13 for 2013

1. Run a 50-mile race. Eeeek... holy cow!  I'm signed up for Rocky Raccoon on February 2.

2. Ski with my husband and not break anything.

3. Stop talking about going to Europe and actually go.

4. Get back to "wedding weight" for my bonus daughter's wedding.

5. Start volunteering at the Humane Society (woof!).

6. Reduce my amount of smack talking for some more positive mojo.

7. Get back on my bike.

8. Treat myself to more TLC - massages, chiropractic care, acupuncture, etc.  My poor back needs it... even if I'm not running a marathon.

9. Compete in a masters swim meet for fun (key word: fun).  And that's really me.

10. Finish the home projects we have been putting off... for years.

11. Pay someone to clean our house.

12. Compete in a triathlon after my 6+ year hiatus.

13. Host a cool dinner party... once #10 and #11 been accomplished.

Naughty and Nice Half Marathon

Last weekend I was searching for the internet for a run race to do, and fortunately I stumbled upon this one.  The start line was at Crescent Bay Park, at the corner of Ocean and Bay, pretty close to the Santa Monica Pier.  It was VERY informal.  The three runs (10-mile, half marathon, and full marathon) started at 6:30.  The Race Director arrived less than 30 minutes before the race, we received a bib, and we had a brief overview of the course.  The event was capped at 75 runners, so it was nice and small.  It only cost $31 to enter the half marathon.

I met up with my friend Liz, who I swam with in high school, and we hadn't seen each other in over 10 years.  It was really fun to catch up, and the run just flew by.  The scenery was great too.  We headed out 2.6 miles to Venice Beach and back to the start line and then ran the other way (past the Pier) and back.  The whole run was on the path along the beach (woohoo... no hills!).    

Results:
Liz and I tied for 11th out of 42 folks in the half marathon with an official time of 2:00:15.  I had predicted a 2-hour finish time (not really knowing what to expect after running a full marathon two weeks prior), and I was spot on.  My Soleus watch read 13.22 miles and 2:00:17, but then I deleted the saved data when I was trying to write down my mile splits.  It felt like a nice, comfortable pace though.  I'm assuming the mile splits were pretty consistent, and there were two brief stops for water.

Rocket Racing Productions also posts their photos on Facebook and lets you download them for free (I just had to search through them all and try to find the photos where I looked less hunchbacky).  What a bargain!

Pre-race photo:

Approaching the water stop:

Nearing the ambiguous finish line:

      

Mix Mash Week

After my poor decision to start with the 4:00 pace group and run the most painful 4:30 marathon possible, I tried to be a little more intelligent this week, which was difficult.  I used Monday as a recovery day, and I had a massage on Tuesday.  See, I started off with some smarts!

Swimming - I went to masters swim practice on Tuesday and Saturday.  Each workout was an hour and amounted to 3,500 yards.  Tuesday morning was my first post-marathon workout and there was a problem with the pool pump that resulted in the heater not working.  So I suffered through an hour of coldness (and backstroke, which translates into a lot of head bobbing and laneline hitting) and then got in a hot shower clogged with hairballs.  It was one of those days where I was crabby and contemplating not swimming anymore.  Then I went to the Benbrook YMCA on Saturday and, fortunately, had a much better practice (closing with a 2:20 on a 200 pull). 

Classes - I'm not much of a class participant, but I was hoping for a yoga session at Club Fed on Wednesday morning and I got it.  I followed it up with 30 minutes on the stationary bike while reading "Waterlogged," and realizing how much I over-hydrated on Sunday's marathon.  Then I did the spin class on Thursday morning.  After spin I did a pretty challenging 45 minutes of weights (upper body) and abs.

Bikram Yoga - I haven't been to Bikram in ages... probably between 1-2 years.  It had been so long that I wasn't even in their computer system anymore.  I went on Friday morning since I was driving to work solo and there was no swim practice.  Bikram is a total love/hate relationship, which makes it a fantastic workout.  I think I stumped the instructor with my lack of flexability (but I try to make up for it with "bulldog determination"). 

