Four Layer Cake with Chocolate Buttercream & Raspberry Jam won! Will post the recipe along with photos!!

I’m leaving it up to you, my readers to decide what cake I will make for Andy’s birthday.

Andy and I had a fantastic Christmas. We slept late with bellies full of the lasagna that Andy made for Christmas Eve. Our leisurely morning was spent drinking coffee and opening gifts. We received some very nice presents including:

And of course the camera that was used to take the photo. We also received “Scene It? The Simpsons Deluxe Version“, The Simpsons: The Eleventh Season, movie passes, personal items like shirts and socks, and a clock. I gave Andy some fencing books and he gave me an awesome Camelbak waist pack for my long runs that hold over 40 ounces of water! It was a great Christmas!

I’ve developed a mild case of shin splints on my right leg. Painful enough to know better than to continue running through it. I took four days off from running and read a lot about the causes, treatment, and prevention. As I haven’t been to the doctor to get a more formal diagnose, I’m calling it shin splints. I’ve had issues with shin splints off on and since I was about 13 years old.The last time I had them was about four or five years ago. I got a new pair of shoes, did some cross training on the elliptical and they went away in a few weeks. So that’s what I’m trying this time around.

On Friday evening, my Nana joined my Papa in Heaven after suffering from ALS. She was surrounded by her family and died a peaceful death aided partly by pain killers. I will miss her very much but am happy that she is no longer suffering. ALS took away her ability to speak and eat. I hope she’s in Heaven enjoying a large slice of cheesecake and a Bud Light. I choose to remember her when she was younger and sassy. Nana was a strong, well educated outspoken woman who was devoted to her family and friends. When her beloved Denver Broncos played, she would wear her shirt, break out her rug, and enjoy a beverage out of her favorite mug.

Nana

When I was younger, I spent summers with her and my Papa. Each year we would go to Colorado hauling the camper behind us. On those long trips, Nana and I would play “Guess Who They Are.” The object of the game was to make up stories about the people in the cars around us. For a time, we stayed at KOA’s which we always my favorite due to the swimming pool factor. Nana would always send me out to scout out the area expecting a full and creative report about the other campers.

Both my Nana and my Papa were advocates of higher education. Papa always said that education was the one thing that could never be taken away from you. Nana completed several degrees in her late forties and early fifties. After owning a Montgomery Wards store and completing one of her Bachelor’s Degrees, Nana went on to teach Special Education. She always joked that raising four children prepared her more for teaching than going to college. During this time, she volunteered teaching adult literacy.

Nana taught me so many things that I am having trouble remembering all of them. She taught me to cross stitch and sew. Around 13 I had enough cross stitched pillow cases to stock a Linens ‘n Things. She taught me how to write a check, that ladies didn’t smoke on the street, make Sad Cake, let me have my first tastes (actually they were more than tastes) of champagne and bourbon. And although I didn’t practice it until later in my life, that daily exercise was very important to maintain a healthy weight and low cholesterol and blood pressure. And one of the most important thing that she taught me was that some hurts do not away. Once, she told me the story of her mothers death and although it had been over 45 years since her mother passed, Nana cried at the memory. She was also the type of person that when she gave you a compliment you knew she meant it.

Nana always had great sayings like “Tables are for food not for fanny’s” (I liked perching mine on the side of the table), “If you have time to lean, you have time to clean”, “If you have nothing nice to say, don’t say anything at all”. And she was pretty strict about manners. You didn’t ask “Can I?” it was “May I?”. Nana and Papa had a zero tolerance policy on the word: hate. You didn’t say that you hated a particular food. Oh no. Ask my Uncle Greg about that one.

Nana and Mom

Here’s to you Nana. I will always love you and will cherish the memories of cooking together, working out to Richard Simmons’s “Dancing to the Oldies”, and the rib crushing hugs and endless supply of kisses.

So I went to the festival. Andy couldn’t go because he was hard at work studying for finals.

I think the beers were better last year. It seemed like most of the beers were porters and stouts rather than being a mix of all the different types of beers. I did enjoy the Sierra Nevada and Rock Bottom beers. Cheers!

Andy and I went on to Bellevue to celebrate Thanksgiving with his family including his 95 year old Grandmother aka Ma Grandpa. Almost the entire family was there except three cousins (well, 2 cousins and a wife). Two turkeys were cooked but only one consumed. The entire meal was delicious. We both had a great time!

Food!

Andy and Uncle Sean

Ma Grandpa & Aleta

Last Sunday I made it to 14.5. It wasn’t pretty but I made it. Afterwords, I wasn’t as hungry or as tired as I had been when I ran the 13.4 miles. I think it was the psychological aspect of starting the treadmill three times as the club limit is only 65 minutes at a time. I’m still not entirely sure why there is a limit as the average time spent on a treadmill in my gym is probably around 35-40 minutes.

It’s interesting watching people come in and work out for an hour or two and then watching them leave while I am still running. I run on the treadmill because Portland is rainy and cold and I have access to water and a bathroom. Both of which are awesome. One of my goals is to run outside during my shorter runs weather and daylight permitting.

It’s weird but when I was running less than 10 miles at a time, no one ever paid any attention to me. But now its like I’ve been given access to a secret club. On Sunday I got a fist bump from a fellow gym member. He was impressed with my efforts and suggested several races I might want to think about. A lot more people have come out of the wood work asking to go run with me and several people have asked for my advice about running injuries or how to get started.

My advice on getting started running is to start. Put on your shoes and put one foot in front of the other. When you get so winded you can’t hold conversation, slow down. If you can speed up again after a couple of minutes, go ahead. If you haven’t been active in a while, see your doctor first. The ’secret’ is to keep it up. Go out 3-6 days a week. Consistently. I run better when I lift weights 2-3 times a week. That’s my advice.

So here are the photos. It ain’t pretty but I did it!

Today I accomplished a goal that I’ve been working towards for a few weeks now. I’m very proud to say that I finally ran over 13.1 miles which is a half marathon. I actually ran 13.4 miles in 130 minutes. The first half I ran at an average of 6 miles an hour. The last half I averaged 6.3. My knees are still intact and my back is pain free. I am very aware of all the muscles in my upper thighs and my calves. They say hello (or something like it) every couple of minutes. And I’m tired. The kind of tired where any warm soft surface looks like a great place to stop and rest for a minute or so. I don’t think I have any more food in my refrigerator though. I’ve inhaled several mini-meals throughout the day including a black bean rice bowl, half a tuna sandwich, pickle, several bananas, peanut butter toast, and am eagerly looking forward to dinner.

Lately I’ve been reading a lot of runner blogs. I’ve been focusing on people who have just begun running. Many of these blogs have pictures or charts that show the author’s progress. I think I should start photographing myself a bit more. So here are some photos of me before my run and after my run. I took the last photo after looking at the ‘after my run’ photo. I looked so tired and pathetic, I had to laugh. So I took a photo of myself.

Before run

Now after 13.4 miles:

After running 13.4 miles!

Sometimes I make myself laugh at how sweaty and tired I look:

Gotta keep a sense of humor!

I don’t know what my next little goal is. Probably 16 or 18 miles. It’s going to take me some time to work up to that kind of mileage. I’ve been invited to go run at Forest Park with a few seasoned marathoners for some trail running on Sundays. They leave for the park at 8:30 am. I don’t wake up early on the weekend. Maybe that will be my next little goal.