Short Tales

Sprinting Downhill and Labor Day Adventures

2014-09-04T11:05:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Labor Day weekend. I went camping near Yakima and went white water rafting on the Tieton River. This was us ;) just kidding

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But the whole experience was extremely fun. The Tieton River is only open to white water rafting in September due to irrigation needs farther down the river (they open up a dam). At this time, this river is considered a class III/IV. No one fell out, everyone survived and we all had a blast.

After river rafting we took a hike to Twin Sisters Lake. This hike is relatively flat and a pretty short hike, but the lakes are beautiful. The only bummer was it was over an hour drive from our camp site, but we still enjoyed the scenery.

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I recently heard someone mention that to increase speed you should sprint downhill. Has anyone heard of this? Sprinting uphill helps with muscular and cardiovascular strength, but what can running downhill do? So naturally, I looked it up…

As we all know, whether we are sprinting or running long distance, running requires strength, but running also requires coordination and balance. When we walk, we are going from being on 2 feet to 1 foot. Being on 1 foot requires balance. If you have ever worked with people who have had a stroke or decrease strength/proprioception in 1 leg, you would see how important balance is during walking. Running is jumping from 1 foot to the next with air time in between foot strikes. This requires a lot of coordination and balance.

My studies have taught me that walking (or running) downhill requires increase eccentric control. If you think about it, when you walk down a hill or stairs, you are breaking your movement. Well, this requires more strength from your muscles than walking up stairs (or a hill). Think about a time you were really sore. What was harder? Walking up the stairs or down the stairs? You should have answered down the stairs because you are slowing yourself down.

Upon further research, sprinting downhill as fast as you can for approximately 40m helps increase your coordination, balance and strength and allows you to run faster. According to Livestrong.com (which did back up this article with legitimate sources) "Sprinting downhill develops your coordination by forcing your legs to learn how to handle high speed travel. At first you'll have difficulty keeping your balance, but over time your coordination will improve in response to the increased stride rate."

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So go out there and run hill repeats, both down and up a hill. But remember, like with any exercise, ease into it.

Seawheeze Half Marathon and Compression Socks

2014-08-27T16:49:00.002-07:00

On Saturday my running partner (in crime)/mother and I ran the Seawheeze Half Marathon in Vancouver BC. It was a wonderful race. Here is a little re-cap.

My mom and I headed up to Vancouver on Friday afternoon (my mom worked a half day and I currently am studying for my boards/applying for jobs). There was a lot of traffic in the afternoon, but what else do you expect.

We checked into the Delta Suites Vancouver (which I highly suggest staying in) around 5pm and proceeded immediately to pick up our race packets. Our hotel was in walking distance to the convention center (and race start), so picking up our packet was easy. The race did not give out bibs, but instead gave us bracelets with our information on them. I like that because 1.) I am so short that the bib takes up my entire torso and 2.) the bibs are just kind of annoying, especially during a long race. The rest of the night consisted of eating a carb filled dinner (maybe a glass of wine) and going to bed early.

My Mom and I selfie

The view of the water in Vancouver

The next morning was pre-race ritual as normal. Woke up, had my bagel and headed down to the race.

The race was spectacular. The start was done in waves, so I started approximately 25 mins after 7am. The views were wonderful and there was plenty of water and cheering support. This race is relatively flat with a few minor hills, so if you are looking to PR, this is a good one. I did not PR (or come close). The 1st 10 miles felt great. I was keeping up a decent pace. But right at mile 10.1 my body decided to be done. I knew this was going to happen because although I did train with long runs, I did not run enough through out the week to add up my mileage. That is okay though, I still had a wonderful time. I will be doing this race again next year!

Here are some pictures during the race. Photo source: Seawheese FB page

The start of the race

Cheer stations…Probably the best one

My mom after the race wearing the medal and the shorts you get with this race!

During the race I noticed a lot of people wearing compression socks. I have had people tell me that I should wear them and I have had people ask me what they are good for. Hey, just because I am a doctor now doesn't mean I know everything! But I do know how to look things up…so I did.

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Performance manufactures claim that compression socks improve power, endurance and aid in recovery after high intensity activities.

One study found that the compression gear did not increase maximum jump height, but did help maintain a higher repetitive jump height compared to not wearing the compression gear. This means, the socks do not make you jump higher, but you will be able to sustain a higher jump height when jump over and over again. This study also reported that people reported lower rate of perceived exertion (RPE) when wearing compression gear than without compression gear. (Rugg)

Another study found that anaerobic and aerobic thresholds were more favorable with compression socks and that speed was significantly higher with compression socks than without. This article did not find a difference in HR or O2 max. (Kemmier)

Both articles suggested that compression socks have positive effects on venous hemodynamics, arterial perfusion, deeper tissue oxygenation and muscle oscillation (which means that you are getting better blood flow and more oxygen to your muscles and blood back to your heart), along with decreased muscle breakdown, fatigue, soreness with the use of compression socks. Both articles are not 100% sure how compression socks work, but they feel that there is a proprioceptive input (proprioception means knowing where your body is in space) to your muscles making them more efficient.

The second article stated that there was only at most a 2% difference in their findings, so if you are a high end athlete, this could make all the difference with winning gold or silver, but will only help you a little if you are just average Joe or Jane. But hey, anything to shave off a minute or two when I am running.

I think I will give these socks a try!

Does anyone use compression socks and what are your thoughts on how they work?

References:
1. Rugg S, Sternlicht E. The effects of graduated compression tights, compared with running shorts, on counter movement jump performance before and after submaximal running. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 2014: 28;1067-1073.

2. Kemmier W, Stengel SV, Kockritz C, Mayhew H, Wassermann A, Jurgen Z. Effect of compression stockings on running perforance in men runners. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 2009: 23(1); 101-105.

Blog Hiatus

2014-08-06T09:14:00.001-07:00

I'd like to say that my life has been so busy that I haven't been able to blog. Well that is partially true, but the other part (I am now realizing), Writing my blog was a "constructive" way to procrastinate my studying, and since I haven't been studying, hence, I have not blogged.

Here is what I have been doing for the past 4 months...

Angel's Game right before I moved out of my apartment with Chris.

Visit to San Fran on the way up the coast

Bye San Fran…Hello Oregon

Above are some pictures from our road trip…complete with a stop at Tillamook (and yes we ate cheese and ice cream and it was delicious)

I lived in Astoria Oregon for 2 months. The town is beautiful and I enjoyed everyone I met.

I visited Portland (and friends) a couple of times. I was lucky enough to meet Baby J (Ryder) one week after he was born. He is a rebel. Already flipping off the camera.