Crossfit - After swim practice on Saturday, I went to Shawna's gym for the crossfit class.  I did a short 1.66-mile run on the treadmill to test out my legs.  Then it was "death by lunges" workout time.  The set was 1 lunge on each leg @ 1:00, 2 lunges on each leg @ 1:00, etc. until you miss the 1:00 interval.  I got up to 12 and I just missed the 1:00.  This is where I fully disclose that I didn't use weight, whereas my BFF won the set with a 25-pound barbell and just missed 14.  I sought redemption on the next set where we did 8 rounds of 20 seconds of tabata sit-ups and 10 seconds rest.  I completed 120 sit-ups, beating the 2nd place girl who went 104.  We'll ignore the fact that my BFF had pretty serious surgery in her abdominal area only a few months ago and revel in my victory. 

Holy Cow, I'm Sore - So I tried to burn some calories today to offset the high-calorie beer consumed during the Cowboys game.  I walked the dogs 1.56 miles, which was a good winter workout for them.  Then I did a 3.12-mile run around the neighborhood at a leisurely pace.  It was more like a wobble because my hamstrings and butt are ridiculously sore after yesterday.  I finished with 10:32 of weights/abs - a short little workout to kill some time while hubby showered after his elliptical workout. I stretched some, and my muscles cried (not sure if it was because of the soreness or the Jersey Shore marathon). 

And More Crossfit Talk - My buddy Shawna had a grand opening on Saturday for her new Crossfit gym.  It's completely her own deal... and props to her because I am a risk adverse accountant.  Lucy had a vet appointment, so she got to accompany me to the grand opening.  Her favorite part was licking powdered sugar off the floor. 

The Shag Fitness bandana:

Dallas Marathon Race Report

I thought I could hang with the 4-hour marathon pacer, but no such luck.  I ran with the group for the first 7 miles and then dropped back.  The humidity was crazy.  Everyone was sweating buckets after running just a few miles.  After I dropped back and realized I took it out too fast, I tried to just keep running.  I even ran up the Dolly Parton hills.  However, my water and Gatorade consumption steadily escalated, and I was drinking 2-3 ups at every water stop.  Around mile 21 I started feeling nauseous and I started switching between walking and running.  I wish I had known I needed 8 more seconds to break 4:30, but oh well.  If it were easy, everyone would do it, right? 

Rants:
1) Why were there slow, overweight, old female walkers in Corral A?  I shouldn't be seeing Corral A folks walking at mile 2!
2) The post-race logistics were horrible.  I walked all the way down the chute thinking I would get a finisher's shirt, but that just resulted in an even longer walk back into the Convention Center.  Then I had to wait in a long line to go up the escalator to the second floor where they had the shirts and food.  When I asked for directions as I was leaving, the volunteer told me I had to go back up the escalator, walk all the way to Room D, and go down the escalator to get to my car.  Maybe it's hard to make things very efficient when there are 25,000 runners... but my goodness.

Pros:
1) Running (with some walking mixed in) mostly downhill after mile 20 is awesome both mentally and physically. Plus I like how the course is broken up - some running around the lake, some running around the nice residential areas, etc. 
2) They did a good job with the port-a-potties.  I went once when I first entered the corral, and then I went again closer to the race.  The line looked crazy long, so I walked up closer to the start line and only had to wait about 5-10 minutes.  Also, I had to make a stop at around mile 19 after consuming a crazy amount of liquids during the run, and I didn't even have to wait in line. 

Nutrition Note:
I had a whole wheat flatbread with almond butter and a large coffee for breakfast at 5:00 am and ate a banana at 7:00 am (an hour before the race).  I had planned on eating a gel at the 1/4, 1/2, and 3/4 marks, but I couldn't stomach the third gel.  I had taken a double dose of anti-acid medicine, which has been helping on my long runs, but it didn't seem to do the trick this time.  Also, I think I over-hydrated because I started getting really nauseous around mile 21.  I was pretty out of it when I finished, and I grabbed a chocolate milk.  (Although I just stuffed my face with Papa John's and now I'm feeling much better!)

