Anyhow, I have been busy at work, traveling and running! I have finally gotten my running mojo back and I can’t wait until my next race! It sounds like next month there might be a 10k or 5k run nearby so I’m excited to run one! I would love to see how running a 10k might go versus a 5k!

I have been getting in a run about 4-5 days a week and they’ve been going well! It amazes me how fast my calves adjust to not running in my minimalist shoes when I don’t run as far for a while! I took a run a few days ago in my new Ellie top from the March collection and I was surprised how well it did! I thought it was going to be too flow-y and be too lose, but surprisingly it wasn’t (I did have to wear another sports bra underneath it)! I can’t say the same for the shorts…which are just too short on the in-seem and rides up. They’ll be good for lounging around and maybe some light weights…but no bending over in those puppies. Haha!

I have been working hard out in the field. We do a lot of telemetry tracking with the birds, so I always see it as an adventure trying to find them! It’s like a game of hide and seek with the jays! Haha!

I mean, the trees are pretty dense and gnarly…finding anything in them is hard! Everything looks the same!

I always feel like I look like I should be flying an airplane when I’m wearing all my telemetry gear! Maybe it’s the aviators and all the metal gear…headphones?! Haha!

The past Friday and Saturday I spent some time down in Santa Cruz checking out some local eats, brews and beaches! If there is one thing I love about working in so many different places it’s that I get to see so many different things!

We started off Friday night with a trip to the Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing Company! It’s in an interesting industrial looking area of Santa Cruz but along side a few other winery tasting rooms and some boutiques! I decided to try their Amber Ale and sat along with this type of…pronghorn? Hah…it’s huge! But, the ale was amazing and I would have loved to have tried a few of the others! I can’t wait to take everyone here that comes to visits me, especially Whit!

We decided to get some pizza after our beers and hit up a local pizza joint called Engfer Pizza Works. I was super stoked they had a vegan option for me to try too! It was basically their pizza sauce mixed with some very crumbled tofu and the spices were just right! I was able to pick the topping I wanted and chose mushrooms, bell pepper and artichoke! It was delicious!

Oh, and can I make a point of how AMAZING their crust was?! It was not too thin but not too thick and it was never soggy! My coworkers also mentioned that the flavors on their pizza was great and their was just enough cheese to not be too greasy or overwhelming! Such a great place! They also have a great assortment of beers to try out too!

Saturday was just about the perfect day to be outside and visit Santa Cruz again! I went for a 5 mile run in the Redwoods before we headed into town to get some brunch then head to the beach! My boss suggested a Brazilian place called Cafe Brasil that I most definitely have to visit again! It reminded me so much of Peru with the vibe and colors and delicious juices! I went with their tofu scramble, but really wanted to try their potatoes. I am a huge fan of breakfast potatoes and a huge critic of them too…!

Oh and the bread they served with it? HOLY MOLY it was soft and fluffy and amazing! I wanted to ask for a whole entire loaf to take home with me! I ended up only eating half of it and it was really really great with some extra tofu and rice I had from the other night for dinner!

We spent a good while after that at Natural Bridges State Park to get some sun, tan, reading and birding in.  I think I got a little bit more sun that I thought I would get…hello lobster colored skin. Base coat?! Hahaha…I really should be more careful. Oops.

The rest of the afternoon was spent at T-mobile getting some things fixed with my phone and a trip to Trader Joe’s for a few essentials…Yay!

I plan on relaxing today and just taking some me time! Maybe repaint my nails…? haha

Hope everyone is having a great weekend! Let me know all about it!

(FYI I have been keeping this post for a while as I’ve been terrified for posting it and being insensitive…I hope no one feels this way!)

I just wanted to let you guys all in on how I’m doing these days, recovery and all. I know I have a lot of readers out there who like to hear about how everything is going to help them with their recovery.

