Crater Lake Rim Run Countdown: 7 Weeks

June 27, 2016
Yikes. So Crater Lake is one of the most beautiful places on earth. I'm signed up to do a 13 mile run there on August 13, so I'm doing my best to train. Yep, I have a training plan all mapped out but I'm finding it hard to get in all the workouts. This weekend I was due to run 9 miles. We happened to be camping at the Metolius River. I was looking at hiking trails before we left and lo and behold, I discovered that the trail from Camp Sherman to Suttle Lake is 4.5 miles one way. It was billed as an easy trail on old forest roads with the single trail parts of it smooth and easy for the most part. Gentle uphill on the way, downhill on the way back. It was meant to be!

I knew the best plan was to get up early and get it done, but hey, when your husband gets up at 7 and it seems to be freezing outside so you go back to sleep and next thing you know, you wake up and it's 9 a.m., what can you do? By the time you cook your camping breakfast of bacon, pancakes and eggs for your camping partners, snuggle your baby granddaughter and let your little breakfast settle, it's nearly 11:30 a.m. and warming up.

As I am not known for my ability to go in a straight line directly from one place to another without making a wrong turn or three, I wore my Batman running shirt. That way, if I were to be delayed due to a wrong turn and inquiries needed to be made about me, people would remember seeing a runner in a Batman shirt. Always thinking!

I found the trailhead quite easily, as it was north of the Camp Sherman Community Center, just as I had read. Such a gorgeous day.

 The uphill was so gradual as to be almost unnoticeable except for my tendency to be a little too easily winded.

I love running on a nice smooth easy trail in beauty like this!

 I had gone up to the Portland Running Company on Thursday and was fitted for running shoes, because my toes on both feet have been feeling hot burning pain when I hit about five miles. I've been running in Asic Gel Kayano for the past several years and love them. I usually buy them online and go for last year's model because I can get them cheaper that way. Well, my most recent pair was a lot tighter in the toes, so I thought maybe the burning because they were too small. I had the same trouble a couple years ago and switched from Nike Vomero's to the Asics. At the Portland store,  I tried a couple of different types of shoes and ended up buying the same kind, only a half size bigger and in a wide width. They told me if I didn't like them for any reason after running in them, I can bring them back. So I was interested to see how they would do.

 Here's the Hwy 20 bridge at a little over 4 miles. Sadly, the toes on my left foot were already burning at this point. About a mile before the bridge, the trail got a little rougher and a lot steeper.

 I had to slow down to a walk here to pass under the bridge because I didn't want to twist an ankle or bonk my head!

 When the trail ended at another bridge right by the Suttle Lake resort, I had to roam around a little bit to get a view of the lake. When I turned back, I had about 5.25 miles on Runkeeper.

  I was sorely tempted to take a detour down this road, where I could see a glimpse of Mt. Jefferson I just knew it would get better just around the bend. But I disciplined myself to stick to my course.

 My dear husband Will occasionally mentions that we should just go camp in the woods instead of at campgrounds. I passed a lovely campsite with room for a couple more RVs along Lake Creek.

By 8 miles, I was feeling great except for that awful burning foot. I do love it when I get to run downhill on the way back. I stopped to tighten up the shoelaces and tie it a little tighter.  Didn't help. My foot was killing me for the last mile. When the Runkeeper voice told me I had reached 9 miles, I immediately clicked on Stop. The darn thing! I noticed later it said 8.98! Oh well, too bad!  I walked the remaining way back to my car, and the burning in my foot abated quickly.

 The elevation on this run started at 2,977 feet and ended at 3487 for a gain of 510 feet. (Fitbit gave me 48 floors.) The Crater Lake Run is described at being at altitudes between 5980-7850 feet. That scares me just a little. I'm hoping to get some higher elevation running and hiking in when we're back at the Metolius in a few weeks.

As I walked back, I had to take a few pics of the wildflowers I enjoyed along the way.

I love Indian Paintbrush.

I also love seeing lupine along the trail. Ok, I love seeing wild flowers in general.

 Back at the trailhead! So happy to be done and feeling that runner's high!

I headed back to camp, where we had been invited by Anisa to join in Duane's birthday lunch (since the guys were fishing in the morning and evening). I was afraid I had missed it due to my lateness, but they were still at the big picnic table eating the marvelous pulled pork, mashed potatoes, baked beans. I was starving! And look at the lovely little lady who was just lounging around while everyone else ate!

