Balancing Act

I have a riddle for you:

What does all of this equal?

 

1 new graduate PA on the job hunt +

1 new puppy +

Planning a wedding reception +

Buying a new house + 

Selling our house = 

One word. Craziness.

Some people might say its a good idea to space out the big life events. Ya know, take it one at a time, enjoy these special moments. You know what I say? Nope. Forget that. Pile that plate until its overflowing then add on another stack. 

Jake and I weren't planning to buy a house so soon, but let's face it, the interest rates are on the rise and now's the time to buy! That, and we found the perfect place! It will be so hard to leave our cute little first home; as much as Jake refuses to believe, I truly love our little casita!  

Time to move out and up! We're very excited and even more fortunate to have this opportunity! 

So operation: "Sell This House" is in full swing and we've been working day and night (okay, mostly Jake, but I cook delicious food for sustenance) to update and make it move-in ready for buyers! Say some prayers we find the perfect buyer!

Why the wedding reception, you ask? Well, Jake and I didn't have a formal wedding with both of our families and friends present, so we decided to have a giant fiesta this winter to celebrate and renew our vows! 

Picture this... Christmas colors, twinkly lights, smell of pine trees, hot chocolate bar, crazy dance party, and the most delicious food imaginable. Cannot wait.

So obviously this high-rise plate of mine is taking away precious blogging time, but I will do my best to keep updating!

If you have any suggestions for moving, puppy training, or Christmas wedding ideas, please let me know!

Always Zip Your Pockets.

One of my favorite running buddies in Alaska is my friend Riley.  She is up for anything and is a die-hard workout-aholic like someone else you might know...

Yesterday we decided to go on a trail run at a place called Powerline Pass.  360 degrees of mountains, blue skies, and beautiful summer sun. Once started along the path, we quickly realized that it was going to be a HOT run.  No shade + not even a touch of breeze + 75 degrees = sticky, sweaty mess. Apparently my "California-acclimatization" didn't last long.  That's okay though, we decided to cut the run a little bit short and turn back at 3 miles for a 6 mile loop.

Beautiful Alaska.

Fast forward to mile 4.5, I had to pee.  Thank goodness for small bladders because I also realized at that time that my car key was no longer in my pocket...

So, you can imagine the rest of the story.  We retraced last 1.5 mile, and of course, it was all the way back at the turn-around point.  How's that for an extra 3 mile motivation?  It worked out and we were both secretly glad I dropped the key for an extra workout.  And even more glad I found it :)

Camping Adventures (Part 2!)

If you've never been to Alaska, you are missing out.

Besides being gigantic, beautiful and awesome, Alaska is the home of endless places to visit.  One of my favorite places in Alaska is Denali National Park.  It is located about 350 miles north of Anchorage and is the home of Denali (Mt. McKinley), America's Highest Peak! A few weeks ago, Jake and I drove there for a quick weekend getaway.

Always following directions.

A quick stop in Talkeetna for Dinner!

Denali

The perfect Campsite.

If you go to Denali National Park, I recommend you take a bus into the park.  Not only do you get to see the majestic Mt. McKinley, but you will see Bears, Wolves, Moose, Sheep, Eagles, Caribous... and the list goes on.  It is like the African safari of America.  Unreal.  I've been fortunate enough to go into the park many times and have had many close encounters with wildlife.  Jake and I opted not to do the bus this time around because we had little Diego with us and knew he wouldn't last 10 hours in his kennel.  Instead, we drove part-way into the park, went on a walk/hike, and explored the town of Denali.

So hardcore. 

Camping deliciousness.

It was a great trip, and as usual, Diego loved every minute.  Have I mentioned he is the best puppy in the world?  We are so in love.  :)  

Until the next Alaskan adventure!   

Camping Adventures (Part 1!)

My bestest friend, Katherine, was in Alaska for the month of June.  It was the perfect welcome home present for me since it had been two years since we saw each other! It was also the reason why you didn't see me on the blog for a month straight :) Katherine has been my best friend since the third grade when we rocked the leggings with stirrups, puffy-painted keds, and in our spare time liked to trade our collection of Lisa Frank stickers.  Yes, we were awesome.

Fast-forward 20 years, and although we still like to rock the leggings (minus stirrups), I'm happy to say we've moved on from Lisa Frank.  While she was in Alaska, we spent every day together.  Whether it was hiking, running, walking our dogs, shopping, or just talking, it was such a fun month.

Our dogs are best doodle-friends.

Momma and Baby moose in the road!

Copilot.

The next morning, we started our trek to Kennecott.  To get to the actual Mine, you have to cross a footbridge and walk (or take a shuttle) 5 miles.  

Old and New :)

It is annual tradition to do a long camping trip with the four of us, so we took a 9 hour long road-trip to Kennecott Mine and the town of McCarthy.  It is an old mining town that is 314 miles from Anchorage. 