I graduated (not officially until the end of next Friday), but I walked and I sang the National Anthem at my graduation.

Shipwreck on the coast of OR

More fun times in Astoria. I took many hikes and my parents (not pictured) and Chris came to visit me while I was there.

Victoria Buenotodo's bachelorette Party in Bellingham (only photos I can show ;)

And finally, We went to see Chris Issak at Chateau Ste Michelle. Yes I got that close to him (and I shook his hand) and yes I look creepy in this picture.

So that has been my last 4 months. I am officially done (and a doctor) in less than 2 weeks. I am finishing my internship at an outpatient facility in Normandy Park (near the airport) and then…I get to study for my boards (which I take at the end of Oct) and THEN…I will be a real PT.

I will probably be posting way more when I am studying for my boards, see 1st paragraph for why and since I am home now and there is no need to keep up with my "exciting" life in California, I am going to try and post about exercises and health related things that people can do to keep themselves pain free.

Let me know if you have any questions and I will try and answer them.

Have a wonderful day!

Well I'm Moving to Astoria

2014-03-21T01:09:00.000-07:00

Astoria Oregon that is…and only for two months. Let me explain. I am fulfilling a rotation requirement for school at a local Nursing Facility. Then, I move back to the Seattle area and finish up my last 2 months of clinicals in the Seattle area!

It will be an interesting and exciting experience. I will be able to say that I lived in Oregon (even if it is for a short amount of time); I will really get to concentrate on physical therapy because I won't know anyone there (lots of time to study and review); I am very close to Portland and will be able to visit my friends that live in the area on a more regular basis (you know who you are, all of you be prepared for me to stay with you at some point during the months of April through June); My temporary residence will most likely be in walking distance to work (because downtown is very small); And finally, I will have a new and exciting place to run. That last one seems a little weird, but I love running in new cities. I feel like it is the best way to intimately get to know a place and I get really excited when I find new routes!

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Look how beautiful Astoria looks! If anyone knows of good places to check out while I'm there, please let me know.

On the other end of things, I have 4 weeks left of classes. Wow, the past 3 years have flown by! This last month will not be easy. Just for sympathy sake, I have 3 presentations, 2 online tests, 4 paper tests (one of those tests I have to get 100% on to pass the class), 1 research project and I have to plan my move all at the same time that need to be completed all within the same 28 days.

Some of the "stuff" I am doing is interesting...The research project is looking at how yoga affects posture. No I did not get funky implants. Those are markers that a computer will digitize and measure angles to determine "what" my posture is. I am not actually a participant, they were just practicing placing the markers on me, but for our participants, we will look at their posture after 6 weeks to determine if the poses we prescribed made significant changes to their posture.

As for the rest of what I am working on, not quite as interesting.

In my social life, I did have Chris and my mom come visit me in the past month.

Laguna Beach

Chris and I on the ferry from Balboa Island to Balboa

It was nice to have them both in town. The next time Chris comes into town, he will be helping me pack up my apartment and ship me up North.

Wow time does fly.

The Benefits of Yoga

2014-03-09T22:07:00.001-07:00

As many of you know, I love yoga! I have been practicing some sort of yoga for over 10 years and yoga has been practiced for over 5000 years! Yoga is more than just stretching. In fact, it can be a rigorous workout. I have walked out of classes dripping in sweat and shaking.

There are a multitude of health benefits, such as flexibility and strength. But yoga is also a great exercise for mindfulness, balance, stress management and a mood booster.

Deep Breathing/mood/stress management: the practice of yoga is based on connecting movement with your breath. In fact, certain practices of yoga are just breathing exercises and you are still truly practicing yoga. Deep breathing is so good for us and has many benefits and uses. It can help you calm down, pump you up, improve focus, reduce anxiety or keep you awake (why do you think you yawn in class). Yoga emphasizes deep breathing from your belly with a breath called Ujjayi breath. It sounds like waves at the ocean. Deep breathing sends a message to your brain to relax. Try it some time if you are stressed out. When we are stressed we tend to take shallow and short breaths, this is similar to hyperventilating and in layman's term, there is a decrease in carbon dioxide in your blood and this will cause you to feel dizzy and thus anxious. So try breathing in for at least 4 counts feeling your belly rise and 4 counts out feeling your belly sink in, you will feel better instantly. Deep breathing also releases endorphins and these are the happy neurotransmitters - it is a natural high!

Agonist-Antagonist response: Okay, you are probably asking "what does this mean?" Basically it means flexing or contracting the opposing muscle simultaneously while your are stretching another. Yoga does this naturally with its postures. When you are doing warrior 1, you are contracting your butt muscles (hip extensors) while stretching your hip flexors (iliopsoas and rectus femoris - quad). When you want to stretch your hamstrings, if you long sit and flex your quads, you can typically get a deeper stretch into the back of your legs. The mechanism of action is through your brain. You have something called mechano-receptors in your muscles and tendons that when they are being stretched your brain tenses them up and prevents you from stretching further. Well if you contract the opposite muscle that you are stretching, this sends mixed messages to your brain (it kind of gets confused) and relaxes your muscles and allows you to stretch further.

Improvement of posture: Posture comes from proper length and strength of your muscles. American's spend all day sitting flexed over a computer or driving. Not only does yoga have many poses that are the exact opposite of being hunched over, they use the mechanism mentioned above to strengthen and lengthen your muscles. Studies have shown that programs that just stretch, just strengthen, or stretch then strengthen (or vies versa) don't produce permanent changes in posture. Preliminary research has shown that stretches and strengthens simultaneously does improve posture AND makes permanent changes!

Strength benefits: You have probably seen some yogis and their amazingly lean muscles and crazy tricks they can do! Well, yoga uses your body weight along with the help of gravity to increase your strength. You don't need any equipment, just clothing that can move and maybe a towel to wipe off sweat. But give the poses a try, I guarantee you will be sore the next day.

Improved balance: A major cause of death for older people is from falling. There are many reasons why people fall, but one of them is due to poor balance. Balance is a combination of many factors and yoga works addresses many of these factors. One thing you can do to improve your balance is practice. Stand on one foot and close your eyes for 30 second. Can you do it? You should be able to. Yoga has many postures where it challenges your balance and strengthens your stabilizing muscles. In fact, I would say 90% (I made that percentage up - but it is most of the poses) of the poses performed in yoga challenge your core muscles and work on balance!

