Missing canadian found, I’m back!

Where oh where have I been, you ask? Or maybe you didn’t and I’ll tell you anyway. It’s been a long time since my last post and I have some explaining to do. This summer has been a little more than cramped. Busy doesn’t do it justice. I’ll spare the details and bring you up to speed real quick.

Ready? Let’s go.

First, we traveled to Coos Bay for my sister-in-law’s wedding. Welcome to the family, J! We stayed in yurts at Sunset Bay State Park. Swank camping.

The area is beautiful and yurt camping rocks if you haven’t done it.

Flying stand-by to Las Vegas earned me a day in Portland roaming the town and Deschutes Brewery. Bottoms up!

Kevin, in the middle, didn’t let dialysis tame the bachelor’s party. Vegas, baby!

We headed to McMinnville, Oregon to visit wineries around our wedding venue last year with my parents.

Who says Oregon is rainy all the time?

Next, I headed to Tahoe for Greg’s bachelor’s party. Seeing the wedding theme yet? More to come on this hike later, I promise.

We celebrated Joe’s 45th birthday with bash and some kickin’ cake.

We got keys to our house and Kari started painting, and painting, and painting. And yes, we were closing escrow this whole time…

Then time for wedding #2, groomsman duty with some classy dudes.

It was an honor to dance and party all too hard in celebration of this amazing couple.

Greg and I took some youngsters out backpacking at Penner Lake the night of the super moon. Trail review to come soon.

To celebrate our first year of marriage, Kari and I headed out with the new tent to Point Reyes. Another trail review to come soon.

Any lastly, wedding #3 for the year. Best friend got married and yours truly was the best man. Best-ish, I guess. I invented a dance move for all you Crossfitters. It’s called the WOD.

Things are slowing down and life is returning to a more normal speed. Thanks for staying with me. There is plenty of fun ahead. Let’s make memories and enjoy every step of the way.

Keep your stick on the ice!

Rest is for the weak-ish

In my last post, I mentioned how this was my first time tapering for a race. I didn’t go for the exaggerated, three week taper because the race was only 10 miles. Long for me, but relatively short compared to tapering for a marathon.

Heading into the taper week, my body was giving off signs that a week of post-race rest was on tap. Tapering worked like a charm and I ran a great race. However, the rest week is here and all I can think about is running. Not too long or too fast, simply running. Getting on the road and putting shoes to pavement.

Maybe I wasn’t in as rough of shape as I thought? Or maybe I planned my training just right, peaked when I needed to and rested before the big day. I’m still  new to this so the only way to find out will be signing up for another race and seeing if this was beginners luck. Sadly our next race is a ways off, as in October. Oh well.

Either way, I want to run. The roads call to me.

I’m still taking a few days off to plan my next move. Our next race is Urban Cow (it’ll be our first half marathon!) so I have time to experiment before training starts up. I’m going to start focusing on interval and tempo runs, new TRX routines and alternating weekends with long bike rides and long runs. What does this look like in reality? Not sure. That’s what the workout-free mornings will be for.

I’m also transitioning into a pair of Merrill zero-drops. My current shoes are half-way through their life, so why not try something different while I run through the other pairs? I’ve been enjoying the 4 mm drop Kinvara for a while, but when I tested the Merrill’s I thought they’d be worth the price of admission. Reviews to come later.

Until next time, keep your stick on the ice.

Canteens and Coffee Mugs

My canteen has fallen on hard times. Specifically, on the street as I cycle to work, on rocks in the wilderness, on cement floors and more than its fair share of sidewalks. Those dents and dings build character, right?

That leads me to a growing concern.

What happened to buying quality goods that last? Has re-using things become passe? You name it and there is a one-and-done version of it somewhere. Wasteful.

I’ve had my Kleen Kanteen for more than five years. Short of it being run over by a truck, it’s here to stay. I don’t get a new plastic water bottle every time I’m thirsty. I use tap water and my trusty canteen. Done.

Kari and I have been taking our objection to single-use to new territory; re-usable coffee mugs, hemp coffee filters,  about a dozen glass mason jars for homemade sauces and salsas and a pile of re-usable shopping bags spread between our cars and living room floor.

I don’t know why it became “easier” to throw out and buy new again. It’s backwards to me.

I’m an old soul; I might even be a depression-era soul. I’ve been known to avoid washing clothes to save water, I don’t throw away leftover food or leftover coffee (put it in the fridge), I save paper that’s printed on one side and food containers that can carry tomorrow’s lunch. Don’t get me started on scrap wood or extra Ikea bolts.

I can’t count the times my Dad made something from scrap lumber in the garage or fixed something using spare parts on the workbench. He fixed the battery hold-down in my first car using pieces from a Coffee Mate coffee maker. Genius.

