Race Report: Double Dipsea

It has come and gone so quickly!  The Double Dipsea that is.  This past weekend we went down to Marin for the race of all races - the Double Dipsea.  The course was brutal with over 4,000 feet of elevation, 670+ stairs, trees/bushes/roots/ditches, and so much more.  Not to mention the poison oak that is now plaguing both of my legs - OUCH!  Or should I say ... itch.

This race was hard.  Really hard.  Going in I just wanted to finish.  During the race I had moments where my internal voice was literally going back and forth between "you can do it," "this is a F'ing race - no walking," and "have fun, take it easy."  With the brambly course I honestly didn't have too much time to think, though - most of my time was spent thinking "right foot, left foot, oh!  ditch, look out."

One of the things I was totally in awe of was the other runners.  I have never seen such a group of elite athletes mixed with the lifers.  There were more iron man shirts than I've ever seen in one place.  The real awe, though, came at the start of the race.  It was a tiered start by age with the 80+ group starting about an hour before my group.  Among the first runners were two women who were 75-79 (according to their tier) and they were roaring to go.

The stairs of course were one of the many toughys in the race.  Here's a look:

Runners take to Cougar Mountain for 8.2-mile run

Runners take to Cougar Mountain for 8.2-mile run

I've been written up! Just found this little post from Issaquah Press ... still doesn't appease any nerves for the race this weekend considering I haven't run since this race. Big mistake!

Double Dipsea

I'm doing this race this weekend...


And I'm starting to get SCARED!

Weekend roundup (a very late one)

With the sickness and breathing scare earlier this week, I neglected to post a mini weekend roundup.  Before I do - the boys are both MUCH healthier now, which makes us happier.

Back to the weekend - it was Father's Day weekend so Matt was the king.  Both mornings Matt slept in (to the late hour of 7am).  Saturday was the Fremont Festival here in Seattle which seems to be most well-known for it's naked bike riders and amazing solstice floats - the music, food, and stalls are all quite a site, too. 

In the afternoon we walked over the hill to see the haps (and we were pleased to have missed the nudies).  On the way to the fest, we stopped by the troll for a quick photo op.

Sunday we had a loungey morning in the house, then packed up to head to Ballard.  Matt went climbing and the boys and I enjoyed Farmer's.  Then we all met up at the Locks to watch the ships coming and going.

Sunday night we enjoyed a mellow dinner at home and called it a weekend.  All in all a good time!

Air - often under-rated

Last night was another tough one as a mom (and dad for Matt).  The boys started getting sick late Monday afternoon, and yesterday sick turned into major troubles breathing for Wilson.  At 7pm I rushed him back into the ER and they barely asked a question before hooking him back up to a nebulizer to help breathe.  Wilson knew it would make him feel better and was even holding the mask on by himself (my smart boy).

Matt stayed home with Cole who kept waking up crying for "Wishun" which was heartbreaking.

Today both boys were feeling sick so Matt gave them a treat ... TV.  I'm afraid they were too tired/icky feeling to truly enjoy it, though...

While the hospital and our pediatrician won't say if it's "asthma" (there really isn't a way to say definitively it's that), we're going to start looking into common allergens to see if something is triggering this.

Here are the most common allergens: pollen and dust mites
Here are the most common food allergens: milk, wheat, soy, eggs, nuts, seafood, and legumes, which include peas, beans, and peanuts

Weekend roundup

It was a busy weekend and an awesome one!  Saturday was the second race in the Cougar Mt. trail series - an 8.2 mile HILLY course.  I placed first female and 39th overall (out of 239) with a time of 1:07:25.

One cool thing is I got interviewed by a local paper and apparently am going to be in Wednesday's issue. Now if I could only work on my posture.

Matt brought the boys which was great.  They had a fuss when the race started (with Wilson yelling "mommy mommy mommy") but when I finished both boys were clapping full force.  Apparently they explored the area quite a bit, too ...

Saturday afternoon Matt's parents got here which was terrific.  They took off with the boys to Ballard for the afternoon and took in some boat sighting. 


Sunday we rose early (as usual) and made our way to Tiger Mt. for a hike around the lake.  Sunday afternoon brought a visit from Matt's aunt and uncle from SD.  The boys were super shy at first but quickly opened up ... a trip to the park helped.

All in all, a terrific weekend!  I'm ready for another :)

Weekend roundup: hot in Seattle!

The dark days of winter are gone (for now anyhow) and we just enjoyed an AWESOME weekend!  It was in the 70s both days, light at 5:30 (I know because the boys got us up) and dark at 9:30 and we loved every minute of it.  Matt's buddies from San Diego were here for a glass festival in Seattle (they're glass blowers) but because they were at workshops and events all day and most of the night it was as if it was just the 4 of us. 

Saturday I hit the road for an easy 5miler at 7am.  Then, we spent the morning at Gasworks Park - after hitting up Essential Baking Company we enjoyed our cinnamon rolls while watching the rowers train in the lake.  Saturday afternoon we made our way to Alki beach - it seems like half of WA did, too.  The beach was packed but the boys loved running from the tide.

Sunday I loaded the boys in the stroller for a quick 3miler (not so quick when pushing over 50lbs now + the stroller, but I'll chalk it up to weight lifting).  Then, we packed up and hit Farmer's with Nic and John.  The market was more crowded than ever as the sun was finally out, but we were able to stock up on some great local produce.  Sunday afternoon we made our way to a BBQ at some new friends just up the hill.  Kids really do put you in a new network of friends - we met Tanya, John, and their son at the park when Cole and Wilson took their son's toys and ate Tanya's snack.  Classy.

I'm hoping for more sun this weekend ... fingers crossed!