Hammerman 2013

A few days before this years hammerman triathlon I was feeling pretty good.  My swimming was coming along quite well and the weather was supposed to be awesome.  Race morning we get there and it starts raining and is cloudy.  So much for those good trail conditions.  The lake was still like glass though.  Got in a few minutes before the start to do a little swim warm up.  Still felt good! 

At the start I got way to the outside away from all the crazy swimmers and just took off.  I was feeling really good.  After I rounded the buoy I briefly glanced at my watch and saw that I was definitely on swim PR pace.  I got a little excited.  I was calm and controlled throughout the entire swim.  When I exited the water and saw I was at 15 or 16 minutes I was really pumped.  In fact, as I was in transition trying to get my wetsuit off, and get on the bike I was just so excited about my good swim.  I almost had to slap myself and say "ok, bike time". 

Starting the bike at the hammerman is always interesting.  You exit transition and mount your bike and immediately start climbing a crazy up hill.  Surely humbles you if you were feeling good.  The course was incredibly slick and super muddy.  Anyone you passed by was totally covered in mud.  And you just knew you were too.  It was quite difficult staying upright at times.  The roots were very slick and your tires would just slide all over them.  On some of the up hills you had to get off your bike and really kick your feet into the mud to drag your bike up to avoid slipping...which you still did a lot.  As I was coming around a corner there was momma and baby moose right there on the trail.  I of course stopped and gave them a little distance.  A couple guys came up behind me and sort of yelled at her a bit and she and baby just moved so we could pass.  Thanks momma!  Since the babies are a little more mobile now I think the moms are a little less anxious and protective.  She honestly didn't look concerned about us at all.  Ears up the whole time, just grazing.  After than obstacle the bike finished up ok.  Not my best time with all the mud.

When I started the run my legs felt like cement.  I usually feel pretty good coming off the bike, but this year I think the bike was just so much tougher with all the slipping around so more energy output.  It probably would have helped to at least do one brick before the race.  Yea, I'm smart.  My whole thought on the run was "just keep moving".  Walked up a few of the steep hills, but walked less than I did last year for sure.  I ran into Todd about a mile in and he was having a crazy quad cramp so he wished me well and told me to go on.  I was feeling a lot better when I knew I had about a mile left to go.  At this point I was looking at my watch thinking I could beat my overall time for last year.  About 1/2 a mile left to go I hear this bird making a god awful sound.  Suddenly there's this bird in front of me coming straight at my head doing it's war yell!  So I waited till the last second then ducked!  Ahh, it missed me.  It's the same bird that chased Todd on the trail for a few miles last week.  I think it was a hawk and she built her nest right along the trail and it was known that she's been dive bombing people.  She drew blood from some, but thank goodness not from me on that day.

I finished the run strong with a total time of 2:54:23.  I believe last year I was 2:58 ish.  So overall I was pretty happy.  I don't have the splits yet, but no matter I'm very pleased with my swim.  I must say another thing about Todd.  I was sad when I saw him walking in front of me on the run.  When I caught up with him and he was cramping I was just bummed, because I know how frustrating something like that can be.  It's so nice that he's so supportive of me and an amazing man that pushes me to go on ahead of him.  Instead of him being upset that he got "chicked" that night he just told me how he was so proud of how well I did.  What a man!  Todd's accomplished so much in triathlon.  His accomplishments are such a motivation to me.  I think he knows that no matter how we finish in races that he will always be my triathlon hero. 

Here's a pic of Todd and I after the race.  We are both super tired, dirty and smiling from ear to ear!

Me and my Tri man

Life and Love

 Engagement

 I've been a very bad at not keeping up with the blogging again.  So I'm going to just do this all in one big post.

