family celebrations

Over Memorial Day weekend I went to Richmond to hang out with family. That Saturday was my cousin Sunni's high school graduation. How time flies! The ceremony was nice (though long), and then we had a nice meal at home. (Afterwards Sunni and I went shopping, which was also fun.)

Sunni's cheering squad.

Our motley crew looking for Sunni after the ceremony.

Leslie with the graduate.

A surprise banner!

And surprise cake!

A good family friend, Geneva, was also in town visiting the family that weekend. On Sunday, we had a party for her. We had catered southern food, and live music. After eating came music time, which is a common occurrence there when we have guests for a meal. We all gathered in the music room and sang hymns. Then the caterers, this nice couple, came forward and we learned they were amazing musicians. The wife sang and the husband went to town on the piano. Everyone else joined in singing, too. It felt like a really rockin' church service, and was really fun and special.

Gathering the gang for music time.

Geneva, on the right, singing along.

Good times!

work hard, play hard

It's knuckle-down buckle-down time over here. On July 7 I'm scheduled to take my comprehensive oral exam for graduate school, and I have a whole lot of work to do to get prepared. I have a book list with ninety-five books spanning the seventeenth through twentieth centuries. I have read all of the books at some point over the past five years, but that doesn't mean I remember most of them. So I'm reviewing all my notes and making a note card for each book. It's taking me roughly an hour for each card, and I'm aiming to do fifteen books per week, which will leave me about two weeks at the end to review larger questions and themes bringing lots of different books together. Anyway, getting these fifteen note cards done each week is no easy task when I have a full-time job and am still trying to have a little bit of a social life and enjoy the beautiful weather. It's no fun, but I'm managing.

And I'm still managing to have some fun, for as my adviser always says, "work hard, play hard." Last weekend I went with Patrick and his friends to Norfolk for the Virginia Beer Festival. We drove over Saturday (after I spent a depressing Friday night studying), stopping for barbecue in Williamsburg for lunch. The festival was at a park right next to the water, and it was a beautiful day. The festival ended at 6pm, so afterwards we all went out to dinner. The next day most of the crew left town after brunch, but Patrick and I stuck around. We visited the aquarium in Virginia Beach, then went to the beach itself for a little walk and an early seafood dinner on the water. Then we finally headed home after a very fun early summer weekend.

Montalto Challenge 2015

Last weekend I ran my 6th Montalto Challenge 5k, my favorite race of the year. I had held off on registering since it was only one week after my marathon, but within three days of the marathon I wasn't sore any more and knew it would be fine to run. Thank goodness.

Patrick joined me for his first Montalto. We got to the Monticello visitor center in time to pick up our bibs, then he took the shuttle down while I jogged the two miles down to the start of the trail. We met up with JoAnne and Kurt at the starting line, and then were shortly off.

I was attempting a PR. In the past I've sometimes tried to take it a little easier during the first two miles in order to save energy for the really steep last mile, but this year I decided the last mile was going to be hard no matter what and if I wanted a fast time I couldn't dilly-dally in the beginning. Not that running up the trail there ever feels like dilly-dallying. Anyway, I pushed myself more than I usually like to. (I usually hate 5ks, remember?)

I made it up the easier portion of the trail with sub-9:00 miles, then started up the switchbacks of Montalto. There was a water stop at the 2-mile mark, and I did stop very briefly to get a sip in (I can never drink out of cups while running). Then I just slowly chugged up the mountain. There was definitely a time or two when I wanted to walk, and almost did, but I reminded myself that I needed to stay in the race mentally and not give in. I've made it up the past two years without walking and there's no reason I can't do it again.

And sure enough, I made it up without walking. When it finally leveled out toward the top I picked up the pace a little bit, and a woman who could see the clock around the bend let me know I'd make it under 30 minutes. I tried to sprint to the finish, and came in at 29:45, only 4 seconds off my 2013 PR. I'm a little bummed I didn't beat it, but plenty pleased I made it up without walking and under 30 minutes, which is only the second time I've met both those goals.

Once I'd caught my breath and had some water I went back to watch Patrick come in. Then we hung out at the top eating snacks, chatting with friends, and taking in the amazing views.

See how high we are, with Charlottesville way below?

It was pretty chilly this year, but luckily I'd come prepared with two jackets and they had heaters at the top we could huddle around to keep warm. We stayed through the award ceremony, then walked back down Montalto with JoAnne and Kurt. (Last year they wouldn't let us walk down, which was a big bummer, but this year they actually encouraged everyone to walk.)

Happy finishers.
(Photo credit: Ian Atkins)

Another successful Montalto Challenge!

Blue Ridge Marathon 2015

I ran my second marathon you guys!