It is only accessible by a 60 mile dirt road that follows the path of the historic Copper River & Northwestern Railroad.  The road is full of bumps, potholes, and loose gravel, so what should take less than an hour ended up taking about 2.5 hours!

When we got to the end of the road, we enjoyed our beautiful campsite next to the river. 

In case you've ever wondered what 2AM in June looks like in Alaska....

Diego held up like a champ and walked the whole 5 miles!  Not bad for a 3 month old pup!

Here are some pictures of Kennecott!

We enjoyed our camping adventure which involved lots of campfires, eating, drinking wine, and laughing.  If that's not what summer is about, then I don't know what is.  

I already miss her like crazy, but hopefully we'll be going to visit her in France next spring.  Until then... Bon Voyage!

Mayor's Half Marathon

The Mayor's Half Marathon was the race that won my heart 4 years ago.  It was the race that transformed me from a casual runner, into an obsessed distance runner.  The race had a new course this year, including a new start and finish line in Downtown Anchorage along the park strip.

After racing in California for the past 2 years and experiencing races with 50,000 runners, it was a welcome change to be back in Alaska where there were only 2,000 runners!  I arrived early to warm-up, took my two potty breaks, and found my spot near the front of the pack.  It was a gorgeous, sunny day and although it was warm, my years of racing in the Cali heat prepared me well.

My pre-race plan was to race hard and see what my body is capable of when I'm not training like a crazy-person.  :)  When the gun went off, the adrenaline took over. The "relaxed and steady" start I always intend to have was left at the starting line and somehow my competitive spirit took over.  The first 5 miles until I warmed up were painful, but then I found my groove and let my feet fly.

My least favorite part of the course is running by the airport because a.) it's all hills and b.) it's all hills. Part of the new course was running a trail section to connect back to the Coastal trail (paved path).  Luckily I've been doing some trail running, so I felt prepared, but the path was laden with roots, rocks, holes, and if you're trying to maintain a 7-sub 7 min pace it was a bit of a challenge.  I wanted to kiss the paved ground when I reached the other side.

Miles 9-12 felt great.  I felt strong, pushed myself, and held a steady pace.  It was that last mile that almost killed me.  The new course looped up 3 switch-back hills to ultimately put you on one last steep hill into the finish line at the park strip.  There was one girl about 7 seconds in front of me that I wanted to beat, so I gave it my all.  My amazing husband cheered me into the finish line.  As I crossed the finish line, I immediately felt my airways closing.  I've had asthma in the past, but it has been years since I've used an inhaler.  I was straining to get in an ounce of air. I don't really remember how I got from the finish line to the medical tent, but I made it there and they started me on a nebulizer.  Jake magically appeared at my side and stepped right in to help.  After 20 minutes of the treatment, my airways were open and I felt immensely better!

Lesson learned? Don't run races with uphill finishes.  Oh... and always bring an inhaler.

Race Results:
Time: 1:34.18
Avg. Pace: 7:15
Overall Place: 53rd
Female Place Overall: 9th
Age Group Place: 2nd

A New Look!

It was time for an updated look!  It is still a work in progress and as you can see there are some touch-ups needed, but I'm excited about the fresh, simple look!  What do you think?  Any suggestions from fellow bloggers?

Happy belated 4th of July!!  Jake had to work yesterday, so I enjoyed the day with parents and girlfriends.  Unfortunately, that wonderful weather I told you about decided to leave us and it's been rainy and cold for the past week.  But if you know me, you know that running in the rain is my all-time favorite thing to do, so my day started with a run in my new Brooks Cascadia trail shoes.

I don't love the color, but I figure they're going to get brown and dirty anyways!  Review: very supportive, great tread, and just enough ankle support.  The only negative is that like most trail shoes, they are substantially heavier than my road shoes.  Love them though!

Speaking of running, I know you're dying to know how/what/when I've been running.  I have been pretty consistent with running, although my intensity is far less than last year.  I've come to determine that my "running-OCD-ness" increases exponentially in times of high stress.  Call it a coping mechanism or straight crazy, it helps me get through the challenging times in my life.  Since I got home, my stress level is pretty much at a 0, except for really stressful days when I have to take Diego to an appointment or have two barbecues to attend.  This unemployment stuff is really hard work.   :)

It's a ruff life.

To be honest, I'm enjoying running less obsessively and more for pleasure.  Don't get me wrong, I still ran my heart out at the Mayor's Half Marathon two weeks ago (race re-cap coming tomorrow).... and I am signed up for a marathon in October... and I'll be running the Nike Women's Half Marathon two weeks later!  But the need for a PR isn't at the top of my priority list.  I'm sure the need for speed will come back, but for now, I'm enjoying running for fun.