Dash Point Half Marathon

The half marathon is over and done. It was exhausting, grueling, and not really very fun. I mean, as I've been running more, I've enjoyed it, but this was an experience for which I was not prepared. I got the miles in, I should have been able to do it. I just wasn't ready for a trail run that had some really steep parts.

Sarah and I at Dash Point State Park before the race. Ready to ROCK IT!!!

My loves and cheering section.

Lining up in the slow wave.

At the beginning of the race--don't I look fresh and happy to be running?


Running in the forest is fun! Oh actually it isn't because I just ran up a cliff! I'm a good faker.


Daniel running the race (he's Andrew's running buddy).


My friends Sarah and Melissa running. Looking good!


At the aid station--HALFWAY DONE!!!


Now I'm kind of running--don't judge, I'm super pooped.


This is at about mile 8 and I was dying.

By the end of the race, I was ready to cry.

But I persevered and FINISHED.


None of us (me, Sarah, or Daniel) did as well as we had expected to had it been a road race. Daniel was expecting 1:45 and ran it in 2:45, I'm not sure what Sarah expected but she finished in 3:15, and I expected 2:45 and finished at 3:30.

Daniel's wisdom about the race: "Your first trail run should not be a half marathon, and your first half marathon shouldn't be a trail run."

Although I had ran on trails a few times, none of my long runs were on the trails. Moral of the story: train in the race's conditions.

Even though I was dying, I feel like I paced myself really well. My snail pace was consistent and I finished. And, I can say that I ran a half marathon.

Now, to find a good Redemption Race.

Blanca Lake

In July, my brother Matt came to visit and we went hiking to Blanca Lake. It was a really difficult hike and a lot of it was in the snow/cold. Matt is way hardcore at hiking, so I appreciated his patience with me and Rachel.


Ready to go!


I love this picture of us!


Rachel looks like Andrew's aunt Ellen in this photo. Isn't it funny how babies are new people that have all these other people's traits and facial expressions?


Stopping for some lunch.


Crossing some early snow. Rachel is taking a nap. A little further on the hike, we were only on snow.


Some beautiful mountains, Columbia Peak and Kyes Peak.


The first lake, Lake Victoria. Pretty much still frozen.


Good morning, Rachel!


We made it! Blanca Lake was the most amazing aquamarine color! I have never seen water that was actually that color.


That is the Columbia Glacier, which sits between Columbia Peak and Kyes Peak.


Rachel liked sucking on the camelback nozzle while getting her diaper changed.


Milk goatee.


This is actually a better photo of the color  of Blanca Lake.


Love this girl.

And then we hiked back and did not take any pictures.

Our Little Backyard

We have had a lovely backyard for about three months and now I am finally going to post about it.

You may remember that our backyard looked like this when we moved in:





The builders sprayed hydro-seed, which didn't take root because our yard was pretty much a gravel pit. Obviously, something needed to be done. First, we tried digging up the rocks, then we decided that was too much work. We pulled out the big rocks and got to work with my dad in April.


Dad chipping off cement.


Rachel enjoyed watching her grandpa work.


Dad working on the garden box.

And then we bought 10 cubic yards of topsoil so we could cover up the horrid gravel pit.


The dirt in front of the house.


Dad working hard to dig the dirt.


Our neighbor Claire "helping" us.


Hardworking and helpful neighbors.


The dirt was very fun for the neighbor kids to play in. If you ever have a birthday party for two-year-olds, just buy a pile of dirt.


Rachel and I raking.

And a month later, we bought sod for the yard.


Fooray!


Andrew laying the sod. In the bottom corner, you can see the berry box that Andrew built for me for Mother's Day. I'm so excited to fill it with delicious berries!


Rachel blowing raspberries on her walker tray.


That isn't a very flattering face, Rachel.


And Andrew got to use his machete!

We were happy to have our yard done. It is actually a nice place to be now. It's amazing how much some greenery makes your yard feel like an oasis instead of a desert. Next summer we'll focus on flowers and such.

It is a nice place to be. I have built a pathetic fort a few times for Rachel and I to enjoy.




She doesn't care how lame the fort is.

Hooray for the yard!

Coming soon: the first room I actually decorated!

Running through the Summer

Did I mention that Andrew and I have become runners? It is pretty crazy.

Andrew runs with a friend about three times per week. I think they go pretty fast. He is getting better at recovery, which I can tell because he complains less in the evenings when he gets home. His hip is pretty sore, so if you are a runner and have a tip in that department, let us know. His friend is also training for a half marathon and Andrew is still doing all the runs with him. He doesn't want to do the actual half marathon though.

This is good because

I am doing the same half marathon. Which is crazy. I never thought I would say that I am training for a race longer than a 5k (3.2 miles). A half marathon is 13.1 miles. To date, my longest run has been 8.5 miles and I have a little over a month until the race. I feel pretty comfortable running 4 to 6 miles, not that it is easy, but it doesn't kill me. So I'm feeling pretty good about my training and my ability to complete the race. I am pretty slow at 11:30 min/mile and am not planning on being a competitive runner. But I can run and that is great! The race is a trail run and last week I did my first-ever trail run and it was a blast! I think I may need to invest in some trail running shoes in a few months.

Rachel is getting much better at being happy about being in the jogging stroller. She better be, as her longest run has been 6 miles in it. I generally do not do my long runs with Rachel, just my weekday runs. Rachel also likes standing and walking with assistance. Still no crawling. She seems to be getting closer to wanting to move.

Besides the health benefits of running, I am glad that I am training for the HM because it is really good to work towards a goal. I haven't really had a goal since I finished school (except having a baby, I guess) so I really feel like I am accomplishing something. Doing hard things can amaze you at what you are capable of doing!

Memorial Day Fishing Trip

We went fishing out of Anacortes on Memorial Day. We fished for lingcod and greenlings in the beautiful San Juan Islands. It was a fun time.


A beautiful morning on a boat.


Just an example of the pretty places we fished in. One place we were fishing was off of Stuart Island, where we could see Canada.


The GPS, depth measurement taker, and fish finder.


Wes and Maren fishing.


Hannah and I freezing.


Someone caught a sea cucumber!


Me and Andrew fishing.


"Wow, what a beautiful place! Do you think we'll ever catch anything?"


"No luck up here!"

We had only caught a few fish at this point. Nothing really amazing yet. Until...


Hannah pulled in this monstrous lingcod--which actually wasn't hooked! It was trying to eat a greenling that she had hooked!


Way to go, Hannah!
The cod was 36 inches (the maximum length that you can keep) and I don't remember how much it weighed.


Fun in the boat.


Brothers.


Sleeping in the boat. We had to be there by 5! Everyone got up at 4:15, except me, who woke up at 3:30 so I could nurse Rachel so my bosoms wouldn't explode on the boat.
Rachel did not come. :( She stayed with her Oma.

It was so cold. At one point, I said, "This is colder than ice fishing!" And it was.


Our combined catch.
I caught 4 rockfish, which you cannot keep. I am the rockfish queen!


Us holding the fish. I do not like to touch fish. Also I look huge, but I don't think I really am that size. Maren also caught a nice-sized lingcod.


Hannah and her fish. Wesley looking jealous.

We had fun!

Take us fishing again, The Dad!