Two years ago I ran the Blue Ridge Marathon, "America's Toughest Road Marathon." I was happy to make it my first marathon, but wasn't sure I'd ever do it again. Because it's really hard. But some time passed and I got the itch again, so I made it my second marathon as well. Go big or go home, I say.

Here's how it went down.

Patrick joined me for the race weekend, and Friday afternoon we drove the two hours to Roanoke. We had a big dinner (lasagna and lots of salad) before heading downtown to hear MarchFourth! perform. They are a fun band that combines brass, drums, and acrobatics. We sat with my friend JoAnne and her husband and enjoyed the outdoor concert (that started early so all the runners could get to bed at a decent hour)!

Saturday morning I got up early to eat my breakfast (Half a bagel with peanut butter and honey, and a yogurt cup with granola. It wasn't until the next day that I realized I'd forgotten to eat my banana.) and have some coffee. Then I was down in the lobby at 6:30 to catch a ride to the start with JoAnne and Kurt. The nice thing about going with them was I went earlier than I would have on my own, which meant I actually had time to do everything (check a bag, take a picture, visit the porta-potty twice, hear the whole National Anthem) without feeling rushed.

Ready to go!

The forecast for the morning was mid-60s, which is not ideal marathon weather. Plus it was sunny. I had bought some salt tablets the day before I left town but forgot them in the hotel. Oops. The first mile is relatively flat, but then you start climbing the first mountain of the day. My goal was to make it up all three mountains without walking. That goal went out the window pretty darn quickly. As I slowly made my way up Roanoke Mountain I decided there was no reason to kill myself just trying to reach the summit at mile 7. So I walked some of the uphills. Everyone around me walked some uphills, too.

(Big thanks to the race sponsors for providing free race photos!)

Last time the downhills really killed me. So I went slowly on them this time and tried to save my hip flexors. It worked. After Roanoke Mountain was Mill Mountain with the famed Roanoke Star. I walked up some of that mountain, too. Even though it was hard and hot, I made sure to look around at the views and say to myself "This is awesome! It's a beautiful Saturday morning and I'm running on the Blue Ridge Parkway through the mountains! I'm so lucky!"

On the way down Mill Mountain I drank a mimosa that a lady was handing out. Probably wasn't the best idea, but hey. At the bottom, around the 14.5 mile mark, Patrick was waiting to give me a hug and cheer me on.

Holding one of the several orange slices I ate throughout the race.

After a bunch of running in the hot sun, I already knew I'd do a lot of walking up the third mountain, Peakwood. In fact, I was actually looking forward to Peakwood just so I could have a walking break. Peakwood has lots of nice neighbors who come out and cheer, too. Several old men in a row gave me a high five. And later there was a row of little kids holding out snacks, so I took a handful of Pringles from one, a bunch of grapes from another, and an orange slice from a third. Some houses also had sprinklers on for us to cool off.

After Peakwood there was still about six miles of relative flat through the city. But by that point I was tired and hot and ready to be done. I took several more walking breaks. Everyone around me walked a lot. I started to get a cramp in my calf and immediately ate a chew and drank some sports drink, and thankfully the cramp went away. Patrick gave me another hug at mile 22, and then I just had four miserable miles left.

Marathons are hard. But then I finished, only eight minutes longer than last time (when I did less walking and it was about 20 degrees cooler). Official time: 4:50:33. Age group place: 7 of 27. Overall place: 150 of 409.

Done!

And after finishing the marathon, and rehydrating and resting in the shade a little, I felt pretty great. And my IT band held out and I wasn't injured, so that was a big plus.

We hung out at the finish party for a long time, enjoying music, people watching, eating food truck snacks, and drinking a beer.

Eventually we went back to the hotel so I could shower and nap. Later that night we went back to the same post-party area to hear Big Head Todd and the Monsters perform, followed by a sushi dinner downtown and drinks at a bar with more live music. The next day we had a really good lunch and visited the little Mill Mountain Zoo before leaving Roanoke.

It was a fun race weekend.

field trip sighting

On the Lawn.

Today my department spent the morning on a field trip to the University of Virginia. It's Garden Week, so two of the pavilions were open to the public and tours were given of the gardens. We joined a garden tour, but the guide was way too quiet and hard to hear, and the student guide who gave general information on the history of the university said a lot of things my colleagues and I knew weren't actually true, so we eventually broke away and wandered through all the gardens on our own. We also made an obligatory stop by the Edgar Allan Poe room, and were aghast to learn our boss had never seen it. All of this fun was naturally followed by lunch on the Corner, which we enjoyed outside. I'm so happy spring is here.