GPS Mile Splits: 9:00, 8:55, 8:50, 8:40, 9:03, 9:10, 8:55, 9:43, 9:42, 9:46, 9:46, 9:28, 9:40, 9:40, 10:00, 10:05, 9:55, 10:33, 11:32 (restroom break), 11:03, 11:35, 12:23, 10:49, 11:35, 11:38, 11:17

GPS Stats: 26.73 miles, 4:30:09, 10:06/mile pace

Official Time: 4:30:07 (10:19/mile pace)
Official 5K Split: 28:03
Official 10K Split: 56:19
Official Half Split: 2:03:59
Official 20-Mile Split: 3:18:17

Celebrating Ironwoman Betsy's Accomplishment in Las Vegas

I got off to a bit of a cruddy start on Monday morning.  My flight was supposed to leave at 7:45 am.  We cruised on over to the runway and the pilot took us back to the gate because of mechanical problems, so that delayed us about 2 hours.  Fortunately we made up about 30 minutes in the air and I was also the first person dropped off on the airport shuttle service.  My Grandma Esther met me for brunch at the Sao Paulo Cafe at the Rio.  We had a chance to chat and catch up, so that worked out well. 

My friends got in shortly after me and we got all settled.  The Rio is dog friendly, so Sasha got to party it up in Vegas.

Casino sign... you don't see this very often



After everyone met up, we headed to the New York-New York hotel to buy our Beatles Love tickets and gamble/ride the rollercoaster.  I chose the gambling option and I had some good luck at the blackjack table.  I tried a friend's $10/$30/$50/$70/$100 betting strategy (which was crazy for me because I'm such a risk adverse, conservative accountant).  I had a good run, and I just couldn't bring myself to bet the $70 (and, of course, I won that hand).  But I was up $115, and I stopped while I was ahead.  Then we took Claire, Ironwoman Betsy's daughter, to Claire's to get her ears pierced (second hole). 

On Monday night we went to the Mirage for dinner at California Pizza Kitchen (probably due to my over-enthusiastic cheers for the BLT pizza on honey wheat crust) before the Beatles Love show.  I'm not a huge Beatles fan (it's okay music, but not something I intentionally turn to on the radio or Pandora), but it was entertaining.  After the show we headed back to the Rio and ordered some drinks at the bar.

Heading to the Mirage



We got up earlier than I expected on Tuesday morning and Stacy and I took Sasha (Shawna's dog) for a 5.4-mile run on the strip.  We were definitely the only runners with a dog.  It felt good to workout, but the top of my left foot was really tender (and it still is).  Our inner fat girls came out to play at the buffet afterwards... nothing like a mix of Mexican, Italian, Chinese, etc.  Then we headed downtown for some gambling at the Four Queens. 

Cute pre-taxi BFF shot

 

The gambling festivities began with a shot (not the best picture of some of us, but I'll go with it).

We had a lot of fun at the craps table (once I learned to play and stopped whining about not understanding) and about zero luck at the blackjack table.  I ended up losing the previous day's winnings, but I consider that success (especially considering the amount of "free" vodka sodas Shawna ordered us). 

Tuesday night was Betsy's celebratory dinner at N9NE Steakhouse at the Palms. 

The four-course menu

 

 

The Instagrammed food

 

The prettified BFFs

I blame this face on the unlimited wine



 

Group expresso shot

 

We hit the craps table again that night.  I had a really crappy roll to start and then I ended with a great rolling streak to win my money back.  I discovered my new favorite game, for sure.  It was a fun, activity-packed 48 hours in Vegas (and KUDOS to IRONWOMAN BETSY!!!).  



Fried Food, Flu, and (Somewhat) Free Flights

After the 20-mile run last Sunday, Cliff and I went to Boo Ray's for some electrolyte replacement.  While I chowed down on a side salad and red beans and rice and washed it down with two yummy Bloody Marys, the guy next to me went to town on some fettucini alfredo WITH FRIED CHICKEN ON TOP.  So I judged him for a second, and then I had food envy.  That looked goooooood.

