Catching up

Our last big family hike was on August 23rd. After a stop at a blueberry farm along the way, we parked at the top of Larch Mountain and hiked a 5+ mile loop down and back up. We enjoyed:

luscious huckleberries,

beautiful single track,

grand old trees,

and a panoramic view.

Coming up, we are working an aid station at the inaugural 100 in the Hood, next weekend. Then on October 4th, Marc is running the Portland Marathon while the little guy will try to beat his time in the kid's 2 miler.

The week after we're all signed up for a 5k. In July, after I walked the 5k, I started a beginner's running program, knowing I still had some kinks to work out. My progression was frustratingly slow and not entirely pain-free at all. But I figured I wasn't just going to magically run out the door pain free one day. I'd have to work through it. By September, with the help of some additional therapy, I was starting to feel like my old self again. Unfortunately, I had to take a break in early September due to some foot problems, mostly unrelated to running. And then as that was resolving I dropped a big piece of lumber on the same foot. If it's not one thing it's another! As I write a week later, the 3 inch diameter bruise is starting to disappear and hopefully I can get back to my program this week. My hope is that I'll be back to a regular running schedule and have a small base by the end of the year. If so, I'd like to begin marathon training with the goal of entering the Tacoma City Marathon in May. The short races are kind of fun, but I guess I'm still a maniac at heart.

P.S I almost forgot to mention that the lovely folks at POM Wonderful sent me some of their yummy juice to try out. I guess this blog isn't totally off the radar yet. : ) Anyway, I was aware of their product but had never tried it. In fact, the only other time I've had pomegranate juice is mixed in with other juices. I'm not a big juice drinker....I usually start my day with a packet of Emergen-C in 20 ounces of water....and didn't know what to expect. It's 100% pomegranate juice so I thought it might be tart. But it isn't. Not really sweet either. Actually, it has just the right balance of sweetness and tartness for my tastes. I like it. And it's supposed to be good for you...check out their website to find out more.