T minus 3 days

In three days I'm running the Blue Ridge Marathon again. I'm both excited and nervous. Excited that I made it through marathon training injury free and excited for race weekend in Roanoke. But nervous about all those uphills and downhills. I don't feel like I got quite as much elevation training this cycle, or at least not long and high enough. But it's also kind of impossible to really replicate the course conditions without going to Roanoke.

Anyway, I don't really have serious goals for this race, but I would like to make it up all three mountains without any walking during the uphills. I know I will likely need to take some walking breaks for the sake of my IT band and possible knee pain, but I'd prefer to do those on flat sections, or maybe downhills. A PR would also be nice, but I'm not going to push myself too hard for the sake of time. I want to enjoy the race (even though I know it will be really painful and miserable at times) and come out injury free.

abbreviated Vegas family fun

A couple of weeks ago was Nascar weekend in Las Vegas. And you know what that means...another Vegas family vacation! (I didn't go to Nascar though, just so we're clear.)

I was supposed to fly out on a Thursday to meet up with my parents, brother, and uncle and aunt. But Virginia got snow that day, which messed everything up. I couldn't get another flight out until two days later (and I even switched airports). Not only did I miss out on hang out time with the family, but I also missed the Red Rock Canyon half marathon I'd been planning on as a training run with good elevation gain. Instead I just ran around my hilly neighborhood Saturday before finally flying out.

I arrived Saturday night around 9:30. Dad and Ryan picked me up and we stopped by the hotel (Treasure Island) to drop off my bag and join up with Mom. Then the four of us walked over to the Venetian and ate a good family-style meal.

Sunday Dad and my aunt and uncle were at the race, so Mom and Ryan and I hung out. We ate dim sum (including the chicken feet Ryan made us order) for lunch, then walked around. We visited the live flamingos at the Flamingo, walked around the new shops at the Linq, and rested with margaritas (Well, I got a margarita. I'm not sure what they ordered.) at Margaritaville. Then Mom headed back to the hotel while Ryan and I walked around some more before finally meeting up with the race spectators for a steak dinner at Treasure Island. After dinner most of us walked over to Harrah's to play some games. My aunt gave me $100 to play three-card poker with them, which I went on to lose. Luckily Ryan won big there and kept passing me more chips so I could stay and play with him, but I lost all those, too. (He still came out way ahead though, don't worry).

Chicken feet.

Cute.

Contemplative.

It was beautiful out. I even wore a skirt and flip flops.

Monday morning Ryan had to head back to Utah for work. We originally thought he'd leave Sunday afternoon but he stayed a little longer, which was nice since I got there so late and we would have hardly had time together otherwise. After he was gone the rest of us had breakfast together (it was actually more like lunch, and even though they all got breakfast food, I ordered Vietnamese noodles), then went out and did some sightseeing. We visited the conservatory at the Bellagio, then went back to the Linq and rode the High Roller, the new (and world's largest) observation wheel. It was fun. After our ride we stopped by Sprinkles and shared two cupcakes we bought from the cupcake ATM.

Parents at the Bellagio

 

The High Roller.

Pod thingy.

Uncle and Aunt

Cupcakes!

Uncle T.

Sometimes Dad likes to stand on one leg like a flamingo. So I made him do it with me here.

From there we went back into Harrah's for some games, but Mom and I got tired of that after a while so we went to a restaurant where we could sit outside and have margaritas and chips with guacamole. Eventually Dad walked by and I got him to come join us. So it was fun parent-daughter time. A little later we met back up with my aunt and uncle for dinner at the hotel's buffet. I wasn't really hungry at all, but I still ate (including cotton candy for dessert). After dinner Dad and my aunt and I went over to the Mirage to watch the volcano erupt, then went on to the Forum Shops, which apparently stay open until 11. When that place closed we headed back to Treasure Island for the night. I stayed up just a little playing (and losing) slots.

The next morning I got up early enough to get a good breakfast (by myself) before my parents took me to the airport. It was a short trip, but really fun. I love our Vegas family vacations.

snowstorms

Last Monday evening we got snow here in Charlottesville. Tuesday I stayed in all day, and since I didn't go to the gym for my pool running I did 45 minutes on the bike trainer instead. Then Wednesday and Thursday the streets were clear but sidewalks weren't, and things were icy and super cold, so I opted for the treadmill at the gym, doing seven and five miles, respectively.

Today I had ten miles scheduled, but another snowstorm came. If I had gotten up really early, which I didn't, I could have gotten over to the gym and run on the treadmill before roads got really bad and they closed. I thought about pushing my long run back to Sunday, but that would mess with next week's schedule. And then I started to see friends on Facebook talk about their morning workouts, including one friend who ran outside in the snow. And as you know, I haven't posted in a month so every time you check in you see me bragging about loving winter running.