Mindfulness: Although many A type personalities tend to practice yoga, picture the stereotype of your typical yogi. That is what yoga is all about. It is a practice, not perfection. You are concentrating on your breath and your movement, not what you have to do when you get home. A wonderful and successful yoga practice could be balasana (child's pose) or shavasana (corpse pose) practice the entire class. It teaches you to be in the here and now (this is not an easy thing to do and I still have not come close to mastering this). Also, yoga teaches you to listen to your body. Some days I feel like I am an expert yogi, other days I can barely touch my toes. It is important to listen to your body since every day is different and every practice is different. If something is not feeling right, don't go in to that pose, even if the person next to you can do it. And that is okay, because maybe tomorrow you'll do it, or maybe you'll never do that specific pose, but yoga teaches us that what ever your practice is, that is the best practice to have.

Even though yoga is an amazing exercise for many people, it is not for everyone. One of the reasons could be because it does not interest you. Also, it is important to practice the poses correctly because incorrect poses could cause injury. That is why it is so important to listen to your body. Right now my shoulders are so tight that I can not perform binding poses. When I try my shoulder hurt. I am okay with this and I know in the near future (when I am not studying all the time and have more time to practice yoga) I will be able to bind once again.

And always consult with your doctor when trying new exercises. Especially if you are pregnant or have a heart condition.

I hope I have persuaded you to at least give yoga a try.

Are there any exercises that you were hesitant to try but once you did it you loved it?

Senioritis

2014-02-21T15:52:00.001-08:00

Well, this is the 3rd time I have experience this disorder (senioritis). The first time was in high school, the next episode was in college, and finally, I have contracted it again.

It has been difficult to sit down and study for any extended period of time. My time in Southern California is winding down, I want to experience as much of it as I possible can. Studying totally gets in the way of this. And to top it all off, I have experienced the real world of PT and being back in school feels like a regression. I want to be in the field, working (making money), and having guilt free - free time on the weekends again.

I had a midterm on Wednesday (my 1st test of the semester) and it was brutal. Hours were spent reading hundreds of pages and countless nights (okay 6) were spent in the library. Provisions were needed to get through the many hours of torture.

This is what I succumb to…We are taught that sitting for long periods of time and eating refined sugar and process foods are bad for us…Well, why do the professors make us sitting for long periods of time and eat crappy food? Okay, I admit the food part is my choice, but the glucose is necessary for the long study sessions.

Here is what else I have been doing in class:

Yes, that is a fettuccine pasta and marshmallow castle that is absolutely fabulous (dragon included)! You might ask, why are we doing such arts and crafts in class when we are receiving our Doctorate in Physical Therapy? Well currently we are enrolled in a leadership and Administrative class. We had a guest lecturer that discussed organizational structure and the importance of finding the right structure to run a business. We were put into groups, someone was the CEO and he/she directed which job we would perform in the building of this castle. Each group was structured slightly differently to illustrate the drawbacks and benefits of each type of business structure. Needless to say, I still have no clue how any of the business structures truly work in practice and how I could apply them if I ever open a business. But hey, each to their own.

The next few weeks are going to be equally as brutal. But…drum roll please…only 6 more weeks left of the didactic portion of my program! And, even better news, the last 8 weeks of my clinical rotation will be in Seattle! The 1st 8 weeks have not been assigned yet and they could be anywhere, but at least I know I will be moving home at the end of JUNE!

Sorry, It's Been a While

2014-02-08T14:47:00.000-08:00

Not too much to report. I have been trying to get back into the swing of school after being in the clinic and then having 2 months off. Okay, I am already rounding into week 6 of this semester (out of 15), but sitting in class all day has not been easy after I have had the taste of what the real world is like.

This semester has been way less stressful than normal. I don't know if it's because it is easier or I just don't have the will to stress any more. With that, I am excited to be out in the clinic in a few short months.

Here are some highlights between group projects, sleep, and exercise:

New roomie

A little bit of delicious beer

Hawks vs. Niner's game

Learning how to shoot a gun (and getting burnt from the casings)

Go Hawks!

Super Bowl Win!

Seattle for a week!

Friends and birthday parties!

I hope the start of your new year has been great!

Wedding Weekend Part 2

2014-01-07T20:58:00.003-08:00

Saturday morning I woke up, earlier than I would have liked, but full of excitement, ready to start the day. The morning was spent setting up and getting ready/beautified. The mothers were at the salon starting at 9am, my bridesmaids and I followed a little later.

The girls hanging out

The final product of my hair

The flower girls with their hair done

The bridesmaids getting ready

The dress took a while to get on, but once we did that (it took a team), I headed outside (yes it was freezing cold) to do our first look and pictures of us and the bridal party…here is a preview

The girls watching the first look. Yes, the lake is frozen

Out in the woods

It was windy and freakin' cold

Boys will be boys

Right after all the pictures were taken, we went inside to thaw out. I don't have any pictures of the ceremony yet, but here are some pictures of the ~~party~~ ~~open bar~~ reception!

1st Dance

The Chair dance, yes it was scary

Craig Cole…catcher of the guarder!

Melissa Corre…Catcher of the bouquet!

The whole weekend was a blast. Chris and I are so grateful for everyone who has contributed to making this weekend special. That includes everyone who was able to attend, all those who helped, and anyone who supported us during the way.

Wedding Weekend Part 1

2013-12-23T13:31:00.000-08:00

Last weekend was a magical weekend:) I got hitched! The event officially started on Wednesday December 11th when multiple out of town guests arrived in Seattle. Thursday morning, after all i's were dotted and t's were crossed, the caravan headed up North to the great country of Canada. Thursday night involved eating and drinking at our favorite German restaurant in Harrison Hot Springs and cards against humanity.

Friday was a little more hectic. 1) because it was only one day away from my wedding and 2) because we had to change hotels and getting into our room took forever. The day was beautiful though.

Friday night was the rehearsal dinner. It was held at a restaurant called Morgan's Bistro. We have never eaten there before because they are usually closed in the winter, but they happened to be open and able to take a very large group. Morgan's Bistro did a wonderful job attending to over 40 people, making delicious meals, and setting a romantic ambience.

Needless to say, we had a lot of fun. On top of that, it was my brother's 24th birthday (lucky Friday the 13th), so of course, we had to sing him happy birthday.

The dinner ran late, but we still managed to head over to a pub to meet the rest of our out of town guests.

Chris and I went to bed (later than I had hoped) excited and nervous for the events of the next day...

Done and Done

2013-12-10T15:17:00.000-08:00

I completed my goal of finishing 30 half marathons by the end of 2013 (because I turned 30 this year). On November 30th I crossed the finish line of the Seattle Ghost Half Marathon around 10:15ish. Not my best race time, but definitely not my worst. I felt pretty good for the first 7 miles (which was expected since that is about the amount of training I did). Every mile after that was a little painful, but I knew I was one step closer with every step I took to completing my goal. I ran the Seattle Ghost last year, so for more information on this race check out my past post.

