice Pudding with Poached Figs in Food and Wine. It is quite good.

I used regular non-fat milk, as I didn't have any soy milk in the house and it worked just fine. As someone with a bit (OK, not a bit, a HUGE) sweet tooth, I recommend adding a tablespoon or two of sugar to the rice pudding right at the end to sweeten it up a bit. (Note that this may not be necessary if using soy milk, or if you are not a sugar fiend like me.)

SOY MILK ARBORIO RICE PUDDING WITH POACHED FIGS (Serves 4)

Ingredients

FIGS
1/4 cup ruby port
2 tablespoons sugar
Four 3-inch-long strips of orange zest
5 cloves
1 bay leaf
8 fresh figs, stemmed

PUDDING
Pinch of salt
1 cup water
1/2 cup arborio rice
2 cups plain soy milk
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Poach the figs: In a medium nonstick skillet, combine the port with the sugar, orange zest, cloves, bay leaf and 1 cup of water and bring to a boil. When the sugar dissolves, add the figs, stem ends up, and simmer over low heat until the figs are almost completely tender, about 20 minutes. Add 1/4 cup more water as needed if the liquid gets too syrupy. Discard the orange zest, cloves and bay leaf.

2. Meanwhile, make the pudding: In a medium saucepan, bring the water to a boil with the salt. Add the rice and cook over low heat, stirring often, until most of the water has been absorbed, about 12 minutes. Stir in 1/3 cup of the soy milk and cook, stirring, until it is absorbed, about 3 minutes. Continue adding the soy milk 1/3 cup at a time and stirring constantly until it is absorbed between additions; after the soy milk is absorbed, the rice should be creamy and tender. Stir in the honey and vanilla.

3. Spoon the rice pudding into bowls. Top with the figs and some of the poaching syrup and serve right away.

Make Ahead: The poached figs can be refrigerated in their syrup overnight. Reheat gently, adding a bit more water as needed. The rice pudding can be refrigerated for up to 2 days. Reheat gently, adding more soy milk as needed.

Notes: One Serving 337 cal, 3 gm fat, 0.6 gm sat fat, 69 gm carb, 5 gm fiber.

A Perfect Surprise

2009-09-28T19:36:00.000-07:00

I spent a long week on the East Coast this past week at a conference. To make it even more difficult, I was not able to return home until Sunday, which meant that I was not going to see Chris, which of course made me very sad.

When I opened the mail box when I returned home, it was empty. How on earth could I not have received any mail over the course of an entire week? I thought maybe I had so much mail spewing out of the box that the mailman had deposited on my doorstep.

When I reached my doorstep, I discovered there was nothing there. Now, I had been expecting a package, so this too was odd.

Then, the deadbolt on my door was unlocked, and I always lock it when I leave.

He must be here! Yet, when I went in the house and called out his name, there was pure silence. I was so confused!

I was not confused for long, as suddenly the person I longed to see most was standing in front of me. The perfect surprise.

While Chris had to spend a portion of the day studying (the life of a graduate student), we did find time to make our way out to Marshall for our new favorite barbecued oysters. We had both been dreaming of them since we discovered them a few weeks ago, and we were not disappointed.

After downing 26 oysters, we made our way home to enjoy the premiere of one of our favorite television shows - the Amazing Race.

As many of you know, Chris and I applied to be on the Amazing Race last spring and were saddened when we weren't chosen. We think we are perfect for the race, and that we would win!

While I was excited the new season had begun, it was also a bit hard to watch. As we watched the teams race around the world, we couldn't help but compare ourselves to some of the teams and claim that we would have been better. Alas, it was not meant to be.

Regardless, I was thankful to have spent the day with Chris, even though we were not racing around the world. Besides, we always create our own adventures.

Cheers!

2009-09-23T16:13:00.000-07:00

I love celebrity spotting, so you can imagine my joy when I spotted John Ratzenberger in my Washington DC hotel lobby this morning.

Hubert Keller yesterday and Cliff Clavin today. What a treat.

Hubert Keller

2009-09-22T19:25:00.000-07:00

A few years ago on the way to a conference I spotted Thomas Keller in the Oakland Airport.

Today, headed to the very same conference, I spotted Hubert Keller at the San Francisco Airport. I semi-freaked out and missed Chris, and I knew he would have enjoyed seeing him as well, as we have spotted many a famous chef together.

Now if I would only cross paths with Anthony Bourdain. That would really make my day.

The Hamptons

2009-09-20T22:19:00.000-07:00

I had never been to the Hampton's until last weekend, when I found myself in Southampton with Chris and his family for his brother's wedding.

It was an eventful weekend, full of celebration and joy. I met multiple members of Chris' family that I had not previously met, which was a lot of fun. I also met many lifelong friends of the family, which was also an honor.

I even found a bit of time to go for a run, which was a great opportunity to view the beautiful homes and beaches of Southampton. I understand why New Yorkers and others summer there - it was beautiful.

I was sure I would spot some celebrity while out and about, but sadly I saw none.

All and all, it was a wonderful weekend of celebration. Congratulations Drew and Kim.

The Dipsea Trail

2009-09-08T06:18:00.000-07:00

We were embarrassed to realize a few weeks ago that after living in Marin for over a year, we had never set foot on the Dipsea Trail.

Friday night after work, we set out for a quick hike of the first portion of the trail. Had we been on the Amazing Race, I fear we would have been eliminated.

First, we had difficulty locating the start of the famous Dipsea Steps. Who knew you basically had to climb up someones driveway to the start? With directions from a kind man we started off on the right track and climbed up up up the stairs.

Of course once we reached the top of the stairs, we got lost. Really lost. We turned when we apparently should have gone straight. Nonetheless, we had a wonderful time looking at all the beautiful homes on Mt. Tam. Finding ourselves on Panoramic, we stumbled upon Mountain Home Inn, where we asked for directions for the quickest way back to Mill Valley, as the sun was starting to set.

We must have been meant to get lost, as on our way back home we ran into an old colleague of mine that I had not see in years. It was a real treat.

A great adventure and a great day, even if we would have been eliminated.

Barefoot Ted

2009-09-04T08:19:00.000-07:00

Everyone I know seems to be reading "Born to Run." Yesterday I had three separate conversations with people reading the book, including the guy who comes to our office and does ergonomic checks.

I had brought my Vibram FiveFingers into the office to show a colleague who's also reading the book and randomly, my friend Dana sent me information about an upcoming Barefoot Running Clinic hosted by none other than the author of "Born to Run," Christoper McDougall, and Barefoot Ted McDonald, the inspiration of my purchase of the Vibram FiveFingers. Of course it's on September 12th and I cannot go, as I will be out of town. (Everything seems to be on September 12th this year.) If anyone is interested in the clinic, you will find the information here.

I'm disappointed I won't have the opportunity to meet Christopher McDougall and Barefoot Ted, but I know it will be a great weekend, nonetheless. Chris and I are headed to his brother's wedding.

Ironman Canada

2009-09-02T20:24:00.000-07:00

Monday Night, leaving the office, I received the following text from my friend Yi: "Canada slots open - sign up!!"

What? Ironman Canada always sells out on site! Really?

I was on my way to a spin class, so when I arrived at the gym I very quickly pulled up the registration page on my iPhone and discovered that indeed, general entry spots for 2010 were available.

I immediately wondered if I should I sign up? I have wanted to do Ironman Canada, I just wasn't planning on doing it next year.

Class was starting and I decided to think about it while spinning. If it sold out while I was in class, well then it just wasn't meant to be.

When I got out of class I discovered that there were spots still available. I wondered if I should sign up. Anyone who knows me well knows the answer.

Born to Run

2009-09-01T21:55:00.000-07:00

Chris was given the book, "Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen" by Christopher McDougall as a parting gift from a colleague when he left work this spring to start law school.

He read it while in France this summer and told me I had to read it. I started reading it right after Ironman France and I could not put it down.

If you have any interest in running, it is a must read.

I found the book absolutely fascinating. So fascinating, in fact, that I decided to incorporate barefoot running into my training plan, which sounds horrible, but really isn't if you invest in a pair of Vibram Five-Fingers. You look like a freak wearing these aquasox like shoes, but I just had to try them after reading the book.

The good news is that I am not the only freak - one of my crew mates and her partner also swear by them. She wears them to crew practice and has informed me that her partner, a marathoner, even wears them to work. While I would never hear the end of it if I wore them to work, the shoes really do make you realize the strengths and weaknesses in your running gait.

This book even has me drinking chia seeds. Yes, chia, as in Chia Pet.

I don't know if its the chia seeds or the inspiration of the book, but I have taken 6+ minutes off of my 5 mile run time. I'll take it!

Heat Wave

2009-08-31T21:48:00.001-07:00

Last weekend it was so hot we had to escape our home... and we have air conditioning.

My Saturday started with a ride with my friend Rangsiwan and her husband, both of whom I am doing the Levi GranFondo event with in October.

Having received multiple emails from the GranFondo event organizers informing us how difficult the course will be, we thought it best to get a few long rides in before the event.

It was so hot during the ride that at one point we commented that it was like we were cycling into a hair dryer.

I was DEAD when I got home. I was drained and had absolutely no energy. It didn't help that the house was like 90 degrees. We had to escape, so we headed for the coast.

Our destination - Tomales Bay for some oysters. I knew it was cooler on the coast, having cycled there earlier in the day.

Oh my goodness, I have a new favorite food. BBQed oysters from the Marshall Store. I have thought of them at least once a day every day since. They were that good.

Too bad we drove all the way out to the Point Reyes Lighthouse only to discover the stairs closed an hour and a half before we got there...

Pool Side Chi Chi's

2009-08-18T22:08:00.000-07:00

Once a year my high school girlfriends and I gather at a nice hotel in a sunny location for a weekend of sunburns and catching up.

This past weekend we gathered in Carlsbad for the 2009 edition.

It was a perfect weekend - fabulous food, lively conversation, the usual harassment and fun in the sun.

Every year I am struck by how lucky I am to have such amazing friends. This year was no exception. Now home, sunburned, I am already looking forward to our next adventure.

I was also able to visit with my sister and her family on my way home. I am constantly shocked by how quickly children grow.

Our Own Amazing Race

2009-08-17T19:42:00.000-07:00

Chris and I applied to be on "The Amazing Race" this past spring. If we got on, we were going to do the race instead of Ironman France. I think part of the reason we were both so slow to start training for IM France this year was because we were so sure we would get on.

Sadly, we were not cast. (Loss to The Amazing Race!) Accordingly, we decided to treat our post-Ironman travels as our own Amazing Race, complete with matching travel backpacks (no matching outfits, however).

We made a few blunders that might have cost us the race along the way (wrong directions on highways, missed turns), but we had a fabulous trip.

ST. MAXIME, FRANCE

St. Maxime is a little town about 10 kilometers from St. Tropez, in the South of France.

I arrived in St. Maxime a week prior to Ironman France, where Chris and our friend Phil had been for the prior two weeks, training and acclimating to the course.

My week in St. Maxime was far from restful, as getting ready for an Ironman event is not stress-free, however the town was lovely and a great place to start my European adventure.

Phil had arranged for the rental of a home in St. Maxime that was located up on a hill, which had a wonderful panoramic view of the coastline and the surrounding hills. It was a quiet, private retreat.

My first evening in St. Maxime, Phil and Chris made me dinner and Chris and I headed to town afterwards to start our gelato tasting (which went on for almost every day of my three weeks in Europe).

The night life in St. Maxime was off the charts. The town was buzzing with locals and tourists, all out for very late dinners and socializing. It was a beautiful little town. We made our way to the town center many times during my five days in St. Maxime, to watch the locals playing the French version of bocci ball, to sample additional gelato locations and to enjoy the local restaurants.

We adventured into St. Tropez as well, on our bikes. The yachts in St. Tropez were larger than any I had ever seen and were everywhere. (I thought they were large until I saw a monstrosity of a yacht later in our trip in Portofino.) It was a good thing we were on our bikes, as it prevented me from shopping in St. Tropez.

Our time spent in St. Maxime was relatively quiet, as we were tapering for our upcoming race. On Friday, we packed up our bags and headed for our Hotel in Nice.

NICE, FRANCE

All my time spent in Nice related to Ironman.

Nice was a loud, large city. There were people everywhere and by the time our race was over, I was itching to get out of town. The day after our race, Chris and I parted ways for a few days from our Ironman travel mates and made our way to Garlenda, Italy, just across the France/Italy border.

GARLENDA, ITALY

The drive to Garlenda was a tough one for me. I was very sad and distraught over my race, but my disappointment did not last long. Our Relais & Chateaux retreat in Garlenda - La Meridiana - was exactly what I needed after the craziness of Nice.

Garlenda is a quiet little town less than 10 kilometers from the Italian Riviera Beach towns of Andora and Alassio.

La Meridiana was tucked away onto a little hillside and was a quiet little retreat in the country. After the drama we had endured earlier in the day trying to ship our bikes home, all we wanted to do was lay by the pool, and a lovely pool it was. It was at the pool that afternoon we had our first introduction to our bartender/host, Franco.

As Chris and I settled into our lounge chairs, books in hand, Franco introduced us to local wines and "salumi" and melon. The cantaloupe in this region of Italy was the best I have ever tasted.

After a relaxing afternoon by the pool, where I reclaimed my tan, we readied for dinner at the hotel. Our dinner was served on the back patio of the resort and was perfectly romantic and lovely. It was during this dinner that we learned Franco is a self-proclaimed Richard Gere look-alike and a total Italian schmoozer. The meal was lovely and a nice change from the heavy pizza and pasta of Nice.

Franco not only recommended another great local wine, but also treated us to some local champagne. By the time we got up from the table, I was a bit tipsy and almost fell over.

The following day, we decided to head to the local beach in Alassio, as recommended by Franco. We both, likely due the serenity of our retreat, expected Alassio to be quaint and quiet. We were in for a surprise when we arrived in town. The beaches were overrun with beach clubs, consisting of hundreds and hundreds of rental umbrellas and beach lounges for sunning and swimming. After treating ourselves to pizza and gelato popsicles for breakfast, we decided our day would be better spent at our retreat, and we returned to our hotel for another lovely day by the pool.

Our quiet time in Garlenda would be the only true downtime of our trip.

The following day we awoke excited for our adventure to Tuscany, and as we had many stops to make along the way, we headed out early.

TUSCANY

Chris found a lovely Tuscan villa that became the highlight of our planned trip, as it was by far to be the nicest accommodations of the trip. We booked a room in a castle and were very much looking forward to our time at Castello di Vicarello in Cinigiano.

However, before we made our way to Tuscany, we had a few stops to make along the way. First up - Portofino. Two of my colleagues had visited Portofino on their respective honeymoons and talked nonstop of the beauty of the town. We decided to stop for breakfast in Portofino, a stop that we did not regret.

Portofino was beautiful - a truly stunning Italian Rivera seaside town. As we drove along the waters edge, making our way to town, the electric blue-green water seemed to call your name. All I wanted to do was jump in. We were treated to a perfect day as we enjoyed breakfast on the local square and walked around town taking photographs. It was in Portofino that I took my favorite photo of the trip, one that will forever remind me not only of the trip, but also of where I grew up, as the photo was of boats.

Sadly, we could not linger in Portofino, as Tuscany was a bit of a drive and we had other planned stops. Of course, everything always takes longer than expected and we scraped some of our plans, but I held fast on Pisa, as I just had to have the super-cheesy touristy photo of me looking like I was holding up the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

Pisa was a dirty little town. So much so, we literally drove in, took said touristy photo, and immediately left. I don't think we were in Pisa for more than ten minutes. However, it was pretty entertaining to watch hundreds of people holding their hands just so to look as if they were holding up the tower. It made me burst out laughing. We both, of course, now also have these photos.

After departing Pisa, we made our way to our Castle nestled in the hills of Tuscany.

The Tuscany region reminds me very much of Napa. The similarities struck me the entire time we were in the region.

We didn't have the greatest directions to the castle and at one point we kept driving and driving and driving and hoped we were going the right way. Good thing we were, and we finally stumbled upon our home for the next few days.

The castle was STUNNING. It was perfectly set upon the top of a hill and was incredibly well maintained, with perfectly manicured gardens. Randomly, we were greeted by a young woman who had recently graduated from USC, who was spending some time in Italy working at the castle, as the owners were business associates of her parents. This young woman was the one who delivered some unfortunate news. We were told that there had been a booking error and that the room we had booked had been double booked, but not to worry, we were to stay in another lovely room, at a discount.