I’m not saying I’m perfect or our trash can never fills up (no more than once a week, in case you wanted to know).  Last week, I had to use a disposable coffee cup because my mug was at home; it happens. I’m saying that with a little thought, it’s possible to save money and waste less. Double score.

Next time you’re done with something, think about what else it could do for you. You’ve already paid for it, so any use from here is free. Free is awesome.

2012 – Life’s next phase

The phone rang around 5 a.m. on New Year’s Eve. Kari knew what the call meant; Sarah was going into labor. I fell back asleep, Kari’s mind took to racing. Once the morning started again, she made a list of 2012’s most important events.

It wasn’t the length of the list nor the people involved that surprised me. It was the events that were tallied. Life has changed over the past two years. Somewhere along the line, we moved from one phase of life and into the next.

We were at Squaw Valley to round out the year. It was a sunny 17 degrees outside. Kari’s list was sprawled over two pages of hotel notepad. Four weddings (including ours!), three engagements, four babies born, six job changes, job promotions, the sadness of dogs lost and the joy of the dog we gained.

Until a few years ago, looking back on each year meant remembering the exams taken and classes past, summer breaks, part-time jobs, great skateparks and epic snowstorms. I knew nothing of life’s next phase and cared little to consider it. But now, here we are. The transition was smooth, nearly unnoticeable. Better yet, it’s exciting.

We find ourselves trying harder and harder to live in the moment, taking it all in instead of recording it for later. I leave my phone in the other room so I can’t hear it chirp and chime every two minutes. I call friends for conversations, no more long text message exchanges. I deleted almost every social media app from my phone.

While walking around the village at Squaw, I realized that years are measured not only by the events and accomplishments, but the memories and feelings made along the way. That’s what happens when you’re present in the now. Years in this phase are remembered by the weddings and births, the deaths and the uneasy excitement of what may happen next.

Life is for living. It’s important to remember how each event felt, who was there and what it looked like. Not what it looked like through your camera phone or the Tweets/Facebook updates you posted.

We have five weddings on the calendar for 2013. I can’t wait for each of them. Memories will be made and fun will be had. I’ll be there physically and emotionally. My phone will be in the car.

Be there in 2013, live and in person. Make memories that can be told by a campfire or a frosty beer. Memories that turn into the stories that make your gut hurt from laughing or your face sore from smiling. Facebook can wait.

Birthdays, Christmas, Seattle oh my!

I spent each day since Thanksgiving looking forward to this time of year. The rapid succession of fun that is the end of December. We go from Kari’s birthday to Christmas to New Year’s without a minute to rest. It’s great.

Us in front, my parents in back on one of Seattle’s busses. Seattle natives love their bus transit.

The other benefit? Traveling. We took to the sky to visit my parents in Seattle. To us, it’s one of the most amazing city’s in the country. Clean, with the perfect mix of modern and historical, and a thriving downtown waiting to be explored. Good coffee, better seafood and world-class views of the Puget Sound.

Sidenote: I don’t fly a lot anymore, but is Alaska Airline’s the only one offering healthy food? I buy their fruit and cheese plate onboard and love it. It’s the perfect portion of apples and grapes, cheddar and brie and crackers. How is an airline offering healthier snack options than most places I live near?

Look close and you can see the birthday girl.

For Kari’s birthday, my folks treated the four of us to a float plane tour of Seattle. Amazing. The sun broke out and gave us a window for flight. Not only are the views great, but the thrill of flying in its most simple form makes Kenmore Air’s tour so memorable. We saw the pilot adjust the throttle, flaps, tail rudder, everything with ease. Flight is an art, an art that toys with the laws of physics as we push a 1950’s piece of metal through the air and back down to bob on the lake surface, floating back to the dock.

We saw more parts of Seattle. So many great things to say, so many ideas for improvements Sacramento can/should/I wish would make. Seattle is a world-class city in every way. Especially the South Lake Union Trolly -or SLUT as locals call it. Ok, that’s just plane funny if you ask me.

We also got to see one of the most important pieces of flight history: the Air Force 1 plane that held the swearing-in of Lyndon Johnson after JFK’s assassination. The plane was witness to so much history and never before have history books come to life in such a way.

As best I can tell, this is where LBJ became president.

Christmas came all too soon, which meant we had to fly home the next day (Boxing Day, for us Canucks). It’s a shame we have to wait another year for Christmas to come back.

We had so much fun in Seattle that it’s hard to put it all in a blog. Above all, we got to spend time with my parents. It had been over three months since our last visit, so this was long overdue. Until next time Mom and Dad, cheers!