On Monday Cliff and I had a lunch/movie date.  We had planned on eating sushi, but the restaurant in Lake Worth has obnoxiously bad customer service at times (and this was no exception).  So we mosied on over to Ginger Brown's Old Tyme Restaurant with an expired Groupon in hand (we ended up paying $1 plus tip with the $20 expired Groupon).  We each ordered the "Chicken Forever."  The meal came with rolls (I had two), two sides (I had mashed potatoes with gravy and macaroni and cheese), and a big, gooey cinammon roll.  For $8.95, you would expect a few little chicken strips, but instead we were faced with this... an entree-sized plate stacked with fried chicken.

And the movie "Argo" was just as good as this scrumptious artery-clogging lunch we ate!

I had been really looking forward to the Tempe/Las Vegas trip with my friends to see our buddy, Betsy, finish her first Ironman.  I woke up on Friday morning, fed the dogs, and got sick (repeatedly) in the kitchen sink.  Then I might have shed a tear or two because I had a 3:00 flight that afternoon and I knew that would be next to impossible to pull off.  After I slept a bit more, I headed to the doctor's office (with a bowl in hand... and then the doctor asked what the bowl was for... really, doctor?!?!).  I had a strep test (negative) and flu test (positive... what the heck, flu shot... way to let me down) and headed to the pharmacy to pick up prescriptions for Tamiflu and some sort of anti-nausea medicine that dissolves on the tongue.  I figured, "no big deal, I can just pay the $150 change fee and change my flight to Saturday."  So I called American Airlines, got the new flight set up so I would arrive in Tempe at the same time as my friend Stacy, and then the customer service representative says "that will be $400."  UMMMM.... WHAAATTT???  Not only was there a $150 change fee, but there was also a $250 increase in the cost of the flight.  So I had to cancel it.  I stewed for a day and had a hard time seeing all of the fun Facebook posts from my friends in Tempe.  I played around with flights to Vegas, but they were pretty expensive on such short notice.  So then I had the genius idea to try to redeem AA miles (which never seems to work, by the way) and I was able to use 25,000 miles (plus pay a $5 transaction fee and $75 late booking fee) to head to Vegas for a few days.  Woohoo!

So I'm hanging around the house today and creeping on Facebook and Ironman Live to track Betsy's progress.  And in the meantime, I'll steal some of Sarah's photos and pretend like I'm really there in Tempe cheering Betsy on.  GOOOOO BETSYYYY!

 

Fort Worth Marathon 20-Mile Race Report

I signed up for this race on Saturday and then looked at the weather report and realized it could be very bad! 

I started off the run at a controlled pace, and a girl behind me saw my Ironman tattoo and struck up a conversation.  We ended up running together for about the first 10K, and that caused me to go faster than I would have run solo.  I dropped her around mile 6 or 7 and I felt pretty strong, especially as I neared the turn-around at mile 10.  I saw a co-worker after the turn-around, and that was a little bit of a push for me too (because I'm not competitive or anything).  I was worried that I might have gone out too fast, but I continued to feel strong.  The rain started around mile 18, and it was actually a nice treat.  Also, we lucked out with the wind because it was out of the south, so we had a headwind on the way out and a tailwind on the way back.  The half marathoners started 30 minutes after the 20-milers, so I passed a ton of people at the end, and that was pretty motivating too.  I felt like I was flying. 

I'm starting to get my nutrition routine down.  I ate a whole wheat flatbread with almond butter for breakfast and also had a large coffee.  I also took two acid reflux pills in the morning, which seems to make a HUGE difference.  I had a gel at the 7-mile and 13.5-mile marks. 

Splits: 9:12, 9:20, 9:30, 9:37, 9:37, 9:51, 9:38, 9:29, 9:31, 9:19, 9:02, 9:05, 9:17, 9:19, 9:11, 9:21, 9:18, 9:20, 9:11, and 9:09

GPS: 3:09:00, 20.20 miles, 9:22/mile average

Official Time: 3:09:01
Place: 2nd (out of 11) in the female 30-34 category
Results here

This race in 2010: 3:07:49

20-mile run last month: 3:27:03

While I haven't been doing a lot of super long runs, I think the consistent 9-mile runs during the week before work have really helped me out with my fitness.  I'm very happy that I went 18 minutes faster than just a few weeks ago!

