Having fun Getting ready for the Grand Canyon

The last two weekends have been great fun as we bump up our endurance training to handle the cool stuff we have planned for this summer.

On May 16th we did about 7 hours of biking for our annual 100 mile Reach the Beach bike ride on a tandem with Mary and James. No flats, amazing weather, almost no wind and close to 17 miles per hour average. Also a great leg workout without the pounding of running (we would do that the next weekend!!).

We once again stayed at the Craftsman Bed and Breakfast in Pacific City with Mike and Laura as our excellent hosts. If you are in Pacific City, stay at their place. An evening soaking in the hot tub with dinner at the Bistro catching up with new and old friends was how we ended a great day.

The following weekend was hills and Gorge running!

Trisha did some Dog Mountain repeats with Ronda, Micheal, Cheri on Friday to smash those quads into shape. Dog Mountain climbs straight up 2,800 feet in 3.2 miles. Up, up and more up!

On Saturday, I did about 7 hours of running in the Gorge. Herman Creek to the PCT then up to the Benson Plateau. We then hit the snow and blindly made our way across the Benson Way through the snow to the Ruckel Creek Trail. Pounded down to the Gorge 400. Across on the Gorge 400 trail and then back up on the Herman Creek trail to tackle the Nick Eaton Ridge. Then some amazing cruising down the Gorton Creek trail to finish up. Ronda gives a great account on her blog.

It was hard. It was amazing. I hit the toughest section of trail I have tackled. I was working as hard as I could and it took me 39 minutes to do 2 miles!! Try the Nick Eaton trail if you are really looking for a challenge!

Why all the training? Trisha and I are running the Grand Canyon this coming weekend. Rim to Rim to Rim. From the North Rim to the South Rim and back up the North Rim. 45 miles of fun with 11000 ft of vertical to keep you honest! We are ready and we just cannot wait!!

Tigard Youth Track Home Meet

Back on May 2nd, Cole and Leah competed in their second track meet of the year.

This was the home meet for our Tigard Youth track club at the local high school.

Both raced in the 800 racewalk and then two sprints: 100 and the 400.
I was bursting with pride with all the results and the efforts that they did out on the track.

We called it a day after these 3 events and MAN were we glad we did. Just as we were leaving the wind and rain reached close to hurricane levels and ended the meet.

We are excited to hit the last meet of the year for us on June 13th in Salem.

Cole and Leah have worked really hard this year and it is cool to see them learning how to dig deep and enjoy the personal satisfaction of giving it all they got!

Eclipse DemoCamp Galileo 2009

A public service announcement for all those Eclipse enthusaists who live close to Portland...or who need an excuse to visit our amazingly beautiful city!!

ECLIPSE DEMO CAMP GALILEO 2009 – Portland, OR

Instantiations and The Eclipse Foundation will co-host a pizza and salad buffet, including beverages. Come as a presenter and demo the cool stuff that you have been working on in Eclipse and network with your local Eclipse community!  

Here are the official details and where to sign up:

The Eclipse Foundation and Instantiations proudly present the Eclipse DemoCamp Galileo 2009/Portland

Date: June 17, 2008

Time: 7pm – 9pm (Presenters set up at 6pm)

Location: Lucky Lab Beer Hall, 1945 NW Quimby, Portland (Directions)

Cost: Complimentary; attendance is limited

Registration: To register, add your name as presenter or attendee to this wiki:

http://wiki.eclipse.org/Eclipse_DemoCamps_Galileo_2009/Portland 

If you have questions, please contact Tina Kvavle at Instantiations . Feel free to pass this along to your colleagues, and be sure to sign up on the wiki if you would like to attend or present! We look forward to seeing you there.