I was disappointed, as the room we had chosen was perfect and I had been very much looking forward to our private patio, but one quickly realizes there isn't much you can do. We were shown to our perfectly lovely room, that was quite spacious and was literally the size of my home. But, we were both sad, as it was not where we had been planning to stay. Our replacement room was up above the kitchen and was quite loud in the mornings. The room we had requested was a quiet retreat on the valley side of the castle - quiet and tranquil.

Regardless, we settled in and enjoyed a lovely home-cooked meal by the owner of the castle, Aurora. It was at the castle that I sampled stuffed zucchini flowers for the first time.

Most of the produce used in the kitchen is grown on site. The castle had a wonderful garden, complete with squash, tomatoes, lettuce, carrots, onions - really anything once could need to concoct a fabulous meal. They also had a pen full of ducks, chickens and turkeys.

The castle also had a pen full of six week old puppies, that we were given permission to play with at anytime. We visited the puppies many times while at the Castle. They were too cute to stay away from - that is until they started eating our shoes.

Our arrival in Tuscany was perfectly planned, as the day after our arrival marked the day of the Palio horse race in Siena, and we were planning on going - that is - until we found out that tickets were 350 Euros each. We pondered the ticket price and finally decided to pass, realizing that we could send home a pretty amazing collection of Tuscan wines for the same price. (Good thing too, as it turns out the event was postponed due to rain.)

Instead of partaking in the Palio, we headed to Montalcino to sample the local Brunello's.

We lucked out in Montalcino. We were hungry and we stumbled upon a little cafe that not only had fabulous food, but also presented us with a Sommelier, Stephan, who knew his Brunello's. After engaging in the tasting of a flight of Brunello's over lunch, Stephen spent quite a while with us educating us about Brunello wine. We ended up shipping 12 bottles home, which we cannot wait to delve into in about 5 to 10 years. Our day in Montalcino was one of my favorites of our trip.

After wine tasting, we made our way back to the castle to lounge by one of the pools for a bit before dinner. There was a family from Holland staying at the castle with three little adorable children, who Chris quickly entertained by doing a back flip into the pool. Of course the two little boys were enamoured and spend the next hour trying to do back flips too. It was very entertaining to watch.

After another lovely home-cooked meal, we turned in for the night and planned our adventures in Rome.

Our departure from the castle was frustrating, as we learned that the owner's idea of a "discount" was that our replacement room cost less than the room than we had originally booked. After a discussion of our disappointment of not being able to stay in the room we had booked, the fact that no one had bothered to contact us to let us know of the issue when it was discovered, and the fact that we were awoken each morning at dawn to hustle and bustle of the kitchen, we departed with a discount on our room, yet we were both very frustrated with the owner. As much as I loved their property, I would not go back.

ROME

Our departure from Tuscany marked the beginning of our Rome adventure. In Rome, we would be joining forces again with our Ironman travel mates Phil and Jake, and Phil's girlfriend Thayer, who had all spent the previous few days in Florence.

Our drive from Tuscany to Rome was a long one, without any major stops along the way, as we were anxious to get there and start our tour of Rome.

We were in for a pleasant surprise upon our arrival, as our hotel was GORGEOUS and perfectly located on the top of a hill in a quiet neighborhood, yet near enough to all the sites that we could walk. Our room had not only a bath, but also a shower, and the bed was not two twin beds pushed together to make a king (this was a common occurrence on the trip).

After checking in, we met up with Phil, Thayer and Jake and saw the sites of Rome. We visited the Pantheon, the Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain. After partaking in our daily dose of gelato (we decided no day was complete without gelato, cappuccino and/or caprese salad) we all headed back to our hotel for a little wine and cheese tasting. Afterwards, we all headed to a local restaurant for dinner, which was a bit of a challenge, as the boys had consumed 6 bottles of wines and many beers between them over the course of the afternoon. Having spent dinner with Thayer trying to keep the boys under control, I was looking forward to bed.

We all decided to tour the Vatican the following morning and planned to meet early so we could beeline for the Sistine Chapel before it was overrun with tourists. Beelined we did. We almost ran through the Vatican to make our way to the Sistine Chapel, for which we were rewarded with far less tourists than the usual crowd. What a sight. It was so amazing to see paintings I had studied for months and months as an undergraduate student in person. And, for me, it was just special to be at the Vatican.

Post touring and post lunch, we headed back to our respective hotels for a siesta before touring the Coliseum.

When we met back up, Phil and Jake had dressed in their holiday best to celebrate the 4th of July in Rome, complete with matching blue and white dress shirts with obnoxious red plaid ties. It was a great look - rather entertaining, actually. Surprisingly, not too many gave them odd looks. I am sure they dismissed us as silly Americans.

The Coliseum was a sight, particularly in the moonlight as we made our way back to our hotel our last night in Rome. On our walk back, we found that the local garden that was usually locked and guarded by men holding machine guns was not only open, but the site of an outdoor ballet performance! (Every time we walked by this garden we wondered why it was guarded.) I was sad we had missed it - as it could not have been in a more perfect location and I would have loved to have gone.

The next morning we gathered Phil and Thayer (Jake has sadly had to end his trip and head back to the real world) to head to the Amalfi Coast. They were, like us, enjoying three days in Ravello, before heading off to Greece for the remainder of their trip, when we were to head to Barcelona.

AMALFI COAST

We had heard that about an hour south of Rome lies Italy's Campania region, where the mozzarella buffalo roam, and in particular, a dairy by the name of La Felice.

We were on a buffalo mozzarella mission. We may have gotten lost, but we did indeed stumble upon La Felice and knew we were in for a treat when we discovered that all the locals were buying at least 20 mozzarella balls each. We finally made our way through the queue and bought 14 of our own little balls of heaven, as well as the local buffalo yoghurt. When were we going to be able to find fresh buffalo yoghurt again in the near future?

As we departed we sampled our aloe vera honey yoghurt (we were scared), only to discover that was indeed fabulous.

Mozzarella in hand, we made our way to the Amalfi Coast, which was by far the scariest driving adventure of the entire trip (and I thought Romans had been scary drivers).

The roads to Amalfi were literally built to be one lane, yet two cars managed to squeeze past one another on the narrow roads resting upon the sides of cliffs. It was so scary, I was literally white knuckled as we made our way from the valley, over the coastal range, and back down the other side to the Amalfi Coast. Once you reached the coastal towns, these same roads connected the villages along the coast. It made for an interesting three days.

After dropping Phil and Thayer off at their hotel in Ravello, we made our way to ours only to discover that if we looked out our window, we could see Phil and Thayer's pool, as we were literally on top of their hotel. Too funny.

After settling into our beautiful hotel nestled into the hillside, we met back up with Thayer and Phil and set off to investigate the local town square. The square in Ravello was the place to be. Children gathered to ride their bicycles and play soccer, while parents shared stories over cappuccinos. We made our way up and down the little side streets, looking at all the beautiful pottery and perfume shops, the two clear top sale items of the region.

Our first night in Ravello, we dined at a local restaurant that proved to be an adventure. The owner, "Mama," either loved us or saw euro signs. We ordered, she declared that was not what we wanted and she ordered for us. She ordered twice as much as we had orginally ordered, declaring all the while that we just had to try it. It was quite an evening.

Our time on the Amalfi Coast was spent exploring the local towns, particular Positano. Chris and I made our way into Positano twice - first on our own to explore the local shops and a second time with Phil and Thayer for dinner our last night on the Amalfi Coast. Both adventures to Positano were horrifyingly scary, as we again had to travel along the single laned cliff-side roads that the Italian's viewed as double-laned highways. Chris and beep beep got us there safely each time. (Beep peep was our Peugeot 207 Trendy Diesel leased car that took us on our adventures. The name "beep beep" was "borrowed" from my dear friend Cheryl who referred to one of her prior cars as "beep beep." The name was appropriate for our little French car.)

One morning we all piled into little beep beep to make our way to the ruins of Pompeii. I had seen a National Geographic program on Pompeii when I was about 10 years old and have wanted to visit the ruins ever since, so this adventure was one I was very much looking forward to.

Pompeii is a ruined and partially buried Roman town-city near modern Naples, in the territory of the comune of Pompei. Pompeii was destroyed, and completely buried, during a catastrophic eruption of the volcano Mount Vesuvius in AD 79.

It was BLAZING hot the day we toured Pompeii, but I didn't care. Each turn of the ruins revealed another amazing painting or building waiting to be photographed. I was shocked by how advanced the community had been.

We concluded our Pompeii adventure with lunch at the local restaurant that had so kindly supplied us with superior parking for our Pompeii adventure.

That afternoon we were treated to wine tasting at our hotel - a tasting that featured the hotel's very own wines made from grapes grown in local vineyards. The wines were fabulous and the afternoon was wonderful. We were able to incorporate our buffalo mozzarella into the tasting with local Positano heirloom tomatoes, as well as a local tomato that greatly resembled a roma tomato that was the tastiest tomato I have ever eaten. It was quite a feast. Our wine tasting concluded with a tour of the Hotel's wine cellar.

That evening, as part of our package with the Hotel, we were hosted to a romantic dinner for two on the hotel's incredibly beautiful balcony nestled into the hillside that overlooked the entire Amalfi Coast. It was a stunning evening, and incredibly romantic, as we were the only two dinners. (In fact, we think we were one of three couples in the hotel the entire time we were there.) Our dinner that evening proved to be our most adventuresome of the entire trip.

The tasting menu featured items we would not normally eat - sardines and octopus. However, recognizing a local menu, we decided to partake in the tasting menu and set off for a culinary adventure.

The entire meal reminded me of various food challenges on the Amazing Race, but we took it in stride. We tried to ignore the fact that the tenticles of the local octopus were sticking to our teeth. While texturally challenging, the octopus was actually rather tasty. Regardless, it was a wonderful evening, topped off with yet more of the hotel's wonderful wines.

For our final day on the Amalfi Coast, we did some last minute shopping and enjoyed the day with Phil and Thayer before we headed off in separate directions - us to Barcelona to watch the tour and they to Greece to enjoy a final week before heading back home. It was a lovely, relaxing day, topped off with dinner at Chez Black on the beach in Positano.

Post dinner we headed back to our respective hotels to ready for another travel day. I grew excited as Barcelona meant the Tour de France.

The following morning Chris and I headed out early for Rome, where we returned beep beep and jumped on a flight to Barcelona.

BARCELONA, SPAIN

Barcelona was a bit of an afterthought. We knew we wanted to catch the Tour de France, and after sitting down with a map and realizing the first mountain climb of the race was just outside of Barcelona, we decided spend our final days of traveling together catching the Tour in and around Barcelona.

Of course Barcelona was my favorite City of the entire trip.

Barcelona is beautiful. The people were wonderful, the food was fabulous, the architecture was spectacular and the company was perfect. Our hotel was my favorite hotel of our entire journey. It was a boutique hotel located in the heart of the Gothic District and it could not have been more perfect. We had a beautiful suite, with not one but TWO flat screened televisions, which featured Versus in English (a necessity for watching the Tour coverage). The breakfast buffet was off the charts. Hotel Neri. A must in Barcelona.

The day of our arrival we spent the afternoon walking around the alleyways of the Gothic District. It was wonderful. I never knew where I was going, but around every corner there was another wonderful boutique or little shop or restaurant or whatever it was I didn't know I was looking for until it was discovered. I loved every minute of it.

My favorite dining experience of the entire trip took place that same night. A fellow foodie attorney I know informed me that we just had to go to Cal Pep, as it remains the single favorite dining experience of his life. As that was quite a statement, it was first on our list.

We had been forewarned that the restaurant seats very few, and that the locals start to line up about an hour before it opens to secure a spot at the bar. We made our way to the restaurant about 30 minutes before it opened and we could not have been any luckier. It opened early the moment we arrived and we scored two seats at the first bar seating, directly in the center of the bar. A young waiter took pity on us non-Spanish speaking tourists and took the liberty of ordering for us - thank goodness, as we had a perfect menu. We sampled tomato bread, chickpeas, clams in a delicious garlic broth, the most buttery fish I have ever tasted, tuna tartare and other rediculously delicious dishes along with multiple glasses of wine. It was quite a dinner - and a very special one.

The next day marked something I had been looking forward to the entire trip - watching the Tour de France. The daily Tour stage ended in Barcelona that day and would be starting from Barcelona the following day.

After enjoying a delicious leisurely breakfast, we noticed the weather wasn't looking so great. We hoped it would not rain, as we would be in trouble, as our mode of transportation in Barcelona was a scooter that we had rented to allow us to make our way to the mountains the following day to watch the first mountain stage of the Tour.

We headed out in what little "rain" gear we had and of course, on our way to Mont Juic, it started POURING. To the point I was so drenched I could have been submursed in a pool. When we arrived at the stage finish area, we noticed the few die hard fans were all wearing bright yellow Tour de France ponchos. After learning where we too could obtain one, we beelined over to the merchandise area to purchase our own super flattering yellow rain ponchos. Let me tell you, we were looking hot with our ponchos and our scooter helmets, in the rain.

The rain was horrible. It was a true monsoon. Even with our ponchos, we were soaked to the bone, so much so we were shivering with chattering teeth.

We didn't have much better luck the following day when we headed out to watch the first mountain stage on our scooter. Of course it rained. Of course.

However, rain or no rain, it was amazing to see the Tour in action. In the past I have not been the biggest Lance Armstrong fan, but this year I was a huge fan. I wanted him to win so badly and I yelled as loud as I could as they flew past us somewhere outside of Barcelona.

My last night in Barcelona we enjoyed one last meal before heading back to the hotel to pack. I was very sad, as I knew it would be an additional few weeks before Chris returned home, but I was also excited to sleep in my own bed, as living out of a backpack for three weeks had started to wear on me.

As I headed to the airport the next morning I was shocked to see how many people were still out partying at 4:30 in the morning. My 27 hour travel day was just starting, yet they had not yet ended their prior day!

MARIN COUNTY, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES

I cannot tell you how wonderful it was to walk into my home after 27 hours of traveling and to crawl into my own bed.

Too bad I now am in need of another vacation.

Home Sweet Home

2009-07-12T12:36:00.000-07:00

I cannot tell you how wonderful it was to open the door to the house last night after spending 27 hours trying to get home...

I was exhausted and could not wait to get into bed.

A trip report is forthcoming, but in the mean time, I leave you with a photo taken of Chris and I at Cal Pep in Barcelona, our favorite meal of our three week adventure in France, Italy and Spain.

IM France

2009-07-04T07:16:00.000-07:00

One word: DISASTER.

I knew going into the event it was going to be tough, as I wasn’t well trained. My workouts over the past few months were shoddy, at best.

Having muscled my way through events in the past, I wondered: Could I muscle my way through an Ironman distance triathlon?

Answer: Almost, but not quite.

PRELUDE

I set out for France a week prior to the race to meet up with Chris and our friend Phil in St. Maxime, France. Phil and Chris had been in St. Maxime for the two weeks prior training and acclimating to the area.

St. Maxime is about an hour from Nice, just outside of St. Tropez.

The final race participant, Jake, arrived the day after me, along with Phil’s girlfriend. During the week prior to the race other supporters filtered in, including two friends of Phil and Thayer, Thayer's brother and his fiance, Phil’s parents and Jake’s dad.

The Thursday before the race we headed to Nice to register. After registering, Chris took me on a preview drive of the bike course. Twelve miles into driving the course I wanted to throw up. It looked ridiculously hard. I knew the course was hilly, but seeing the hills in person made it a thousand times worse. I continued to feel more and more apprehensive as we continued to make our way around the 112 mile bike loop. Why was I doing this?

By the time we made it back to St. Maxime I was not feeling confident about my ability to meet the bike course cut off time limit. In fact, I felt worse than I had 6 hours before.

In North America, Ironman events start at 7 am and end at midnight, leaving 17 hours to complete the course. In France, the course had to be completed within 16 hours. There were certain cut off times for each leg of the course. I knew I could complete the 2.4 mile swim before the cut off, however, I wasn’t as sure about the 112 mile bike course that had to be completed in less than 8:15, due to uncertainty about how much time it was going to take to conquer the climbs. From what I understood, if you didn’t meet certain check points on the bike course by a given time, you were “swept” from the course and asked to board the sweeper bus, which would deliver you back to the transition area.

I had a very tough time sleeping that night, due to nerves and a house full of recently arrived guests who were celebrating their arrival.

NICE, FRANCE

Friday we said goodbye to St. Maxime and headed into Nice for the race.

Last year, when doing IM Coeur D’Alene, we stayed at the host hotel and it was wonderful. Not true in Nice. Our race hotel was AWFUL. It was literally a box with a horrible bed in the middle of the room, with barely any room to walk around it. It didn’t help when we saw the hotel our friends were staying in a few blocks away. (Our hotel was so bad that we ended up booking a room where our friends were staying for the night before the race.)

