Portland with Love.

One of my New Year's Resolutions is to blog more. I have this lovely blog set up and never use it. Since I did move to Portland I feel like I have more to share. New restaurants, new scenery, and new people. Let's get one face out there, the people in Portland are the friendliest people I have met. I will get more into that at another time. The pure excitement I have every day is something new. I get chills driving to work and seeing Mt. Hood peaking out from the buildings. Cody and I are going to theGorge tomorrow to see what it has to offer. Here is a website on it, please enjoy.I will post about the Gorge on New Years day so come back and check it out! Have a very happy New Year. 2012 has a lot to offer.

Ironman AZ

Please watch this video. A good friend of Cody and I from Ohio State competed in the Ford Ironman in November and his sister Becca put this video together. You will notice a certain someone in the video :) She did an amazing job. I miss the Murray family!

http://vimeo.com/34182998

Photos

Bear up North.

Bear loves the water, but refuses to get his entire body into the water.  Here we are playing at the Blue Ridge Reservoir in Northeastern AZ. Enjoy!

Desert Flowers

I moved to Arizona last May, well the end of May.  I guess I got to miss all of the Desert Flowers in bloom, this goes with everything else in bloom.  I've never had "allergies" until I experienced April in Phoenix.  My eyes water, my nose runs, my throat resembles a desert, I'm in misery! I guess it's partially my fault because I continue to put myself outside on most days.  I went to the Desert Botanical Gardens last week and saw the most amazing things in bloom I have ever seen.  The next day was not so good for my allergies but it was totally worth it.  Whoever said the desert is just sand and nothing colorful is sorely mistaken.  I've added a ton of new pictures to my photoblog, so check it out.

Bear turned one the other day! I played a special song for him by 50 cent called "It's your birthday", he found it comical.  Cody is doing great, he has been riding his bike to work these past few days.  If only I could do that, but it would take me over an hour since my work is 15 miles away. We will be heading up to the Grand Canyon in a few weeks to take Cody's mother up to see the most amazing hole in the Earth.  This will be my 4th time in under 16 months.  It's crazy because I have met people who have lived their whole life in this state and have yet gone. I am going to take full advantage of this while I live here, why sit around on your days off and "relax" when you could be "relaxing" viewing some of the most beautiful sights in the country! People always ask me how do you have time to go all of these places and money to do all of these things? It's simple, on my days off we choose to drive 3 hrs north and experience new things and the outdoors is free, well in most cases.  Our National Park pass does expire at the end of May so we are going to continue to get use out of it.  

I finished reading the book "Into Thin Air".  It's a story about a reporter for Outside magazine who went up with a guiding group to Mt. Everest, the highest peak in the world standing at 29,029 feet.  I couldn't put this book down, I laid in bed with it at night until my eyes could physically not stay open.  It's the most exciting, nerve wrecking book I have ever picked up.  It was the worst disaster in Mt. Everest history and when it was all said and done 8 people lost their lives on May 11, 1996. Please please read this book if you are looking for one to read.  Sometimes you wonder why people put their lives at risk to do something that seems so stupid but when it comes down to it we all want to do something where it pushes our limits and the risk of death is not a factor.  Would I climb Mt. Everest? No, but there are a ton of other mountains I would climb. I would love to become a more serious climber and Cody and I are thinking about getting into rock climbing.  We have both done it a few times but it's always inside on a rock climbing wall.  Anyways, I hope all of you have had a wonderful April and are excited about May! I know I am. 

March 7th

After work I decided to go to Papago Park and do two workouts.  Here is one of them. The weather is in the high 70's and very windy.  It's going to be in the mid 80's by the end of the week! I just learned how to edit videos with music, very addicting!  Oh and I'm using a rock I found to do all of my squats, who needs a gym!

Desert Classic Duathlon

On Sunday I competed in my first Duathlon! I signed up back in December and was constantly counting down the days.  I live in a state where it only rains 10 days out of the year, Sunday was one of those days.  Most of the rain came on Saturday so I was hopeful that there would be zero rain on Sunday but I was wrong.  I woke up at 4:15 am on race day to prepare and get a good breakfast before hand.

