July Race Debrief: Manzanita Beach 5K

I recently spent a wonderful weekend in Manzanita, Oregon, participating in the Manzanita Beach Race while enjoying a relaxing visit to “The Coast” (in Oregon, we don’t go to “The Beach” – we go to “The Coast,”  possibly because there are amazing coastal views, but it is too cold to swim and play as you would at the beach unless you wear a wet suit and / or a jacket).  Although I originally planned  to run the 10K, I decided to switch to the 5K  so I could run with Matt and the dogs;  Matt opted to run the race at the last-minute and since this is a smaller / local race, they allow dogs to participate (on leash).  I figured with two Greyhounds leading the way, we had to win – ha!

Manzanita is my favorite Oregon Coast destination – –  there are great local restaurants and the Greyhounds absolutely adore walking (and running!) on the wide, hard-sand beach.  In a way it feels like my “home” on The Coast as I’m always so happy and stress-free in Manzanita.  Here are the top 3 moments from my most recent trip:

1)  The Manzanita Farmers Market – We arrived in time to visit the local Farmers Market, which was great!  I picked up some fresh berries to make smoothies for breakfast and some green leafy goodies to make salads for lunch. 

2)  Walks (and runs) on the beach in cool weather – Rain or shine, the weather at The Coast is always cooler than Portland.  We had more foggy days than sunshine, but both were a relief from the unusual heat wave hitting Portland at the moment.  Matt and I enjoyed many walks with the dogs as well as the 5K race, which we ended up running for 2 miles and then walking the rest after the pups got tired out (I cut Buddy some slack – he is now officially a senior at 7 years old).  While we did not win the race, we had a great time and still got in a good workout.

3)  Relaxing outside on the deck – The room we stayed at had a lovely balcony with a view of the main street and if you leaned out over the rail, you could see the ocean.  Despite our lack of a direct ocean view, it was great to sit outside and enjoy “happy hour” drinks.  Lucie especially loved lounging in the sunshine as you can see from her smile in the photo collage.

Questions for you:  Have you enjoyed a weekend get-a-way this summer?  Where did you go?

Cheers³

Reni

 

April Race Debrief – Whidbey Island 10K

Last weekend I ran in the Whidbey Island 10K.  There was also a Marathon, Half Marathon, 5K and 1K for kids.

Matt and I turned this into a “race-cation” with our Hounds and our road trip lead us to Seattle for one night and the island in the Puget Sound the night before the race.  On Saturday we picked up my packet at the small but well-organized and attended Race Expo and then set about to explore Whidbey Island.  We took the Greyhounds for a couple of nice long walks through Windjammer Park along the Beach and explored Fort Casey State Park, an old artillery station established in the 1890s meant to protect our coast lines from a sea invasion.

Once the pups were sufficiently tuckered out and ready for a nap in the Prius, Matt and I explored the shops and cafes in historic downtown Coupeville, stopping for some lunch involving the local specialty – Penn Cove Mussels, and a wine tasting.  I’ll stop here and review to the top 3 things I learned from this race:

1. Do not eat anything unusual the day before the race!  The Penn Cove Mussels did NOT sit well with me.  Although I love trying new foods and local cuisine when traveling, after this trip I will not indulge until my race is done.  I ended up getting food poisoning from lunch and proceeded to spend the evening emptying my stomach in our hotel bathroom.  The dogs were very concerned and Matt went to the grocery store to pick up some bland foods for my dinner – the only thing I could keep down was chicken broth.
2. Running on an empty stomach feels very different from running with “bad fuel” – Despite my illness Saturday night, I woke up Sunday feeling better and decided to try to run.  I was able to eat a banana for breakfast and then hit the road.  Surprisingly, I didn’t have any stomach issues, which is not uncommon for me with longer races, let alone when I was sick the day before.  I did get pretty tired / fatigued around mile 4 when the hills started, and ended up having to walk up the second half of most hills I encountered.  Despite this challenge – I managed to finish just one minute slower than my last 10K at 72 minutes and even got a cool down mile in so I could hit my 7 mile training plan for the day.
3. Smaller races can have great bling and swag!  This was a small race compared to the ones I’ve run in Portland and Seattle, but is was very well-organized.  All participants got a medal and the post race party had some awesome treats:  lots of fresh fruit, cheese, coconut water, chocolate milk, granola bars, and hot food – oatmeal with toppings like almonds and cranberries, pancakes, scrambled eggs and sausage.  I stuck to the fruit but was able to grab a few snacks for both Matt and I to enjoy on the long drive home to Portland.

Despite the set back, it was still a fun road trip.  I am eager to explore more islands in the Puget Sound, and possibly even take the dogs on a ferry ride to get there.  Also, I plan to bring food from home for lunch and dinner the day before my next destination race.

Question for you:  Do you enjoy race-cations?  How do you fuel for races when on the road?

Cheers³

Reni

PS – I now have a Facebook page, where I’ll be linking my blog posts and sharing other health and fitness tips.  Check it out!

Two Hound Tuesday – Road Trips with Greyhounds

It has been a while since I’ve posted about my Greyhounds Lucie and Buddy, so what better time to re-visit Two Hound Tuesday than during April, which is National Adopt a Greyhound Month!

One of the things Matt and I like to do with Lucie and Buddy is go on weekend road trips.  They are great in the car and also love to meet new people and experience new places.  With a little research and planning to find dog friendly hotels and scout out local parks and trails, we always have fun on the road with our dogs.  Here are 3 adventures we have had with our fast friends:

1)  We climbed a mountain!  Here we are with our Hounds on Mount Hood.  Luckily it was the middle of summer, and while there was still snow on the ground, it was quite warm.  None of us would have been so smiley in the middle of winter up there!

2)  We go to the beach!  Although we have to keep our Hounds on leash, they love the beach and we take long walks and even some runs together whenever we head out to the Coast:

3)  We go wine tasting!  Here we are in the Yakima Valley, a Wine Region in Eastern Washington known for being very dog friendly:

As the weather warms up, we are looking forward to more road trips with the dogs and doing lots of fun outdoor activities together.

Question for you:  Do you travel with your pet?

Cheers³

Reni

PS – I now have a Facebook page, where I’ll be linking my blog posts and sharing other health and fitness tips (and even occasional Greyhound photos).  Check it out! 🙂