The final days before an Ironman are not much fun, due to stress and anxiety.

It was very difficult to locate food that met the needs of what we were looking for in pre-race meals. Friday night I ate some pasta in an attempt to carbo load that did not sit well and ruined the entire day before the race.

We headed to bed relatively early the night before the race, hoping to get a good night’s sleep before the race (impossible). I slept from about 8:30 pm to 12:30 pm, when I woke up anxious to start the race. I was not able to fall back asleep. I lay in bed from 12:30 am to 3:40 am praying that I didn’t get swept from the bike course.

RACE DAY

Three alarms went off at 3:40 am.

After eating breakfast we headed to transition to drop off our special needs bags and make our way to the swim start.

We were all anxious to see the buoy placement, as the buoy’s had not been out all week. Unfortunately, they were still not out 2 hours before the start of the race. The swim was setting up to be a surprise course.

As 6:30 am approached, we made our way to the swim start. Chris headed off with the boys and I headed off with two fellow San Franciscans, Barbara and Jenny. Barbara disappeared and Jenny and I made our way as far left as we could. I followed Jenny’s lead, as she had done the event last year and she seemed to know something no one else knew. While we nervously stood at the start she said, “did you know there are only 200 women doing this event?” Um, no, I did not know that. I knew I was in trouble.

SWIM – 2.4 MILES

With the gun, I was off. I was surprisingly calm the second the gun went off. All I could do was my best and try to have some fun doing it.

My swim started off well, as Jenny had wisely led us to a location that didn’t involve being swum over by frantic swimmers trying to find open water. However, about 5 minutes into my swim I felt incredibly nauseous. While wondering what I should do, I discovered that one could throw up while swimming. Interesting. I kept going.

After having gotten sick, the first lap of the swim went relatively quickly. Soon I found myself out of the water, circling a timing chip and heading back out for the second loop.

While on the second loop, I was sick again. What was going on? Was I incredibly nervous? Sick? I had no idea. I had never before gotten sick swimming.

I trudged on.

As I neared the swim finish line I wondered how much slower I would be over my prior year with no swim training this year. As I excited the water I learned the answer – approximately 10 minutes.

BIKE – 112 MILES

As I left transition I knew regardless of what the day held for me, that it would be a beautiful bike ride.

The first 12 miles of the course are relatively flat as you leave Nice and head for the hills. At mile 12 I met that first hill that I had seen from the car and was pleased to discover it wasn’t quite as bad as it looked. Thank goodness. It was a long, gradual assent into the base of the mountains we were about to climb. At the end of the first ascent the steepest grade of the day awaited – only for 500 meters – but it was STEEP. It was at that very moment I developed a greater appreciation for Tour de France riders, as those hills were brutal.

I knew at mile 30 or so the toughest climb of the day was awaiting me – a 12 mile ascent. This hill has haunted me for about four months. I knew this hill was going to make or break my race. In the end, it broke me, but at the time it seemed fine. I had done a century ride earlier in the year with a 10+ mile climb that I felt was much harder. So, all in all, at that time it didn’t seem that bad. I passed a bunch of people on my way up and thought I was having a good day. That is, until I got to the top and the aid station was out of water. I had consumed every ounce of water on my way up and was dying of thirst. Needing a steady stream of calories to fuel my day, I kept consuming the calories, but was lacking the water to wash them down.

By the time I reached the next aid station with water I was dehydrated and not feeling well. I had started dry heaving at that point and was hopeful that it would stop. It did not. I learned that one could not only throw up while swimming, but also while cycling.

I had told myself before I departed for France that at the very least I was going to enjoy a beautiful, challenging bike ride through France and I did exactly that.

While cycling, I met a lovely couple from San Jose, California.

After completing the remaining climbs and making my way back into town I realized that while I was going to beat the bike cut off time, I was not going to have enough time to complete the marathon before the course closed. It was a disheartening moment.

During my final mile into transition I spotted Chris out on the run course, looking strong. It was such a beautiful sight, it made me cry.

RUN – 20 MILES (INSTEAD OF 26.2)

While sitting in transition I was sitting next to a man who said, “I don’t have enough time to complete the marathon.” I responded that I didn’t either. He asked me what I was going to do. “I am going to go as far as I can before they closed the course.”

The gentleman commented that he wished the race had the same finish time as in the US, as he would have had time to finish. Me too.

I was very ill on the run. I hadn’t been able to consume any calories for about two hours at that point and was very nauseous. I threw up again the 5K mark. I was in good company, as many others were suffering a similar fate.

The run was a tough, humbling experience. I didn’t have the energy to run – I could only walk. Every time I tried to run, I started dry heaving. I was dehydrated, void of energy and heartbroken that the race would not result in the completion of my second Ironman.

While the run was my most frustrating part of the day, it also held my favorite moment of the race. I just happened to be at the turn-around/finish line completing my first lap when Chris finished his race. I looked up at the clock... 11:56! Under 12 hours! A personal best! I was so proud and so happy for him. I laughed as he LEPT across the finish line. Such a clown.

As I made my way back to the lap turn-around/finish line my third time, I knew that once I reached the turn-around for what would have been my final lap, I would not be able to head back out. It was not possible to complete the final lap prior the end of the race.

As I saw Chris walking towards me wearing his finisher shirt and medal I tried to hold back the tears, but could not.

My race ended when I crossed the timing mat with 10K left to complete of the marathon. The 140.6 mile Ironman became a 134 mile training day.

EPILOGUE

Does Ironman remain part of my future? Definitely. I have to do another – just for me.

Feel the Force

2009-06-20T16:31:00.000-07:00

The trip is starting off on the right foot. I hope it's a sign.

I love celebrity spotting. Love it. I was excited to learn this week that the Beckham family is in St. Tropez. Who knows, maybe I will see them.

I wasn't expecting to see anyone before I left, but low and behold, I just spotted greatness - George Lucas - a few feet away. George and his daughter are on their way to London.

I refrained from telling George I am a huge fan, but I thought it very loudly.

Now She's Off

2009-06-20T10:26:00.001-07:00

17 days.

I have not seen Chris for 17 days.

Needless to say, I am looking forward to arriving in Nice.

I also don't think the flight should be too bad, as I get to chill in "the pod," as I was able to use airline miles for a nice cushy little seat.

2 Days and Counting

2009-06-18T20:12:00.000-07:00

I have officially started packing... finally.

I was so excited thinking about the trip today I was literally bouncing in my chair at work.

Got PIS?

2009-06-16T06:45:00.001-07:00

As those close to me know, I haven't exactly been "training" this year, but I do indeed have a coach. He would probably say he didn't have the opportunity to be my coach, as I only went to maybe 5 group workouts, but that is neither here nor there.

My coach sent out the following email today and it made me burst out laughing:

PIS is an acronym for Pre Ironman Syndrome and can be more severe than its cousins, PRS or PTS (Pre-Race or Pre-Triathlon Syndrome). Symptoms include becoming overly obsessed with small details, anxiety and irritability. This is what happens when we have too much time on our hands that is normally allocated for training. It's a perfectly normal phenomenon given all the time and money spent and other sacrifices you've made in pursuit of this goal.

Ironman like any other huge endeavor is a big deal. And it's not easy otherwise everyone would do it. So take comfort that you are not alone. Be mindful that your stress and anxiety is high now and will continue to build until the cannon blasts to start the race. A small sneeze doesn't mean you have pneumonia or Swine Flu. That faint click in your bike isn't a sign that your frame is cracked. Stay positive and remember that you are part of special group of athletes who are physically, mentally and emotionally strong enough to be at the starting line. You've earned this right.

In this final week, make time for yourself. Stretch, meditate, do yoga, listen to music, visualize your race or whatever else helps you relax. Allow a few extra minutes to complete tasks and run errands. Remember that those who are close to you have supported you during your journey. Stay positive and make sure they know how much you appreciate their sacrifices. If a small confrontation starts, stop and take the responsibility for defusing it immediately. It's a better policy to be kind than to be right.

Finally never underestimate the power of having a positive attitude.

This email left me with visions of triathletes picking fights on streets...

Escape from Alcatraz

2009-06-14T17:05:00.000-07:00

My mother does not like it when I sign up for Escape from Alcatraz, as she worries about me swimming in the Bay. Today I joined her, as some 10 foot monstrosity swam about 15 feet underneath me while I battled my way in from The Rock. (I didn't spend enough time looking at it to identify it, but it was certainly fish shaped and I looked away before I could determine it was a shark so I didn't totally freak out.)

This year's event was a challenging day. It didn't help that I rode from my house to Pt. Reyes and back yesterday, so my legs were a bit shot.

The day started off well enough... My dear friend Ashli and I met in transition and then headed to the bus to take us out to the San Francisco Belle, the boat which delivered us to Alcatraz. Both Ashli and I were much calmer than when we made that same journey two years ago, heading out to our first Escape from Alcatraz.

Getting off the boat is an adventure -- I equate it to jumping out of a plane. As we were lining up to jump, Ashli and I started "eww"-ing at the same time. Clearly many waiting to exit the boat decided to forego waiting until they were in the water to "warm up their wetsuits" and had chosen to do so while still on the boat. It was disgusting. I was mortified that people would do that - and clearly many had.

I had a good jump from the boat (meaning no one landed on top of me) and sighted on Sutro Tower, as we had been directed, and started my 1.5 mile swim into shore. We had been told during the athlete meeting that the currents were slower this year than in previous years, so I was expecting a longer swim, but I was not expecting to blow by the beach, as two years ago I had followed the suggested sighting plan and had a perfect landing. Not this year. I totally overshot the beach and spent 20+ minutes swimming against the current trying to make it back. Frustrating, but I made it in, trying to put a positive spin on the fact that now I had an even better training swim.

The bike was uneventful, with the exception of a man with an accent posted at the Legion of Honor in a tuxedo. He was quite the cheerleader and a joy to many. I felt the prior day in my legs, but still enjoyed the challenging ride.

The run started out slow, but after seeing Ryan, Dian and Jake I "got my legs" and actually had a relatively good, strong run during the second half of the 8 mile course. Which I needed, as I spent the first half stressing about how poorly my swim had gone.

The finish line was a welcomed sight, as I was ready to be done for the day. While the event itself wasn't my best, I still enjoyed the journey. What makes the Escape from Alcatraz so fun is that it's a local race and many friends were out on the course. Hearing friends shouting your name and waving is so wonderful and so motivating. Thank you so much to everyone out the course. You know who you are and you made my day.

The Lecture

2009-06-11T21:29:00.000-07:00

I took both my bikes in for a tune up this week - as until today I wasn't exactly sure which bike was going to travel to Europe with me.

I read over the receipt and burst out laughing... was I being lectured by my bike mechanic? Indeed I was! This was the comment written on the receipt:

"Bike runs great, but could use a bath a little more often. A clean bike is a FAST bike."

What's with the Bear?

2009-06-10T19:18:00.000-07:00

Last year, while in Coeur D'Alene for our first Ironman, my very thoughtful and kind friend Ashli sent Chris and I a huge bouquet of balloons to wish us good luck.

It was after we returned, when Ashli saw photos from the race, that she burst out laughing. "What's with the "Hope" Bear?" They were supposed to be good luck balloons!"

I imagine Coeur D'Alene was low on "good luck" items at that point, as our bouquet had congratulations, best wishes and other lovely sentiments mixed in among the good luck wishes.

The bear currently resides in my office. It struck me today that the bear is the perfect sentiment for this year's Ironman event... I am hopeful it's a good event.

Dave Scott

2009-06-05T19:11:00.000-07:00

I first heard of the infamous "Dave Scott Workout" last year a few weeks before IM Coeur D'Alene. While my coach had other plans, athletes that were training with another local coach were given the workout. Rumor had it that it was quite tough.

My friends Dana and Samantha invited me to join them in their Dave Scott workout before Oceanside 70.3 earlier this year, however I was sadly out of town.

Dana and I randomly decided to do the workout on our own earlier this week (Dana, sweetheart that she is, agreed to do it just for fun!), yet the very next day after making our plans to do so, it was announced that it is Dave Scott Weekend! Now I will suffer among many.

Who is Dave Scott? Dave is a six-time Ironman World Champion. Clearly he is an expert.

What is the Dave Scott workout? The workout consists of a 20 mile bike ride, followed by a five mile run, followed by another 20 mile ride, followed by a 4 mile run, followed by another 20 mile ride, followed by a three mile run.

In the grand scheme of things, it doesn't sound that hard. I ride distances greater than 60 miles all the time, and I run 12 miles often as well. However, brick workouts are hard, and I know this one is going to be BRUTAL. Fun times await.

And He's Off...

2009-06-03T20:58:00.001-07:00

Chris departed this morning to start his European adventure.

I am green with envy, but excited for his summer travels.

In 18 long days, I will join him and our friend Phil in St. Tropez...

I cannot WAIT.

Over Extended

2009-05-28T08:07:00.000-07:00

I knew when I agreed to do an Ironman France that it was not a good idea. I was burnt out, over extended and knew that 2009 was going to be a big year, as my training partner was applying for law school and would be working at least, if not more, than me.

Yet, I still said yes, a decision I have regretted on more than one occasion and with increasing frequency as the race date approaches.

Quite simply stated, I have not trained. I am lucky if I get three or four workouts in a week, including my crew workouts, which really don't add much to triathlon training.

I have no one to blame but myself. I could have said no to many opportunities with family and friends to fit in my training, yet this year I didn't find myself wanting to. I know I will pay for these decisions come race day, but these were the right decisions this year, as time with a particular loved one will be very limited in the coming months and years as he heads off to law school in the fall.

It's difficult for someone who takes pride in giving 100% to move forward with such little preparation, but I remind myself that triathlon is supposed to be fun. So, with an eye towards fun, I set my sights on France. If race day is a disaster, at least I will have amazing travels to follow that will surely soften the blow.

Wildflower 2009

2009-05-06T07:26:00.000-07:00

Wildflower is a notoriously hard triathlon. The course is located in the middle of no where outside of Paso Robles, California at Lake San Antonio, which is approximately four hours south of San Francisco.

I have a love/hate relationship with Wildflower. Wildflower 2005 was my first Olympic distance triathlon, which was a wonderful experience. The race is the largest I have ever participated in and the festival atmosphere of the event makes it legendary.

WF not only challenges ones body, but also the mind, as the terrain is treacherous. Last year I made the jump from the Olympic Course to the Long Course - a Half Ironman distance course - a challenging decision, as the long course always breaks me down. But, I am not one to shy away from a challenge, so I continually find myself signing up again for the next year.

An added element to WF - if you want to stay at the lake, you have to camp. So, Wildflower turns into a social gathering of triathletes like none other. Unless of course, you are like me, and you prefer not to camp for races. I like camping, but not for triathlon.

My mom found a local bed and breakfast in Paso Robles for me five years ago and staying there has become as much a part of WF weekend for me as the race. The innkeepers are like family, and I look forward to seeing them each year. They have been through much with me, and its always exciting to see them. This year was no exception as we discovered that they were a wealth of knowledge for our upcoming Italian adventures. I look forward to the day when I am able to enjoy a stay with Diane and Jim that doesn't involve rushing around getting ready to race!

The drive down on Friday was a bit of an adventure, as it was POURING down rain. WF is notoriously hot and we started to wonder if we were going to have a cool Wildflower. (Answer: No, and Chris has the sunburn to prove it, which is highly entertaining as the only place he didn't burn on his arms was where his race number was written and now he have a lovely 375 emblazoned in his skin.)

After registering, we spent a few moments visiting with one of Chris' good friends from high school who was racing the Olympic distance event (he came in FIFTH OVERALL!!!) and found fellow IM France participant Jake. We also discovered that two contestants from the current season of Biggest Loser were racing the long course event, which thrilled me to no end, as Biggest Loser has been one of my favorite television shows this season. I find the television program inspirational and I was hopeful to see cousins Blaine and Dane.

After enjoying a pre-race meal of pasta with Jake in Paso, we headed back to the B&B to try to get some quality sleep before the race. I have had difficulty sleeping the night before my past few events, so I was thrilled to sleep well and feel rested before the event. We awoke VERY early and headed out to the lake.

It's organized chaos out there on race day, which is part of the allure. We headed down to transition and readied ourselves for our race. Chris and Jake's heat was early, over an hour before mine. I saw them off and then headed back to transition to get ready myself. I aged up this year and complained with everyone else about what a late start we were getting - the unwanted result of such a large event.

Finally our appointed start time neared and fellow GGTCer Tina and I headed down to the start. I had not been in water since the swim at Oceanside and I was hopeful for a good swim, as Oceanside had been a good one, even without training. Alas, it was not to be. The race started strongly, but for some reason my sighting was off kilter and I was all over the course. It took me three minutes longer to do the swim course this year over last year. I reminded myself that this event was a "training day" and to push through.