We arrived at McDowell Mountain Park at 6:45am where the race was taking place.  I got my bike and gear into the transition area and was ready to go! The first wave of athletes went out at 8am which included the male and female pros.  Then the men age groups, then women and relays, then last the mountain bikers. My wave started at 8:20.  My first obstacle was a 3.5 mile trail run which was very muddy because of all of the rain the night before. I felt so amazing on this run and the views of the park were so beautiful.  It's hard passing someone on the trail because it was very narrow in certain parts.  You just have to scream "Left!" and it's known to get out of the way.  

The bike had to be the most difficult portion of this race.  I feel like I can bike and bike and bike until someone tells me to stop.  But this 21 mile bike was up and down hills the whole time.  Not little bunny hills, but gigantic straight up hills. The bike was also cold and windy.  There were people on the side of the road with flat tires and I was hoping and praying that it wouldn't happen to me. I thought about eating this amazing burger at our favorite restaurant called Daily Dose about 80% of the ride. Cody took me there later that night and it was the most amazing burger I had ever had.   The last 5 miles were so difficult but I pushed myself through it and jumped off the bike to transition into my last run. 

Once I threw myself off of my bike my legs resembled jello.  I started running with my bike into the transition and couldn't feel my legs at all but knew they were moving.  Such a crazy feeling! On the second run, a 3.1 trail run, it started to rain on me about a third of the way through. Cody was right there at the start of the run and was giving me so much encouragement, I couldn't have done it without him! I was really beating myself up in the last rain, it was so hilly and the rain made the ground so hard to pull my foot up out of the mud.  It's crazy how your body will just keep going if your mind is telling it to.  I hit the last water station of the race and there was only a mile left to go, felt like the longest mile of my life. 

 

I finished the race in 2hrs and 36 minutes.  I am very happy with this time, heck I'm just happy to have finished it! I would have to say the hardest thing about doing this was not having my iPod.  None of the athletes were allowed to have it, well let's just say I saw about 5 people with them and was totally mad that they were getting away with it.  I would have loved to have some Beyonce and GaGa pushing me through the bike.  Oh well, I had my thoughts and motivation to get through it.  I would definitley do another duathlon, maybe in California :)

Valentine's Day

I must say that I have never been a big sucker for Valentine's Day. Why do we need one specific day to show our love and affection for someone? Cody and I have always laid low for this day over the years.  I know it might sound girly but Cody shows me every single day how much he loves me.  Wether its waking up to his hand made breakfast or him fixing my bike, he never fails to amaze me.  For this Valentine's Day I woke up to beautiful red roses in the morning and came home from work to a delicious dinner with asparagus, chicken, and kale salad. Not to mention two cupcakes from my favorite bakery.  I don't need jewelry or fancy dinners out on this day.  I don't need anything but Cody went above and beyond to make it a great day for me.  I will say it again and again, I'm the luckiest girl in the world.  Hope all of you had a great Valentine's Day and realized to appreciate the person you love each and every day.  

Hello February.

The weather has been rather cold.  The city for the past few nights has issued a freeze warning.  Going to work at 5:30am this morning the temperature in my car read 32 degrees.  Everyone here is freaking out because of it.  But during the day today it was in the high 50's.  For February, Ohioans would happy with that number! This weekend it's going to go back into the high 60's low 70's. 

One of my best friends from Ohio is coming out next weekend for a few days.  She now lives in Colorado and is moving from the NorthEast border to Colorado Springs the day she gets back from Phoenix.  I am so happy for her and can't wait to visit her multiple times! 

16 more days till my Duathlon! I am so ready for it to be here.  Every time I bike or run I just get this urge to drive to where my race begins and just start it already! I got some new bike shorts from this great local Scottsdale Triathlon store called Triple Sport.  Unfortunately I won't be allowed to have my iPod when I run and bike so I will have to handle running without my rock music.  