GusGus sports the bling:



One Year Later

One year ago five of us embarked on a little adventure... walking 60 miles in 3 days, with lots of alcohol and laughs along the way.  I gained some really great new friends out of the deal - Elizabeth, Sarah, and Caren.  Fortunately this year we didn't do the walk again... once was enough.  I couldn't imagine asking my friends and family for $2,300 more.  Plus none of us are really fans of the politics behind Komen. 

A trip down memory lane.

One of my favorite memories was when we were talking about other cancers and we referred to Elizabeth's very rare cancer as "alien cancer" and I got the genius idea to have a "rainbow" icon to emobody all cancers... only after walking quite a few miles, I had forgotten that the rainbow already represented something else.  But "alien rainbow cancer" is something I will never forget.  I also have to give a shout-out to Betsy's awesome "last loop dedication" to Elizabeth.

Elizabeth lives in Steamboat, and she and her friend, Michele, came to visit this weekend.  On Saturday we all met up at The Woodshed and then went to Fred's later.  A few photos from the evening:

Me, Shawna, and Elizabeth

Shawna, Michele, Sarah, Caren, Me, Elizabeth



Drinking some vodka and throwing some signs with my new friend, Michele

Group shot



 

The next afternoon we met up at the Pour House.  I decided to bring the pups... I felt too guilty leaving GusGus at home on his birthday.  Of course GusGus was a little monster and he loved all of the attention.

GusGus on the lookout for fallen jalapenos

GusGus Instagrammed by Sarah

The humans (me, Elizabeth, and Jenifer)... at least none of us pottied on the patio floor ;)

By the end of the night, GusGus was ready to stake a claim on the patio and all of its furniture 

We finished up the weekend with a trip to Esparza's tonight.  I am full of refried beans and ready to hit the hay.

Honored Hero 20-Mile Run Race Report

This was a game day decision for me, so I registered at the race.  I was deciding between running 15-16 miles on my own (a more reasonable distance given that my longest run this season was the half marathon two weeks ago) or sucking it up and doing a 20-miler in an organized setting.  I figured if my buddy Dan was running 100 miles through the streets of LA to fight childhood obesity, I could do a measly 20 miles on the Trinity Trail.  I didn't have the best pre-race day fuel... I endulged in some good beers yesterday while watching college football, and Cliff and I had a nice dinner at Edelweiss, a German restaurant where we had a "$20 for $40 Groupon."  Fortunately the tummy held up okay.  I had some flatbread with almond butter for breakfast along with my probiotics, a double dose of acid reflux medicine, and my allergy pill.  I stopped for some coffee along the way.  The double dose of acid reflux medicine seemed to work wonders, so I will have to keep doing that. 

I knew the last five or so miles would hurt since I hadn't properly built up to 20 miles on my long runs.  My goal was to start off conservative and try to hold a 10-minute pace.  Also, I didn't want to walk like I did last year.  The course was all on the Trinity Trail, so it was pretty flat.  However, the weather was unseasonably hot and humid, and the wind kicked up quite a bit on certain stretches. 

Splits: 9:38, 9:53, 9:53, 9:57, 9:52, 9:52, 9:47, 9:44, 9:59, 10:13, 10:05, 10:05, 10:34, 10:28, 9:46, 10:21, 10:20, 11:02, 11:04, 12:00

Garmin Time: 3:27:06, 20.22 miles, 10:14/mile pace
Chip Time: 3:27:03
Place: 5th out of 11 girls in the 30-34 division

The piano dropped on my back those last three miles or so, but at least I expected it and I remained mentally tough.  I walked through the last few water stops, mostly because I needed multiple cups of water because I was so overheated.  Other than that, I didn't let myself walk.  I was just over 20 minutes faster than last year's time, so I am very pleased with that. 

The bling...

 

 

Clark Gardens Half Marathon Race Report

It seems like I have a trend of going out too fast in my races and inflicting misery on myself during the second half.  So my goal for this race was to stay controlled at the beginning and negative split (and a sub-2:00 would be a nice bonus).  I caught a peek at my Garmin at about the 1/2-mile mark and saw 8:32 pace, so I backed off.  Also, my buddy Christie got ahead of me early on and I didn't worry about it... I just ran my own race. 

