Vikings and Bricks

Yesterday was the local Viking Fest 5-mile road race. I enjoyed the atmosphere, people, and weather; however, the race itself left something to be desired from my perspective. I am the type of person who generally sets goals the week before a race without taking past training into consideration. This is the perfect recipe for a letdown. I ran the race in 34:05 and felt like a slug stuck in mud. In retrospect, it is actually a decent time given my recent training....onward and upward!

This morning I rode a beautiful 17 mile loop. I started at our house and worked my way towards Suquamish, then Lemolo. The views of the mountains and the water were spectacular today. I also enjoyed the fact that there was very little traffic at 6:00 this morning. I finished the loop by heading up Big Valley Road and cutting over to Bond Road via Sawdust Hill. Sawdust Hill is steep, but worth the effort. The road works it's way up and around Christmas Tree farms and beautiful homes. Along the way I saw llamas, horses, ducks, a few random squirrels, and rhododendrons in bloom. I will enjoy the route again; this I am sure.

After the bike ride I completed the "brick" workout by running 3 miles. The best part of the run was stopping and playing with the rambunctious neighborhood golden retriever. It was nice not thinking about splits, time, or pace. I was just enjoying the sights, smell of freshly cut grass, and sounds of a yipping Yorkshire Terrier chasing me back up the hill. Okay, I didn't enjoy that, but you get the picture. Riding and running early this morning made me rethink the time of day I workout. I will be trying the a.m. for a change this week....

Life is GOOD!

Check out this clip from The Temper Trap. A great band that I have been listening to often as of late...