As for now, I am not going to do any long distance running and let my quad recover. I also think I am getting to the point where running 4 half marathons in a year is not very good for my body. I think I will stick to 1 or 2 per year from now on. I already have my next half planned out. It is in August in Vancouver Canada and is sponsored by Lululemon.

For my next running goal...I am putting this online so I have to do it (but I am not setting a time frame), I would love to run the New York Marathon.

Right now I am focusing on recovering and strengthening. I signed up for 2 months of yoga at Yoga Bliss, which is one of my favorite yoga studios. Yoga has been so beneficial to me. It is helping my quad to recover by strengthening and stretching it as well as toning my arms for my wedding...

Speaking of which...ahhhhh...My wedding is 4 days away. I have been spending a lot of family time and getting things done for the wedding. That is where I have been for the past 3 weeks. So off to complete some more wedding stuff and I'll be sure to show lots of pictures in my next post.

I hope your Thanksgiving was filled with fun and full tummies.

Any exciting trips planned for the Holidays?

Last Week

2013-11-03T12:28:00.002-08:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Halloween! Mine was fun and a little stressful. Why you ask? Because I had a huge presentation I had to give to a group of people who are far more knowledgable than me. But it was a success and afterwards, I got to enjoy Halloween.

Pumpkin Carving Night!

My Ghoulish Pumpkin

I had to throw this scary picture in!

At work, the South Bay Medical Therapy Unit dressed as Skittles. Since I am the intern, my hazing was that I had to be the bag of Skittles (I also got to be the green Skittle). I may have put my Skittle bag costume on at the end of my presentation :)

Halloween was fun. I didn't go out, but I did help pass out candy and hang out with a lobster and "dogula"

On Saturday, to burn off all the candy I ate on Halloween, a couple of us took a hike in Orange County.

This is literally down the street from my house (well 30minutes down the street). But we ended up in this beautiful canyon. The hike was very scenic and just what I needed, but I think we ended going off path because at one point we had to slide down on our butts' because it was too steep to actually walk down. I kind of pictured us never making it out and being one of those stories of a group of friends went hiking and never made it out, but we did and here I am.

On Monday marks the last week of my internship at a Pediatric Therapy Unit. I learned a lot, but the more I learned, the more I realized how little I actually know. I had a great experience and even though the commute sucked, I am so happy I got placed in this unit.

I leave for Seattle on Friday night for 2 months, with a little event in the middle of my time off ;)

Have a great rest of the weekend!

Go Hawks!

Half Marathon #29 and Patellar Taping

2013-10-24T22:06:00.002-07:00

On Sunday I did the Sandy Feet Temecula Half Marathon, thus completing my 29th half marathon. Notice the word choice "did" and not "run". Okay, I did run most of it and I did finish, but it was not pretty. I debated not running this race because of my bum knee…thus, I did not train for this race and thus the above verbiage.

Well, I am not one to sign up for a race and not do it (hell, I ran a half last year with a bad cold), so on Saturday afternoon, I headed down to Oceanside (near San Diego) to spend the night at my friend Kelsey's (aka co-crazy runner) house. We watched girly movies and made a delicious pasta dinner. We went to bed early because we had to wake up at 5am. Luckily, 5am is when I wake up everyday for work, so it wasn't that big of a deal. We were on the road by 6am and at the race start (after a quick Starbucks stop) by 7am. The race started at 7:30.

We were off. I will spare you the gory details, but the course was mostly loose pack dirt and large steep hills. My legs (and knee) felt great for the first 7 miles but the last 6 miles were HELL. My knee started to hurt, then it stopped, but that is because I think my entire body went numb. I might have curse out Kelsey in my head (who picked this race and ran it significantly faster than me) during the entire twelfth mile. When it was over all I could think of was how happy I was done.

Kelsey and I at the finish line

Did I mention that the race started and ended at a winery? Well it did, so we might have participated in some wine tasting after the race. It was just what I needed to ease the pain.

The medal

I am going to take a month off of running and concentrate on strengthening and stretching. I need to give my legs a break because on Nov 30th, I have my last half marathon of the year and I plan on it not being excruciatingly painful.

On the Physical Therapy side of things, I did try taping my knee with Leukotape.

There are a few different types of tape. The ever popular one right now is Kinesio tape. This is the tape that you see many athletes wearing. Kinesio tape actually helps move your muscle or inhibits it from working. It can also help with edema (swelling). Supposedly it creates a pull on the skin and allows for fluid to flow. It also helps restrict or help muscle movement without restricting movement in that limb. I am currently doing research on kinesio tape, so I will get back to you when I have a little more information.

The main purpose of taping is to use as a crutch to help you heal quicker, but it should not be something that you use all the time.

I used Leukotape. The purpose of this tape is to restrict movement in a muscle to prevent further injury or pain…I figured if it was a quad problem, this type of taping would help...

Above are the 2 methods I used during training and during the race to off load my quad to not pull on my patella (knee cap) and prevent pain. Both methods helped, but not 100% affective.

source

I also considered that my patella was sitting in the wrong place. This method is moving the patella and placing it where it should be. I thought if my patella was in the right place I wouldn't have pain when I run. I only used this method during a training run and it did not help.

When taping…it is important to know where to place the tape, where and which direction the pull should be placed, and what to do if redness and swelling occurs, so make sure to consult your PT before applying tape.

Jet Setting the West Coast

2013-10-20T15:08:00.002-07:00

Okay, that is a slight exaggeration, but my last few weeks have been up and down the coast.

Two weekends ago I travelled up the Californian coast to San Francisco to hang with my little brother. The weekend was perfect. We had no plans but managed to pack our time with lots of fun stuff. We walked from Ben's place in Pacific Heights to the Embarcadero.

View from the top of Pac Heights

Found a wine tasting room in Ghirardelli Square (after eating chocolate at Ghirardelli)

Ate at Pier 39 (and drank a few drinks)

On our walk back, we stopped at the Buena Vista for my 1st Irish Coffee

By the time we walked back up to Pac Heights the sun was setting. This picture was a must!

On Sunday, Ben and I ran to Alamo Square. We felt so good, we decided to run to the beach. Not realizing the time, when we got to the beach, I only had an hour to get back and ready to leave for the airport, so we cabbed it back to his house.

The next day when I was back in Orange, I walked into my apartment to find this…Apparently it had been so windy that a tree blew over. Glad I missed that.