My one and only granddaughter Evy on her first camping trip.

This week's training plan:

Monday: 4 mile hill run in North Albany
Tuesday: Cross Train - Stairclimb, strength training class or video
Wednesday: 5 mile run: 2 minute Intervals
Thursday: 30 minute bike ride hard, strength training class or video
Friday: Stair climb, kettleball workout
Saturday: 10 mile hill run
Sunday: Rest day


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Run from Casey's RV Park

I love to run in beautiful places when we are camping. We were at Casey's RV Park over Memorial Day weekend, and I was due to run 6 miles in my training plan for a half marathon in August. About a half mile down from the RV park was a forest road the curved uphill, on and on. Did I mention I'm doing a hilly half. So there I went.  

There were many wildflowers to enjoy, including these iris.

Such an inviting little road…what's up around this curve?

A profusion of wild bleeding hearts.

Don't be tripping and falling over the edge….

Daisies are a happy indication of new life after the devastation of a fire.

Yikes, a bit of a rock slide….Glad I wasn't running by when that happened!

Whew, made it back to camp to enjoy the beauty of the flowers and river there. My Fitbit app gave me 90 floors on that run. That was some good steady uphill, and oh how I felt like I was flying on the way down!

God's creation is amazing!

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Back at Lifetime

I am very happy to report I have been within my Lifetime range for my last three weigh-ins over the past four weeks. I was unable to actually weigh in on my 3-year anniversary date due to a last minute trip to Nebraska for a dear aunt's funeral. At last week's weigh in, I was just .2 above my Lifetime goal weight of 145.

At the meeting last week, a question last week was asked of Lifetime members as to whether you wonder if you are at the right weight or if you should lose some more. I didn't choose this weight thinking I have actually lost all the fat on my body. I would love to lose another 5 or 10 pounds, but I want my weight to be maintainable I want to enjoy my life and the great food occasions without having to decline the treats all the time. So I will stick with this, believing it's maintainable for life even though it's not a non-fat body by any means!

Beautiful healthy food in reasonable portions.
Regular invigorating exercise.
Worshipping the Creator of the universe, who designed our amazing bodies to be capable of so much more than we realize.

A great foundation for a happy, fulfilling life of loving and serving the people in the world around you.

Two Weeks Down

Update at the conclusion of Week 2 of Operation Get Back to Lifetime Weight by July 31:
Well, well, well, what do you know? When I follow the four guidelines I committed to two weeks ago, good things happen.   I am down 4.8 pounds in two weeks, leaving me with 2.2 more to lose to reach that Lifetime weight. Crazy huh. And it's not like I'm starving myself. I've enjoyed treats at many occasions the past two weeks, but the boundaries of tracking have kept me reined in.

Sometimes boundaries seem restrictive and make me feel rebellious. Right now, the boundaries of tracking are making me feel in control and safe! Strange.

During these hot days, I have found these to be a very refreshing treat!

You can get them at Costco. They scanned as 2 points but when I calculated them from the nutritional info on the box they came out as 3 points. Strange, huh? But it's pretty sweet, on days when I don't have the spare point, I can choose the scanned option! Just kidding. Maybe.

Feeling great. Loving all the berries and the abundance of fresh crab I've enjoyed lately.

Consistency. Determination. Never give up.

Three Years Ago Today

My Facebook post three years ago today:

"Pretty excited about reaching my goal weight at today's weigh in. Feels great to be 56.8 pounds lighter. It's amazing how well Weight Watchers works when I actually follow the program consistently! Now for a lifetime of maintaining."

And my reply to all the kind comments:   "Wow, thank you all. I have reminded myself over and over that "Satisfaction does not come from indulgence, satisfaction comes from achievement." (Calvin Coolidge) Every day of making healthy choices is a satisfying achievement!"

Three years. One thing I have learned about maintenance is that the encouragement and accountability of weekly Weight Watchers meetings are essential. Today was my regular weigh in day, and I weighed in at two pounds over my weight 3 years ago today. So that doesn't seem too bad.

The part that's not so good is that three years ago, I actually lost another 6 pounds during the next 6 weeks of the required maintenance before becoming a Lifetime member, and I then reset my goal weight to 5 pounds lower. Which means I am now seven pounds over my Lifetime weight.

