Remodel Guys

The new siding on the new wall. Kind of looks nice natural, but it'll get painted white.

Brad, aka, The Cookie Monster. Good thing he wasn't here in Jan. for ALL of Marilyn's xmas cookies. Gina did share some today. Yes, there are still some left.


Brian, Randy and Joe (with back to us) Joe will be doing the tile, too. Randy has to do all the freezing outdoor work. He's thinking of moving back to sunny California after this job.


The paint scheme ! a chair rail will divide the colors.
Yes, kind of Seahawk-y or Mariner-y ish colors.


The frozen ground that will get a new sidewalk. The grapevines, well...I'm sure they'll be fine. I haven't killed them yet. and I've tried. no, not really.

26.2 miles with no bathroom breaks

OK, so the goal for this marathon was to run it in 4 hours 5 minutes or less, so that I could qualify to run in the Boston Marathon. At about mile 22 I was wondering if I really wanted to run another marathon.

I chose the Phoenix race because it had best chance for good weather, and it's a very flat course. The weather was fine. COLD but not wet. The tv stations kept warning about the SEVERE FREEZE ALERT.... wrap your pipes and plants. It was under 30 F at the start, and I passed two time & temp signs that said 32. I think by the end it might have been 40. I started with 3 shirts and finished in my tank top. Wore my gloves the whole way. The better to high five spectator kids along the way and not get their germs. Really, it was fine, but a few extra degrees would have been nice. Oh, well, at least the weather can't do anything to the topography of the course. Still flat.

One problem occurred at about mile 7 or so. My knee started up with the same ache I experienced in the half ironman last summer. Something I never had before and never again, til race day. It was annoying, not as bad as then. And of course a toe nail came loose about mile 19. That was pleasant.

I was running under a 9:00 minute/mile pace for the 1st 9 miles. Then my pace slowed a bit, anywhere from 9:00-9:48. At about mile 16 or so, the 4 hour Pace Group caught up to me. These are folks I should have been with all along but who knew where they were ?? anyway, hung out with this group for a while. Now I know why the Kenyans run in packs, it does make life easier, physically and mentally. The leader (who promises if you stick with her you WILL get a 4 hour finish time) was mentioning that they had a two and a half minute cushion at mile 20 so everyone could 'relax'. She walked thru the water stations. I was slowing down, not on purpose, and when I saw Gina at 21, she told me to keep the group in sight. So I did, and would catch up at each water station. I kept up this yo-yo effect until mile 25 water station when they slowed again. I mean, please, the end is in sight. So I 'sprinted' and ditched them for a 3:59:20 finish time !!

Bet you were wondering when I would get around to spilling that most important fact. That averages out to a 9:08 pace. Those higher ones were when I did stop to walk thru aid stations, and one time I stopped to actually stretch to see if it would help the knee issue. It didn't. Just a time loser.

Gatorade Gina ( G G ) did a fabulous job of meeting me at the 5,10,15 and 21 mile marks with drinks and good cheer. At the second spot she mentioned she might not be at the next ones due to more road closures than we anticipated. I said "no worries"... After the race she tells me this story... "So, when the cop pulled me over he said he could give me 2 tickets... one for driving on the sidewalk and one for driving around a barricade." But he didn't. And she bit her lip to keep from telling him her opinion about why that road didn't need to be blocked off. He told her to turn around and go back. He left. She waited. Then drove thru the next barricade. Ann MUST have her gatorade.

So, as the title of this posting suggests... the real accomplishment of note is the fact that I did not stop for ANY porta potty breaks. Of course, I pee-ed about 18 times in the half hour before the race but... bathroom breaks are also why I run a bit faster in the first several miles, to bank some time for nature's call. I'm calling it My Marathon Miracle.

And for my pet peeve of the race, people who wear their iPod... and insist on chatting with their running partner... at full volume.. Dude, the rest of us don't have earplugs in, so quit YELLING your strategy for a 3:50 finish. I guess I should be happy he wasn't singing along with his iTune. I must have been getting a bit cranky.