Things have been going great as of late! The move to my new home up near Santa Cruz has been great and I am really loving my job. I have been here almost a month and I can’t believe how fast time is flying by! Eating here has been an adjustment of course, working all sorts of different hours with different types of work (sometimes we sit all day, sometimes we hike all day). I have been able to eat everything that I want and have been enjoying everything for the most part (and when I say most part, I mean that I’m loving eating everything, unfortunately my insides are not so happy. Boo).

There isn’t much to say about my eating really other than there has been absolutely no restricting. Don’t get me wrong though, there has been some emotional eating. But the only difference now is that when I eat emotionally, I don’t kick myself over it. I just make myself realize that it’s happened, make note of it, and move on as quickly as possible. It means there has been no restricting because of it, no over-exercising or guilty thoughts. I have been able to see how my body is reacting to various stimulus and working on providing it with what it needs (which now a days is mostly sleep. It takes me forever to get used to new places to sleep. Ugh).

I have been thinking about something a lot lately though, and aren’t quite sure what to think of it, because not for a second have I thought this in…well, never.

I went about two weeks without seeing Whit, adjusting to my new home and taking in some exciting runs throughout the forest, all the while watching my body change. I have noticed that without really having a regimented workout schedule or diet that I have been losing weight. I have no idea how much I weigh now compared to when I left my parents a month ago, but I’m sure it’s less.

Back in the day I would have jumped for joy over this realization. Losing weight without really working to do it?! Score! Nope, not today my friends. Now, I am worried.

Am I getting too skinny? Am I losing too much weight? I feel like it’s a stupid question to even ask…?  I feel like I am providing my body with what it needs to succeed with my everyday activities, but is it enough?

Years ago I would have told you that attracting a guy was all about being skinny. And my definition of skinny was just a bit skinnier than those Victoria’s Secret models. I worked endlessly with diet and exercise to try and achieve that kind of physique and of course never got there (I simply don’t have the genes for it!).  I thought back years ago when I was 100lbs at 5’6″ that I was still too fat and ugly to be loved by a guy (Thank goodness I don’t think like that anymore).

Now, I am worried about losing my butt. My hips. My boobs. I am worried about looking like a stick, having too many bones sticking out and dealing with that nagging pain in my butt where there isn’t enough fat to sit on. I am worried that if I am too up and down and not curved that my appeal will be lost. I don’t want to be this skinny again! I am now aware of how much Whit likes a lady, well, me, with some padding!

Am I crazy? I am surprised that I have turned to these thoughts because well, I never thought I would have them? This might seem like a juvenile or insensitive thing to think about, believing that I’m too skinny and wondering why when so many are trying so hard to lose weight. Believe me, I am thinking about all of you and hoping you all the best. I am sincerely sorry if I have offended anyone, obviously! But I’m just wondering…I thought I had met a happy medium with myself about how I looked only to be worried about how I look again, in the opposite direction as I have for the past ten years.

This probably seems totally scrambled and lame, but…idk. It’s just been sitting and kicking me in the back of my head for the past week…

http://rinconconsultants.atsondemand.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=512171.viewjobdetail&CID=512171&JID=413588

So I didn’t really train too hard for this race. I did some speed work, if you want to call it that, on the roads near my house. So basically it just consisted on running harder than usual sometimes. Haha! I lucked out in that it’s kind of a windy and slightly hilly area so I gained some strength from all the hills I was running on.  And of course I live in the redwood forests so it’s not too shabby to look at while running.

Well, race day came yesterday and I was full of pre-race jitters. I have forgotten since I’ve been recovering from my hip injury how nervous I get before races! My cousin ended up not being able to run the race but still was wonderful enough to come out and cheer myself, her boyfriend (who won the whole race; speedy!) and my coworker (who took her spot) along! I love when friends and family are able to come out and watch races!

I lined up between the 7 and 8 minute mile markers with every wish that I might be able to finish there at the end of the race.  Who knows, I was feeling good and hoped for the best! And no hip pain; YAY!