The next week went by quick (which I am glad it did), because Friday, I flew home to Seattle. I didn't tell anyone I was coming home because Chris and I were heading up North to take care of some wedding stuff. It was a very relaxing and (wedding) productive weekend.

This coming weekend (as in right now), I am heading down to Temecula to run my 29th half marathon. This race is going to be interesting for 2 reasons. 1.) I am injured. My knee has hurt since my last half marathon in August thus causing reason 2.) I have not run longer than 8 miles in the past 2 months and no more than 6 miles in the past 6 weeks. I plan on "doing" this race and not necessarily running this race. If I didn't set a goal to run 30 halfs by the end of this year I probably would not be participating in this race, but I am not one to not complete a goal I have set. So here's to not hurting my self worst.

I will update you on the race soon, plus some taping techniques that can be done to help with knee pain.

Living for the Weekends

2013-09-22T16:52:00.002-07:00

These past two weekends have been friend and fun filled.

Last Friday, right after work, I flew out of LAX to Seattle. I woke up early on Saturday and headed over to Lake Chelan to celebrate Shelby and Jesse's wedding. The weekend was amazing. I got to hang out with amazing friends and watch 2 love birds get married.

I have a new tradition of drinking a glass of wine before getting on a flight (as long as there is time to spare), this time was no exception.

Baker - I couldn't resist posting a picture of this cutie!

The backdrop of the wedding with the Bride and Groom

Introducing Mr. and Mrs. Jesse and Shelby!

1st dance!

Where I got my dance on

Good friends!

The night was amazing! Perfect weather, wonderful food, and fantastic company. I may or may not have danced the entire time.

Sunday morning we headed back to Seattle (a little tired and a little hung over), but the fun did not stop there. My dad got me a signed Russell Wilson Jersey

I did wear the Jersey on my plane ride home, but I will be framing this jersey and never wearing it again! But the Seahawks kicked the 49ners butts. So wearing the jersey was definitely worth it ;)

The past week was rough. My flight was delayed getting into LAX and I didn't get into bed until around 1:30am. I didn't know it was possible to doze off standing up, but I guess it is when you are exhausted. Luckily I had Friday off to recover.

This weekend was just as fun, but not quite as much traveling. I decided to try and run 6 miles on Friday, so I did and my knee only hurt a little. It's getting better right?

On Saturday, I headed down to San Diego to celebrate a friend's birthday. Her birthday was last week, but since I was out of town, I told her she would just have to extend her birthday celebrations for at least a week longer.

We went to Temecula and participated in some wine tasting, made pizza, and headed out on the town.

I hope you had a fantastic weekend as well!

Running and a Bum Knee

2013-09-17T20:39:00.001-07:00

As I have mentioned in (a few) past post or two, I have a plan to run 30 half marathons by the end of this year. Well I am two away from completing this goal and low and behold, I am hurt :( After the trail run, a few miles into any run my knee starts to hurt, and not the good kind of hurt.

My next half is Oct 20th and I would like to train for it. But at this rate, who knows. I talked to my clinical instructor about what she thinks I should do and here was her advice…

"As a PT, you should rest, stretch your quads, strengthen your glut meds, and ice…As a runner, you can take 3 Advil before a run and then ice it afterwards. But I don't suggest doing #2."

Well, I don't have a choice. I have been trying not to run, strengthening my quads and butt muscles, but the last few days I have decided to take a few Advil, run and then ice. Bad me. Do as I say and not as I do. But I promised myself I would complete this goal and gosh darnit, I am doing it.

It is tough to know that my body is telling me to rest but that my brain is telling me to go. Well my brain is also telling me to rest because I know the consequences of what can happen if I injury myself worse. So I guess it would be my heart telling me to keep going.

What is something that you have pushed through to complete a goal?

That Was a Hot One

2013-09-09T20:16:00.002-07:00

Here is a little (late) update on my Labor Day Weekend.

It technically started last Thursday night when I met some Seattle friends who were in town to run the Disneyland half for dinner at Gabby's in Old Town. Third time is the charm, the food was even better than last time I ate there, plus the company was fabulous. It was totally worth going to bed late! A week ago Friday was a little tough, but I did have the opportunity to take a long nap when I got home from work before picking my mom up from the airport. Oh yes, apparently my mother is making it a tradition to come down to visit on Labor day. It may just be a 2 year thing because I will definitely be back in Washington at this time next year. Friday night was relaxing. My mom and I just chatted and went to bed (relatively) early.
Saturday of Labor Day weekend we woke up at a leisurely hour, made breakfast and headed up to LA to meet with some friends which entailed shopping for wedding jewelry, chocolate, amazing food, a drag show, and catching up. That is the synopsis, here are some more details.
I have mentioned this jewelry in a past blog post, but Bonnie (our friend who we visited) makes jewelry that I may have purchased as wedding jewelry and maybe a little something else (not for the wedding) for me. I am not going to show you what I bought for the wedding, but you can check out her website and try to guess what I might have bought (or buy something for yourself)...Love and Piece Jewelry. I will show you the earrings I bought (oops)
On Sunday, before heading back to Orange, we went to West Hollywood for brunch. We ended up going to Hamburger Mary's where they were currently having Drag Brunch.
Monday morning, which included not working (since it was a holiday), my mom and I went down to Newport Beach and ran along the back bay.
What do you do to deal with the heat?

Another wonderful thing that occurred last Saturday night was this…

Yes, that is an 11lb chocolate bar. No I did not eat the whole thing.

Drag brunch is exactly what it sounds like. A drag show while you eat brunch. I actually had a burger (hey the place is called Hamburger Mary's) while listening to the wonderful "Whitney Houston" and a little Disney's Pocahontas. It was fabulous!

It was a beautiful day, but definitely a little too hot for my liking. You can tell by the glisten on our bodies. After the run and before my mother had to leave, we walked around Balboa Island. Here is what we saw.

A woman trying not to get sun burned (but looking ridiculous)

Someone who obviously did not listen to their parent's when they said it was time to go in after the 4th of July.

This has been the weather lately…

And this is how I have been dealing with it...

Apparently I melt when the temperature hits over 90 deg. This is why I am a true Seattle Girl!

