Exercise

There are a lot of exercise/fitness classes on base, so I took advantage and went to Zumba this week.  It reminds me a lot of the aerobics dance class that I took last fall at BYU, except the music is considerably different.  Still, there's quite a bit of bouncing and waving of arms, as well as shaking, bending, and a whole ton of uncoordinated-ness.  But I think it is so fun.

Paul and I went to our first tennis class yesterday.  I've really learned to love tennis, and I think I'm actually doing pretty good!  It's such a fun sport, and it was nice to play with new people.  Also, I don't know why we didn't just go on base to find decent courts.  duh.

And I'm still going to the gym quite frequently to run.  Lately I've been wanting something to train for though because it's easier to follow a training schedule.  I ran the most consistently when I was training for Ragnar last year, and would love to train for something like that again.  I also wish it was cooler than 80 at night so I could run outside.

I want to lift weights when I go to the gym, but the buff Air Force guys intimidate me and I would feel silly lifting my 5-10 lbs weights next to them.  And I've never really figured out the weight machines.  Maybe I should just go buy some dumbbells (why are they called that?).

Exercise feels good.

At 2:00

Everyday I drive about 5 minutes from my house, onto base, and to the gym. Since active duty members have priority on the machines from 11-1 and 3-forever, I usually go around 2 and there's rarely more than 5 other people there. They've got all the equipment you could ask for, as well as 10 TVs up on the wall. "Cardio theatre", I think it says. Let me tell you though, nothing good is on TV at 2. I can watch ESPN, ESPN2, various soaps, CMT reality shows (The Singing Bee??), OR my new favorite show Let's Make a Deal. It's hosted by Wayne Brady and I might describe it as a mix between The Price is Right and Deal or No Deal. Oh yeah, I can definitely run to that.

Here's a particularly funny clip from the show:



Admit it, now you want to watch it everyday!

Addendum

During the race we campaigned for Homecoming, an award given out to the most spirited, most energetic, most friendly, best dressed, and overall RADDEST team in the whole race.

We found out yesterday ...

WE WON!!!!

Ragnar Relay

This is long overdue, but at least I'm posting it now!

Me, Annie, Jess (my brother's girlfriend) and Paul (my fiance -- future blog post in progress) and 8 other enthusiastic crazy people ran the Ragnar Relay - Northwest Passage at the end of July. Our team name (found by a team member on a blog) was Steve Prefontaine is Oregon's Jim Morrison, or SPOM (spawm) or SPOJM (spo-jum).

It was a crazy trip. We arrived at our team captain's ex-step-father's house the night before the race and enjoyed the beautiful scenery of Samish Bay.

Van 2 started in the afternoon. I was runner 9, so I went 3rd in van 2. The first leg was rough. 6.2 miles in the heat. But I made it, slapped the sweaty bracelet on Jess, and cheered on the rest of the van as they finished their first legs.

We tried to sleep while we were "inactive", but that didn't really work.

My next leg was at 3:00 am. I was lucky and had a short 2.7 mile leg. It was on a lovely running trail and bordered the lake. Then I ran into a deserted small town (very charming), and then through pretty residential streets. I was pumped during Jess's leg (endorphins?) but then fell asleep in the back of the van while Annie and Paul finished their second legs. Sorry guys!

We showered and slept about 2 hours at the hotel and then, BAM, Van 2 was active once again!

My last leg was a grueling 6.8 miles in the mid-day heat. I swear it was 90 degrees. About half-way through the leg, all I could see ahead of me was a long stretch of pavement and vans that weren't mine. I must have looked really tired (I was) because other racers offered me water and cold sponges. It was such a relief to finally jog up to my van and get some encouragement for the last few miles of my leg. Lucky for me the last mile was straight downhill (I love downhill) and I picked up some speed to finish out my portion of the race. Woohoo!

Eventually, we met Paul at the finish line and put the medals around our necks. We did it!

Then we had to drive 4 hours home.

I asked Paul if he had fun, and he told me to ask him in a couple of days. This relay was not easy! But I will definitely do it again if I get the chance. I mean seriously, have you seen the outfits??

Halfie

Yes! Despite arriving 20 minutes late, Annie and I successfully completed a half marathon on the 4th of July. We got medals at the finish line; now we really feel like champions!

RUN!

I've mentioned in some previous posts that I'm going to be running a relay this summer with Annie. We are doing the Ragnar Relay: Northwest Passage, which stretches 187 miles from Blaine to Langely, WA. The relay is in a month and I have been in training for a few.
Last month, as part of the training, Annie and I did the Starlight Run 5k in Portland. The run preceded the Starlight Parade which signifies the beginning of the annual Portland Rose Festival. Most everyone dresses up in funky/hippie/wild/Oregonian costumes and runs for fun. We put on matching BYU t-shirts and had a good time.

I am definitely not the faster runner but I was pleased with my first 5k (and with my first number and the free t-shirt). We have continued training this month and yesterday we ran for 100 minutes! Woohoo. Sound like fun? Let me tell you, I am even more enthusiastic about the half marathon we are running on the 4th of July.
Happy running!