The race went by SO. FAST. I swear, it was like I started, and then I was done! If anything made the race feel kind of long it was all the turns throughout the course.  Seriously, it was about every 100-300 meters we were turning a corner! Kind of nuts if you ask me, but the race only had 2,500 people so it wasn’t too crowded.

I didn’t get a chance to check my watch after the first mile and really didn’t want to (I’m not a watch checker, it always makes me feel like I’m running so much longer than I actually am) and by mile two I had hit under a 8 minute mile. I figured if I could keep it up I’d get a good time. I was feel ok at that point, a little tired, but not too bad. I opened my stride a bit to conserve some energy for the last mile, or so I hoped.

The last mile sucked the most. I forgot how running so hard makes everything hurt! HAHA! I also had a very annoying middle aged man on my shoulder then entire time, cutting me off at every corner and even nudging me once. I was trying not to be a poor sport about it and nudge him back, so I just mad-dogged him through my sunglasses. I tried to beat him at the end but he passed me at the last second (dangit) but who cares! I crossed the finish line at 24:16 and was pretty wiped! I gave it all I had!

I actually didn’t remember my time from 2004 as I finished, so when I checked it and realized I beat it by almost 20 seconds I was super stoked! My friends, I NEVER thought I’d be able to run that fast ever again without the regimented 6-day a week speed and tempo training I had in high school! I have run some hard 3 milers just on my own over the years and was always clocked in at a 8:30 pace when I was trying my hardest! EEK! My late twenties are treating my running legs well, even though I’ve been abusing them with all these miles since I was 11!

Here are the complete results for the race:

I learned that the age group for the race was from 18-29 (is this crazy huge to anyone else? I hardly see them that spread out), there was a 60/40 ratio of women to men in the race, and over 2,500 people participating! It was great all in all, and I was way excited to have finally run a race I am completely happy with!

My cousin was gracious enough to let us come over for a waffle breakfast and use her shower so we could clean up and not be all stinky when we went shopping for stuff in town. I did a mile cool down after the race so with 4+ miles under my belt you know I was starving! I at a waffle with tons of fruit and chocolate chips on top and couldn’t have asked for a better way to end a race!

I hope everyone had a great Saturday and nice lazy Sunday planned! Did anyone else run a race yesterday or today!? Any races coming up!? I’m excited to hear about them!!!

Megan from FireWifey nominated me for this one and of course I wanted to answer her questions!

1. What is your favorite color for a manicure? Is it a crime that I’ve never had a manicure, or a pedicure? But if and whenever I might get one…I’m thinking red. Heck if I know!

2. Why did you start blogging? I had read so many blogs for so long so I figured why not?! It seemed fun and a great way to meet some new friends; some of which I have kept for over 6 years since I started!

3. What is your favorite style? Yourself? Your hair? Your Home? Some cookies? HAHAHAHA! My favorite style if I could call it one, is the Hawaiian style. I mean seriously, running around in tank tops, shorts and a bikini with the sun on you all the time tanning you up to look all pretty, and living laid back and happy? Ok, I know not all Hawaiians live that way…but I hope that maybe when I’m old I can do that…minus the bikini. Hah! Otherwise just laid back and chill is my style I think…when my Type A personality doesn’t take over and rule. Yikes.

4. What is the one thing you really want to learn how to do? Surf. But I’m terrified. I have this fear of not being able to control speed when I’m being propelled forward without breaks…so surfing is kind of hard in that sense. So was mountain biking. And why I have never tried skiing or snowboarding. One day with Whit’s help though, I’m sure I’ll overcome that fear. One day…

5. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? Oh goodness, that question. In five years I’m hoping to be married and living on Hawaii with Whit and maybe pregnant? Who the heck knows since I always fly by the seat of my pants. Which is terrifying I might add.

6. What is your favorite book? Do I have to pick one? Ok, since I was a kid I loved Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes. It is such a tale of courage and love that it has stayed with me for years! Otherwise I love My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult. Brings me to tears every time.