Long Commute and Pepper Spray

2013-08-30T17:35:00.000-07:00

I just finished my 2nd week of my pediatric rotation. I am enjoying the clinic, my clinical instructor (CI), my "co-workers", and the program, but my rotation is about 40 miles away and takes me an hour and a half to get home every day:( It is only for 12 weeks (officially 10 now) and I know I am going to learn a lot at this clinical rotation, so that is more important…right? I am working with children who have neurological insults such as Cerebral Palsy (CP), brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, and Spina Bifida. Most of the kids have CP and are relatively high functioning, but it has been a challenge to find a way to not take home my emotions at the end of the day. I had a long talk with my CI about dealing with the emotions of working with this population and she put it into a nice perspective. There are going to be children that have these aliments and it is our job to make them as happy and comfortable as possible, then I am doing my job and I feel happy about that.

My knees have been hurting me since I ran that trail run (aka my 28th half marathon), so I have taken some long walks instead of running. Last Sunday my knees were feeling better. No pain with walking, squatting or going up stairs, so I decided to knock out 8 miles. I told myself that if my knees started to hurt I would turn around, well my knees did decide to start hurting about 1/2 way through my run. I did turn around, but walking 4 miles sounded miserable, so I decided to run until my knees hurt then stretch out my quads then start running again. My knees would feel good for about a half mile and then I would have to stop :( Urrrr this is so frustrating because I have another half marathon coming up in October and I would like to be decently trained for it. I haven't run since then, but I can tell that my quads are super tight.

On my long run last Sunday, I ran on a (cement) trail. I have become a little more paranoid lately about running alone and especially in a place that does not have a lot of people traffic. So, I brought pepper spray with me. I don't really know how to use it (I don't think it is that hard and I bet I could figure it out), but it still made me feel a little better about running alone.

This is what the trail looks like (Source)

Source

This is what my pepper spray looks like. Yes it is pink and fits in the palm of my hand. What precautions do you take when running or walking by yourself? Or are you not concerned that anything is going to happen?

I am so happy the weekend is finally here because I am sleep deprived. I am not use to waking up so early, and even though I have been going to bed earlier and earlier every night, I am using a lot of brain power right now so not only am I physically exhausted, I am also completely mentally exhausted. I am going to sleep in as late as I can tomorrow, which might be a challenge because my mom is coming into town! I am excited to see her and I bet we will go to bed relatively early tonight. The plan for the weekend is to be active and eat good food, but I am just excited to get to hang with my mom.

I hope you all have a wonderful Labor Day weekend. Anyone have exciting plans for the long weekend?

Well That Was Tough

2013-08-14T12:42:00.000-07:00

On Sunday I completed my 28th half marathon and this one was definitely a challenge. It was called the Mud and Chocolate Trail Run which included a 4.5 mile & 1/2 marathon trail run. I knew it was going to be 3 loops and there were going to be trails, but I was not fully aware (or did not want to admit to myself) that the whole run was on a trail. Here was the low down.

Trail running is a completely different beast from street running. The path is narrow, it is much harder to pass people (in the beginning), you use completely different muscles on trails than you do on concrete, you have to pay attention to where you are going, and finally, you have to pay attention to where your feet are being placed.

The first loop of this race, I felt like I was stuck behind people who were going at a different pace than I would have liked to run, but by the second loop, I was all by myself on the path for the majority of the time. I didn't realize how much I need the energy of other people while I am running. I would get a burst of energy when someone would pass me or when I caught up to someone else. I think the hardest part of this race was having to be mentally on the entire time. I almost rolled my ankle a couple of times and you can't zone out in the end (which I like to do) because you have to make sure you don't trip. To top it off, since I didn't train on trails, my hip flexors were screaming at me around mile 6 because I was lifting my legs higher than I normally do to avoid branches and rocks.

I sound like I am complaining. I am not, I was just not as prepared as I should have been. Luckily my running experience got me through, but I highly suggest training on dirt and trails before completing this endeavor. I thoroughly enjoyed myself. This was definitely a new challenge and I must admit I felt pretty hardcore.

The end of the race was sweet…Literally. I ended with a chocolate medal and a buffet of chocolate goodies.

And this race definitely lived up to its name…Mud and Chocolate

My chocolate medal, chocolate cupcake and muddy legs

I don't think I will be participating in another half marathon trail run anytime soon, but I can see myself running in shorter distances of 6 miles or less.

On Tuesday I was rewarded with an amazing 2 hour massage. The massage was a 30th birthday present, but it was definitely needed after this race. I felt sore in muscles I have never felt before.

So do as I say and not as I do, and if you are planning on running a "normal" road race, train mostly on concrete. If you are planning on running a trail run, train mostly on dirt. It is important to "teach" our body's tissue to work on what ever surface it needs to work on. That being said, if you think you have bad knees, don't run mostly on the grass and dirt and then complete a long race on concrete, your body will not be trained to work on that surface. And vice versa, running on concrete did not harden my joints and muscles up for this trail run, I was probably less stable because my muscles were not use to stabilizing me on such uneven/unsteady ground. I would have benefitted from running on more uneven surfaces before this race and then I might not have been as sore as I was.

Has anyone completed a challenge that they were not prepared for?

So Close Yet So Far Away

2013-08-05T16:02:00.000-07:00

I have finished my 2nd year of grad school. Woo hoo! It is amazing how fast time can fly and how slowly it can go at the same time. I can't believe I am two-thirds of the way done with this program. I remember my first day like it was yesterday.

The last few weeks have been hectic. And now I get a nice little break before my clinical starts up. Here is a little catch up on the past few weeks.

Angle's Game with with some friends.

A lot of delicious food...

Veggie Sandwich from Mead's Cafe on Chapman Ave. Check them out. Their food is wonderful.

Lots of study snacks

Studying and napping (this is Calvin, a classmate of mine "studying")

When my finals were over…lots of this...

And when I finally made it back to Seattle…A little of this.

Ben came up to Seattle and Chris and I got to hang out with him.

Finally, I am doing a trail run next Sunday and as a practice run, my mother and I ran through as many trails that we could on Mercer Island. Here is my mom running across an extension bridge.

So far I have had a wonderful time seeing friends, sleeping, and doing absolutely nothing.

I hope your summer has been going well.

Something to leave you with. This is a flower that I found when I took a walk the other day. I thought it was unique.

Bon Fires and Wipe Out

2013-07-14T00:28:00.001-07:00

Well School has been stressful. This semester was easy breezy (well as easy as 7 classes can be) until this last month. Then all hell broke loose. I was so tired on Thursday that when my classmates were giving a presentation, I did not even attempt to keep my eyes open. It was good sleep though.

Finally this week was over, and on Friday afternoon, Leslie and I decided to do a 10 mile run since the rest of the week had been a good temperature for such an event. But about 2.5 miles into the run, the weather changed and it turned from a nice overcast to blistering hot. We finished, but not without some complaining and an ice stop along the way. Plus, I changed races…I went from white to beet red. Seriously, I never learn my lesson.