Mile Splits: 8:50, 9:19, 8:54, 8:43, 8:56, 9:13, 8:56, 8:49, 8:49, 8:26, 8:46, 9:07, 8:48

Total Time: 1:57:06 (chip time), 13.17 miles (Garmin), 8:53/mile pace (Garmin)

Place: 5th in female 30-39 age group

The course was a little less than half on the trail (which was similar to the Trinity Trail... flat and wide) and a little more than half on the roads.  There were a few rollers, and I remember a pretty long, gradual climb around mile 6 (which explains the random 9:13 split).  I kept going back-and-forth with a group of 4 guys (all wearing basketball shorts, coincidentally), so that kept me motivated during the first half and middle of the race.  Then one guy broke from the pack and I tried to stay with him and I eventually caught a few girls (including one tiny blond girl in a really cute outfit with bootie shorts and shoes that matched her top). 

A lil' bling:

This was a great training run and it gave me a little confidence boost.  Now I need to figure out what races to do at the end of 2012.  I'm thinking about a 20-miler in October or November and the White Rock Marathon in December. 

Alaskan Cruise

The pre-vacay... Helloooo, Seattle! (sung to the tune of the "Owl City" song):
After a fairly smooth afternoon flight (with Round 2 of vino on the house... thank you, American Airlines!) and cab ride to our hotel in Seattle, we squeaked in at 7:00 pm at the close of the Homewood Suites free dinner.  Not ones to pass up a free meal (it's a marriage of accountants), we grabbed some grub and had a low-key night.  The next day we hit up the town.  I got up early for a run and then we hoofed it on over to the Pike's Place Market area.  We started off with a fabulous beef and cheddar pastry thing at the famous "Piroshky Piroshky"... like a fantastic salty donut.

We walked around the marketplace and dodged a flying fish or two and happened upon a Target, which was perfect.  One of our suitcases had broke, and we also needed some water and soda for the cruise.  Thank goodness for the Pacific Northwest chillier temps, because we walked back to the hotel while rolling the suitcase full of beverages and it was actually pretty enjoyable.  Later on we tried an Irish pub, Patty Coynes, that I had run by that morning.  We enjoyed lunch on the patio overlooking the water and we took a little self-portrait on the walk back (awesome running trail behind me, right?).

Our waitress gave us an awesome suggestion for dinner that night... the Crab Pot.  Of course we had to try "the Alaskan" featured on "Man vs Food" and we took it down.  Here's a cute little "before and after" Instagram recap:

In addition to big buckets of seafood, they also served big beers:

Cruisin':
Our cruise departed in Seattle.  We had a day at sea, a day in Ketchikan, a day in Juneau, a day in Skagway, another day at sea, and a day in Victoria.  The cruise ended in Vancouver, eyyyy.  We decided to pay a little extra and do the dining package.  It was well worth it, and we had six nice dinners (three at the steakhouse, one at the Brazilian restaurant, one at the Asian restaurant, and one at the French restaurant) away from the heathens.  We also did the wine package so we could enjoy some wine at dinner.  That was a little overpriced, especially for the quality (or lack thereof) of the wine.  We originally had a balcony room, but we were upgraded to a junior suite because my husband can bargain better than your husband.  The balcony was a "must" with the wonderful scenery (and occasional sea life).  Unfortunately there was a ton of fog the morning we were supposed to cruise through the glacier area and we missed it (so now we have an excuse to go back). 

First Stop... Ketchikan:

 

The salmon capital of the world appropriately had a salmon-colored federal building (gov shout-out):

We had a couple hours to walk around, and the town was neat-o, as my girl, Sarah, would say:

 

 Pretty little canal area that apparently used to be the "red light district:" 

Our excursion was the Bear Creek Zipline Adventure, which included seven ziplines, a suspension bridge, repelling, and a 250-foot slide.  We had never ziplined before, and it was awesome (and beautiful).

Even the entrance was pretty:

Scene from up above:



Husband and Wife Zipliners:

 

Second Stop... Juneau:

We had a few hours before our sled dog excursion, and we happened on $15 Alaskan Brewing Company tasting and beer tour.  The history and the culture of this company is just awesome, and we will definitely be supporting them in the future with some beer purchases (assuming we can find it in Texas!) 