The weekend of June 9th was a very special one.  It started out very normal, which is usually good, then it became even more special and awesome.  On Sunday June 9th, Todd asked me to be his wife.  For those of you that don't know Todd is a pilot.  One of our friends has a small airplane that we have the key to.  Things have been so busy for us especially in the summers...that we just haven't taken the time to use it.  It's been so beautiful this summer and Sunday was another one of those beautiful days.  We got up and had nice Saturday morning run through Kincaid park with the puppies as usual.  On the way home Todd mentions that it's such a nice day we should go flying somewhere.  I agree!  So we end up deciding on Seldovia because neither of us has been there before.  It is a great sleepy little town with beautiful views.  Otters playing in the water, houses up on stilts.  Just cool and laid back like we like.  So we fly in and walk around and have a bite to eat.  After having a little food and some ice cream we walked back to the plane admiring the homes and their interesting colors and funky little features.  We get back in the plane and are getting ready to start up the engine.  Todd turns to me and comments how long I had to wait to go flying with him.  I come back with a little comment like "yep, that's it...we're done now"  Little did I know....right after that he says "I was just wondering if you'd like to be my wife?"  He said it much better than I can type it.  I said of course I want to be your wife Todd.  (At this point I didn't realize that he was actually asking!) yes, sometimes I'm slow.  But, I did answer truthfully that I want to be his wife.  He then takes out a beautiful ring that belonged to his grandmother Erickson.  (yes, now I realize he's actually asking)  Of course, I said yes again and the rest is just history.  Here's a picture of us that we took right after he asked me.  My head was and still is completely spinning.  He totally caught me by surprise, but then that's the story of our whole relationship.....When I moved to Alaska in the Fall of 2011 I was planning on adventure, but meeting the love of my life was no where on the radar.  I had been married before and was pretty down on love and marriage.  I was closed off and not trusting.  When I met and got to know Todd all that changed.  Because of the man he is he completely changed my life. All the bitterness and heartache of the past was just gone.  It was replaced by true joy and true love.  I have found a man of strength and character.  The man I've always longed for.  Sometimes I wonder why I felt so called to Alaska.  Now I know beyond any doubt it was to meet this man.  My partner for the rest of my life.  It's so nice to feel so secure in knowing that you're in a relationship with someone who believes in the same things you do.  Honors relationships and marriage as they should be.  I must say it's nice to know that this is it.

 Wedding Day

We decided to get married on July 5th.  Quite a short engagement by today's standards, but why wait?  I think most people have these long engagements in order to plan a big wedding, give guests time to request time off of work if necessary, etc.  No need for that here!  We are so similar when it comes to this kind of stuff.  We wanted something small and intimate....just for us.  I think so many times wedding planning gets out of hand and ends up becoming so much of what others want and expect instead of what you and your spouse want.  We decided from the beginning not to let that happen.  So here's what happened.....

We decided to meet with the photographer, Brenda Crim (who married us), and our 2 witnesses (our good friends Jeff and Robin) at kincaid park chalet.  We were going to walk down to this great beach area with a view of the inlet and the mountains.  However, on this day the wind was really blowing and you could tell the rain was coming.  So we decided on plan B....which ended up being perfect for us anyway.  We went to little campbell lake where we always park in the summer to swim and bike and run and let the puppies play in the lake.  So we are there several times a week in the summer.  It's a special place to us.  Brings us lots of joy!  So, it ended up being what we really wanted.  It was still a little rainy and windy, but we found a nice little place under the trees and said our vows.  We stuck around to snap a few pictures and that was it.  It was perfect.

Pictures to come soon.

Spring Fever

It's been way too long since I've updated so here goes....

This winter started out a little lacking....in snow that is.  After last year's record snow fall it's easy to complain I guess.  So for a while there it's sort of confusing...do I keep running, or do I try to ski?  Don't want to mess up your skis, but you're so ready to do it by the time November rolls around.  So since the snow was light the first thing we did was take a trip to Rabbit Lake to ice skate before snow covered the lake.  It was so cool to be skating and look down and see 20 feet under the water.   It was  like being in a glass bottom boat.  The dogs were quite unsure of things.  The depth perception was pretty freaky.  Here's a few pictures from that trip.