Post race activities included reclaiming my gear bag, along with the other 39,000 runners. Then trying to find the agility to change into warm clothes. The stiffness set in immediately. But it went away with a few recovery drinks. One was even a sports drink. The other 3 were adult beverages while watching the end of the Seahawk game at the closest sports bar. Back at the hotel I jumped into an almost ice bath. Well, that was after some food and more drink in the lobby bar with our new friends, the Pistachio nut salesman and his lovely wife, Bunny.

Massage, steam and jacuzzi and I'm ready to go again !
Well, once these 3 toes are no longer open wounds.

26.2 miles of fun

start of the race... me and 10,000 running buddies


the cold early morning drop off

mile 10

the lead pack of Kenyans and Ethiopians... no, those are not my white legs, I'm sure I'm just out of the photo.

Finish line area, cleff-er idea, the musical decorations for the "Rock n Roll" Marathon

mile 21 finally warm enough to strip down to a tank top. but still cold enough for gloves.

Gatorade Gina double checks her calculations and driving map.

The toe nail that came loose at mile 19.

post race beers with Mike, da Bears fan.

24

We are heading to Phoenix for a long weekend. You might think it is so we can be away where no one can bother us during the 2 day 4 hour season premier of "24".

But really it's so I can try and run a marathon. The PF Chang's Rock n Roll Marathon on Sunday. Gina is going to be my Gatorade Sherpa. This race has decided to use an oddball sports drink that is gaggy, so she will be at various spots along the course, Gatorade in hand. She says she'll try and snap a photo or 2, too. The only downside is that the Seahawk game starts at 11:00am. So she'll need to be at a sports bar by then. So I might not see her after mile 20. But that's ok. We've scouted out a joint that's fairly near to the finish line, near Ariz State campus. Then I'll crawl my way over to watch the final half, hopefully. If I could run 8:00 / mile I could see the whole game. But that ain't gonna happen.

So, full report on the flip side.

And please, do not call us during 24.

Renovation Updates

Despite lousy, freezing, raining, snowy weather, Brian and his troops are making huge progress. Basic plumbing is in and passed inspection. The framework has passed inspection. The "sparkies" are in doing their thing now, and presumably will pass electrical inspection. Soon the insulation (a novelty for this house) will be in. Same guys will put in some vapor barrier stuff in crawl space. We hope to bring them back to do same to the real crawl space, something that's been on the "to do" list since we bought this place 13 years ago. Then drywall goes up. Then painting begins. Or is it the tile guy then painting?? whatever.

Brian took Gina and I on a field trip last week. We got to ride in his big truck. We went to a stone slab fabricator place. Looking for seconds/leftover piece for the laundry counter. Found a great one. And it was fun to see how that shop operates, (templates for sinks, bullnosing, etc) Fancy hi tech stone cutting machinery. Then we went off to look at some Marmoleum. Floor stuff that is now Gina's new fun project....designing the pattern for the tile pieces. She's got some great colors and scheme going. Yesterday Brian got to see how Gina operates when designing. I often find myself being measured while sitting, lying down - how far to reach for light switch? where would my arms be while soaking in tub? In order to visualize things she uses 'found objects' to see how a design will work ( like will the bucket fit in this size sink? how far to reach for faucet, etc) He caught on quickly and was soon participating using a sponge to demonstrate how close the tile backsplash would be to sink edge. My job is once we know some estimated dimensions then I get to Google til I find the undermount stainless steel 10" deep sink. Or watertank dimensions or faucets or heaters or light fixtures....



She'll take this one, please.


Disaster zone.


New hot water heater... showers for hours !


Brian reads the plans.


World famous "Measurer"

Did I Forget ?

That our California buddies were in town for the holidays???

And I didn't get any good shots of Annalise, sheesh. dumb. But it's official now. A.B.B. is taller than me. That only took 14 years, 345 days. They'll be back in a day or two, after carousing in Portland for the New Years. Oh, wait, I did get one good one.