7. Pick your favorite station on Pandora: Jack Johnson or Sara Bareilles. Always great songs!

8. What dessert best describes you? A rum ball. Because I’m fun in the end, but seriously old and mature with half my ingredients (ie use some seriously mature rum!)

9. Tell us one project you have been dying to tackle from your Pinterest: My wedding? Whenever that heck that happens? HAHAHAHAHA! No. There is one of a bathroom with natural looking wood panels behind the toilet and some leafy green panels on the side that I adoreeeee! I seriously want a bathroom that looks like that!

10. If you could go on vacation with anyone, who would it be? My maternal grandmother. She was the traveler like me, going to places like Japan and Egypt, and I wish I could take her to all the fun places I’ve been to because she would love them!  I miss her so much…it’s been over 10 years since she passed away.

11. What is your most rewarding experience from blogging? All my blog friends. Seriously, if I had not met the ones I have and formed their friendships I would not be where I am today. I would be a totally different person and probably in not as great of mental or physical shape. I thank them for being there for me and being such great ladies in all that they do!

Here are the ladies I’d like to nominate, though anyone to answer these questions would be great too1 I love to learn about everyone!

Mara @ What’s for Dinner

Jenn @ Eating Bender

Mica @ Mica Pie

Biz @ My Bizzy Kitchen

Haley @ Simple Yet Significant

Here are your questions ladies!

1. You’re standing at the base of the Pyramids of Egypt. Who’s there with you?
2. Favorite cookie?
3. Someone is going to play you in a movie; who is it?
4. Which would you rather do: scuba dive, zip line or sky dive?
5. You meet the President; what is the first question you ask him?
6. Favorite color to wear and what
7. What was your favorite activity when you were a child? Who did you play with every summer the most?
8. If you could go back in time, what century would you go to and why?
9. Ladies night! What did you order at the bar?
10. An embarrassing moment this year. Come on, spill the beans!

He showed up Thursday night and I made homemade vegan tacos for myself while the boys made some chicken filling to go with my ever so fabulous guacamole (Ok, it’s not that great but way better than store bought!). I had to work on Friday so he went down to the beaches in Santa Cruz to get some surfing in with his cousin before we all headed to Santa Cruz to get some much needed fresh sushi!

Ok, I obviously didn’t eat any fish or anything but this place we have now deemed our favorite has a serious vegetarian/vegan sushi menu. There are over 20 items to choose from! This is unheard of for me!!! I was beyond stoked and this time chose the Lori Maki, aka the Green Dragon, which is a combination of all their vegan sushi’s in 6 different rolls. There were so many flavors I can’t even describe them! But I was pleasantly surprised at how well macadamia nuts go along with vegetable sushi! Tasty!

Saturday morning started slow and we finally headed out to Big Basin Redwoods State Park, which is where I work and wanted Whit to see! There were lots of great trails to hike and we used the one that was farthest away from people because it was crazy crowded! I hate crowds in natural places…heck, I hate crowds period.

Who’s ever seen a BANANA SLUG!!!??? Ok, I am not the hugest fan of slugs but this one always fascinates me when I’m on the trail! How cool are they?! I mean seriously, just look a them! Hehe, they make me giggle.

I had to take them to the park headquarters to show them the cutout of a tree that is over 1,500 years old. People, this thing was a seedling before Mohammed was born! Alive during the height of the Mayan Civilization!? When Columbus arrived!? How crazy is that! There are several other trees in the park that are even older than that!

We had a ton of fun and headed back to town to have some burgers and beer at a local place to end out the day. We ended up watching UP to finish the night off and I was exhausted at that point! Especially after the boys decided they wanted to be lumber jacks in the back yard…oiy. All I was worried about was wood splinters to the eyes…yeesh.

He had a five hour drive back home on Sunday so I made sure he had some great food before he hit the road. I took him to a local place called Heavenly Cafe which had a great vegan option for me to eat! That’s the perks of living near Santa Cruz; people who are more conscious of non-meat options!