Brew and His snow nose

cloudy

Todd and I on the lake.  That fine powder snow just blew right off and the lake was so awesome underneath.  Could see forever

December rolled around and Finally we were getting enough snow to get out and play.  If you asked me 10 years ago if I'd be skiing I'd have probably said no, but I have really come to enjoy and crave getting out on the cross country skis.  Skate skiing on a perfectly groomed area is so great.  But getting out the classic skis and heading out into the back country is so satisfying.  Love being able to ski over lakes, rivers, and other things that you just can't get to in the summer time.

Skiing in Far North Bicentennial Park.  One of my favorite places in town

Another milestone was in December as well.  My 2nd ACE Christmas party.  A year went by so quickly.  It's been great to be with Todd and to meet all the wonderful people in the ACE family.  I've really enjoyed getting to know them all. 

ACE Christmas Party 2012

So many little things starting in January.  Todd came to Austin with me for the first time which was cool.  We got to hang out with my family and Todd got to meet some of my good friends.  This picture was in the airport.  We had a beer and listened to some live music before heading back home.  It was a good time. 

The rest of winter up till now has been a blur.  It's been very busy for Todd taking on a new position at work and I've been working too.  So here's some pictures with descriptions of events. Enjoy

Alaska Outdoor Council fund raiser with some great friends

 

 

 

 

 

 

The above picture and 2 below are from a trip to Juneau.  Was only there for a day or so, but was able to get a run in.  Lots of wooden artwork and totems around.  My favorite Alaskan stuff I must say.  It was neat to visit for a day but I really wouldn't want to live there.  Mostly cloudy and rainy like Seattle most of the time.  When it's clear I hear it's so beautiful, but I definitely like more sunny days. 

The 2 pictures below are from "Running with the Reindeer".  At least I didn't get hooked by a horn!  It was a good experience...we had a good group!

What we brought brew from the run...I think he was hoping for a reindeer dog instead!

Me and the dogs on the Eagle river....yes, on the river

The next several pictures are from a trip to Hope, AK.  It's not far away, but so very beautiful.  We stay in the little cabin below and just love it.  It's so cozy.  The scenery was just great.  We skied a little of the resurrection trail.  Looking forward to seeing more of it this summer on the mountain bike.  The dogs love these trips more than us.  They just run and check things out the whole way. 

This next picture is one of my favorites.  Taken on one of our normal afternoon ski's with the doggies on the coastal trail.  This is what life and love is all about.  I've found something very special in Alaska and I'm not talking about all the beautiful things here even.  Thank you Todd for being that special someone who shows me what life is supposed to be all about every day.  I've found my place here in Alaska and it's by his side.

Well, that's it.  There are some more pictures from Alyeska and my first year snow boarding.  I will post those eventually.  Went for my first run of the break up season today.  For those of you that don't know "break up" in Alaska is when things start to melt up here.  Hoping to maybe get one more ski in this week, but we'll see.  I'm ready to change over to running attire and mountain bike gear! 

Hoping that this update finds everyone doing well.  I'm enjoying life as much as ever!  Trying to take things one day at a time and enjoy the moments that I'm in.  This month I officially sold the house in Texas so I'm all Alaskan now.  Can't even picture living anywhere else at this time.  Alaska definitely has my heart in more ways than one. 

Symphony Lake & Hope....Here comes winter

Symphony Lake Camping

What to do with a couple days off?  Go hiking and camping of course!  This was an absolutely beautiful trip to symphony lake & Eagle lake.  It was really nice weather...not too many bugs.  It was no trip for a slouch though as it was a 3 1/2 hour hike out to the campsite with the last several hundred yards climbing over big boulders.  The trip out wasn't bad, but I must say I was completely exhausted after the trip home.  The dogs were pretty worn out as well.  they were both laying down in the back of the car before I pulled out of the parking lot, which is unusual for them.  It was absolutely beautiful scenery and fishing was great.  An exhausting trip, but as usual well worth it.

I guess there's not much more to share than pictures.  It was a fun time as usual with Todd and the puppies!