Annalise B.-Brown and her cousin Charlie Brown


What fun is having a blog if I can't post photos of Traci's butt ?


Happy New Year.

Happy New Year !

Post race beer garden. UM hats ! this photo taken by a couple of Buckeyes ! how weird is that?

Ahhh, a refreshing dip in Lake Washington. water was warmer than the air.

Ten minutes to game time.... just enough time to blog about this morning's race. The Resolution Run, Trip n Drip version. It's a 5K. You can choose to jump in the lake or not. You know we do. Gina is still on injured list so she graciously took photos for the blog.

Tooting horns here.. unofficially, I took 1st place in 50 yr old Drip division with a 23:45 time.

GO BLUE !

Christmas means presents !

Yes, yes, we went to church, too. But I can't take photos at Mass.


the "off list" gift. nicely done Susie.


The rookie chef (the print says something about cooking with wine, or while drinking wine)


Just wondering if any of these is a jigsaw puzzle.


Susie's thinking of doing her own blog. you go girl.


Steve's new Kenworth chapeau.


Ann's new biking sleeves. Yes, just the sleeves.


Susie's new slippers, and those are festive xmas sox she has on. you go girl.


Scott's new bad-ass drill.

Boys fighting over the toys. (tools)
It's not the holidays without a little squabble.

Did I say it was Christmas ?

That must mean Marilyn's cookies are baked and decorated and ready for consumption.


Steve prays to the beef gods for medium rare prime rib.


This is a festive photo of the uneaten green jello.


Happy Holidays from the Cookie Chef.


The fruits of her labors.


Green beans, Tori Spelling style. aka, wrapped in the elixir of life. NO, not the rum, the BACON !
although, that rum did spice up the egg nog nicely.

Dedicated Runners

Well, we spent a few days in Wapato, WA for the Christmas holiday. And the drive over the mtn. was fine, but there was a ton of snow in Wapato. But that doesn't mean the training stops... oh no... We grabbed the snow shovel and on Sunday we went to the high school and got a little exercise as we shovelled off a lane all the way around the track. Great ! we are now all set to run the next day. UNLESS a freezing rain occurs during the night, making all un-snowy surfaces more like an ice rink... rats. But that doesn't mean the training stops...oh no... we got a little running in, finding the footing to be a bit safer in the snow so we ran next to the nicely shovelled lane. And hey, look, is that Gina running? yes, she gave herself a little Christmas present. No, she shouldn't have, but it was Christmas, afterall. Give a little.

Seattle Half Marathon Report

I love requests !! thanks Pam.

So, you might recall a month or so ago I was hoping for a finishing time of "anything BUT 1 hour 47 minutes and odd seconds" . The last several years have all been that. So, long story short (you wish) I ran a 1:46:26. Yahoo ! good for 2nd place in my age group. That is the highest I've placed in this race.

It's been a while and we've had some even "better" weather recently, but you might recall that this Thanksgiving weekend was, as usual, WET & COLD. But WETTER & COLDER THAN USUAL. Lesley and I arrived at the race in typical ATR style.... very early... the better to warm up and pee a hundred times. But it was so WET & COLD we sat in the car for the most of the time. It was trying to snow out and I wished it would. Better snow than huge freezing rain. But freezing rain is what we got.

Coach Lesley ran the race with me to help pace me. Thank God, cuz at mile 8 I was ready to take anytime OVER 1:47. She did not let that happen. We started out at just under 8:00 pace trying to not go out too fast but I do need to "bank" some time in the first half of the race before it gets too hilly. The rain subsided, in the I-90 tunnel. :) actually, it was ok along Lk. Washington, but the rain returned by Madison Park, and the hills. Gina was hanging out at 23rd Ave. I saw her just after fording a stream. So much for the "keep the shoes dry" efforts. This spot is the only place on the route that the Metro buses are allowed to cross the runners' path. As Gina waited for us she witnessed the ingenious system that is used. Pylons and crime scene tape, that we've always seen but wondered why it was there. Remind me to tell you about it.