So I did what any self-respecting winter runner who is also slightly crazy would do, and went outside for ten miles. It was my first time wearing Yaktrax, and they worked great. I even got some neighborhood hills in. It worked out well because it's still snowing and not many people were out driving, so I could just run in tire tracks in the middle of the road. It was kind of awesome.

Unfortunately I'll probably be back on the treadmill next week when the roads are clear but not pedestrian-friendly. Alas.

winter running

I love running during the winter you guys.

In the winter it's cold, so you don't have to get up super early on the weekend to get your long run in before it's too hot.

And since it's cold, you get to wear running pants. With pants on, no need to shave your legs!

 In the winter it also gets dark really early. So if you work inside at a desk all day like me, you never get to be out in the sun during the week. Plus it's cold outside, so you're not spending the weekends sitting outside at cafes or lounging around the pool. You're inside. But with winter running, you get outside! And if you don't go super early in the morning, there is often sun! So it makes the long winters much more bearable.

In the winter there are no leaves on the trees. This actually has a drawback, in case you're out running and need to step off the road for a pit stop. Less coverage. On the other hand, it gives you a chance to catch some mountain views you might otherwise not get to see.

I don't know if this is true or not, but I think running in the cold is also better on pesky joints and IT bands that otherwise might get a little more swollen. Less need for ice baths if it's already below freezing out!

And let's be honest, running through the winter lets you feel just a little bit like a badass.

Running in Santa Fe

While I was home in Santa Fe for the holidays I kept up my 3-4 days of running per week.

My first run was a few days after I'd arrived. I planned out 8 miles, but after I'd been outside and gone about 2.5 miles toward downtown on a rail trail, I decided to cut it short. I thought maybe the altitude and the fact I hadn't run in four days was making it difficult. But as soon as I turned around it started to feel a lot better, and I picked up my pace. I think the real problem was cold wind rushing in my face, which I hadn't really noticed until I was finally going away from the wind. So I decided to go a little longer and made it to 6.5 miles.

Heading north on a rail trail through town.

My next two runs were both 3 miles on a treadmill at my parents' gym. Then the Sunday after Christmas I did an 8-mile long run outside again. I started on the same rail trail as before but went all the way downtown and came back a different way. Once again it was harder going north but got easier and faster on the way back. This run was also in sixteen-degree weather. Around the 3-mile mark I went for a sip of my sports drink and saw it was freezing where it leaks around the lid. Yikes.

Brrr.

Ran across Billy the Kid wearing a bike helmet!

My last two runs were 4 and 5 miles back on the treadmill at the gym. That last day I had been hoping to get outside on another trail, but the forecast was for really cold temps plus wind and clouds, and since the trail wasn't paved or near roads I decided maybe it wasn't the best idea to risk getting stuck out there and dying of hypothermia. Instead I stared at the trail (which happens to go right by the gym) out the window from the treadmill and cursed myself each time I saw a runner or cyclist go by. The sun had come out and I didn't see any wind, so I would have been fine. Sigh.

Pretty nice view from the treadmill though...

When I got back from New Mexico I spent a few days in Richmond, where I ran 3 miles Friday and 10 Saturday. And starting today I'm officially in marathon-training mode!

Christmas

I just spent almost two weeks in Santa Fe for Christmas. It was nice to take a break and hang out with family.

My brother Ryan had to work for Christmas and wasn't there for the actual holiday, but he was there for a few days the weekend before. I hadn't been planning to arrive until the 23rd, but I changed my flight and went out on the 20th so our visits would overlap a little.

It was great to see Ryan, and it was also nice to see his dog Tess! I love her.

Walking Tess!

Since all four of us were together (for only a day and a half, sadly) we opened our presents early after mom made burritos, a family favorite.

Ryan on the plaza.

On Christmas Eve my grandparents came over and we had our traditional posole and tamales for dinner. Then Dad and I bundled up and headed out to walk Canyon Road.

Farolitos and art.

Dad chatting with a rabbit.

On Christmas morning my grandparents came over again for breakfast and tree. Later in the day more relatives came over for Christmas dinner. It was a good day.

Teaching Granddad about selfies.

Grandmother, too.

Checking out the tree. I love our Christmas tree. (But Ryan decorated it this year before I arrived and he skimped a little on the ornaments.)

After Christmas I hung out with my parents a lot. We went to the gym a few times, ate out several times, saw three movies, went to a concert, visited a museum, walked around Christmas lights at the botanical garden in the freezing cold, and hung out at home watching tv.

A Christmas burrito at Tomasita's.

Plus a sopapilla with honey for dessert.

Waiting for a movie to start.

We hung out with my grandparents again the day before I left. And that evening, which was New Year's Eve, my parents and I went out for one last New Mexican dinner before having a low-key night at home.

It was a good trip.