At the beginning of the trail headed out

View of our campsite from above

view from our site

Bree, Brew and Todd serious about fishing

Even Bree enjoys a good bed time story

Just relaxing 

Hope, AK

Our fall trip to hope was pretty nice.  It poured rain the whole way there, but when we actually arrived it stopped raining.  It was wet, but the fall colors were pretty awesome.  We stayed in a cabin that we rented through the ski club that we belong to.  It was roomy, warm and just perfect.  Since we were in a cabin and not a tent Todd wasted no time popping a bottle of wine and making top notch spaghetti.  Have I mentioned before what a fantastic cook he is?  We hiked a little bit of the resurrection pass trail. It was only one night, but it was a great trip.  I'm looking forward to going back during the winter to ski and explore more of the area.  As usual the pictures can't really do it justice, but here you go.

Doggies excited for a road trip as usual

Our little cabin

cabin living area

raging river with all the rain

Giddy

brew and Bree posing

Todd and the pups

Me and the mutts

Here comes winter!!!  

We've already had our first snow.  It didn't really stick, but the sticking kind will be back soon.  I look forward to when we have enough to start skiing on.  The days are getting shorter very quickly.  Some people start complaining when winter approaches.  I say bring it on!  There are so many great things to do.  Skiing and snow shoeing for sure, but there are some great restaurants and breweries here to meet up with friends.  Also lots of gathering opportunity at peoples houses.  I'm hoping to create some sort of pot luck group that meets now and then.  It really helps make the winter a fun time!

This past year has been really good to me.  I've got a lot to be thankful for.  Here's till next time!  Cheers

More Summer fun

I'm trying to stay a little more on top of things so as I'm sitting here doing nothing I thought to update.  Life is really good right now.  I mean I need to sell my stinking house in Texas, but other than that annoyance life is awesome.  I've been working on the weekends more and having more time during the week to get out and do things.  I'd much rather work on the weekends when everyone else is out doing things. I like to be out at the times when everyone else is at work.  For instance, the other day I went to hike at Flat top on a nice day.  I drove there and saw the parking lot was pretty full.  I didn't even go in the parking lot.  I just turned around and went home.  I hike to get away from people and enjoy the quiet of nature....not to fight crowds or follow annoying people that are going too slow.  Don't get me wrong I'm enjoying summer in Alaska, but I really do enjoy the winter.  There's not as many tourists in town and it's just nice to get out without so many people.  Anyway.....I digress

I had off most of this week due to the whole weekend schedule thing and one day it ended up Todd didn't have to go to work either....sweet!  We usually always pick something fun to do.  Since he's been here for several years he's been to so many places.  I'm enjoying him showing me all of these awesome places.  There are so many places here in town that we've gone.  It's so nice that even in town if you have the physical ability to go farther than others you are out there totally alone.  I think that is primarily the reason that I enjoy trying to stay in shape.  One day I won't have the physical abilities that I have now so I feel that I should use what God gave me to enjoy His amazing creations.

This day's trip was the Rabbit Creek Trail.  It was a good 1.5 hour hike out to the lake the was a slight uphill grade the entire way.  I can't lie, I was pretty tired by the time we got back to the car.  I was also happy that I had brought my hiking poles and that I knew if it was up hill all the way out, that it would be down hill mostly on the way back.  We brought the dogs and of course they were loving life.  Along the trail there were several light streams to cross along the way so there was plenty of water for the dogs to drink and cool off in.  It's so much fun to watch the dogs loving their life so much.  They were pretty tired by the time we got home too.  They slept all night and most of the next day as well.  Good Dogs!  Well, here are some pictures from the trip.  I'll explain more about them in the captions if needed.

Stay tuned....we have a couple days off together here soon.  Where will our next adventure be?  I don't know but I can't wait!!!

Me, Brew and Bree at the lake

Rabbit Lake

Todd and I on the way back to the lake

View opposite the lake

Me with Bree in the back cooling off in the lake.  Snow still going into the water...way too cold for me

Post Todd's swim....ooh too cold for me.

The water was super cold...like maybe in the 50's...maybe.  There's still snow melting into it.  The last picture is after Todd took a little dip in there.  Totally crazy...I would have died.  Anyway, there it is.  Just a short day trip but oh so awesome.  The adventure continues!