The taps:



Tasting in progress:



My fave (loved the cherry flavor):

 

The sled dog excursion was good, but not great.  We chose that over the whale watching, and that was a tough decision.  The "sled" was more like a "golf cart," and the mushing was actually in a forest (rather than the snow) since it was summer.  But it was fun to interact with the dogs, and one of our lead dogs was a former Iditarod champion.  I felt like a little kid opening my presents first thing on Christmas morning though.  As soon as we arrived, we did the sledding part (which was cool), but then we had a whole lot of time to kill before we were picked up. 

 

Our sled dawg team:



Action shot:



Our "musher" and her dog (the Iditarod champ):



Getting a little sled dog lovin':

 

And some future sled dog lovin':

 

Playing with my two-legged friend:

 

After our excursion, we had a little time left in Juneau so we went to The Alaskan Hotel and Bar, which is somewhat famous since it's the oldest operating hotel in Alaska.  It definitely had a "local" (read as "men with beards drinking PBR") feel to it, and it's where I discovered the sweet nectar known as Fireball Whisky. 

 

Third stop... Skagway:

 

We had heard that the White Pass and Yukon Route Railroad was a must, so we picked an excursion that combined the train ride with a three-hour hike. 

 

Pre-hike... the really big Skagway snowplow:





My hiking buddy was bummed that we didn't have a black bear sighting:

 

My first time hiking with a stick... gotta say, it was pretty handy (pardon the pun):

 

Our ride back... choo choo!

 

Some post-hike nourishment at the Red Onion Saloon, a former brothel:





A little family entertainment (as opposed to the scandalous entertainment of 1897):

 

Last stop... Victoria, BC:
After three excursions in a row, we wanted to relax in Victoria.  We got off the cruise ship and walked about a mile and a half into town.  As we were walking down the street, I spotted the Bulldog.  Then Cliff spotted the Basset.  And to make this even more of a concidence, the Basset was a rescue, like Lucy!  (Just don't tell Lucy and GusGus about this.  They're already mad about staying at the ranch in Alvord while we went on vacation without them.)

We stopped for a drink at The Local Kitchen, and apparently Canadians share my love for Clamato.

We ate dinner at Pescatores, Brian and Ali's recommendation, and feasted on another seafood dinner for two:



My camera was on its last leg, but this picture of the Victoria Parliament Building came out pretty nice:

 

 

Disembarkation in Vancouver:

We had a one-night stay in Richmond, just outside of Vancouver.  We were pretty beat, so we stayed in Richmond and hoofed it around town.  We grabbed some drinks at the Shark Club, where we realized the Dallas Cowboys are everywhere.  (When I took this photo, I had to explain to the guy in the corner that I wasn't really a creeper.)

 

We enjoyed a nice dinner at The Boathouse Restaurant and headed back to DFW the next morning. 
 



The reading recap:
Seriously... I'm Kidding (Ellen DeGeneres)
Bared to You: A Crossfire Novel (in the "50 Shades" genre)
Where We Belong (a story about an adopted girl meeting her bio parents)

The workout recap:
Thursday - 6.02-mile run on the Trinity before a short work day and flight to Seattle
Friday - 5.25-mile run on the Seattle waterfront
Saturday - 6.60-mile run on the Seattle waterfront (and at least 6.4 miles of walking around town... we Google mapped it!)
Sunday - 1 hour of weights and abs
Monday - 40 minutes on the stationary bike
Tuesday - 40 minutes on the stationary bike, 11:00 of weights/abs, 3.13 miles/30 minutes on the treadmill
Wednesday - 3.6-mile hike in the Skagway rainforest
Thursday - 3.14 miles/30 minutes on the treadmill, 40 minutes on the stationary bike, 17:10 of weights/abs
Friday - 6.44 miles/60 minutes on the treadmill, 2:36 of weights
Saturday - 3.10 miles/30 minutes on the treadmill, 30 minutes on the stationary bike
Sunday - my only "off" day (5:30 am alarm for the flight home)