My parents are also coming out the first week of April for 9 days.  I got them in at the JW Camelback Inn for $89 a night, right now the rates going for that property is in the $400 range per night.  Oh how I love my Marriott discount! My boss was actually the GM for that property and she is planning on getting them a very nice room (in all honesty every single room is nice!).  Towards the end of their trip we will be heading North to a little city called Las Vegas :). They have never been so I will be showing them a good time! So many thing happening right now and I am loving every minute of it! 

PhotoBlog

I have a couple hundred of my favorite photos posted on my photoblog website. Here is the link....photoblog. Check it out! I also print up different sizes of my photos for friends and family members, if anything catches your eye I can print them in any size you want. Some of my coworkers have taken a liking to my photos and now they grace their homes.

First week of classes.

My first week of classes at the Arizona School of Real Estate & Business started yesterday morning.  For 3 weeks I will be attending class for 9 hours a day on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.  I will also be working on the days I do not have class.  So it will be 32 hrs of work each week and 27 hrs of class each week.  I must say that I am one of the youngest in my program out of 100 people.  My teachers are amazing and within one day of classes I've learned way more than I could have ever imagined.  I am so excited for the next couple of weeks.  It will be difficult with school, work, and training for my duathlon but I know I can do it.  I have a very special visitor in less than 3 weeks from Colorado.  We plan to do many hikes in the area and maybe even take a trip up to Sedona. 

I found my new favorite hike in the Phoenix area.  It's called Eagle Ridge at McDowell Mnts.  I went on a hike Sunday afternoon and it was beautiful.  The trail was very unpopular, something I appreciate very much in a trail.  I do so many trails in the area that are packed with people but this one was far away from the city and very secluded.  Hope to take many visitors on this hike. 

Monday Ride

Cody & I decided to take our Monday off and go on a long ride.  A 35 mile ride to be exact.  It took us around 2.5 hours.  We started from our apartment and rode up to a place called Eagle Ridge at Fountain Hills.  This community sits right in the McDowell Mountain Park with million dollar houses and beautiful views. It was a challenging ride because of the many hills we had to climb to get to this point but it was well worth it.  It's great ridding with someone who challenges you when you are about to drop over on the side of the rode going up the 10th hill of the day.  Cody is an amazing cyclist, just one of his many talents. Here is the route we took... map.

Sunday Night.

Friday training-52 minutes

-23 minute ride to Papago (climbed two hills)

-15 minute stair run, carried bike up stairs , immediately regretted that decision. 

-14 minute ride back home

Saturday training-30 minute trail run at Papago. Ran in shorts and a tank top.  Thank you winter in Arizona!

Signing up for a Skirt Chaser the weekend before my race. Put on by the lovely Red Rock Co.a company where a good friend of ours works. The females get a 3 minute head start on the males so Cody will basically be chasing me while running in a skirt ;).  I could only wish, but really I will be wearing one.  

I just watched The Patriots play a pathetic game of football.  I had a bet going around work that the Super Bowl would be against the Pats and the Falcons, guess I lost that one! I hate the Jets, I hate the Steelers even more so hopefully Green Bay will win.  Cody and I both have MLK day off tomorrow so we are planning a very long ride in the McDowell Mnt. Park to test out my Duathlon course.  A high of 77 tomorrow will make this a perfect day. Possibly seeing Blue Valentine later in the evening.  Have a happy Monday!

Here is a little clip of Cody and Bear...enjoy!

Duathlon training.

My Duathlon is in 37 days.  The race consists of a 3.5 mile trail run that climbs 150 feet in elevation, a 21 mile bike ride along rolling hills, and then finishing it off strong with a 3 mile trail run. I'm very excited and anxious all at the same time.  Training has been going well.  On Wednesday after my two hour hike with my friends I thought it would be a good idea to do a trail run at Papago Park.  I ran for 25 minutes at a pretty quick pace with multiple hill climbs.  This park has the largest Jack Rabbits I have ever seen! Some of them are the size of Bear (no joke, he likes to try and chase them). It makes the run more enjoyable when you have a gigantic rabbit running 20 feet away from you.  Today I am going to bike around Papago and hit up this amphitheater in the park and do some stairs then ride back home.  Here is the webpage for the race if you want to check it out.....DesertClassic.