Seven pounds is not a big deal. Being disciplined and having healthy eating habits is the "big deal" to me. And boy, have I slid back into some bad habits the past year!

I'm still committed to physical and spiritual fitness. I've made many mistakes and had many failures, but the God of grace keeps helping me get back on track. I love to run and work out, but I've cut back the amount of time I spend doing those things to an average of 30-45 minutes a day in order to balance the things and people that are most important to me. In April I was inspired by Laurie Smucker, our women's retreat speaker, to use my running time as prayer time. Awesome. Just awesome.

Anyway, I'm posting this to be publicly accountable that I am committed to get back to that Lifetime weight by my three-year anniversary of reaching Lifetime on July 31. I will do this by following the guidelines I was using during that time, which are as follows:

1. Track all my food, with the majority of it power foods (the healthy stuff!)
2. Don't go over the recommended number of daily and weekly points ("Follow the WW program consistently!")
3. Keep exercising regularly, and be as active as possible

Plus one more, more important than all three above:
Start every day with God's word and prayer, asking Him for guidance, wisdom, strength and love.

Never never never ever give up! I never again want to feel as exhausted and depressed and pained and lethargic as I felt when I was at my heaviest.  I love feeling healthy and energetic and buying "medium" sized clothes. I want to feel good that I am doing my part to reduce my risk of cancer, heart disease and a multitude of other diseases that are lurking around waiting to strike me as I age! I want to take care of this old body so that it lasts me a good long time!

As the receptionist at Weight Watchers reminded me today as I was talking to her at my weigh-in:

Have I Mentioned how much I Love Beach Running?

Though nothing but rain and wind were predicted for the Oregon Coast last week, we took our RV over there and parked it where we could enjoy the view of the Yaquina Bay Bridge and be cozy inside. Just as predicted, it was a stormy weekend with plenty of rain and wind, but on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, there were also periods of sunshine. I love the Oregon Coast so much. I just have to share some pictures I took on my runs, which were carefully timed during sunny periods!

Thursday was the only day it didn't start out raining, so I took a morning run. It was windy but so beautiful with a little blue sky giving me hope as I headed up the bridge in the raised sidewalk.

 From the top, you can see a trail running along the edge. That is where I will run the next day, all the way out that sandy strip.

 This day, I cross the bridge and head over to the State Park on the other side. From the parking lot at the park, it doesn't look quite as lovely looking back where I came from!

 I took a trail down to the beach and ran down there awhile, then took a rough steep trail back up to the parking lot. Oh ouch, as I was scrambling up the trail, I stood up and banged my head on a branch. Lucky it didn't knock me right back down. I still have a sore bump!

 I headed back over the bridge and just as I got to the stairs at the other side, the rain came dumping down. I sprinted for the RV park, and who should I see but this man wearing the world's best rain gear and his very wet and handsome chocolate lab.

Bless his heart, this kind man keeps offering to buy me some really good rain gear like he has. With his excellent rainwear, pouring rain and driving winds do not deter him from long morning walks with the good Zeek dog. It would take more than fabulous rain clothes to get me out in weather like that. Lucky for me, in the less than five minutes it took to get to the RV, the rain stopped and we took a cool down walk along the marina.

Day 2, Friday, we went down to the bay front in the afternoon, walked around and enjoyed some ice cream. Since it wasn't raining, I decided to get my run in on the way back.  I found the entrance to that lower trail.

 Pretty cool looking up from beneath the bridge.

This is after crossing it, looking back at the trail, which was a bit wet right there. Just past this point was a homeless camp in the trees, but no one was home.

The trail turned into a bunch of big rocks and boulders that I had to slow down to navigate, then came the fun sandy part, which I followed til it reached a gate blocking entrance on the jetty.

Then I ran on the beach out as far as I could to the ocean. 

Here's looking back.

And just to prove the sun really was shining for awhile, here's me and my shadow.

 Such joy to run on this rolling path, with the beach grass and seagulls and water and wind and beautiful patches of blue sky and clouds and amazingly fresh air.

This was a dry run, no raindrops at all!

Day 3, Saturday, we were once again out and about, doing a little shopping and out for lunch. We stopped at Agate Beach. A gentleman was playing a flute in the underpass walkway, and the acoustics were amazing! But oops, beach access was blocked by this stream.

I had to go to the road and walk down a bit to this lovely pallet bridge to cross to the beach!