I missed my buddy Carmel in Interlochen but she may have been seeking shelter under a tree. And all the fans in rain gear were anonymous. What a trooper for being out there, though. Thanks Carmel ! As we ran along parallel but beneath the freeway we saw big showers of water pour down from the cars above going thru puddles. Thankfully we did not get one of those early douches.

About this time I was fading, but Coach was having none of it. I was wearing my billboard T-shirt "Coach Lesley.com" so couldn't let the brand name down. She pretty much verbally drug me thru the past couple miles. In the finish line photos you can see her eyes directed towards the clock, WE HAD TO BEAT 1:47. And we did, even my gun time was 1:47:56 .

We waited a couple minutes hoping to see Karen Buttram finish, figuring she'd be right behind us, but we were so chilled to the bone that standing still was not an option. We did cross paths a few minutes later at clothing pickup and got to trade a few comments on the day. Blaspheming the weather gods.

As I mentioned, 2nd is the highest I've placed in this race. (the weiner was 4 or 5 minutes ahead of me) I'm usually in top 10, closer to 10, but my theory is those faster 50 yr.olds took one look at the weather, knew it would hamper their times, and went back to bed. You snooze, you lose.

Best part of the day.... the hot tub and then 5 hours later boarding a plane for Maui.
Worst part.... for the first time in 12 years Gina did not race. Damn those feet!

For those of you with # fetishes, here are the mile splits.
Gotta love that Mile #11. It saved the day. I'll spare you the Heart Rates details.

8:36.8 (minus 20 seconds to start line)
15:35.9 (miles 2 & 3)
8:01.6
8:06.8
7:51.8
8:19.9
9:05.7
8:10.4
9:02.3
7:16.8 (must have been down hill)
7:57.9
8:38.5 (mile 13.1)

Remodel

While we were gone, Brian and Randy got a lot done.. even though weather conditions were lousy. On the 19 degree day, they had to dig the ditch to lay some new foundation, or whatever they call it. They were going to pour cement into it. Randy said it was like digging thru permafrost.

We felt bad for them... brought them some maui chocolates to enjoy.

We've got another 2 feet added to the house. WOW ! Expansion-city.

Of course, they left on Friday saying "think about a cathedral ceiling" . Just to get Gina's panties into a bundle. She has thought about it, even tried drawing some plans, but it just is not going to happen. Not needed. They think it would make for a great " TV room " . It's the bedroom. And that change would impact the pillars, and this whole remodel is about the tub and pillars ! :)

And I love catching them in the cell phone act. All contractors " Man your Phone" !

And our new roommate, Charlie Brown. Isn't he cute? I got him for Gina's birthday. She's a big fan of the C.B. Christmas show. He had to room over at Val & Kathy's house for a month, as Ifound him but had no where to keep him secret. Every inch of our house is used for storing all the stuff that came out of the remodel side.

He makes us smile everytime we look at him. I think everyone should have one , the more smiling the better.

Turkey Day in Wapato

A few photo-licious moments. To complement the delicious meal.

And as usual, they are not in proper order cuz this blogger just cannot figure out the upload gig, or to cut and paste. Sounds like a new years resolution.



Marilyn drinks to celebrate Scott doing the dishes.


Susie foils the camera operator.


Another picture of Scott doing dishes. It really must have happened.


The beautiful snow on the drive home.


Steve polishes off a bit more turkey. He's looking for leftover skin to make a heartattack sandwich.


Gina gets a few miles in, indoors. Thinking of Ashley.


Donovan makes an appearance !


On Wed., Slots & Griggey get a nap after making pies, stuffing, etc.


Gina claims to have made this fine piece of pottery.


Ann comes out from behind the lens. I didn't get the memo on "to wear a blue or grey shirt"