night before the crowds fly in!

After an early morning 14 miler with some friends who are training for the Twin Cities Marathon, I gave myself a little pep talk and headed off to do ERRANDS! Woot. The best kind - paper shopping and grocery shopping ala trader joes. One of the best thing about Trader Joe's is the line up of enticing flowers at the entrance. I am typically pulled to the bright colored blooms, but today, I eyed a smart lady pick up a bushel of eucalyptus and a bundle of lavender. Brilliant! I grabbed a few packs and filled several vases around the apartment. I haven't left the apartment yet, but I am hoping that when I reenter, the wild branches will bring me back to running Owl Trail along the Pacific coastline.


Later in the afternoon, Mike and I rearranged furniture and CLEANED! Our wedding entourage (ie. friends and family) begin arriving tomorrow! We actually had a pretty nice time of it. And, the apartment looks just lovely if you ask me. We spent our last night as an unmarried couple (without an entourage) drinking rum and cokes and eating grilled salmon, summer squash, and green salad. The veggies all came from our CSA! Seriously, we have a "mini-share," and we cannot make it through all the vegetables. Way to go ploughshare farm.




So, really, all's well here. We are going to take Rachel the Dog Vasich for an evening stroll and then work on some projects.

A running update

Earlier this week, I attended my first trail running club practice! I was tentative at first; I wasn't sure about the concept since I have never joined a professional running group. However, after the first practice, I really think I'm going to like it. First off, it's awesome to run trails when someone else (ie. coach) is keeping track of where we are running! Secondly, it's motivating to run with other people (the club is open to all ages and pace groups). I tend to run a little harder and accept tough workouts as challenges instead of hurdles to finish as fast as I can.

Our first run was an easy 4 miler on the Theodore Wirth trail system. Most of the practices will meet there. There isn't much to say about the run itself...but I must voice how much I adore the trails! Not the bike trails, not the running paved trails, the REAL THING. I CRAVE the sensation of leaping over a fallen tree and turning fast corners. I like the terrain, the hills. All of it. I am looking forward to some longer runs...

Anyway, this running club thing is pretty darn cool. As for the women's running collective, I have to get back on the organizational bandwagon. We do need to make some changes for next year if we want to keep it going...maybe I should call a meeting/run? I think it would be awesome if we met more regularly, chose some key races together to train for, and broke into different pace/distance groups. This might help keep folks accountable. It's a great idea...just needs more commitment (from me as much as anyone else!). But we are an "award winning" group (ha, neighborhood award...) so that must mean something!