The tofu scramble was OK but the potatoes were AMAZING. I seriously want to know what went into those things because they are so good! I saved a little bit for the next day and they were just as good. I have a seriously craving for them two days later!

I hope everyone had a great weekend! I read lots of race recaps and I am so jealous of all of you! I’ve got a 5k coming this weekend that I’m super stoked to run! It’s been too long since I’ve run an individual race (almost a year and a half!).

(Peeps, this tree was almost 2,000 years old when it fell! SO OLD! It was a seedling before Mohammad was born!)

It was quite the experience. I mean I GOT TO HANDLE A SNOWY OWL!!!! I just about died…and we all named her Hedwig…for you Harry Potter fans out there (Where I am not one of them, haha).

Here are some of the other birds that we got to work with throughout the day!

This is an Augur Buzzard, which is actually a version of the Red-tailed Hawk from the U.S.  I knew it was a hawk/buteo the second it came out of the truck but I must say…a bit more gorgeous with the white than the red-tailed hawk. Ok, that’s a bit crazy of me to say because I really love red-tailed hawks, but yeah.

This is a Harris’s Hawk. I have seen another one of these in captivity but this one I got to get super up close to. The coloring and just fierceness of this bird is amazing and striking. I couldn’t get over the depth of the brown on this bird and of course, it was so cute when fluffy!

This was the bird of the day, until I saw another one a tad bit later. But I have never seen a Snowy Owl in my life. Amazing I tell you, AMAZING! She was in a bit of rough shape but still as majestic and beautiful as i would have ever thought. And the fact that I got to hold her?! Jumping for joy I tell you! She was much heavier than I thought she was!

This bird I would never see in my life! It’s a Barbary by Saker Falcon Hybrid. Try saying that five times fast! It looks very similar to the Prairie falcon that we have here in the states though. She was very majestic and sat very quietly on her perch waiting for us to play with her! But the last bird, was what struck me as the best of the bunch. I have never seen this bird in the states either, but I’m counting this one!

This, is an Aplomado Falcon.

The color and just it’s presence had me in a stammer for words. I can’t even begin to describe it. Something about this bird, makes me believe it’s the boss and no one should mess with it. I mean, come on, you never want to say no to that face!

I really enjoyed being able to see these guys (and girls) up close and personal. It’s one thing to see a species right there in your hand versus through a pair of binoculars.

I can’t help but thank the falconer a 1,000 times for letting us use his birds. I was totally geeking out and enjoying every minute of it!!

Anyone every see any other falconc’s/accipitors!?

(The view from my bedroom window and the back balcony, looking over a stream)

I made the drive up towards the Santa Cruz mountains on Sunday and arrived in the evening to what literally could be everyone’s description of a cabin in the woods. No joke, very stereotypical. But I love it (well, other than the musty smell, meh) and I can’t complain because it’s not a tent in the Peruvian rainforest. Yay!

I have spent the past few days learning all about my new and not new (I’m working again with a friend that I worked kind of along side with and traveled with in Peru, Harry) coworkers and learning about the specifics of the project. We spent most of yesterday afternoon at Big Basin State Park looking at the areas where we would be doing most of our work!

I cannot even begin to describe my excitement about working in the forest again. The smell of pines just brings a sense of nostalgia and relaxation to me and the animals are so much more enjoyable to me in the forest. Don’t get me wrong though, the desert has it’s own beauty, but this kids, this takes the bait for me!

So I’ll have some more pictures up of the woods and the project/birds I’m working on in the coming weeks! There are also a lot of little towns around me that I’m excited to visit and learn all about!

(Acorn woodpecker cache! I always find these things so cool!)

Oh, and just fyi for all my family and friends who frequently contact me…I’m living in the boondocks of the woods so the best way to get a hold of me is through the internet, whether it be facebook, twitter or email. Just a heads up if you don’t get texts back from me or it takes me forever to get back to you!

Onward to the forest!

