Hot Chocolate and Huskies

Yesterday the Washington Huskies played the Arizona Wildcats in a game so tormented by Mother Nature that there were moments when no one believed it could get any worse (spoiler alert: it did). It was the type of game that made me realize how unusual football in the pacific northwest could be. There are no such things a fair weather fans simply because there is no fair weather to be had. Sure the beginning of the season is beautiful with the leaves turning and the crisp autumn air whipping through the trees, but those moments are short lived. Rather, we have cheerleaders who know better than to curl their hair because they spend the day bundled in down jackets, long pants, and ear warmers, smiling through storms of Shakespearean intensity. While the south has game day dresses and cowboy boots we have parkas designed for Antarctic explorers and rain boots in school colors. They have sweet iced tea to cool themselves off and we cling to our coffees and hot chocolates for warmth. I even hid behind my brother to block the winds at one point.

Husky stadium was remodeled and looks better than ever but the best part is, and always will be, the magnificent view of Lake Washington. The tradition of tailgaiting by boat is one special to the school and will forever be my favorite part of football season. Boaters are my favorite people simply for how happy they always seem to be.

Another moment that reminded me how special football in the northwest is was when my brother went to concessions and came back with not only the traditional hotdog but also a tanker of clam chowder and a plate of fresh fish and chips. For those of you wondering, yes, a tanker of chowder is an obscene amount of food and while he meant well he could have gotten away with bringing me a simple cup of the stuff instead.

                             

Meanwhile the wind and rain had picked up to such intensities that the stadium felt to be in the eye of the storm (it was). Fortunately the worst of the storm passed in time for the home team to bring home a victory and the soaked-to-the-bone fans could go home to warm themselves by the fire. So, despite the waging wind and rain we will live to see another day. And I, for one, am delighted to be in the midst of fall, once more.

Back To School

Today was the finale of the first week back to school and has left me quite spellbound. I am, not even kidding, loving my math class! Who would have imagined that? Granted, I'm taking Math for Management, Life and Social Sciences, a class designed specifically for non-math-enthusiastic people such as myself. But I am legitimately excited to do my homework for this class, each day. I'm happy just thinking about it. And how many people are happy thinking about math? One does not study screenwriting and literary editing and expect to find joy in a class where they combine numbers with letters and calculators. This is going to be a good fall. I can feel it.

Accidental Find

Stopped by my local Nordstrom the other day in search of a new pair of these hunter green Hunter Boots. Because of my tiny feet (and general shortness) I have to get them from the children's department which - alas - was completely out! Apparently, I was not the only one who just had to have them for fall!

That's the thing about Seattlites, we collect rain-proof gear like Carrie Bradshaw collected Jimmy Choos. Though my search for some evergreen boots in this evergreen state is still on I did manage to spy a different kind of water resistant shoe while wandering through the kids department.

These Ruby and Bloom 'Standout' Flats, while originally for children turned into my find of the day. And because they're made of rubber I still managed to walk away with a great shoe for a rainy day out (of which we've lately been having countless)!

Celebrating Reading!

While everyone has been trudging back to campuses and replacing their favorite novels with hideous textbooks I have been enjoying the Annual Banned Book Week (and living in complete denial about school starting back up again until my final textbooks actually arrive). This week is designed to remind people of the literature which has fought to stay in schools across the nation and around the world.

For myself it is also a great reminder to stop by my local library and check out something new.

My goal for this week is to read one of the books on the list that records all the previously and currently banned books.

My Pick: A Wrinkle In Time by Madeline L'Engle

Madeline L'Engle's tale of sibilings Charles Wallace and Meg, along with their friend, Calvin, has been a favorite of mine since picking up the Newberry Medal Winner in my school library back in elementary. Something that would not have been possible had the book still been banned.

My suggestion for this week, go back and read an old favorite.

Runners' Knee

After returning to the PNW from my 21 Run trip my knee was still in incredible pain so, naturally, I googled every sort of possibility until I came up with the conclusion that I have (drum roll, please!) runners' knee. Aptly named. Turns out that because women's hips are wider and the legs angle inwards from the hips women are more prone to injure the knee to begin with. What typically causes runners' knee is the lack of proper strength training in the hips, upper, and lower legs. So, because the tendinitis prevented me from cross-training my running form had changed. Not enough that I would notice it right away, but enough to do some serious damage to my knee. The more you run on it the worse it can get. After the pain appeared and I ran an additional 5.1 miles which is potentially why the pain was so constant while I walked around Disneyland all day long (spending the rest of the day on my feet probably didn't help much either, I know).

I've used the KT tape I had for my foot to tape up my knee as well

Once I got back into PT I casually mentioned the knee pain and how I thought it might be a result of the tendinitis. They agreed and gave me some additional hip strengthening exercises to do. I did not, however get cleared to go back to any of my other sports and have been strictly instructed to get my mileage up to were I would normally have it during training before re-introducing any more activities.

