Before I headed off to Portland, my college friend Kim told me that I had to watch the show Portlandia--it would prepare me for the weirdness that we were about to encounter.  After watching the first four episodes, I was convinced that the people in Portlandia's short sketches were exaggerated caricatures and that no one and no place could really be quite that interesting---and then I had the opportunity to spend five amazing days in the city that takes pride in their unofficial city motto, "Keep Portland Weird."
          This week I decided that despite the fact that not all of this relates directly to health and wellness, Portland was too much fun to keep all the details to myself.  In this blog I will share a little of the insanity through little short musings about what we encountered.
          Transportation: The amount of public transportation available in Portland is in stark contrast to anything available near me, or I am am sure anything near you.  I was able to take a train from the airport to an area near my hotel for just $2.40.  A similar taxi ride would have cost me about $50.  In addition to the train they also have a trolley system, buses, and best of all a series of walking/running/riding paths that were filled to capacity during most daylight hours.  The availability of all this allowed us to walk almost anywhere that we wanted to go, or hop onto a tram or train for the more distant locations.  This consistent exercise also allowed me to try local eateries without feeling too guilty about my food choices.
          Food: Speaking of food, I must confess that the food in Portland is amazing.  From the unbelievable amount of food trucks, to many restaurants carrying local, fresh, and organic food choices, to the not so healthy Voodoo Doughnuts, I do not think I have ever had so many delicious meals in such a short span of time.  In the first hour I was in Portland, as I was dragging my suitcase from the train stop to the hotel, I came across Veritable Quandary (VQ to the locals). This restaurant changes menus about every two weeks, and it has so many delicious sounding dishes that it was very difficult to choose just one.  My friend Kim had a beautiful fish stew that had me wishing I had ordered that instead of my yummy, but safe and healthy wild mushroom salad.
          Another great food find was Mother's.  I asked a bellhop in our hotel what the one restaurant I should not miss was, and this was his pick.  It is extremely crowded but worth the wait--I actually went here twice during my stay.  The first time at Mother's, I ran over, made a reservation, and then ran back to the hotel to shower before walking back.  They had a Bloody Mary with jalapeno infused vodka that was to die for, and after my half marathon I actually had a vegetable green curry stir fry that had me almost licking the sauce off the plate.
          The last place you must visit when you are in Portland is the Screen Door.  Now I have to admit, this was my big splurge dinner after having run 13.1 miles through the drizzly Portland hills.  Screen Door has the most creative Southern dishes, so you can understand why I considered this a luxury--the south not being known for their health conscious food (think Paula Dean).  The one twist to this place was that they did have an entire menu of side dishes using local fruits and vegetables, light sauces, and a nice balance to the other not so healthy choices.  I got the Screen Door platter, which allowed me to choose three sides: mac and cheese (I only ate half), catfish like I have never had before (crunchy on the outside and melt in your mouth in the center), and a beet arugula salad with a citrus vinaigrette.  So I had my indulgence meal, but still ate reasonably well at the same time.
          My one huge, no way to justify it, trip was to Voodoo doughnuts.  Pretty much everyone I spoke to said I had to go there while I was in Portland.  In my defense, Kim and I actually accidentally stumbled upon it while we were looking for coffee.  We figured fate had delivered us there, so maybe just this one doughnut wouldn't kill us.  Kim had an apple fritter that was almost as big as her head, and I munched on a raised doughnut covered in crushed Oreos and peanut butter know as the Old Dirty Bastard.  And while the delicious treat indeed did not kill us, our favorite part of Voodoo Doughnuts was not the pastry, it was the entertainment.
          Keeping Portland Weird: Right across from Voodoo is an entire wall painted with the words "Keep Portland Weird."  As Kim and I sat eating our doughnuts and drinking our coffee, we could see this huge sign as a backdrop when a somewhat normal looking man wearing a red clown nose and holding a monkey puppet pulled up in a gold conversion van covered in weird 3-D art.  For a while he just moved the puppet around as he laughed manically.  Eventually he jumped out wearing a monkey mask, blasted his music, and then danced around to his tunes.  If that wasn't funny enough, in the passenger seat was a teenage boy that looked as though he wanted to melt into the fake leather seats.  Almost simultaneously, the monkey man drove off and a scarey homeless woman walked up to take his place.  She was warning us of how the world was going to end, that they were going to shoot darts through the back of our heads, but that tomorrow would be a new day.  It was a very interesting floor show that I am still not sure might have truly been a delusion due to the sugar high from the Voodoo doughnuts.
          Portland Landmarks and Activities: Months before we headed to Portland, Kim and I developed a list of things we wanted to do before we headed home.  We wanted to eat at a Portland food truck, get a Voodoo Doughnut, take a picture in front of the Portlandia statue, all of which we managed to do in the first couple days.  We also wanted to visit Powell Books, one of the largest bookstores in the world.  I have never seen so many books in one place in my life, and teaching reading is what I do for a living.  We spent hours perusing the endless shelves, but in the end I only came home with a pop-up book about trucks for Eoin and a book on triathlons for women to get me started on my new journey.  Powell's also has a huge coffee shop where you can sit at big long wooden tables, drink coffee, and read your new purchases.
          Kim and I also made time to hit the Portland Flea Market, which is another must do when you are in this city.  We walked through blocks and blocks of vendors including food, clothing, and local artists, where we found many things to take home as souvenirs.  I actually found a funky skirt made out of recycled men's dress shirts that I took home for me, and by the time we left we both had bags and bags of items to shove into our suitcase for the trip home.
          There was also a trip to the Portland Rose Garden, a visit to the science museum, a trip on an aerial tram over the city, and last but not least a half marathon run that gave us a completely different view of this amazing city.  I still can't believe we fit so much into such a short amount of time.  But the best part of the entire trip was that I was able to do all these things with my two friends by my side.  This was truly a trip I will never forget, and once again I was able to do it all while staying active, playing outdoors, and making reasonable food choices...well except for the Voodoo doughnuts.