The bike started off strong and I felt good and strong as I neared the infamous "Nasty Grade," a long hill that pops up at about mile 41 of the 56 mile bike course. I powered through Nasty Grade, the false summit and the hill that awaits thereafter. The final 10 miles after Nasty Grade went slowly and I started to grow frustrated with my trudging along. I found out why I felt so slow at about mile 54 when a man yelled out, "Way to power through, even with a flat!" What? Did I have a flat? How could I have a flat? I didn't feel like I had a flat! Sure enough, I looked down and saw my rear tire was flat. Two miles from the finish line? Not changing it! I don't know how long I had that flat, but my time was about 15 minutes slower than I wanted to be. Again, good training, as riding with a flat is hard work.

The run is my least favorite part of triathlon - simply because I am not a fast runner. People often ask me why I do triathlon if I don't like running. It's not that I don't like it, I just grow frustrated with my slow pace. It's only when I spend great amounts of time running that I am able to increase the pace, and training for an IM does not allow that level of dedication to running. So, I trudge along.

WF is the only triathlon I have gotten sick participating in. Last year at about mile 1 of the run I started to feel nauseous and I started throwing up at mile 3. This year, I managed to hold it off the nausea until about mile 5 and didn't get sick until mile 9 (an improvement!). Feeling ill makes it nearly impossible to run, so the run course was a long one. Chris and Jake had been waiting for hours before I finally crossed the finish line, but they were in good spirits, having been distracted by beer.

After the race I spotted Dane and Blaine from Biggest Loser as they posed for photos with fans and reveled in their finishes. I would expect to see flashes of the race on the show's finale next week. They look good!

Even though I was frustrated with my time and having gotten sick, I consider every race an accomplishment. I enjoy having my health and a hobby which allows to surround myself with such wonderful people. It appears I am not the only one who feels this way, as I just watched the coverage of the 2008 Ironman Championship and you could see the same emotion on so many faces as the participants cross the finish line... an inspiration for the next 7 weeks.

When a Kona Champ Laughs, You Know It's Bad

2009-04-27T17:56:00.000-07:00

On Saturday Chris and I joined Jake (a friend doing IM France as well), his father, and a group of his father's friends for a 40ish mile ride into West Marin. This ride was our last longish taper ride before Wildflower next weekend.

As soon as we arrived I was informed that one member of the group, Rich, has won his age group at Kona - the Ironman World Championship Event - five times. Yikes. My first thought - am I going to be able to keep up with this group?

Answer, no... but I did have an opportunity to talk with Rich in Nicasio as the group refueled. I asked him about his events and he shared that he had just completed Ironman Australia a few weeks prior. I then asked him the question I have been asking everyone who I think might know - was he familiar with the Ironman France course? He asked why. I told him that Chris, Jake and I were all training for the event. At first he didn't seem to believe me and then he started LAUGHING as he said, "It's really hard." GREAT.

I also found out today that the "hill" on the IM France bike course is 13 miles (21 km) long, not 6 miles as I had originally been told. I am almost speechless... Now I know why Rich was laughing. The Tierra Bella Coe Park climb is starting to look easy at this point...

(My friend Christopher Kautz wrote a story about Rich last year in the local newspaper, which you may view here. Rich is quite an accomplished athlete.)

Another Ultramarathoner...

2009-04-26T21:05:00.000-07:00

Many tell me they think I am crazy when they find out I that I am an Ironman.

I like to respond that I am not crazy, my ultramarathoning friends are crazy!

Well, another friend has just joined the club... Congratulations to Dana on her first ultra distance event!!!

Tierra Bella Century

2009-04-23T18:23:00.000-07:00

I started the Tierra Bella Century completely blind. I had not researched the ride at all. I assumed it would be just like any of the centuries I had complete in the past.

While looking back at it, it really wasn't that bad, I would not have said that on Saturday, particularly after having summited a MOUNTAIN that I was not expecting to climb.

Just today, while writing this post, I finally read the 100 mile course description:

"Goodbye Metcalf, Hello Henry Coe! After a quick ride north past Uvas and Calero Reservoirs, you will turn south and east for a (new this year!) challenging climb up Thomas Grade and Dunne Ave to Henry Coe State Park headquarters. Then you descend back down the same roads and continue south for an afternoon climb up to Gilroy Hot Springs. Then descend Cañada Road before returning to Gavilan College."

"Challenging climb?" The "challenging climb" consisted of a 10+ mile adventure up the side of a mountain. The worst part - the arrows on the road made it clear we were climbing only to come right back down. This fact made me think of Jessica and Sam on Rangsiwan's IM Brazil Century send-off ride. (I thought of that ride many times while ascending the mountain.)

Before I continue my commenting (aka complaining) regarding the Coe Park hill climb, I should back up and start from the beginning.

Chris and I were supposed to do this ride together as a training event for IM France. However, Chris was pulled away to attend another event and I decided to do the event on my own, as one does IM on his or her own and I thought it would be good practice. Besides that, I needed to do at least 80 miles.

I departed the house at 5 am Saturday morning to make my way to Gilroy. A bit after 7 am I got on my bike and started the ride. Just a few miles into the ride I realized I had done parts of the course before - first I realized I was on the UVAS Triathlon course. A few miles later, I again had moments of deja vu when I found myself on a long, windy stretch of road that are the final miles of the I Care Classic that Chris and I had completed last May. (I had flashbacks to those final miles, as we were ready to kill ourselves at that point as it was 97 degrees outside and we had bonked many miles before).

As the course made its way to the East side of Highway 101, I started to wonder if the course was going to follow the same route as the I Care Classic. If that was the case, I recalled that there was a hill in front of us, but one that wasn't too daunting, so I didn't think much about it.

As soon as we hit the first 3+ mile ascent (switchbacks through a residential neighborhood) I realized the course was indeed very different. At the very start of the residential ascent I spotted a sign that indicated "Coe Park" was 10.5 miles away. Ah, maybe we were headed there. Had I only known.

The 3+ mile climb through the residential neighborhood reminded me of portions of climbing Mt. Tam from the Alpine Dam side, but instead of climbing through the trees, we were climbing amongst homes lining the side of a very steep hill. It wasn't too bad and when we made it to the top I hoped we were done for a bit. Ha. A very short time later I spotted another sign that indicated Coe Park was now 6.5 miles away, along with a yellow curvy road sign... wait... uh oh... it finally started to click.

I asked the random man riding next to me, "Do we ride to Coe Park?"
"Yes, ma'am, we do."
"Is it all uphill?"
"Yes, ma'am, I am afraid it is."

My disappointment was fleeting, as I reminded myself that there is an infamous 6 mile hill climb in IM France and this would be good training. I kept pushing forward and made my way towards the remainder of the climb. (It was actually quite beautiful.)

You know it's a steep climb when there are people on the side of the road "resting." That's always a bad sign. Or when the event organizers have to post signs letting you know a really steep grade is coming up to allow you the ability to brace for an even steeper climb - one that is so steep you must stand up to make your way. Regardless, I pounded out a good climb and made it to the top without too much trouble. I wish I had looked at my watch to see how long the ascent took so I could compare it to the descent (32 minutes).

At the top, there was a rest stop where lunch was being served. This was about mile 50. I didn't stop for long, as I was looking forward to having the ride behind me. It was about two miles into my descent when I wished I had stayed a bit longer at the top, as I spotted fellow GGTCers and friends Tina and Troy climbing their way up to the top. I contemplated either waiting for them or turning around and climbing back up with them (which is really what I should have done), but I continued on, reminding myself that there was work to be done and I had a LONG run the following day.

I was so excited when I reached the valley floor, as I knew most of the remainder of the ride would be relatively flat (at least compared to the climb behind us). The remainder of the ride was relatively uneventful. I met a very nice woman from San Carlos who is a veteran double century rider who was out for a training day. We chatted for a bit as we made our way back in. I also had the pleasure of riding in a very face pace line of a local women's riding club.

When I finally made it back to my car I was thrilled to be done and just wanted to go home - so much so I threw my bike on the car and left, skipping the post event meal (an action I would rethink later in the evening).

By the time I made it back home I was starving and I hit the local taco shop for some fuel. While I was hungry the moment I got home, it surprised me a few hours later as I headed to bed that I hadn't eaten more. Usually after rides like that I am ravenous and ingest enough food for two or three people. This should have been a sign of things to come.

Alas, just after midnight I awoke and knew something was wrong. I didn't quite make it to the sink before the vomiting began. I thought to myself that I hadn't eaten enough and that this is what happens when you don't refuel properly! I felt just horrible. I was so sick I couldn't even make it back to bed. After spending an hour being sick and gathering strength, I finally made it back and went to sleep.

I awoke the next morning, sick yet again, feeling like death. I slept 31 out of the next 36 hours. (Missed my run.) It wasn't until midday Sunday that I realized I was sick because I had the flu, not because I hadn't refueled properly (although my lack of appetite due to the flu certainly did not help my recovery from the ride).

I am all better now (finally!), and am left wondering which is worse -- the Tierra Bella Coe Park climb, or the infamous climb in Ironman France. Time will tell.

Small Craft Advisory?

2009-04-15T20:52:00.000-07:00

"Is there a small craft advisory?"

Mind you, this question was posed by one of my crew teammates when were already about 5,000 meters from the dock during practice this morning.

It was so windy, it was almost impossible to row. The wind turned our blades into little airplanes.

It made for an interesting morning.

Ironman California 70.3

2009-04-14T20:42:00.000-07:00

The California 70.3 Half Ironman event held in Oceanside, California was my favorite event in 2008. My race just came together perfectly that day and that stuck with me when I decided to sign up for this year's event last fall.

Oceanside is a problematic half, in that it's VERY early in the season - meaning one has to train over the winter months in order to be ready for the event. I had good intentions this winter -- however the training just didn't happen due to crew, work and life.

As the race weekend I approached I wondered if it was possible to fake a Half. This weekend I learned that it is not - at least not for me.

I had swam two, yes two, times since last September prior to race day. I had not been in my wetsuit since the Malibu Triathlon. Sad, I know. However, I was hopeful that my rowing three times a week would somehow replace my swim workouts and I was curious to see how the two coincided. While I have been good about my long weekend rides and runs, my weekday workouts have suffered and have been rather non-existent, as work has taken over the daylight hours. I knew this was going to be a factor heading into the race.

Oceanside is a Saturday event, requiring registration the prior day. Accordingly, we departed for Orange County early on Friday. Ashli and I were racing, with Chris serving as our private photographer, as he didn't sign up for the event quickly enough and wasn't able to procure a spot. Bummer.

We arrived before registration had even opened, so we checked into our hotel in Carlsbad and did a little shopping and enjoyed lunch before heading off to registration and a little Ironman gear shopping. (I don't know why I always find I have to purchase more gear!) While picking up our bikes at TriBike Transport (bless this company for transporting my bike to and from the race site so I didn't have to deal with taking a bike on the plane!), we ran into Brian, Dana and Kara, friends who were also racing. Always good to see them - at a race or at home.

After registering, we headed back to the hotel and I did a final check on my tri bag to make sure I hadn't forgotten anything. (Of course I did - my lip balm with SPF - which I am very much regretting.) Afterwards, we all enjoyed an early dinner with my sister and her family, who live nearby. My sister joked that triathletes and three year olds are on the same dining schedule - dinner at 5 pm. It was so fun to see my sister and her family, as I hadn't seen them since last year at the same event, and at the time my nephew was only a few months old. Now he's walking around and is a little adorable person. My niece is three and entertaining as ever.

After dinner, we headed back to the hotel to try to turn in early, as we had to head out for the race the following morning at 5 am. I don't often sleep well before events, particularly ones I don't feel well trained for. Sleep did not come easily and I don't think I slept much that night - maybe a few hours.

4:45 am came early and I jumped out of bed to head to the race site to set up my gear in transition. Transition was lively and full of participants and spectators when we arrived, with Ashli and I pointing out all the professionals we passed along the way.

It was so cold at the start that my teeth chattered as I waited for the start of my wave in the swim coral. I was sure the water was going to be ice cold, but was pleasantly surprised to discover it was rather pleasant as my wave headed into the water for the start. We headed off the the start and all of a sudden, it was time to go.

7:29 am. Off I went for my 1.2 mile swim. The swim course consists of a swim in the harbor along a buoy line. My swim out to the turn around went smoothly and quickly without much excitement. I just swam. Swimming along a buoy line can be difficult, as you have to frequently make sure you are on course by sighting on the buoys. I was thrilled that I kept a perfect line on the way out. Further, I was surprised that few from following heats "swam through" while I headed out to the turn around, as usually I am bombarded by super fast boys who swim right over me. Alas, they decided to wait until after I had reached the turn around, which made the swim back in challenging, on top of the fact that it was impossible to sight on the way back in, as the buoys were lined up directly with the rising sun. The second half of my swim was a challenge, but ended quickly enough.

I was thrilled to discover upon my exit from the water (after thinking to myself how WONDERFUL it was not to have to go do another loop like I had to in Coeur D'Alene last year!) that my swim was faster than last years! Ha! No swim workouts for me!

I ran into transition while shedding my wetsuit and came upon Ashli, as she was set up in the next row. We both geared up for the 56 mile bike ride and headed out.

On my way out of the Harbour I spotted my former coach, Torsten, who I had not seen since last May. I was happy to see him and yelled out a hello as I zipped on by.

The ride heads north from the Oceanside Harbour towards San Onofre along the coast, towards the lovely nuclear plan that I, among others, refer to as "The Boobs.) (The two nuclear towers looks like breasts.) The first miles ZIPPED by. Just flew. I passed person after person and was thrilled with my time, especially when I hit the half way point at 1:07. Was I going to take FIFTEEN MINUTES off of my bike time from last year? I would have been thrilled! Ha! Not. Within a mile after the half way point, as we began to make our way back south, through the foothills of Camp Pendleton, the headwind attacked and my speed plummeted. BUMMER.

Riding on the Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton is fun, is there is very little traffic. Further, seeing the Marines on base doing obstacle courses carrying ammo boxes and huge backpacks full of water makes a Half Ironman seem easy.

At mile 30, the first hill of the day loomed. Last year, I remember recalling as the hill came into sight thinking that it wasn't a hill, rather it was a mountain pass. I still think it looks like a mountain pass. It's a really big hill.

As we summited the pass, many cheered with joy. It was nice to have the hill behind us, but unfortunately there were a few others awaiting us,on top of the headwind that just would not let up.

It was shortly after summiting that first hill and the following descent that I came upon a woman lying on the street, still attached to her bike. It was a horrific sight and many base locals were assisting her. It looked as is she had passed out and just crashed. I thought of that woman many times during the remainder of my day and this week. I hope she is alright.

As I continued on, I saw the possibility of a 3:15 bike slip away, but was happy with my bike performance overall, as I was just a few minutes behind my time from last year.

The run was a different story. It was about a mile into the 13.1 mile run that I knew I was in trouble. My legs began to cramp. It is a rare occasion when my legs cramp. And, I just felt tired. At this point my lack for training caught up with me and I knew it. But, I reminded myself I was out there to have fun, and I pushed on.

There were highlights of the run -- hearing "Go Aunt Jennie, Go!" and seeing my boyfriend, my sister and my niece cheering me on. The words of encouragement and sassy exchanges with my GGTC teammates were uplifting as well and made the LONG run go just a tiny bit faster.

I was overwhelmed by the generosity of the locals on the run course last year and they did not disappoint this year either. A family with a home along the run course stocked bottles of water and ice for those of running by. That ice was a lifesaver, as it was 80 degrees out on the course. It hasn't been that warm up in the Bay Area yet this year, so the temperature was tough to deal with (hence the cramping).

I wished and wished and wished when I was done with my first loop of the run that I was done, but sadly I was not, and I headed out for the second loop. (It's almost cruel - you run almost all the way to the finish line only to have to turn around and head back out.)

My second loop was more of a walk/run, or what I like to call the Ironman shuffle. It wasn't too bad, however, as I was in good company and I met some very nice people on my way back in.

Finally, the finish line was in sight. Crossing the line didn't bring me the same joy I felt last year with a strong performance, but rather a sense of determination regarding my training for the next few months. I have a lot of work to do, and my performance (or lack there of) highlighted this fact. But, it was exactly what I needed to be reminded of -- one must put in the time to excel. It's time to get moving.

The rest of the weekend was perfect. After returning my bike to TriBike Transport, we headed north to Orange County to visit with Chris' family and to enjoy a day off lounging by the pool at the Montage Resort in Laguna Beach, randomly with Billy Bush from Access Hollywood. (Whoa! Did you know Billy Bush is George W. Bush's first cousin?) Better yet, Lil Wayne almost took us out with his Bentley. It was an entertaining weekend.