(After my run on Wednesday, stretching by a Teddy Bear Cholla)

2 weeks into the New Year.

Myself and a few friends from work decided to hike South Mountain, the largest city park in the nation at 17,000 acres on Wednesday afternoon.  We hiked on the National Trail for about two hours each of us with our dogs, a lab, a yorkie, and my mix of a dog!  The temperature reached 70 degrees that day but with the sun beating down on us it felt much warmer.  
Bear has been a true blessing for me.  As soon as I get home from work he immediately greats me with love and slobber.  I look forward to the drive home because I know I will be greeted by the happiest puppy in the world. He does amazing on the trails.  Cody and I wanted to start him at a young age to get used to the trails.  The second day we had him we took him on a short hike at Papago Park. Now he is a trail blazer! I can't wait to see him grow and experience new trails with him. 

The BCS National Championship was hosted in Phoenix this year.  So my town was overtaken by Ducks and Tigers.  To show our support for the Oregon Ducks we decided to go to the Oregon pep-rally. There were thousands of Duck fans at this pep-rally.  Of course there were some fans dressed up as Ducks.  Cody saw this lovely fan running by and snapped this shot.  I must say he looks nothing like the real mascot for the Oregon football team but he tried.  Sadly the Ducks lost but it was fun while it lasted. 

Zion National Park

Zion National Park is located in Springdale, Utah.  I had the pleasure of visiting this amazing park on May 17, 2010.  The reddish Navajo Sandstone immediately catches your eye the moment you enter into the park. The US Congress added Zion to the National Park list in 1919. With over 140,000 acres of land I got to experience a tiny portion of this sacred land. The Lower and Middle Emerald pools were the first hikes on our list.  We decided to wear our water shoes so when we got to the pools we could walk straight into them.  

The next hike to cross of our list was a little hike called Angels Landing. Here is the trail description on the parks website...Strenuous with steep drop-offs and narrow trail. Not for anyone fearful of heights. After viewing this gigantic rock standing at 5,785 feet I was a little hesitant but realized that I didn't come into this park to pass up the opportunity to hike one of the most beautiful chunks of rock I had ever seen. This 2.4 mile trail takes you up a series of switchbacks, 21 to be exact in just one spot called Walter's Wiggles. When you get past Walter's Wiggles a chain is your next life support. Not only are you gripping onto a chain nailed into a rock but with a quick glance to your right a thousand foot drop lingers at any moment. 

Cody made it to the top of Angel's landing, I had to stop at Observation Point after a failed attempt across a very narrow path with drop offs on both sides.  There was a moment when I was passing through this drop off where I literally froze up. I could feel the wind hitting my entire body and it felt as if the entire rock was about to tip over.  Cody was trying to talk me through it but I knew that this was one of those moments where I had to make this decision for myself.  I felt completly limp and in danger.  I quietly turned around and headed back to the point where I got to watch Cody make it all the way to the top.  

(The point where I had to turn around)

This was one of those hikes that I will never forget.  It was the most beautiful landscape I had ever seen in my life and the experiences I had in this park will last a lifetime.  After researching more about this hike I had found out that a month before we went on this hike a woman fell to her death from Angels Landing.  You can see the list of deaths on a couple websites where children as young as 14 have fallen due to this hike.  I like to consider myself a pretty experienced hiker but this was a moment where I am thankful I used my gut feelings and knew I was putting myself into a situation where I could seriously kill myself.  I know when I can handle something and when I can not.  Cody knew he could get to the top because he was confident in his climbing abilities, where I was not. 

  

(Cody at the top of Angels Landing, 5,785ft)

I hope to go back one day.  The Narrows are on my Bucket List.  Unfortunately we couldn't hike through the Narrows on our trip because the water levels were too high. If you ever have a chance to go to Zion please go.  It's an experience unlike anything else. You can feel how significantly small you really are and understand that this Earth is something to be far more appreciated.