 Beautiful.

 The clouds change so quickly, the view is ever changing.

 Then it was back to the very special bridge once again, as the clouds have rolled in and a gentle mist started to fall.

I had hoped to cross the road and run along the south jetty on the other side of the bridge this morning, but I confess when I woke up and heard rain pattering on the roof, I stayed in bed and skipped the run.

When we got back home, I was jogging down the sidewalk to help Will, thinking how good it feels to run, when suddenly I tripped on an uneven piece of concrete and went sprawling. Oh ouch ouch ouch. When my old body was finally able to get up, I was amazed and thankful to discover nothing but one skinned palm and one skinned knee. Once again, I realize how fortunate and blessed I am to be uninjured and able to run, and how quickly one mis-step can change that.  I thank God for every day that I can enjoy this blessing and his great creation.

Exercise: Delight or Dread Part 2: Resist Robbing Your Running Partner

Here I am again, with more helpful pointers on how to make exercise a happy habit in your life if you are not currently habitual about it, or to encourage you to keep it up if you are.

Planning a fun future event that demands physical conditioning is a great way to motivate your rear end off the couch to engage in pulse-raising activity.  Especially if the event involves people who are near and dear to you. If that's not possible, at least find some people who are fun to hang out with. Your goal is to be in slightly better shape than the others, so that you don't have to kill yourself trying to keep up with the rest of the gang. That might demand hard work, unless all the people who are near and dear to you are old couch potatoes!

So as I mentioned before, the near and dear people who were my fellow cruise travelers agreed that a trip up the South Sister would be a great motivator to be in shape by August. Since two of those people are under the age of 25 and are avid CrossFit workout fans, well, we just won't be able to allow them to set the pace or they will kill the rest of us old folks. But this activity is a great motivator to get out six days a week to either take exercise classes, run, climb the stairs at the stadium next to my school, Zumba, and find some hills to hike on weekends. The South Sister hike is only a 12 mile round trip, but with a 4900 feet elevation gain.

Another fun thing is to schedule some 5ks or 10ks or whatever distance you are comfortable with. It's really fun to walk and talk with friends and get some exercise with no worries about speed. It's also fun to set a goals for a time you'd like to beat and get out and compete.

Last year a couple of co-workers and I enjoyed walking the 5k "iRun for Kids", which is sponsored by an organization that provides classroom grants for our school district. Those co-workers didn't sign up this year, but a couple of teachers invited me to run with them. We got separated at the bottleneck going over the bridge, and I fell in behind someone who seemed to be running at a good pace for me. I soon realized she was someone I knew and hadn't seen in ages, so we ran together and visited. Time flew by as we talked. She placed second in our age group last year, and wanted to be one of the top three this year, so she was on the lookout to pass other women who looked to be our age! As we neared the finish line, I said I would fall back so she could cross the finish line first because I didn't care about placing. She said no, let's cross at the same time and see what happens. So we synchronized our steps and crossed together. After we got our drinks and bananas, we got our results. Much to my dismay, I placed 3rd and she got 4th. I felt like such a swindler! My time was 10:17, and hers was 10:23. The timing chip was on the bib, so I must have been leaning forward just a bit more!

These are my co-workers, Katie and Kerrie.

Well, let's set the robbery aside and talk about something else. (Oh the guilt!) Want to see my medal?

I put this on today and circled my living room serving cookies and fruit, trying to get my guests (my boys, their girls and my brother Doug and his wife, 7 people in all) to notice. I had to ostentatiously circle the room twice before anyone noticed it. I might have even flung it around a bit. But I still feel guilty. (I'm sorry Liz, I really hope you're not mad! You were so gracious!)

This was the first time I have actually run side by side with someone. My running has always been solo, and I thought I preferred it that way, enjoying the time to myself to think, pray, listen to music or an audiobook. To my surprise, I found that time went even faster while visiting with someone, and I went faster also.

It made me realize what a lazy slug I have have been lately because my running time has really slowed down, and I haven't been pushing myself. So I would probably improve my fitness by running with someone who is slightly faster than me so that I would push myself a little more. So message me if you're a runner who would like to torture me into going a little faster!

So, are you going to grab some friends and sign up for a 5k or 10k together soon? Or is there a challenging hike you'd like to do this summer? How fast would you like to be able to run a mile? What other goals do you have that inspire you to work out?