I returned home sunburned, but happy, particularly in light of the fact that I had been carded for drinks at the Montage, yet Chris had not. Ha!

WFTW 2009

2009-04-03T18:37:00.000-07:00

Each year, our triathlon Club, Golden Gate Triathlon Club, heads down to Lake San Antonio outside of Paso Robles, California, for a weekend of training on the Wildflower course.

It's always a crazy weekend full of friends, laughter and lively conversation, and this year proved to be no exception.

We arrived late Friday afternoon and settled into our "cabin" for the weekend - Cabin 1. The cabins are trailer homes, which serve their purpose for the weekend and actually aren't too bad. The sleeping accommodations are always interesting. For example, our room had two double beds in it, which meant two people were to sleep in each bed, which can prove interesting when you go down on your own! There were 11 of us assigned to Cabin 1, including a good friend and sorority sister, Susie, who I was excited to catch up with, as we hadn't seen one another in quite a while. Also staying in Cabin 1 was a woman who I had only met over email who is also doing Ironman France this summer.

As the afternoon progressed, our cabin mates began to arrive and most set out for short runs prior to our cabin dinner. I set out for a 30 minute run and found myself laughing out loud when I noticed one of the houseboats on the lake was a trailer literally mounted on a floating base. Nice and trashy. Just what you expect down on the lake.

I always enjoy the Friday night dinner, as you get to catch up with old friends and meet new people. One of our cabin mates was someone I had heard about for years, but had not yet had the pleasure to meet. I was kicking myself as I had forgotten to pack the perfect board game for the weekend - 25 Words or Less - so we ended up making our own version, which served as a great icebreaker after our group dinner. It was a fun way to send the evening.

While WFTW ("Wildflower Training Weekend") is a fun, social weekend, there is also work to be done, so people headed off to bed at a relatively decent hour, as our training the following day consisted of an 8 am swim workout, followed by a 56 mile bike ride, and then a post bike transition run. I went to sleep, thinking about Nasty Grade (the infamous hill of the Wildflower Long Course), wondering if I would find it to be as nasty as I have in the past.

I wasn't sure I should be doing the entire long course bike ride, with a race the following weekend, so I decided to do the distance, but not go crazy. I was frustrated with my time, as it took me 3:50 to ride the course, where I typically do 56 miles in about 3:30. Bummer. But, it was a beautiful, sunny day, so I enjoyed being outdoors and procured my first sun burn of the year. (Nasty grade proved to be less nasty than in the past, but it sure is long!)

Saturday evening's festivities included the annual coaches transition challenge (always entertaining), consisting of a brief run, the required pounding of a beer in T1, taking off on the bike, returning for T2 (and maybe pounding another beer?) and then running in. While Jan didn't flip his bike this year, it was still funny as for a brief moment it appeared that Ed might follow in Jan's footsteps.

Our club enjoyed a group outdoor BBQ that evening and everyone headed off to their respective cabins or off with friends to enjoy the evening. Brian, a veteran WFTWer explained that it's tradition to play "The Bag Game." We didn't know what the bag game was, so Brian educated our cabin. The bag game consists of placing a typical grocery bag on the floor. Participants must pick up said bag with their teeth, without using their hands and may only have one foot on the floor while doing so. Those who prevailed without touching the floor with their hands moved on to the next round. Between each round an inch or two of the bag was torn off the top of the bag. It was a HILARIOUS competition.

I managed to make it until the fourth round, when I face planted and took home the prize of carpet-burned knees. Chris and my sorority sister Susie battled it out for the championship, with Susie taking the title. The bag was about an inch tall for the finals. Those of us spectating were dying of laughter.

Sunday morning Chris and I decided to forgo the insanity of the Wildflower run course and headed home to do our run on a flat surface, since I had my first half Ironman of the season the following weekend.

I always love Wildflower Training Weekend, as it allows an opportunity to meet new people and catch up with old friends. This year was no exception.

A Sign?

2009-03-30T21:42:00.000-07:00

Apparently I am indeed supposed to run the Nike Women's Marathon. I found out today that I got into this years event via the lottery. I don't know yet if I am happy or sad. Ask me on October 19th.

IM France Planning

2009-03-26T19:17:00.000-07:00

Chris' friend Phil is out from the east coast this week, which finally afforded those of us doing Ironman France an opportunity to get together to start to plan our post Ironman travel adventures around Europe.

On my agenda is Italy - anywhere - but I would particularly like to explore the Italian Riviera and the Amalfi Coast.

We are planning to head to Barcelona to capture the first mountain stage of the Tour de France before I have to return to the states. Basso! Sweet!

While in the initial planning stages at this point, every option was on the table. Buy a beater car and tour about? RV? Train? Fly? While at this point I have no idea what we will decide to do, I know it will be an adventure.

Pirates Cove

2009-03-22T09:41:00.000-07:00

Dian and Paul signed up for the Pacific Coast Trail Runs Pirates Cove event many months ago and asked us to join them. I, of course (since I cannot say no to anything) signed up. I registered for the 20K event, along with my friend Ashli.

As the date neared, Chris signed up for the 30K event. Two of his friends who are also doing IM France decided to join in as well.

I was so excited to learn this week that many other friends were also doing the event -- of course Rick was running the 50K event, but I also discovered that my friends Dana and Samantha were doing the 30K event.

It was SO FUN to see so many friendly faces at the start. And what a gorgeous run. I am embarrassed, living in Marin, that I had not been on 80% of that course until today.

We started from Rodeo Beach and headed up, up, up. The pack spread out pretty quickly, as the terrain was steep. It started more as a hike than a run. However, after making our way up to the first ridge, the beauty of the Bay Area revealed itself and I was on my way.

About four miles into my run I came over the top of a ridge and was shocked to realize I was running down into Tennessee Valley, an area I frequently run. I had never imagined I would tackle the trails from above. It was a fun moment.

The entire remainder of the run was stunning. I feel so fortunate to live here. I was constantly stunned by the beauty of the views and was enjoying myself very much until the 50 and 30K-ers started passing me. They ran 6 more miles than me, yet they were still passing me long before the finish line. It's moments like that I wish I was a foot taller and simply faster. Yet, it was fun to see the speed demons fly past me, as I saw my former volunteer partner, Will G., as well as Rick, Phil and then Chris. Chris' calves were cramping, so he wasn't moving as fast as usual, and we ran the last bit of the course together - which was a real treat for me as we never run together.

Cheyenne was out on the course cheering us on. I am always surprised by how wonderful it is to see friends out on the course offering support. I appreciated it greatly.

It was a lovely run, topped off by a lovely dinner with two dear girlfriends who had also done the event. We weren't moving too quickly out of the restaurant, however, as the soreness had begun to set in...

Leif Erikson Drive

2009-03-18T08:50:00.000-07:00

Chris and I spent the weekend in Portland visiting a dear friend of his who is in her final year at Lewis and Clark law school.

I had forgotten that it can actually be relaxing to get away for the weekend.

We stayed at a lovely hotel downtown called The Nines and I just loved it. We slept in, went shopping, enjoyed good company, ate fine food and just had a grand old time.

On top of relaxing, we managed to get in a bit of training each day as well. My friend Dana used to live in Portland and she sent me out to the perfect location for a long Sunday run - the Leif Erikson Drive trail run.

The main trail - Leif Erikson Drive - is a 11 mile long fire road that is perfect for long runs, as it's marked every quarter of a mile and is relatively flat. For those who are more adventurous, there are trails jetting of the main trail for single track adventures in every direction, including the famous Wildwood Trail.

As it was wet and rainy (shocker), a very nice woman I met at the trail head recommended I stay on the main trail. We walked up to the trail head together and ended up running a very pleasant, albiet muddy, five miles together. This woman, whose name I never learned, is a mother of three. One of her daughters goes to the same university where my aunt is a professor and she thinks that her daughter is currently taking a class from my aunt! Small world! We spent the entire way to the five mile marker enjoying a lively conversation, so much so that I didn't notice how fast we were running.

When we hit the five mile marker, the kind woman turned around to head back and I continued on to hit the one hour mark before I too turned to make my way back. It was at my turnaround that I realized just how tired I was. It made the run back quite long, but I powered through and was thrilled to have gotten my long run in, as I wasn't sure it would happen as we were out of town.

It was also nice to spend some time on a trail, as this coming weekend Chris and I, along with many friends, are running in a local trail race in Marin County. Most of us are running in the 20K event, Chris is signed up for the 30K event, and our friend Phil, who is racing IM France with us this summer and who will be visiting for the weekend from Boston, is signed up for the 50K event!

Should be an entertaining weekend - if anyone can walk afterwards.

All Booked!

2009-03-09T06:49:00.000-07:00

It's official... I am headed to Europe in June! I have finally booked my IM France travel.

I was thrilled to discover that I had enough frequent flier miles to book a round trip first class ticket. SWEET.

Now I really cannot wait. We just need to figure out where we are going after the race! Wherever we decide to go, I know it will be an adventure.

Dean

2009-03-07T19:37:00.000-08:00

While cycling along today I was chatting away with a friend and we both stopped talking as we passed a man running towards us. We both recognized him instantly - Dean Karnazes.

Dean is a local ultra distance runner who I became familiar with while reading his book "Ultra Marathon Man" while traveling in Europe many years ago. I enjoyed his book so much I stayed up until 5 am in London to finish it one evening.

While I have crossed Dean's path in the past running in the City, we were a LONG way from home and I had to wonder how far he had run. Probably pretty far.

It was fun to see him as we made our way back in from a 4 hour training ride, as I find him to be extremely motivational.

Tahoe

2009-02-23T16:32:00.000-08:00

Chris has been harassing me for months about whether or not I can ski. In our two years together, we had yet to ski with one another.

This weekend we finally had the opportunity to do so.

My dear friends Jenny and Brett invited us to join them for a weekend at their cabin in South Lake Tahoe. It had been over two years since I saw my former law school classmate and his wife, so it made the Tahoe adventure all the more special. I used to see Brett and Jenny relatively frequently, however, since moving to the Bay area, visits have been far and few between.

It was so much fun to get out of town for the weekend, particularly knowing we were due for some good skiing, as the snow was rumored to be good and the weather, at least on Saturday, was supposed to be sunny.

We arrived in time for dinner on Friday night and enjoyed a night out on the town in South Lake Tahoe. Jenny and I won a free ski lift ticket while at dinner. I just knew we were going to win, as the raffle ticket number was the year I was born.

Later in the evening, we found ourselves in a State Line casino, and Chris asked me what number he should pick on the roulette table. I replied "7" or "4", as those numbers had won us the lift ticket. As Chris went to put a chip down on 7, the table closed. Of course, 7 was the lucky number of that "round" of roulette. We were so close! Regardless, even though we didn't win, Chris said "it's bound to be a good weekend," which it was.

We had such a wonderful weekend - full of laughter, friends and great skiing. A huge thank you to Jenny and Brett for sharing your home with us!

Tour of California

2009-02-16T17:37:00.000-08:00

Today I learned that tour riders actually read signs held by spectators. Maybe this is only true when they are climbing a category 3 hill and are almost at the top and probably are quite tired and looking for a distraction, but they definitely read my sign. The sign I held elicited some very entertaining reactions.

"Aww, come on!"

"Basso? Really?"

Floyd Landis glared at me with disgust. Another rider gave me a wink that made me burst out laughing. One rider stuck out his tongue. Some smiled. Others laughed.

My sign was a little homage to my favorite cyclist, Ivan Basso, who has been missing from the cycling scene for a few years, due to some doping issues.

As Chris and I made our way home from our weekend in Carmel, we decided to spectate Stage Two of the Tour of California - the Sausalito to Santa Cruz leg. We arrived in Santa Cruz much too early to wait at the finish line, so we headed further north to catch the riders somewhere along the 115 mile leg. We decided to catch them where we might actually get to see them for more than a fleeting moment - on a category 3 hill climb up Bonny Doon.

We weren't the only ones with this brilliant idea, which made it all the more fun.

We appeared to have lucked out with a brief break in the weather when we arrived, as it finally stopped raining. After scoping out a great spot to take photos from, we, or rather I, stepped back into my sorority sign making days and made an Ivan Basso sign on a grocery bag.

About a half-hour before the racers made their way to our location, a Livestrong van stopped amongst our crowd, distributing signs and chalk, which we all took and immediately began chalking the road. Such fun! I had to wait until the van had disappeared around the corner to start chalking, as it was not "Lance" I was writing on the roadway.

Those of us lined up along the side of the two lane steep grade became more and more excited as race organizers and Highway Patrol zipped by checking the course. We knew the riders were not too far behind.

Sadly, as we continued to wait for the first riders to make their way to our vantage point, it started to hail and then downpour, washing away all of our chalking efforts off the street. We were not sad for too long, as a few moments later the first group of riders made their way past us climbing up the grade.

Levi Leipheimer was in the lead pack, followed closely by a second pack of riders that contained Lance Armstrong, Ivan Basso and many others. They were flying up the hill... and this was about seven or so miles into the hill. Amazing.

Even though it was pouring down rain, cow bells rang and the crowd cheered the riders on. I enjoyed every moment.

Our position on the hill allowed for some quality Tour spectating. I will most certainly make sure to spectate in the mountains this summer, as we watch the Tour de France after we do our own little tour of France competing in Ironman France.

I have 5 months to plan some really great signs...

Carmel

2009-02-15T10:01:00.001-08:00

Last year for his birthday, Chris' parents granted him one of his great wishes -- high performance race car driving school. This weekend is the course and Chris and I are down in Carmel for his class out at Laguna Seca.

We headed out of town early Saturday morning, and started our weekend with whale watching in Monterey Bay. I have never seen a whale before and was hopeful that we would see one. Our prospects looked good when we arrived and saw that gray whales had been spotted all week.

We were lucky, as the weather this weekend was supposed to be very wet and windy. While windy, which resulted in some very large sea swells, we managed to avoid rain, with about five minutes of exception. (The storm came in over night, and is still lashing out!)

We were lucky on the whale watching front as well, as we were less than five minutes out when our lively hostess announced a whale off the bow of our boat. Sure enough, first we spotted a shower of blowhole water, followed by a gray whale's tail fins, or fluke, as the whale headed back into the depths of the water. We tracked two gray whales while out in the Bay, although I spent half the trip on the back of the boat, fighting sea sickness. (I don't know when I lost my sea legs!)

Regardless of not feeling so great, it was a really fun thing way to spend Valentine's Day.

As we headed back to the car to make our way to Carmel to check into our hotel, we stumbled upon some street vendors and ended up purchasing two photographs that we loved from a local photographer who printed his photos on canvas. The photos are of very colorful doors in Mexico and perfectly compliment the Jim Nilsen prints I have been collecting over the years. I can't wait to get them home.

The remainder of our Valentine's Day was spent being lazy and relaxing - way overdue for the both of us. I didn't realize how tired I was until I had the opportunity to relax for a few moments and to watch one of my all time favorite cycling events - the Tour of California, which started yesterday with a time trial in Sacramento. (Our Sacramento office was on the course!) Now I knew Lance Armstrong was back and participating this year along with George Hincapie and Levi Leipheimer, but I was delighted to discover yesterday that many other big names are back -- Floyd Landis, Tyler Hamilton, and my all time favorite IVAN BASSO! I literally yelped with joy with the discover. Chris started laughing.

We are planning to watch part of the Sausalito to Santa Cruz leg of the race on Monday, as we make our way back to San Francisco, and now I really cannot wait. I will be on the lookout for Ivan, George, and maybe even Lance.

Speaking of spotting athletes, this morning, as we made our way to breakfast at our hotel, I almost stopped dead in my tracks when I realized the gentleman standing directly in front of me, and who ended up sitting at the table next to us, was Dan Marino, who is in town for AT&T National Pro Am Golf Tournament at Pebble Beach.

I think a cruise around town this afternoon might be order to see who might be seen!

George

2009-02-08T20:39:00.001-08:00

I love George Hincapie. I have had a crush on him for years. He's my second favorite cyclist, behind Ivan Basso. My mother knows this well, as two years ago she was a sweetheart and spent four hours with me admiring both Ivan and George (I was doing the admiring, she was laughing).

And now I can say I rode with George, for approximately three-quarters of a mile.

George was in town to host a charity ride, in conjunction with the Tour of California, which starts in a week. I would have liked to have ridden with him a bit longer, but it was quite difficult to keep up with the 26 mile per hour pace. I didn't last long... but long enough to enjoy every moment.

Chris was out taking photos... he got some great ones.

Can't wait for next weekend, where hopefully I will catch sight of both Lance and George, while they partake in the Tour of California.