After relaxing for a couple of hours or so after our excruciating run (but hey, we did it), I headed down to Huntington Beach for a bon fire with my classmates.

It was a nice change in scenery and a great way to be able to relax for a little bit.

The night was complete with a BBQ and s'mores

Huntington Beach Sunset

I went home early and straight to bed because I had to wake up at 6am Saturday morning for a race. Okay, it wasn't a race, it was a 5k run, but it was well worth waking up that early!

This was the Ridiculous Obstacle Course (ROC) race. This run involves running a 5K with obstacles placed about every quarter mile. The obstacles included things such as jumping over barricades, monkey bars, rope walks, rope swing, trampolines, tires, and ending with a large water slide into the finish. They even had a Wipe Out style station called the wrecking ball. It was so much fun and I highly suggest participating in this event.

We had a team of 8 all from the Chapman DPT program and we dressed as Minions from Despicable Me.

Here is the before picture

This was after the race

The Silly Minion (burnt face and all)

We won these huge metals for our awesome costumes.

I may or may have not gone home after the run and took a nap from 1pm to 6pm later that day. Apparently school, running 10 miles, and then waking up early the next day to participate in a fun run is exhausting.

Needless to say, this weekend has been much needed and I am feeling much more relaxed and ready for the last 2 and a half weeks left of school.

What did you do this weekend?

Midterm Time!

2013-07-08T20:36:00.001-07:00

My only excuse to why I haven't posted in a while is because I have had a few midterms, and on top of that, I have had some fun that kept me busy.

The last two weeks have rough and wonderful at the same time. Friday June 28th, I flew up to Portland to help celebrate Kissy French's Last Dance aka as Kylee's bachelorette party. I flew out of Long Beach airport, so I got their a little early to avoid traffic and decided it was time to start celebrating right then and there…

The rest of the weekend was spent dressing up 80's style, going to bars, eating at Pok Pok, singing karaoke, watching a drag show and then seeing male strippers. Here are some pictures from the weekend.

Our Wonderful 80's attire.

The club we attended on Friday had a trampoline floor. So you had a little spring to your step. At first I thought the floor was collapsing, but then someone told me the reason for the bounciness.

The Club on Friday night. This is how I remember it ;)

These are the only pictures I can show from Saturday night.

Bride to be in white

Me singing karaoke!

"Beyonce" at the drag show

Fireman stripper - yes he took off his jacket

Sunday morning, since I was in PDX, I decided to take a late flight out of town so I could see some of my college ladies. Bonus, a Seattle lady was in town as well, so it was a fun little reunion.

Chelsea, Nichole and I buying cupcakes for Jenny's second annual 28th birthday!

Kappa girls (minus Victoria) unite!

I was so excited to be able to spend time with these girls.

I flew home late Sunday night, crammed for a test and practiced for a presentation that was pending the next two days. Luckily right after that we had Thursday (4th of July) and Friday off. A much needed break!

Chris flew into town late Wednesday night, and I got to spend the entire weekend with him.

4th of July was spent in Newport Beach with some buds!

The crew!

Lots of beers flowing

'Merica! Fuck Yeah!

With my love

Friday was spent studying…Oh did I mention I had a test on Monday. Oh wait, not just a test, a final. So during the hot summer day, I spent it inside studying pediatrics.

Friday night, Chris and I needed to get out of the house so we went to a near by driving range. I suck at golf :)

Saturday we woke up late and took a mini hike at Peter's Canyon in Tustin.

The view from the Vista Point

And after spending the entire rest of the day studying, Chris and I got some beers at Provision's in Old Towne Orange

We were a little hungry (and slightly drunk) afterwards, so we went to Felix's down the road. This is a little Cuban/Spanish restaurant with delicious food, huge portions, and wonderful prices. Needless to say I have wanted to try this place for a while and I was not disappointed. In fact, we had so much food, we had lunch the next day and it was just as good, if not better the second day.

My dish!

Chris left mid afternoon on Sunday and the rest of my day was spent cramming in the library.

Today (Monday), I took my final (I don't think I failed), came home, ran a hot sweaty 4.5 miles (hey, it has been a while) in 80 degree weather and then took a yoga class. I needed to sweat the studying out of me.

So that is why you haven't seen a blog from me in a while. The past two weeks have been a little stressful with all the tests and projects, but I know looking back that I will remember the fun I had and not the stress of having to cram for school.

YOLO! (Sorry, I had to throw that in there)

I have 3 more weeks left of this semester and…this year. Soon I will be a 3rd year (where has the time gone) and in my second clinical rotation.

Snail Speed

2013-06-16T22:59:00.001-07:00

This is a running post… :)

As you know I have a goal to run 30 half marathons by the end of this year and I am at 27. I signed up for a race in August and I think I am going to sign up for the Long Beach Half in Oct and then the Seattle Ghost half over Thanksgiving, so if I have to walk or crawl any of those races, I will, because I am completing 3 more races this year.

Today, in an effort to procrastinate studying for my cardiopulmonary test (I really like procrastinating, in fact I am doing it right now by blogging), I decided to run 9 miles. I did think about my test and how exercising increases my supply of blood to my heart because of my muscle pump and how my demand for oxygen is higher as well, so really it wasn't completely procrastinating, because I was locking down important concepts for the test. But I thought about that specific topic (and wondering what kind of heart failure I most likely have :) because I was out of breath while running. Usually my leg strength is the limiting factor when I run, but today, the air felt much thinner. I completed my run and I ran the entire time, but man, it was a doozie.

This got me thinking (I know, never a good thing): I don't think my body was built for running. That doesn't mean I am going to stop running. I love it too much, but I know I will never be a fast runner. This is something that I have struggled with since I started running races almost 7 years ago. It is partially my body type, partially my training (right now), and partially anxiety while running in a race. I know in the future that I will complete my goal of running a sub 2 hour half, but right now I have to be okay with my speed and knowing that I am still getting exercise, having fun, and hey, since I am running slower, burning more fat.

Today, gravity was not on my side, but other days I feel like I could run for ever.

My next half in August is a mud and chocolate run. I am doing this race for 3 reasons
1. It involves chocolate (really do I need to give any more reasons?)
2. The date was ideal for my next half with an excellent starting time of 9:30am
3. I know that I am not doing this race for time because I believe there will be chocolate on the course and I would love to eat as much of it as I can.

So here is to being okay with my snail pace, which in reality is really an average pace of all runners and a fast pace to all non-runners. I may not be able to run a 6 min mile, but I can walk on my hands :)

Don't mind the boots.