We'll see how this goes. Hopefully I'll be able to go back to gymnastics and yoga soon!

21 Run

It finally came! The twenty-first celebration of the day I was born! More importantly: The Disneyland Half Marathon! And, let me tell you, it is A Whole New World (wink, wink). I started off the day waking up at 3:40 and getting ready in the dark so I wouldn't wake up the rest of my family. Donned my Ariel the Mermaid running costume and filled up the water bottles on my fuel belt. I taped up my foot the way I had been practicing in hopes that it would hold up for the entire race. After attempting to make some instant oatmeal in a mug (way too watery for my liking) I hopped in the rental car and Daddy drove me down the street to get me as close as possible to the start of the race. What a nice guy.

 I followed the crowd to the starting corrals and filed in with the rest of my heat. The race officially began at 5:30am and my corral was released across the starting line at 5:55am. We ran the first mile which took us "behind the scenes" at the park until we finally entered California Adventure. The sky was still dark enough out that we were able to see the Colors Of Our World light and water show as we passed by. Many runners stopped here to take pictures but I had my other priorities; namely, being photographed with as many characters as possible! I got my first chance shortly after when I came upon a couple of the Army Men from Toy Story. Next I hopped in line for photos with Mike and Sully from Monsters Inc. and some of the cheerleaders from Monsters University. As I was leaving that photo-op one of the Disneyland Cast Members yelled "Common Ariel, you've got this!" and gave me a high five with the Mickey Mouse glove he was wearing. I smiled back and kept on moving forward. I was having a fantastic time and getting to watch the sunrise while running through Disney was an extra special treat! Cast Members were all over the parks cheering on the runners and the encouragement was a huge factor towards the giant smile I was sporting during the run. I stopped for more pictures with Aladdin, Jasmine, and Genie on Main Street USA which gave me a great view of the castle. In Fantasyland I stopped for Hook and Smee. Peter Pan and Wendy Darling were riding the carousel in the background and talking with the people in line as they waited. I was thrilled to see him because Peter is my absolute favorite (I, also, do not want to grown up) and while I was disapointed I wouldn't have my picture taken with him getting to see him interact with everyone was totally worth it. I then ran though the castle (so exciting!) and immediately pulled over to get in line for Sleeping Beauty and Prince Phillip. Arura was thrilled to see Ariel had grown legs in time for the race. All the cast members were totally into the costumes the runners were wearing and it added yet another element of specialization to the event. I hightailed it over to Tomorrowland where I stopped for Darth Vader and his storm troopers who arrived just moments before it was my turn for a picture! I look like a hobbit (mixing fandoms, I know) next to the almost 7'0" Vader and I couldn't help but laugh when I saw the photo after. The last two photos I managed to get were with Cinderella and Snow White who were practically right next to each other. I stepped out of the line for Cinderella and directly into the next one for Snow. As expected, the princesses were a highlight for my inner child. Merida was in the same area but almost directly across from them and while I wanted a photo with her, too, I knew better than to dash out in front of that many other runners determined to move forward!

With the pictures out of the way I followed the crowd out of the parks and into the streets of Anaheim. The opportunity to stop and take breaks while I stood in line for the characters was a great chance for me to rest my foot at the beginning of the race. My injury had prevented me from being able to finish my training for the race and the breaks and tons of hydration stations early on helped me to ready myself for the second half of the race. There were hills, stretches of blinding sun, cheerleaders and dance teams before I took my first walk break around mile six. And while I knew I was not running for a time I also had a serious fear of the sweepers who were used to clear the course of runners unable to keep up with the minimum pace. I just kept putting one foot in front of the other and reminded myself that all I could do was my best.

Around mile 8 my right knee began to hurt and that pain lasted until the end of the race but I was too determined to not let the tendinitis in my opposite foot ruin my day to stop and look after my knee.

The crowds kept everyone's spirits up, there was a classic cars show that lined the path for miles before we reached Angel's Stadium. Inside were Girl and Boy Scouts of America troops from all across Southern California cheering us on. The camera for the big screen was also pointed at the runners and we had the opportunity to see ourselves running around the field before we headed out of the stadium and back towards Disneyland!

The sun was totally up and shining by the time I reentered the park and there was still a mile left before crossing the finish line but I finally made it! My Disneyland Half Marathon Medal is the biggest one I now own and I actually had a sore neck (along with everything else) after wearing all over the park for the rest of the day.

This was the first major race I had run without my father and I was so happy to finish but it was also a race I would love the chance to do as many times as possible. The Disney Parks make it such a special occasion that it feels like the best race I could have possibly chosen for my 21st birthday celebration.



Sports bra: Champion
Skirt: Running Couture
Shorts: Nike Pro
Sneakers: Nike
Watch: Garmin (Mine's old, I've had it for years, but you can find current versions Here )
Belt: Fuel Belt
Armband: Belkin
Socks: Thorlo
Athletic Tape: KT Tape Pro