Where Have I Been?

2009-02-03T16:44:00.000-08:00

January is a tough month at work. I like to equate it to April for an accountant. I had no life, and trying to add training and crew to that... well, that's where I have been.

But, there has been some fun.

My friend Dana planned an amazing birthday celebration for another friend, Cheyenne, from the triathlon club. Dana organized a 4.1 or 8.2 mile run to celebrate Cheyenne's 41st birthday in Golden Gate Park. It was such a fun, clever idea, for gathering sporty folk who are mostly all training or some sort of event. Every detail was perfect. The race numbers all included 4's and 1's. The distance was either a 4.1 mile course or double the distance. There was a water/food station! And best yet, those who finished the event were awarded with medals featuring Cheyenne's photo. It was a really fun way to celebrate a friend's birthday, which concluded with a huge gathering of friends for brunch. Happy Birthday Cheyenne.

Crew has continued to be a fun challenge. After a 6 week break over the holiday's, practice resumed mid-January, which has proved to be a challenge with triathlon training. But, I am enjoying it and have been seeing the benefits of cross training in my erg scores. I am looking forward to what looks to be a good season. However, Saturday's are hard. I go straight from crew practice to tri training -- typically a really long bike ride. Saturday evenings I am exhausted.

This past weekend was treat as my aunt and uncle came up, as my uncle had a photograph featured in the Marin Museum of Contemporary Art's Depth of Perception juried photography exhibition. We all attended the opening reception, which we followed with a lively dinner. I always enjoy spending time with my aunt and uncle, as they two of the most entertaining individuals I know. My uncle is becoming quite famous, as many of his photos are being featured in shows across the state.

Sunday Chris and I both ran in the Kaiser Permanente 5K/Half Marathon. I ran the 5K event, which was, I think, a PR for me in a 5K. I really wanted to break 30 minutes, but I didn't quite get there. However, I feel it's close, and the performance motivated me to get running, as time is ticking by to get ready for IM France.

I am looking forward to work settling down a bit and being able to spend more time training and enjoying life outside of work... I just have to catch up first on all fronts.

Inadvertent 100K

2009-01-25T17:51:00.000-08:00

Saturday's workout was to consist of a 3 hour ride, so Ashli and I decided to meet down in the South Bay for a 45 mile ride, starting in Burlingame, out to Canada Road, through Woodside, up Old La Honda and back.

I figured it might be a bit over 3 hours, but a good ride for us, nonetheless, to get ready for our next race -- California 70.3, to be held the first weekend in April in Oceanside.

During the week I recruited Dana to join us.

The ride started out with a misting of rain and me praying that it didn't start to pour, as riding in the rain isn't very much fun. After about 15 or so miles, the rain stopped and I thought we were in for a great ride. The miles were going by quickly and I felt strong, even though I have spent very little time on my bike over the last six months.

Even the 3.35 mile, 1290 ft. climb up Old La Honda went quickly, as Dana and I chatted the entire way up. It was a lovely way to pass the time of the climb. Better yet, for the first time on a steep climb, we PASSED people!

Climbing is always fun, as what goes up must come down! We started our decent down La Honda looking for our next turn back into Woodside to make our way back to Burlingame, but alas, we made a wrong turn. Instead of heading east onto 84 (a turn that was impossible to spot unless you knew it was there), we headed west.

West 84 consisted of a 6 mile descent, and a few miles beyond the descent sits the town of LaHonda (and a little bar called Applejacks that I must visit sometime!). As we passed through La Honda I started to question if we were going the right way. I was pretty sure we weren't. We rode on for a few more miles contemplating the unplanned 6 mile climb we were going to have to tackle in return for our error. Finally, about 10 miles out from our missed turn, we turned around to make our way back. I thought Ashli was going to kill me. (She didn't.)

Each of us rode in solitude as we made our way back the hill we had just descended. (I was sure Ashli was swearing at me the entire way back up.) Knowing that Ironman France has a 30K climb in the middle, I kept reminding myself this was a good experience for what awaits me in June (I have a feeling the France climb is much steeper... I am too scared to look). After regrouping at fueling at the top, we found our missed turn and made our way back to Woodside and then back to Burlingame.

What was supposed to be a 46 mile ride turned into a 70 mile, 5 1/2 hour adventure, but it was such fun. I always enjoy a good ride, and this ride was no exception. I enjoyed the company and the challenge, even if it came a bit earlier than planned in the season.

The ride wiped me out, however, as I was fast asleep not long after returning home.

Run Little One, Run!

2009-01-18T15:30:00.000-08:00

I was fortunate to spend most of the weekend with one of my dearest friends, Cheryl, who came up from Orange County to visit. While I have known Cheryl since pre-school, we became kindred spirits in high school and have never looked back.

It was a typical Jennie/Cheryl weekend, which included nonstop chatter about anything and everything, food and shopping. It was a blast, as usual. We don't get to see each other all that often, but every time we get together, it was as if we saw one another only the day before. My dearest friend from college, Jennie, is the same way. In fact, I was able to spend a lovely evening with all my favorite "chosen family" - Jennie, Chris, Cheryl and I had dinner at a wonderful local restaurant, Picco. We ate so much. It was a perfect evening.

This morning, before taking Cheryl back to the airport, we decided to walk down to Tennessee Beach. Typically, early on a Sunday morning there are few out and about on the trail, but this morning was an exception. The Tamalpa Runner's Club had a "Fun Run" scheduled to start about five minutes after we had arrived, which also included a run for little ones.

We made our way through the crowd waiting at the start and headed down towards the beach. We were barely on our way before we were overtaken by some VERY fast runners. Not too long after little ones started BARRELING past us. I had my camera with me as I wanted to take some photos of the beach, so I stopped to take some photos of the little runners. As soon as the young runners realized they were having their picture taken, they would put on their game face and push it into high gear. I was laughing so hard. It's moments like those that the purity of children shines through.

Cheryl and I had a wonderful visit and I look forward to the next one... however, as our shopping trips get expensive, I must save up!

Weekend Warrior

2009-01-12T17:19:00.000-08:00

Let the games begin.

I am exhausted. The weekend warrior regime has begun, yet again. And, this year I am trying to balance crew with my training.

I am not complaining, as I love it. I feel stronger than I did starting out last year, and that is exciting.

I hadn't been on my bike more than three times during the last six months, yet I was able to pull out a PR on a Nicasio Time Trial this past weekend, even after crew practice. That started out my Ironman France training on the right motivational foot.

Apparently I am going to need every moment of motivation, as everyone keeps telling me how hard Ironman France is. Lovely. Good thing I can blame Chris for this one.

Belize Part II - Lamanai

2009-01-07T23:16:00.001-08:00

After spending 3 days on Ambergris Caye, Chris and I, along with his parents and his brother and his brother's fiance, made our way to the local airport for a quick flight in yet another teeny tiny plane to make our way to Lamanai Outpost Lodge, nestled in the jungle in the Orange Walk District of Belize.

I had a feeling the landing strip was going to be straight out of a movie, and indeed it was. It was a short strip of barren earth cleared of jungle growth. Going in for the landing, we were treated to our first views of the Lamanai temple complex, Mayan ruins I was looking forward to exploring.

After a smooth landing, we laughed as we found ourselves stranded in the jungle, all alone. Our pilot asked if someone was coming to pick us up. I certainly hoped so! A few moments later, we were met by a representative of the lodge who had come to retrieve us and take us to the lodge.

The moment we pulled into the lodge, I immediately felt like I was at camp. Not a surprise, as the nearest full-service lodge or hotel was over 70 miles away.

The Lamanai Outpost Lodge sits on the banks of the New River Lagoon, a 28 mile long spring feed lagoon, and is surrounded by rain forest. The outpost consisted of wooden cabañas with thatched roofs, a far cry from our previous accommodations, however Chris and I loved it. Each cabaña had a little porch, where one could sit and enjoy the views.

After settling in for a little bit and enjoying lunch, we gathered to plan our lodge activities. As part of the Lamanai Outpost Lodge experience, each guest is provided with a list of activities one may participate in each day. We decided to spend the evening aboard a pontoon boat, taking in the sunset from the lagoon on the Sunset Cocktail Cruise. The cruise was our first view into the beauty of the region and the perfect way to settle in after another day of travel.

After our Christmas Eve cocktail cruise, we met in the lodge bar for a card game of "Screw your Neighbor." Chris' family has a tradition of BRUTAL card games when the family gets together for holidays and events. I learned this a year ago when I spent a portion of the holiday with his family, and again this past June when we gathered in Coeur D'Alene for Ironman. "Screw your Neighbor" is a favorite card game when more than 4 want to play, as Hearts is the go to with four players. While I had won games in the past, this trip was not kind to me on the card-playing front -- I lost every game. After playing cards until late into the evening, we all turned in and planned to meet in the morning for the adventure I had most been looking forward to -- exploring the Mayan ruins.

After meeting for Christmas breakfast, we set out via boat to explore the local Lamanai Maya Ruins, which were located a mere 1/4 of a mile away from the lodge. A fun and different way to spend the holiday!

Lamanai means "submerged crocodile" in Maya. The Lamanai temple complex sits atop the western bluff of the New River Lagoon. While on our tour, we learned that Lamanai was occupied continuously for over 3,000 years, well beyond most other Maya sites, until at least 1,650 AD. Lamanai features the second largest Pre-Classic structure in the Maya world and unlike other ruins, much of Lamanai was built in layers where successive populations built upon the temples of their ancestors, instead of destroying them.

Lamanai is the third largest archaeological site in Belize. Although hundreds of ruins are said to remain unexcavated in the nearby jungle, three of the most impressive temples have been renovated: the Temple of the Jaguar Masks, the Mask Temple, and the High Temple.

The first temple we visited on our tour was the Jaguar Temple (also known as the Temple of the Jaguar Masks), named for its boxy jaguar decoration. It was truly stunning. My first thoughts upon viewing the temple was how brilliant the Mayans were -- having the intelligence and ability to shape limestone into blocks, create mortar to put the blocks together, and then arrange the limestone blocks to construct amazing temples. I was also shocked when our guide said, "Go ahead, climb it!" (Vastly different than viewing historical sights here in the United States where you usually can't even get near the site, must less climb it or touch it!)

The boys immediately took off for the top. It was fun to climb up to the top, but getting down was a bit tricky, as wet limestone covered with moss is quite slippery!

We next came upon my favorite temple, High Temple, the largest of the four we visited while on the tour. From the top of High Temple, we were able to enjoy 360 degree views of the jungle, the lagoon and the rain forest beyond. (Interestingly, a significant portion of the Temple of the Jaguar Masks remains under grassy earth or is covered in dense jungle growth. Unexcavated, it would be significantly taller than the High Temple.)

Next we visited the Stela 9 Temple. This temple featured a Late Classic stela, Stela 9, (a column or pillar monument), which represents Lord Smoking Shell. The date depicted on Stela 9 celebrates the anniversary of the lord's reign and the conclusion of the year. Our tour guide shared with us that the burials of five children ranging in age from newborn to eight had been discovered beneath the stela, indicating a site of high significance since human offerings are not usually associated with the dedication of monuments.

Finally, we visited the Mask Temple, a temple adorned by a 13-foot stone mask of an ancient Maya King with a crocodile-mouth headdress. This structure was built and modified between 200 BC and 1300 AD. Excavations of the temple have revealed burial tombs and other structures lying beneath the temple.

We were fortunate to be staying so near to site, that we had concluded our tour before the hundreds of daily visitors came in off of cruise ships. We were clearing out just as they came in. After our Christmas day touring of the ruins, we headed back to the lodge for a relaxing afternoon reading on the dock, before making our way to dinner and our second adventure of the day -- a Spotlight Nature Safari.

The Spotlight Nature Safari was one of my favorite activities in the jungle, as we saw so many amazing sights. After the sun had set, we climbed aboard a river boat and headed out into the darkness. We boated around with our guide searching the lagoon's edge for wildlife and exotic plans with a spotlight. During this trip, we saw many iguanas, crocodiles, and bats, as well as hundreds of birds and exotic plants and flowers. We were treated to the blooming of a provision flower - a bloom which lasts only a few hours - as as soon as it blooms it is attacked by bats seeking out its nectar and pollen. The adventure was scary at one point as we made our way up a creek off of the lagoon and sat in pure darkness and silence for about five minutes, just listening to the jungle. Chris photographed everything on this adventure, and took some really amazing photos. While not the way I traditionally spend Christmas, it was a wonderful day.

The next morning, Chris had signed us all up for a Boxing Day "Jungle Dawn" excursion, that required us to sign up for a 5:30 wake-up knock, as there are no phones so no wake-up calls! At six am we headed out into the jungle on foot to see what was to be seen. First, we made our way to the old sugar mill, built by the British that dates from AD 1860 – 1875 and includes approximately 200 acres of land that was planted with sugar cane. It was a fairly archaic steam operated mill whose life was short lived. About the time we made our way to the sugar mill, we started hearing the erie howl of Howler monkey's, awaking from the night. I could see that Chris and his brother wanted to chase after them, as we were all dying to see a Howler monkey, but they resisted. As we made our way through the ruins we had toured the day before, we were treated to all sorts of sights - a toucan, parrots, hawks, woodpeckers, vultures and yes, a troop of Black Howler monkeys. Chris caught them all on film.

That afternoon, Chris and I headed back to the Lamanai ruins to try to catch the elusive toucan on film, as it was the only bird we were not able to capture on film in the morning, as it had been too high in the tree. Alas, all of the jungle life we had seen early in the morning must have been taking an afternoon siesta, because we saw NOTHING, other than cruise ship tourists and locals enjoying the ruins. Chris did, however, take some beautiful photos of two little girls climbing around on the High Temple. They were thrilled to have their photo taken.

When we headed back, we all met for dinner and then set out for our final evening adventure in Lamanai - a Crocodile Encounter. This adventure was had on an airboat - a mode of transportation I had not yet experienced in my life. Armed with earmuffs (the fan was REALLY loud), we took off for Dawson's Creek (that really was its name) in search of a crocodile. The moment we left the open water and headed into the marsh was a scary one, as for a fleeting moment I forgot we were in a fan boat that could handle the marsh vegetation.

Our guide, Marecio, explained that the lodge, in conjunction with the University of Florida, is conducting research regarding crocodiles. If we were successful in catching a crocodile, Marecio explained we would take measurements and gather data regarding the crocodile and its location.

As we boated about, we watched for flickers of light - the spotlight on the boat catching the eyes of lurking crocodiles. Within a few moments, Marecio spotted a crocodile and jumped off the boat to pursue it. It wasn't very big, so he was able to capture it with his bare hands.

He brought the crocodile back to the boat to gather information about it. A scan revealed that the 2 ft crocodile had been previously captured, as it had been microchipped. After gathering the pertinent information, we released the crocodile and headed back to the lodge.

After another brutal game of "Screw Your Neighbor," I headed to bed, as our final day in Belize was again to begin at 5:30 am, this time for a sunrise canoe adventure.

After another wake-up knock, we headed out in canoes to explore Dawson's Creek and its surrounding tributaries, in search of manatees, otters, crocodiles, parrots and other wildlife. While we didn't see any manatees, otters or parrots, we did see many species of local birds. Chris taught me some new canoe paddling techniques as we made our way back to the lodge to pack and head back home.

I was NOT looking forward to traveling back home, as I was sure some sort of travel disaster awaited us. Indeed, I would not be let down.

After packing and another game of cards, we made our way back to the airstrip to our awaiting plane to take us back to Belize City. This time I rode up with the pilot. It was actually rather fun. I do not know how pilots land planes! So scary.

When checking in in Belize City on Continental for our flights from Belize City to Houston and then Houston to San Francisco, the agent informed us that Chris' reservation had been canceled. Of course it had. After explaining that he had not canceled his reservation, as we were on the same reservation (and proving this issue with our printed confirmation), the agent put him on the flight from Belize City to Houston, but told us she wasn't sure if he'd make the flight from Houston to San Francisco, as it was oversold. I was NOT happy. (For the last time - I will NEVER fly Continental again.)

Waiting for our flight, we played our final game of cards (Chris was crowned the champion of this family gathering) until Drew and Kim had to board their flight to New York. Shortly thereafter, the rest of our way made our way to our flight back to Houston.

In Houston, we had to say goodbye to Chris' parents, which was a sad moment, as their departure signified the official end of our vacation. Good thing we have another to look forward to next summer!

While I missed my family greatly, the trip was amazing.

Belize Part I - Ambergris Caye

2008-12-31T12:01:00.000-08:00

As I had been looking forward to the holiday trip to Belize for about six months, I was less than thrilled when we arrived at the Continental Airlines counter at the San Francisco Airport at 4:30 am only to discover to lines out the door. I knew we were in trouble.