What is something that you love to do but have slight struggles with?

I'm Thirty!

2013-06-04T20:58:00.001-07:00

Crazy to say that. I haven't really said it out loud yet, but I have thought it. But all in all the day has been very delightful.

I had class this morning at 8:45am and when I arrived, a bouquet of purple flowers were waiting for me from Sammy Snifferpifits (AKA Chris). He couldn't be with me on my birthday, so he sent beautiful flowers instead (the next best thing to Chris actually being in town). It definitely started the morning off right. Along with the red velvet cupcakes that Kelsey had brought to me!

Nothing special about class, but I did bike to school today, so I had to carry my flowers home while riding. Hey it was a good arm exercise.

I know I look really sexy holding those flowers on my bike.

The rest of the afternoon was spent napping, eating a red velvet cupcake, attending a wonderful yoga class (I did an awesome handstand today) and then eating a Cali Taco Burrito.

I am officially full, relaxed, and happy.

It has been a great way to ring in this new decade of life. Thank you for all the love!

A New Decade Approaching

2013-05-31T00:24:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday I turn 30. Whoa, I remember turning 18 and thinking how old I was then. Although I do not have any reservations about the next decade of my life, it is still an age I have always thought I'd be an adult.

How I still think I look and how I still feel!

And I am far from being a real adult. I do not have a job, I am still in school, I party like I did in college (and by that I mean much less often, with fewer drinks, and much more hung over the next morning). I still call my parents if I need advice or a want to talk about my crappy day. But maybe I will never feel like an adult, even when I get a job, get married, and have children (gasp).

That all being said, I am also very grateful for my life. I have an amazing fiance, family, and friends. I am in school for a career that I know I will enjoy going to every day, and I have my health.

In one of my classes we are studying about physical therapy management for people who have tetraplegia (new term for quadriplegia). On Wednesday, we had a guest lecture come in to talk to us about working with people with C1-C4 tetraplegia. This population may require a respirator for the rest of their life and are completely dependent on someone else to perform activities of daily living. We were also fortunate to have two guests come talk to us who are people living with high tetraplegia. It was a very eye opening experience. These two people rely on a ventilator to breathe for them. If their nose itches, they can't just scratch it, and if they are thirsty, they can't just reach for water. As I mentioned in an early post, I did a project where one of our teammates was in a wheel chair but had full use of their arms and abdominal muscles. Getting around in that situation was difficult and took much more time than with someone who is not in a wheelchair.

It just made me realize that even though sometimes I look at my arms and wish they were more toned, or that I could run just a little faster I would be happier, but in reality, I am able to use my arms and legs without any problems. I went on a run today (procrastination technique to avoiding studying for my midterm tomorrow) and while I was running, enjoying the weather and the pavement under my feet, feeling my muscles burn, I was appreciative that I was able to run. It made studying easier (just a little easier). I know I will still have insecurities, be jealous of other people's lives (especially right now while I am in school), and not have everything I want, I have to remember everything I have.

Sheryl Crow has a quote in one of her songs that I live by "it is not having what you want, it is wanting what you've got."

So as in the words of Tim McGraw: In my next 30 years, I will try and live by these words. I will appreciate my loved ones, the body I am in, and everything that I have. That is a tall order, but I am going to try.

So as last Sunday started my 30th birthday celebration, the party continues until at least Tuesday (on my actual birthday). Cheers!

Here is to fun!

Anyone have words that they live by?

Memorial Day Weekend!

2013-05-29T01:15:00.001-07:00

My itinerary over Memorial Weekend:
Friday afternoon marked the beginning of my Weekend fun. A few of us had bought a Groupon for 2 months unlimited membership at Rock City Climbing in Anaheim, so on Friday after our cadaver lab we headed over for our first climb.

Photo Credit: Leslie Lam

It was really fun and a great work out. I could feel my forearms like I have never felt them before. I have rock climbed before, but never for over an hour. And yes, I was completely sore the next two days, but it was so worth it.

Late Friday night, I flew home to Seattle. I landed around 11pm where Christopher picked me up, with a flower on the front seat, and we headed out to Capital Hill to a cute little bar called Poco Wine and Spirits. We ordered a glass of Kinker Brick Zinfandel that was absolutely delicious! The bar also offered great service and has a cute ambiance.

My rose waiting for me in the Car at the airport.

The next morning Chris and I were going to drive up to Bellingham, but because of the I-5 bridge collapse we decided to stay in town and have a Seattle day. So Chris, Andrew (who was also in town), Shelly, and my parents all headed out to Pike Place market where I purchased my usuals: honey sticks and Jelly fruit rolls. After enduring the crowds at the market, we decided to check out the spice store down the street. On the way, we happened upon a little wine tasting room called Masquerade Wines. It is actually based out of Bellingham, but they have a tasting room below the market. We sipped delicious red and white wines and bought their Syrah before heading to the spice market.

Sunday morning, Chris and I headed over to his parents house to celebrate my birthday. Which birthday is this you ask? Well my birthday isn't for another week, but it will be my 30th birthday. We had a lovely brunch with Chris's parents at the Club House in Tam o Shanter on the golf course and then discussed wedding stuff (my new favorite topic). The time flew by and we had to rush home because we were heading out to Palisades to celebrate my 30th and Shelly's 25th birthday with my parents. The restaurant was fabulous.

Photo Credit: Shelly Short

Enjoying my delicious dessert

A little dark, but Chris and I in front of the Seattle backdrop.

Dinner was amazing spanning from the wine to the service to the food to the company.

My parents dropped Shelly, Chris and I off at a bar on Capital Hill so we could meet up with some friends. It was an intimate group, but the company was fantastic.

Monday, I woke up when my internal clock told me to wake up (I may or may not have been drunk the night before) and my mom and I ran 9 miles from Leschi to Seward and back. We though we were only going to run 8, but to our surprise (and it is always a good one), we did an extra mile. The temperature was perfect, but it did drizzle the entire time, so I was a little wet by the time we got back into the car. The only reason this was an issue is because we were meeting up with the family for lunch. We went to Goldberg's in Factoria where I ordered a Reuben Sandwich. It was amazing, but since it was so big and I could not order a half, I was forced to take the other half back to California with me which I did enjoy for lunch the next day.

Monday night I flew home and landed in Orange around 10pm. Tuesday was spent in class, enjoying my second half of my sandwich (people were jealous of it) and going rock climbing again followed by a yoga class later that evening. I will say that I am happy I went climbing and did yoga, but my upper extremities and upper back are a tad bit sore. Totally worth it.

What did you do this Memorial Weekend?