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fredrik.eriksson — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 00:35:34 +0000

It works.

TYR Summer Picnic

fredrik.eriksson — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 16:42:21 +0000

The crew from TYR Wood (and their families) spent last Friday and Saturday at Lake Merwin in Washington. It was a blast and the kids particularly enjoyed watching the big guys (Eli & Sam) struggle on the donut behind Sven’s boat.

Click HERE for pictures. A direct link to the video HERE.

A Summer Day in The Gorge

fredrik.eriksson — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 23:43:34 +0000

The whole family enjoyed a great day in the Columbia River Gorge yesterday. We were promised a hot day by the meteorologists (and they are never wrong) and decided to escape the heat by heading east.

Click on the picture to go to the full gallery.

One-Day Vacation at Oswald West State Park

fredrik.eriksson — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 05:16:27 +0000

We couldn’t have picked a better day for going to the beach. The Willamette Valley was hit by a massive heatwave (it was 103 degrees at our house when we returned home). Thanks to Xan for initiating this and making all the plans.

The whole family had a great time. The kids played their hearts out for several hours and Navy (predictably) conked out in the car on the way home.

Here is a link to the full album: http://fredrikeriksson.smugmug.com/2010/July-2010-Oswald-West-State/12861120_JWBie#928283708_49PGf

Tricky Trek

fredrik.eriksson — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 16:19:48 +0000

Trek is is building a repertoire of “magic” tricks this summer and should be able to gross out the girls in his new class with this show and tell:

This is my first try embedding a video from SmugMug and their embedded player seems to work so-so, depending on your browser and setup. If you have problems playing it, try this direct link instead:

http://fredrikeriksson.smugmug.com/2010/iPhone/12801899_GNFg4#923259900_fHCqf-A-LB

Culinary Saturday

fredrik.eriksson — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 03:54:19 +0000

What a day! Waking up on Saturday morning, knowing you have a 3-day weekend is always nice. After breakfast and a couple of cups of coffee, I had the pleasure of watching Germany demolish Argentina in the World Cup. Talk about putting on a show!

Last night, Trek and I prepared some homemade pop-tarts that we put in the freezer. This morning, all we had to do was turn on the oven and let them bake for 30 minutes. They turned out great. Better than I had expected.

Before game two (Spain vs Paraguay) I managed to squeeze in a strength session and a solid 4-mile run. Over brunch, I watched Spain make it 3 out of 4 for Europe in the semi-finals. Way to go!

For dinner, I wanted to try a pan fried sole recipe from Bon Appetit magazine, so the whole family went to Costco to pick up some cheap fish. Unfortunately, it didn’t turn out to my liking. It was OK, but I believe the product was deficient. The kids got the best pieces and cleaned their plates in no time, to rave reviews.

Before going to Costco, we managed a quick stop at Ross, where I landed a pair of super-cheap 10 oz cocktail shakers. I’m not much of a liquor guy but have always wanted to try my hands on mixed drinks. Xan was my test subject as I prepared my first pair of Lemon Drops. She said hers (the gray one below) was tasty. I tried it and agree, so I don’t think she’s saying that just to make me feel good.

This was a Blackberry vodka mix. For mine, I added a teaspoon of chopped strawberries to the shaker and look at the difference it made.

View photos at SmugMug

Signed Up for Portland Marathon

fredrik.eriksson — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 03:12:16 +0000

I’m officially signed up for the Portland Marathon on October 10 (10-10-10) and kicked off my 16-week training plan with a 4-miler on Monday. I’m sticking with the same program that I used to prepare for the Yakima River Canyon Marathon in March, with only one slight modification: I’m upping the pace.

My goal is to qualify for the Boston Marathon. Do do that, I need to eke out a time of 3:15:59 or faster (that’s the time for the Male 35-39 age group). This is achievable, but I will have to run a little faster in training than I did for for Yakima, where my main motivator was getting to the starting line injury free and finish with a respectable time. Thus, I took a fairly conservative training approach and willed myself to run slow in training. With one marathon under my belt, I feel it’s time to up the ante.

The training conditions should be considerably more pleasant this time around. We typically don’t get a lot of rain in Portland from July through September, so I don’t expect many long runs on cold, windy and wet days. If anything, I’ll probably have to pay more attention to staying hydrated and properly fueled.

My only concern is a quirky left Achilles tendon that has bothered me off and on since just before Yakima. It has never interfered with my running but it’s always making its presence felt and I’m afraid that any serious speed or hill-work will make it flare up. I’m hoping that lots of stretching and icing, plus strength exercises, will keep it in check. Only time will tell.

I’m pumped about this. It feels great to train with a purpose again. On top of that, my buddy from Sweden (Ola P) has signed up and is planning to join us a week before race day!

Time for my first “long” run tomorrow. 8 miles.

Finally, a shout out to my occasional training buddy, Brian Strohl, who’s competing in the Coeur d’Alene Ironman tomorrow. I’m confident he’ll pace himself to a strong finish.

Trek’s First Triathlon of The Season

fredrik.eriksson — Sat, 29 May 2010 01:54:55 +0000

Tomorrow morning Trek races in his first triathlon of the season–the Hayhurst Kids’ Triathlon at the Conestoga pool in Beaverton. He has made great strides in swimming lately and won’t need a kick board this time. The family is looking forward to cheer him on. Navy will bring the cowbell.

Dundee Bike Ride

fredrik.eriksson — Mon, 17 May 2010 03:16:40 +0000

My brother-in-law took delivery of six cubic yards of bark dust that we helped him spread yesterday morning. Xan and the kids took the car, while I couldn’t pass up the opportunity for a bike ride. The weather was perfect and the scenery out there is as good as any in the state.

If you click on “View Details” below you’ll see the elevation profile. The middle of the route is basically straight up, then straight done. A good way to start the day.

Back in The Swing

fredrik.eriksson — Sat, 01 May 2010 06:11:42 +0000

Took a trip through the countryside on my bike last Sunday. It was my first ride since Portland Triathlon last September. It felt great to be in the saddle again and it gave me the triathlon itch. But I’m still “pretty” sure I won’t compete this year.

I also jumped into the pool a couple of times this week. Unlike the bike, it’s hard to pick up swimming after a prolonged layoff. Let’s say I didn’t feel stellar going up and down the lane. It will get better.

My goal is to run the Portland Triathlon on 10-10-10. Unfortunately, my left Achilles tendon has flared up and I’m getting a bit concerned. I’m going to hold back a bit over the next few weeks and try to maintain enough base to embark on another 16-week training schedule in June.