While Continental was providing no information to those standing in line (I will say it now and many more times before I am through -- I will NEVER fly Continental again), we quickly learned that our 6:00 am flight was delayed for at least 6 hours. Our connection through Houston! Panic. I was on the phone. Chris was on the phone. We searched for alternative flights to Houston on different airlines. Alas, nothing.

Our wait in line proved to be very entertaining. You can only imagine the conversations that took place with those standing around us. Fury.

After two and a half hours, we finally got through our 10 person line (we had inadvertently joined the first class line) only to be told that we were not going to make our connection (like I had not realized this?) and that we could travel from Houston to Belize two days later. We inquired about other options. We were told we could fly to Cancun from Houston and then drive to Belize, as it was a mere 500 miles from Cancun to Belize. We briefly contemplated what surely would have been an adventure (how would we navigate the Mexico/Belize border?), only to receive a call from Chris' parents who too had the same issue coming out of Los Angeles (mandatory flight rests - could they not have brought in a different crew?). We all decided to fly to Houston and see what we could do from there.

While waiting for our San Francisco to Houston flight we discovered the poor individuals who had been standing behind us in line were told they could not get from Houston to Cleveland, there final destination, for FIVE days. Lovely. I thought we had issues.

After waiting approximately 7 hours, we boarded our flight for Houston. Upon arrival in Houston, we met up with Chris' parents, who had been able to arrange confirmed flights the following day on the second and final flight from Houston to Belize City. We were placed on the standby list.

Hopeful that we could all make our way onto the earlier flight the following day from Houston to Belize City, we made our way to an airport hotel to try to get some rest and recover from a truly awful travel day. (I will never fly Continental again. Continental staff, with one exception, had been extremely rude and unhelpful.)

Early the following morning we headed to the airport to try to get on the earlier flight. We were fortunate and all four of us made it on the early flight. (Thank goodness, as the rest of our party was already enjoying the lovely vacation while we were stranded in Houston!)

Upon arrival into Belize City, we jumped into a little puddle jumper plane to make our way from Belize City to Ambergris Caye. Chris had the good fortune of serving as co-pilot, as he was instructed to ride up in the cockpit. (Actually, me or his mother were directed to ride up with the pilot, but Chris jumped right in.)

After the quick flight in the teeny tiny plane, we landed on Ambergris Caye, where we were met by a representative of our hotel with an awaiting golf cart.

Ambergris Caye is the largest of the 200 islands along Belize's coast - at about 25 miles long and about a mile wide in some spots. Our hotel was just outside the only town on Ambergris Caye, San Pedro. There is one main road that makes its way through town, which was busy with bicycles, golf carts and mini vans. Most in Belize appear to make their way around the Caye on either a bicycle or a golf cart.

We made our way to join our awaiting guests (Chris' brother, Drew, and his fiance, Kim, as well as Kim's family) at our hotel, the Victoria House. The Victoria House is situated south of San Pedro and is a gorgeous oasis. The moment we arrived we threw down our bags, put on our swim suits and hit the beach. Chris and I jumped into the ocean and the vacation began.

Our time on Ambergris Caye was action packed. It began with a group outing to town for lunch which consisted of way too many margaritas and realizing I was beyond tipsy way before the 5 o'clock hour. I was not alone.

Bone fishing is a popular activity in Belize. We went bone fishing on the second day of our trip. Chris and I are very competitive. We issue little challenges here and there - who can chop mushrooms faster, pit olives the fastest, etc., so it went without saying that a competition was on for who would catch the most fish. I lost, by a lot. I caught two, Chris ten. Lovely. Regardless, it was a very fun experience and resulted in some very funny sunburns, as we did not apply sunscreen evenly.

As a group activity one afternoon, we all set out on a snorkeling adventure to Shark-Ray Alley and Hol Chan Marine Reserve, not too far off of Ambergris Caye. Our first stop was at Shark-Ray Alley, and as the name promised, there were sharks and rays. Big sharks! About a minute into my snorkeling adventure I looked down and realized there was an 8 foot nurse shark swimming underneath me. I literally screamed. The snorkeling was amazing -- the best I have seen to date. Chris documented our snorkeling adventures, as he had invested in an underwater housing for his digital camera. He has quite an eye for photography and took many amazing photographs on the trip, both underwater and on land.

After spending some time at Shark-Ray Alley watching the sharks, rays, and tons and tons of fish, we headed to the Marine Reserve, where I was very disappointed to learn I missed spotting a turtle. I have never seen at turtle snorkeling or diving, and everyone saw it but me!

Snorkeling led to diving, and Chris, Drew and I decided a trip out to the legendary Blue Hole was in order. We booked an all day trip that included a three dives, including the Blue Hole and two other dives off the Lighthouse Reef.

Now, as a child, I loved boating. It was one of my favorite activities with both my father and my grandfather. But, as I learned on a fishing trip about 7 years ago with my parents, I do not enjoy boating in the ocean, as I have become susceptible to sea sickness in my adult years. I had no idea that this diving adventure would entail charting across the high seas.

We departed at 5:30 in the morning for our diving adventures. Our first scheduled dive of the day was the Blue Hole, where we were planning to dive down 130 feet to view the enormous stalactites that were rumored to be the size of trees. The Blue Hole is a circular cave system which formed before the last ice age and collapsed when sea levels rose approximately 300-400 feet, forming a hole more than 400 feet deep and nearly 1,000 feet in diameter. As we took off for the destination, one of the dive masters mentioned that the boat ride to the Blue Hole was approximately 3 hours and that portions of the ride would be rough. Oh no. I was fine on the way out, but not so lucky on the way back.

We arrived at the Blue Hole and I was very excited to start the dive. I hadn't been diving in quite some time -- at least 8 years -- and this was to be the deepest dive I had ever accomplished. Our target depth was 130 feet, however Chris and ended up going down 155 feet! At that depth, you cannot stay down long, so it was a pretty quick dive. There wasn't much to see beyond the stalactites, but it was fun nonetheless.

After surfacing from the Blue Hole dive, we headed for our second dive destination off of one of the many islands surrounding the Lighthouse Reef for a shallower dive to explore the reef. I believe we were at the Half Moon Caye Wall, but I am not positive. This dive was more entertaining, as we viewed eels, barracudas, coral and all sorts of other interesting critters. After spending about 55 minutes underwater, we surfaced for a lunch break.

Lunch was spent on Half Moon Caye, located at the lower southeast corner of the Lighthouse Reef. This small, tropical island and the immediate surrounding waters are a National Park and home to a protected bird sanctuary. After lunch, we headed to a viewing platform nestled among the trees to watch the Red footed Boobies engaged in their mating rituals. It was truly fascinating to watch.

Thereafter, we headed out for our third and final dive of the day, the favorite of both Chris and I. Chris spend the entire duration of the dive photographing the underwater coral and creatures, while Drew and I checked out the underwater sites.

The trip home was an adventure, as the moment we were outside the protection of the reef, the swells were HUGE. While I didn't feel great, I was fine until the moment Drew and Chris started talking about people getting sick, when I too became sick. Lovely. Regardless, it was a wonderful day.

The rest of our time on Ambergris Caye was spent lounging about, reading, playing games and cards or taking photos with the new camera. I particularly enjoyed talking with Kim's sister, as she works for the Food Network, one of my favorite channels to watch. Fun was had by all, including Kim's mother and sister who ventured over to the mainland for cave tubing and zip lining.

Chris and I took over a thousand photos on the trip. (Actually, Chris took over a thousand photos - I maybe took 100.) Most of the photos shared here were taken by Chris.

We were sad when our time on Ambergris Caye came to an end, as it marked the departure of Drew's fiance's family. However, the rest of us were excited to be embarking on the second portion of our trip, into the jungle.

We're Back!

2008-12-28T04:29:00.000-08:00

Chris and I just returned from spending the holiday with his family in Belize.

While exhausted and up at 4:25 am with jet lag (how does one suffer jet lag from a two-hour time zone change?), I am starting to upload the 1,000 plus photos (I know, absurd!) that we took on the trip.

A trip report will soon follow, but in the mean time, I leave you with my favorite photo of us from our adventures.

Precious

2008-12-14T23:35:00.000-08:00

My mother had a camera when we were children that she named "Precious."

I always thought it was funny that she named her camera Precious until I too became the owner of a nice camera. Now I understand why.

Said camera was supposed to be a Christmas gift to myself AFTER Christmas, however, a brilliant young man pointed out that I might want it for our holiday travel, so it came home a bit earlier than planned.

I have a lot to learn, but we have both been having fun learning how to use it.

My favorite photo so far is a photo Chris took of my feet, all warm in my wool socks, while reading in bed.

I have a feeling our holiday travel mates are going to grow tired of being photographed.

The Windy City

2008-12-08T15:02:00.000-08:00

I am in Chicago this week for a conference and my goodness, is it cold.

I knew it would be cold when I spied snow on the ground as my plane landed. However, I soon discovered thereafter that it is not just cold, it is bone chilling cold.

I must admit, however, that the snow puts me in the holiday spirit -- something I miss living in California. How can it be December when it is sunny and I am running around in t-shirts?

I have only been to Chicago once before -- also for a conference. I am hoping that the schedule this week allows for some time to explore the City, as everyone I know who has spent any time here loves it.

Now if this silly session would just end...

Thanksgiving

2008-11-30T18:56:00.000-08:00

The past two years I have been spoiled with not one, but TWO opportunities to celebrate Thanksgiving.

I celebrated the first with my family up in Washington State, in conjunction with my father's birthday. The trip was much too quick and left little time to visit, but I was able to spend some quality time with my family. The twins are much bigger than they were when I first met them in August and are starting to develop little personalities. My brother and sister-in-law seem to be surviving parenting three children. I very much enjoy watching my parents and my grandmother with my nieces.

I also had the pleasure while up this trip to visit with old friends - my dearest childhood friend and his family, as well as one of my closest friends from high school and her family. I love it when your friends are so dear that years can pass and yet when you see them again it was as if the last time you got together was merely the day before.

While freezing up in the great northwest, I decided it was time to get my lazy bum in gear and start training for my upcoming races. I headed out on one of my old runs and loved every minute of it. While out running I found myself debating (an example of the things I think about while running) how long one must spend in California to call themselves a Californian. I grew up in Washington and lived there for 18 years. However, having now lived in California for 16 years, I wondered if I am truly a Californian. While I have not yet lived in California as long as I lived in Washington, I feel as though as I am a Californian, which was further demonstrated by the fact that I was FREEZING the entire time I was in Washington.

Regardless of the cold, it was wonderful to see my dear family and Northwest friends.

I had the opportunity to celebrate a second Thanksgiving on the actual holiday with Chris and new friends we have come to know over the past few years. What a fun, drunken evening. Chris pours a mean drink and when I found myself tipsy while trying to pull the turkey out of the oven, I knew my drinking was over for the evening. I loved celebrating with friends and enjoyed the evening very much. (Rick and Jessica, thank you so much for joining us! Rick, it was a pleasure to meet your cousin. Bing was such a sweetheart.)

The following day, after a very entertaining (as always) lunch with my aunt, uncle, cousins and grandmother in Marin, Chris and I headed north to Calistoga for a few days of rest and relaxation. We had planned this trip back in October during the craziness of the election season to have a little restful adventure to look forward to. The moment we pulled into the Solage resort I knew we had chosen wisely. This is a place to go if you are in desperate need of rest. The resort breaths relaxation. I loved it the moment we arrived. The rooms are little cottages, complete with two touring bikes. We immediately hoped on our bikes and headed into town, with Chris humming the "Wicked Witch of the West" theme song from "The Wizard of Oz," as we rode down the street.

While in Calistoga, we had the opportunity to tour about on bike, foot, by car and by horseback! We located the Chateau Montelena winery, which we both wanted to see after watching the movie "Bottle Shock" this fall. We toured about the Sugarloaf State Park on Horseback and could not have been more spoiled, as it was a gorgeous fall day. We enjoyed sushi at a restaurant Chris had been dying to go back to since he and his family had dined there last year over the holidays. We also found time to hit the spa, which made for a very enjoyable, relaxing weekend.

We spent a good portion of the weekend planning our next adventures, including Belize, France and possibly Italy (after Ironman France). I am looking forward each already.

BIAC Fall Regatta

2008-11-18T09:33:00.000-08:00

This weekend I rowed in a Masters Mixed-8 in the BIAC Fall Regatta.

Unlike so many triathlon's I have participated in, this event was relatively close to home. What a treat!

Chris, bless his heart, came with me to watch and we arrived with lounge chairs in hand to wait for the start of my event.

It was a BEAUTIFUL day, so lounging about wasn't a burden. About an hour before the event, my boat headed out to warm up. We had rowed together for the first time the day before and it was not pretty. My fear of a repeat quickly dissipated as we all fell into a groove and made our way to the start.

The BIAC course is technical, with many turns. We were fortunate to have a great coxswain who kept us perfectly on course as we made our way to the finish line. It was a great row. While we didn't win, we all were happy with our performance and had fun.

As we made our way back to where we had launched, I saw that my friend Ashli had joined Chris to cheer me on! A huge thank you to them both for their support.

This event was our last regatta of the year. We have practice for a few more weeks before we break for a month. While the rest of the team recharges, I intend to get going in my next Ironman battle and start training for California 70.3. Fun times.

Perfect Weather

2008-11-14T17:47:00.000-08:00

The Bay Area has been blessed with beautiful weather the past few days. I enjoyed it most while at crew practice this week. The water was perfectly calm, the sky cloudless and the air perfectly crisp.

This morning during practice, the boat in front of us was perfectly outlined by the sun as they rowed into the sunrise. I wished I had my camera. (Although I doubt my coach would have been pleased if I simply stopped rowing to take a photo.)

We did manage to capture the morning yesterday on the way to work.

It's supposed to remain lovely for the weekend, which is perfect, as I have a regatta on Saturday.

Election Day

2008-11-05T15:59:00.000-08:00

I spent election day at a polling location in Southern California as a poll observer.

My favorite moment was watching a new U.S. citizen voting for the first time. He was so excited that he asked me to document the event with a photograph. It was truly touching to see the gentleman's emotions and his pure excitement to be partaking in the democratic process.

One benefit of being a poll observer in Southern California... the celebrity spottings! There were many, however I only documented one.

Dress as Your Favorite Proposition

2008-11-02T21:46:00.000-08:00

I went to a brilliant party this weekend.

My friends Dana and Brian hosted a "Dress as Your Favorite Proposition" potluck, where everyone chose a state or local ballot measure, dressed accordingly, and came ready to present the issue to the group.

I think it was a great way to educate others about propositions who might not take the time to review the official ballot guide. Who has time? It was a mile thick!

I chose Proposition 2 and arrived with a pig's nose in hand. (A fake one of course.) Everyone did a good job "educating" the group by sharing a summary of each of the statewide propositions. As there were 12, it took a while! Unfortunately, I was not able to stay for the San Francisco local ballot measures, which surely was entertaining due to the usual ridiculousness of San Francisco (case in point, a proposition to rename the local sewage treatment to the George W. Bush sewage treatment plant).

It was a great event, full of good friends and food. I have learned one can turn any event into a fun costume party!

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T07:23:00.000-07:00

These were our jack-o'-lanterns.

Now, being a child of the great Pacific Northwest, we often carved our pumpkins many weeks before Halloween and while a little mold might have developed here and there, it was nothing like the carnage that devoured our beloved jack-o'-lanterns.

In a week and a half they were DESTROYED. To the point that I had to toss them this morning as they surely would have scared the trick-or-treaters away.

Oh well... Happy Halloween!

California 70.3 Training

2008-10-27T22:35:00.000-07:00

California 70.3 typically sells out many months before the event, but this year it sold out much quicker than expected. So quick, in fact, that Chris did not register in time. Bummer.

Ashli and I are both registered and realized this weekend that we need to start training soon.

We met on Sunday for a quick run - my first run in a month, due to my ridiculous work schedule.

Having recently discovered the beauty of Tennessee Beach, Ashli and I agreed to meet at the trail head for a quick run on the trail. I laughed as we set out and realized that we have the same running shoes.

The run was relatively painless (until the next day when the soreness set in) and I enjoyed catching up with Ashli. Now we need to start back up on the bike...

Head of the American

2008-10-25T19:27:00.000-07:00

I spent most of Saturday traveling to and from Sacramento for the Head of the American Regatta. While it was a long drive for a relatively short race (compared to a triathlon!), I arrived and set up my lounge chair to watch the events for about an hour before my boat had to head out and warm up for our event.

It was HOT in Sacramento -- 89 degrees. Somehow 89 degrees in October just doesn't seem natural, but then again, it's California.