I am KNOWN for my surprises I throw for people! I threw a huge party for my Mom for her 50th birthday and she had NO IDEA. I did several for my best friend, and countless other surprise gatherings for other friends. But, I had yet to do one for Whit, and with the suggestion of a coworker, I decided to take him to his most expensive meal he’s ever eaten! HAHAHA! Every growing boys dream, right!?

I decided to take him to the Bella Vista at the Four Seasons in Santa Barbara for their famous and apparently very delicious Sunday Brunch. Here is the menu I pulled off their website:Seafood Station:
Chilled Oysters, Shrimp, Snow Crab Claws
Spicy Aioli cocktail, Honey Mustard, Mignonette
California Rolls — Crab, Cucumber and Avocado
Tuna and Salmon Sashimi with Wakame Seaweed Salad
Salmon and Shrimp Sushi, Wasabi, and Pickled GingerCaviar Station
Served with Sweet Corn Blinis, Cooked-to-order
American Sevruga Caviar, Wasabi Tobiko, Flying Fish Roe and Salmon Roe with traditional condimentsSalad, Charcuterie and Cheese Station
A rotating selection of five salads
Bocconcini of Mozzarella, Olive Tapenade, Bruno Rosso Tomatoes and Basil
Calamari Salad, Cannellini Beans, Balsamic Roasted Radicchio
Baby Gem Lettuce, Shrimp, Roasted Bell Peppers
Bresaola with Arugula, Shaved Parmesan, Artichokes
Roasted Beets, Fennel, Ricotta Salata and Pickled Red Onion
Santa Barbara Smokehouse Smoked Salmon
Capers, Onions, Eggs and Parsley Relish, Basket of Bagels, Whipped Cream Cheese
Selection of Artisan Cheese and Salami with Dried Fruit
Rustic Country read Crostini with Sun dried tomato Pesto, Olive and Peperoncini Salad
Assorted Devilled Eggs
Build your own Salad
California Organic Greens
Spiced Chicken, Grilled Steak, Sauteed Shellfish
Balsamic, Ranch, Caesar, Seasonal Fruit Vinaigrette, Selection of Farmhouse DressingsBrunch SpecialsChicken and waffles, Gravy, Maple Syrup
Avocado and Lobster Eggs Benedict
Market Vegetable SoupCarving Station with Chef AttendantAromatic Herb-crusted roasted rack of lamb
Prime rib of beef au jus and horseradish cream
Plank-roasted salmon with papaya and mango relish
Whipped potatoes with cheddar and chives
Assortment of spring baby vegetablesOmelettes and Breakfast Bar with Chef AttendantEggs and Egg-Whites with Selection of Tomatoes, Scallions, Spinach, Ham, Peppers, Onion, Mixed Jack and Cheddar Cheese, Mushrooms, Herbs and Bacon
Classic Eggs Benedict
Seafood and Bell Pepper Hash
Applewood-smoked bacon, country pork and chicken sausages
Crepes and Waffle Station with Chef AttendantSauteed Crepes with two fruit compotes, flavoured with grand marnier, rum and fresh orange
Cheese blintz with blueberry compote
Belgian-Style Waffles with Toppings of Maple Syrup, Almonds, Toasted Coconut, Whipped Butter, Whipped Cream, Candy-Covered Chocolates and Crushed Cream-Filled Sandwich CookiesDessert Station

The explosions that happened at the Boston Marathon yesterday was absolutely tragic. I had a family member and two childhood friends running the race yesterday and am very happy to report they are all safe and ok. It was a relief to find out they were not injured by the explosions.

I can’t even begin to describe how this makes me feel. I’m saddened. I’m angry. I feel helpless. It kills me that my running family has been targeted and hurt.

I had just gotten home from running an errand when my Facebook was blowing up on my phone and saw the first updates about the explosions. I immediately turned on the news to find out what happened and couldn’t pull myself away from the television of what had happened. I couldn’t believe it was happening again, at one of the nations biggest events of the year.

So today, I am wearing a race shirt while I go on my run to dedicate my miles and time to those affected; to show just how strong us runners can be. We will not be broken.