He came, he ran, he ran farther…

Last weekend, my good friend Joe became a marathoner. One website shows that half of one percent of people have run a marathon. Joe is one of those people.

I watched Joe train for a full year to run the California International Marathon. He ran 835 miles training for the big day.

I get bored driving 26.2 miles, so we knew Joe would need to see friendly faces between the start and finish lines. Kari, Greg and I prepped for our duties with funny signs, nearly each piece of waterproof clothing we owned, trash bag ponchos and an understanding that we’d get soaked.

Our first stop was around the 10 mile mark. My shoes took five minutes to be soaked through. Despite our best attempt calculating Joe’s pace, to limit our time in the rain, we still had to wait for him. Better be early than miss him.

After a coffee break, we headed to the 20 mile mark to wait in the rain, again. One thing we didn’t know: Joe was involved in a “Tour de France style pile-up,” somewhere near the 13 mile mark. His knee got trampled but he was moving still. We knew one thing; Joe didn’t put in a year to take a DNF. He went on. That’s our Joe!

We saw him run across the finish line, bashed knee and all. I could not have been more proud. Joe’s name is now included in the definition of perseverance. I’m also pretty sure that he needs to put “Marathoner” on his business cards.

Joe: you’re a star in my book. You helped inspire me to start running in the first place. I can’t wait to see what time you get next year. I’ll be screaming on the side, waving another obnoxious sign.

My long run next weekend is six miles. I’ll let you know how adding 20 might feel.

Turkey Day on the Oregon Trail

Not really the Oregon Trail, but after driving all day it sure felt like it.

I’ve always traveled for Thanksgiving, but this year was a first for me. It was the first time Kari and I made the choice of which city in the Northwest we spend Turkey Day. So, last Thursday, I took a big step in the life of a married guy: I spent my first Thanksgiving away from my immediate family.

We took off for Toledo, Oregon to enjoy a Northwestern Thanksgiving with Kari’s sister Mandi and her fiance, Todd (plus doxies Scooter and Brody). Oregon is a great place year-round, but the  joy of the holiday, some time away from home, Rogue beers and many laughs made the weekend light and the conversation easy.

 

Thanksgiving 2012 was amazing and gave gave me many things to be thankful for, mainly having awesome in-laws. I was worried I’d be sad and missing my parents over the weekend (don’t worry, I was. It’s been two months since I’ve seen my folks), but my in-laws made it a trip to remember. Here’s to the many years ahead of splitting holiday’s between Oregon and Washington.

TRX to the rescue

Since last spring, I’ve been kicking my own rear-end to get my health into high gear. It’s become priority number one, just don’t ask why I let it slip so far. You’ll hear a list of excuses like a fourth grader who lost his math homework for the third time. Today, I’m down from 215 lbs to 173 and not done yet. There are no diets, pills, gimmicks or anything less than me pushing the envelope in this story. But one thing has been lacking; consistent strength training.

I’ve tried gym memberships and either can’t afford them or don’t want to drive before/after work. With my notoriously weak joints, I need solid muscle to keep those puppies held together. We’re talking joints made of putty unless I do something about it. That’s what lead me to the TRX.

I’ve started slowly, doing knee and shoulder routines to get my weak spots up to speed. Now I’m ready to starting a strength program.

I picked the TRX for a few simple reasons: it’s amazingly portable and can be used almost anywhere, it’s body-weight resistance training, amazingly versatile and there is no shortage of how-to videos online. Seriously, millions of TRXers put videos online to keep us newbies inspired and no one loves free advice more than this guy!

My left knee has been recovering well, the isolation training has been exactly what it needed. Single leg lunges and squats, specifically, have been my get-ready-for-snowboarding motivation and they’re working.

For my sad little shoulder, the TRX “Y” and “T” moves have been what my physical therapist said I needed. My shoulder was make worse in the past by lacking upper back strength. Near nightly routines on the TRX are taking care of that for me.

I’ve realized it’s time to take strength training seriously or my body will keep reminding me of my shortcomings. I’m not trying to lift 435 lbs at a bench press competition, but I would like to do some pushups with claps in the middle. That, and by next spring maybe my 35 lb backpack will feel like a feather while we’re out on the trails. Who knows, but I like the direction I’m headed.

One thing I can promise is the simplicity of the TRX keeps me coming back for more. The possibilities are endless and I can do my workouts anywhere, anytime. Like off the roof rails of our 4Runner.

Here’s to a fit and healthy Thanksgiving, from our family to yours!

Beauty bike lanes, eh

Sacramentans talk about making our city better, a lot. Too often they don’t find the will to start, let alone finish, their grandiose ideas. When recent discussions of new bike lanes in downtown fired up, I was skeptical to say the least. We’re a city that’s on hard times and only the most biker-dedicated city would keep the safer streets dream alive when funds are scarce, right?