About an hour before our race, we set out to warm up and make our way to the starting line. The warm up did not go as well as our practice had the previous week, as our boat was a bit off on timing. Thank goodness, however, that our strokes came together as we neared the start.

Imagine my surprise while we were waiting at the start and an 8+ from University of the Pacific drifted by! My alma mater! With a crew team! The UOP team raced was to race in our mixed-masters event, as they were the only collegiate mixed eight racing.

The time came to start our event and we were off! The UOP boat had started just in front of us (it was a rolling start) and I was thrilled when we passed the boat almost instantly.

It was SO MUCH FUN to be out racing in an 8 again. I loved every minute of it.

While we were the second to cross the finish line (one boat passed us), we didn't do as well as we had hoped, due to handicapping of the boats based on age (we were a relatively young boat). Oh well, it was fun!

Mixed Masters 8+

2008-10-23T13:52:00.000-07:00

I am very much looking forward to this weekend, as Saturday I am rowing in a regatta for the first time in 16 years!

We are headed to Lake Natoma in Sacramento for the Head of the American. I think it's going to be a great event, as our mixed 8 practiced together yesterday and it was a strong lineup.

I knew my coach was excited about the lineup as well when I saw the look on her face during practice. Time will tell. Wish us luck!

Nike Women's Marathon

2008-10-20T12:03:00.000-07:00

Chris was originally going to support both me and one of his good friends as we ran the Nike Women's Marathon. Due to work and life, I opted not to race, and Chris decided to run half of the event with his friend, while I supported them.

As it was a Women's Marathon, Chris decided to have some fun. I knew it was going to be interesting when he called me and asked to borrow my pink Vineman top and asked if I had a running skirt.

I must admit that Chris looks good in a skirt! Thank goodness his legs are no longer shaved... that would have been just too much.

I biked along the course cheering on Chris and his friend, and kept my eye out for Ashli and Dian. Unfortunately, while I never saw them in the sea of 20,000+, Dian saw Chris.

I almost started crying from laughing when I received an email from Dian after the race, asking if it was possible that she had seen Chris running in a pink top and a white skirt. Indeed it was. Too funny.

Goodness Gracious

2008-10-16T18:46:00.000-07:00

While the roles have been reversed, today I felt as if I was having partial deja vu from a conversation that took place in June, 2007.

Chris: "All I have to say is this - Phil, Niece."
Me: "Niece? Our Phil?" (meaning Chris' family friend Phil who I got to know over the summer, whose time I was shooting to beat at IM CDA.)
Me: "What does Phil have to do with any of my nieces?"
Chris: "Ironman France. Nice."
Me: (Oh!) "When?"
Chris: "2009."
Me: (Without a pause) "OK."
Chris: "Sign up."

And I did. I don't know how I get myself into these things...

Forgotten Love

2008-10-15T22:47:00.000-07:00

Rowing was my passion in high school. I loved it. I went to college thinking I was going to row until I arrived to a canceled crew program.

I have been telling myself for years that when I grew tired of triathlon I was going to get back into rowing. I had been thinking more and more about over the past few months after finding myself in a bit of a training slump after Ironman. Last week I finally contacted the local crew club.

Who knew triathlon would come into play?

When I met with the designated coach for those coming "back into the fold" to determine where I best fit, he asked me about my fitness level, what I did for exercise, etc. When I replied that I was a triathlete and that most of my training consisted of biking and running, he asked me what events I had done this year.

Me: "Well, I did my first Ironman distance event in June, as well as a couple of halves."
Coach: "Well then, we are done. You are headed for the racing team."

I attended my first workout this week and was treated to a team erg test. I haven't been on an erg for 15 years. It was pretty funny, as I could not remember what time I should be shooting for, what power output I wanted, etc.

About three minutes into the 20 minute test it all came rushing back as I recalled the last time I had been on an erg, in a seat battle, and the fact that I had literally rolled off at the end and threw up. Fun times.

About 7 minutes into the 20 minute test I thought, "Wow, this is really hard." Realizing I had 13 minutes left I thought, "Suck it up. It's 13 minutes." Somehow, 13 minutes didn't really compare to 2.5 hour runs and 7 hour bike rides...

I am officially in the "try out" phase for one of the master's teams, which lasts for a few weeks. While I am VERY sore at the moment (muscles that had long been forgotten have been re-engaged), I am very much looking forward to the entire experience!

Staph Reflection

2008-10-09T18:05:00.000-07:00

It's fleet week in San Francisco. I just had this realization when four bi-planes flew by my office window in a perfect pattern.

I then recalled where was I one year a go this week... at home, in a haze, down for the count with my MRSA staph infection. My goodness, I can't believe it's been a year.

One year ago I realized I had fallen in love with the man that gave up countless hours of his time helping me drain the staph-infected wound I could not care for myself.

One year ago I realized what absolutely amazing family and friends I have (not that I didn't realize this long ago).

One year ago I was absolutely devastated thinking that my Ironman CDA adventure was over.

What a year it turned out to be!

When I saw my doctor a few months ago for the first time since the staph infection, he said, "Jennie, it's good to see you alive." I was a bit surprised by the statement and asked what he meant. He then explained to me how sick I had been - far more sick than I had realized at the time. He said I was very lucky.

I am lucky... thank you to all those who are in my life. I am blessed.

Absolutely Nothing

2008-10-07T19:35:00.001-07:00

I am so tired.

All I can think about at the moment is taking a vacation. Even a short one. Three days would be sufficient. I need to get away and recharge.

Recognizing that much will change after the election, I am plowing through, awaiting the other side.

In the mean time, planning a little "mini-break" is proving to be quite difficult! Where to go?

I would love to hop on a plane and spend five or so days in Maui reading a book on the beach, but fear I would be there by myself due to the non-existent vacation status of my desired travel mate. This leads me to focus on a more local destination.

I have always wanted to go to Sea Ranch, but the accommodations don't appear to be quite what I have in mind at the moment. Half Moon Bay? Never been. Napa? I love Napa, but have been many times, however I recognize there is still much to explore. I love Carmel and Monterey, but feel I need a new place to escape to.

Anyone have any suggestions? A spa is a must. Beach or area to explore is a plus.

Tennessee Valley

2008-09-28T15:09:00.001-07:00

While I should have spent the weekend at the office, I did not. While I have probably doomed my next week, it was worth it, as I had a wonderful, restful weekend. Exactly what I needed.

Chris and I crossed a million little tasks off of both our lists this weekend. That's always a nice thing to do.

The house is dressed for fall. We purchased our pumpkins! Last year I was sad that I didn't carve a pumpkin for Halloween, so this year we set out early. I am ready with a beauty.

I went to pilates for the first time in almost a year. Pilates after a year off does not feel good.

Today my friend Ashli introduced me to a part of Marin I had never been. I love that I still discover the area in which I live, even though I have lived in the Bay Area for 4+ years. After we met for brunch, we had a lovely walk down to Tennessee Beach, accessible only by foot or bike. It was a perfect little post-brunch walk -- about a 5K out and back.

While it was foggy, it was still beautiful. There were so many people out there. I cannot believe I hadn't been after witnessing the number of people in the know! But then again, it was only last year that I discovered Rodeo Beach, one of my favorite places in Marin. And, I have yet to make it out to Muir Woods... something that has been on my list for years.

I was really nice to spend some time with Ashli catching up and planning our next triathlon -- California 70.3. A good goal to keep us going through the winter (not to mention the running events we have both signed up for).

Best part about the weekend -- AMAZING RACE IS BACK! I can't wait.

Election Insanity

2008-09-25T20:23:00.001-07:00

Where have I been? WORKING. It has been so busy... way beyond the usual election madness. I can't catch my breath! I cannot wait for for November 4th!

Work has left little time for play. I am lucky if I get home while it's still light out. I need to be training, however when I get home I often still have more work to do or have no desire to anything.

Despite the craziness, I am enjoying living in Mill Valley. I have settled into the new house and am loving the neighborhood. I was able to get out for a short run last weekend and enjoyed exploring the area.

I am very much looking forward to getting up into the trails and exploring Mt. Tam. I have not yet had an opportunity to do so. Maybe this weekend!

Nautica Malibu Triathlon

2008-09-15T21:01:00.000-07:00

I had forgotten that triathlon can simply be fun. In the middle of the bike portion of the Nautica Malibu Triathlon I remembered why I had become addicted to triathlon when I participated in my first event about five or so years ago. Triathlon is fun!

Particularly when you are standing at the start line and realize you are standing next to Marc Anthony. Whoa! Wait, if Mark Anthony is right here, J.Lo must be near by. Oh wait, she's right in front of me. Wow, she's not that tall!

Many informed me before we headed south for the weekend that I was not allowed to return home unless I beat Jennifer Lopez. I am happy to report I beat Jennifer Lopez, by about 11 minutes. One can fake a sprint after all! (Me, not J.Lo.)

I was shocked to see Chris McCormack out on the race course. What on earth was he doing here? An Ironman champion doing a sprint? He was SO FAR ahead of everyone else that it was a joke.

The celebrity spotting that proved to be the most entertaining was Matthew McConaughey. Chris and I were standing on the beach talking to Jon Cryer (Duckie!) when Matthew McConaughey strolls by with a pack of paparazzi. His stretching for the cameras was priceless.

Who did we see besides Jennifer Lopez? Other stars at the race included Felicity Huffman, William H. Macy, John Hamm, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Jon Cryer, Monique Coleman, Heather Tom, Andy Baldwin, Chris Harrison (host of the Bachelor), Eliza Dushku, David Chokachi (of Baywatch fame), Anna Kournikova and my personal favorite, Scott Foley. There were many other stars I recognized as television stars, but I could not tell you who they were.

Cindy Crawford was the MC of the event and we all agreed that she is a beautiful woman. And her children! They are STUNNING.

I was glad Chris and I had fun at the race, because Saturday was a big disappointment. Chris and his family had been looking forward to the USC v. Ohio State game for months, and the game was a horrid loss. We had a great time, however, at the pre-game tailgate. My first real college football game was an adventure, even if Ohio State lost.

The rest of the weekend wasn't so great. We crashed our rental car. Not fun. I was pretty happy to return home knowing I didn't have to travel anytime in the near future.

Off to LA...

2008-09-12T16:30:00.000-07:00

Getting ready to head to LA for the weekend... It's going to be one crazy weekend.

We land and then immediately have to rush off to pick up the bikes we rented for our race on Sunday. Then we dash off to tailgate at the USC v. Ohio State football game. How sad is it that my age I am going to my first real college football game? I guess that is what happens when you to to a school that isn't a football school. (While we had a football team my first few years, it went away...) I imagine the game is going to be insane, as Chris' family is an Ohio State family, in USC territory. Good times.

Sunday we race! I am looking forward to seeing how awful it is to race without having done any training. For those of you who think I might be over exaggerating... I am not. Burn out from Ironman has lead to exactly SIX workouts since June. Nice, huh? I am hoping this weekend gets me moving again, because I really need to get going!

I finally downloaded my photos from last weekend's adventure in Universal City and at Universal Studios. There were some very funny photos in there, so I am sharing a few.

Celebrity Chef Spotting No. 4

2008-09-10T23:13:00.000-07:00

Life has been a whirlwind as of late. Last weekend I found myself in Universal City for the California Political Attorney’s Association annual retreat.

Chris came with me, which was wonderful, not only to have him there, but because we were able to meet his parents for dinner on Friday evening to celebrate Chris’ birthday a few days early.

Continuing on our theme of celebrity chefs, it wasn't too surprising that we ended up meeting Wolfgang Puck while at dinner at Spago. It was lovely to visit with Chris’ parents, and we both felt spoiled, as were are going to see them again this weekend, as we will be in LA for the USC vs. Ohio State football game and the Malibu Sprint Triathlon. (Yes, the very same race Jennifer Lopez is doing.)

While I am not a fan of continuing legal education, which is the point of our annual CPAA retreat, it was nice to have Chris there and we had a very fun evening with other members of the firm. Most of the lively conversation revolved around harassing one of our partners. It was quite entertaining.

All of the members of our firm in attendance also spent an afternoon at Universal Studios. While I found Universal Studios not all that exciting, it was fun to spend an afternoon with my colleagues and their significant others outside of work. My favorite moment was on the Jurassic Park water ride and somehow everyone got soaked but me. (This is because I am brilliant and wore a baseball cap.)

I did NOT enjoy the Simpson’s “roller coaster” ride, as by this point I was feeling a bit queasy after our first roller coaster ride (a real one) and being jarred around in place was not fun. (The Simpson’s roller coaster is a simulated ride – you feel like you are on a roller coaster, when in fact, you are simply in a roller coaster car that stays in place.) All and all, however, it was a great retreat and a good weekend, even if most of it was spent in class.

I returned to work for one day before I jetted off to Washington DC for less than 24 hours for a client meeting.

While I am very much looking forward to this weekend, I cannot wait to spend some time at home, so I can settle into the new place a bit. I haven’t been home since I moved in!

Next up, the Malibu Sprint Triathlon. While normally a sprint wouldn't cause me a moment’s pause, this race should be interesting since I haven’t worked out in two in a half months. A less than brilliant plan, I know. Wish me luck!

Labor Day Weekend: Bayless and Chihuly

2008-09-01T20:15:00.000-07:00

Chris and I have been very lucky at the Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market -- not only with the food finds, but with celebrity chef sightings. This weekend held a treat even better than when we spotted Chris Cosentino... we saw Rick Bayless. I freaked out.

Me: "Chris, Oh My God! It's Rick Bayless!"
Chris: (Of course) "Let's go say hi."
Me: "No way."

Chris, ignoring me, walked over to Chef Bayless and introduced us. Chef Bayless was very kind. It was fun to meet him.

Most of the remainder of the long holiday weekend was spent unpacking and enjoying the new home in Marin. We finished unpacking Sunday afternoon, just in time to depart for dinner party we were attending. It is so nice to be done. I cannot stand living in box-madness. Chris was a sweetheart and made it happen.

In celebration of unpacking, Chris and I decided to head down to the De Young as a Labor Day activity and check out the Chihuly Exhibit. Even better, we met up with my aunt, uncle and cousin, who were also looking forward to seeing the exhibit.

All I knew about Chihuly heading into the exhibit was that he had done the beautiful glass ceiling in the reception area at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. Little did I know Dale Chihuly a Washingtonian, born and raised in the same town where my mother was born. Even better, he now lives in Seattle!

The exhibit was amazing. The colors were so vibrant and stunning. The glasswork seemingly impossible. I highly recommend the exhibit for anyone who has not yet seen it.

Bay Area Adventure Race

2008-08-25T13:14:00.000-07:00

To put a little fun in an otherwise not so fun weekend of packing, Chris signed us up for an adventure race. When we discovered it was in Berkeley, and not in the City as we originally thought, we weren't so sure what we had gotten ourselves into. Neither of us had spent any time in Berkeley, so we figured we were at a disadvantage.

It was so much fun.

We arrived at the starting location in matching clothing (required!) to receive our "race" numbers and sealed clue packets. Upon receiving instructions, everyone was instructed to open our clues and we were off!

Who knew? There is a Durham Theater on the UC Berkeley Campus. It was not easy to locate. We ended up calling Chris' dad for assistance with one of the clues. (Don't worry, this was permissible.) He, of course, knew the answer.

My favorite moment was Chris doing a headstand on a BART train. We had to photograph a team member doing either a headstand or a handstand with a sign displaying the name of a US President. Of course, on a BART train, above a seat, was a sign for the JFK School of Law. Doing a handstand on a BART train seat proved to be a challenge. Many on the train asked us what we were doing. Someone even asked if we were on the Amazing Race. I wish!

The rest of the weekend was filled with packing... that part wasn't so fun.

The Burbs

2008-08-22T14:18:00.000-07:00

"You're moving to Mill Valley? Why would you do that?"

Great.

That was the first comment I received when I announced to an acquaintance that I was moving. She then informed me that Mill Valley is not a good place to live if you are single. Too funny.

I have loved living in San Francisco. It is so beautiful and such a fun place to live. Everything you could possibly need is at your doorstep. It was two blocks from my apartment to frozen yogurt, the local market, the gym, great restaurants... I could run anywhere. But, as the rental market turned in San Francisco I found I could no longer justify my outrageous rent for a 1 bedroom apartment.

Additionally, my office recently relocated further north in Marin County, so I decided to head north -- to an area I have come to adore over the past few years while cycling all over the County.

I knew I was meant to live on Grove Street the second I saw the house. I didn't realize why until I was home visiting my parents a few weeks ago. The house is painted the exact same colors as my parents house.

My apartment is a disaster zone... boxes everywhere. The moving starts this afternoon after work. Wish me luck!