I’m happy to say Sacramento has kept that dream alive. You kept the promise, albeit months late, and so far it’s worth the wait. I stand and applaud the effort to resurface and paint new lanes for cars and bikes on some of our most busy streets.

In the hotter-than-I-expeted debate about the bike-friendliness of Sacramento, I fall somewhere in the middle. Can Sacramento be the next Portland/SF? You bet! Should we? If I had my way, yes. But, can we? This is where I see people split.

Some don’t want to devote any money to bike lanes and accompanying infrastructure. To me, it’s key to the “big city” dreams of Mayor KJ and others. Our downtown is the perfect size to become a showcase for complete streets—where drivers, cars and pedestrians get along comfortably. Let’s become that shining example and let people come see what Sacramento does right.

Portland’s lanes often lead to a box for bikers to gather at red lights.

Green lanes separated by an extra “buffer” from traffic.

What too many people forget is that Portland and SF weren’t made bike friendly. They had to work at being bike friendly. Rome wasn’t built in a day, neither were the miles upon miles of green bike lanes in Portland, SF and cities beyond (LA, Minneapolis, Denver to name a few) that have made bike commuting a priority. This is the type of club we should crave membership in. Let’s get past this club’s ugly bouncer and red velvet rope, take a walk inside and smell the awesomeness.

Sacramento’s bike lanes project is an amazing step forward. We have lanes in parts of downtown that used to be a biker’s nightmare. From downtown, I can only imagine how much further we can expand these bike-friendly ways.

To the nay-sayyers: bare with me on this one. You’ll see your drive to work isn’t ruined by bikers, it’s made easier. For every one of us you pass, that’s one less car in your way. Give us a little room, a little respect, and together, we’ll help make this city a better place. We’re all in this together.

Knee injuries mean downtime

Well, hello there. It’s been a while, sorry I haven’t been coming around lately. Trust me, it’s with good reason yet unfortunate circumstance. Two weeks after our triumphant return from the honeymoon, still daydreaming of Colorado skies and Rocky Mountain highs, Kari and I joined some friends for a car-camping trip at Lake New Hogan. That’s where things took a turn.

More like my knee took a wrong turn while the rest of me stayed still. I’ll spare the details, but a fall off a jet ski, the water felt more like cement, left me badly swollen for a few days with very little range of motion. Even walking was a chore.

Speed up a few months, plenty of physical therapy, stretching and stetch-band routines and I’m 85 percent of normal (in the knee). I’ve switched running shoes to the Saucony Kinvara 3 for a little more cushion and support and they’ve been what I needed to get running again.

Big thanks to the folks at Fleet Feet Sacramento for the recommendation and showing me the light on Trigger Points, more to come on this in the future. If you haven’t tried it, check it out!

But the tragic lack of backpacking, and pretty much anything active, has left me to fill weekends with different kinds of fun. Have no fear, I’ve found ways to keep busy.

Around the same time as my injury, we decided to move across downtown Sacramento, into a small two bedroom apartment, saving us needed money on rent. The downsizing was a challenge with all our gear, but having closets that look like Tetris games is cool, right? Much cooler than cleaning our old, empty, place was.

We spent the September long weekend in Brookings, Oregon visiting with my new in-laws. The trip up was good, especially unloading some fast corners through Highway 199 in the s4. We jarred salsa and had run up the Rogue River, relaxing and enjoying some of Oregon’s best local product: beer.

Instead of sending my Dad a standard birthday card with an insulting joke inside and terrible handwriting, Kari and I invited my folks to see the new apartment. Great timing too, the Capital Air Show was flying at Mather Field. What’s better than walking in and around huge planes flown by our nation’s heros? Those amazing men and women hanging around their jets, in flight suits no less, answering questions and chatting up civilians.

Seeing a KC-10 Extender, a long-haul re-feuler, do a low level “dirty” wing wag (gear down and fueling boom extended) was mind blowing. Then seeing them pull back into an unrestricted climb and with the gear up in was just beautiful.

As my folks headed back to lovely Seattle, they handed us our new friend for the week, Flat Stanley. This little dude will be the most traveled Stanley. He belongs to a cousin in London, England and has already seen New York, New York, Seattle and now Sacramento. He’ll see L.A. and beyond as our family passes him around.

Lastly, I’d like you to meet Stanley and my new bike. It dawned on me that fixed-gear bikes don’t work well for people recovering from knee injuries and long bike rides. What better time to buy an entry-level 24 speed and see how I enjoy riding more than 20 miles. So far, 11 miles have been taken down and my legs went south with them. Oh recovery, you cruel, cruel friend.