          One of the characteristics of having an eating disorder is the secrecy.  I secretly bought mass amounts of food, I waited until no one was around, and then I would secretly purge before anyone discovered me.  It was an exhausting lifestyle both mentally and physically, and so one of the huge lessons I have learned over the years is that when I publicly share my trials, tribulations, and even my goals, I am more likely to make healthier choices.  This is the main reason I started this blog and why I try to post some kind of entry on a weekly basis. 
          So in an attempt to be completely transparent,  I need to share two things with you this week-- one good and one not so good.  In an effort to get the bad news out of the way first,  I must confess that I am once again having some difficulty making good food choices.  I am spot on with my exercising, but I have become extremely careless with my eating.  You may not have noticed, but I have not been sharing at all about my eating--that is because I have been lying by omission.  I know I am being overly harsh about this, but I have known since Spring Break that I have been snacking too much, sneaking my beloved Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and even eating chocolate, which is a huge trigger food for me.  I also know that if I just get this one little difficulty out in the open, I am more likely to make better choices.  Although I may need to wait until I get home from Portland--the food is too delicious and tempting out here.  I may just be setting myself up for failure if I try to start now.
          Now for the excitingly good news--at least I think it is good news.  My friend Karrie has talked me into pushing myself a little harder for the next year. In July of 2013 I will be doing the Vineman Triathlon in Sonoma.  That means that I will not only be running a full marathon, but I will also be adding a 112 mile bike ride and a 2.5 mile swim to my race tasks.  Now that I will be completing half-marathon #13 this weekend, I feel that it is time to push myself and see what I am really made of.  So Crossfit may have to take a little backseat for the next year as I train for running, biking, and swimming, but I feel that this race will once again give me the challenge that I need to continue to make exercising a key part of my everyday routine.  And if I make this public, I will have all of you behind me cheering me on--especially when the race gets close and I am having to put in a ridiculous amount of miles on the bike, road, and in the water.
          Thank you my friends for allowing me to make my journey public on a weekly basis.  I appreciate the opportunity to share my frustrations and my triumphs, and I hope that along the way I can in some way make a difference in your life as well.  Maybe you can learn from my mistakes or maybe you, too, will be inspired to try something challenging that you never thought in your wildest dreams you could ever do.  And then make it public--you are more likely to stick with it if you know you have your team behind you.

          As you probably know from my previous posts, I am big on setting small goals to keep myself moving toward my ultimate goal, a more flabulous me.  These goals help me maintain my motivation on a daily basis.  For example, because I have set a goal of running at least one long or difficult run a month, when my alarm goes off at 5 AM each morning I get up out of bed instead of rolling over for more sleep.  If I don't get my training in, I know my monthly races will be more difficult for me.  Usually I set meaningful and healthy goals for myself, however, sometimes I need to look at my goals and rethink them--is this goal an appropriate one for me at this time?
          In September 2011, I decided that I would set a goal of being 145 pounds by my 45th birthday.  Well I am almost exactly one month from that milestone and I can tell you right now that I will not be be 145 on June 10th.  In fact, I am pretty much the same exact weight I was a year ago.  My body seems to be comfortable at 170, and because I set that goal of 145 by 45, it would appear that I have failed to meet my goal.  But I think my failure is in setting that weight goal in the first place.  The scale has always been my enemy, and once again I let it draw me in.  I am actually not a failure, because I have visible proof that I have made incredible progress.

          Look at the picture to the left (I am the one in the foreground with knee supports).  If you compare this photo to the mud run photo above, I have made incredible progress.  My legs are more defined, and despite the fact that I have a long-sleeved shirt tied around my waist, my back end is much smaller than before.  I am truly the poster child for why people really need to use measurements other than weight to track their success.
          Last year at this time, I was able to fit into a few size 10 pants, but they were quite snug on me.  Now those same pants fit me just right.  My shirt size was a women's medium, and lately some of these same medium shirts are a little baggy on me.
          The scale does not show my progress at all despite the fact that I have lost inches over the last year.  The biggest change is in my hips, where I have lost a total of 2 1/2 inches.  I also lost an inch and a quarter from my arms--must be all the Crossfit workouts.  I also lost about 3/4 of an inch from my legs.  I guess running all those miles over the last year has really paid off.  So while the scale has not budged, the tape measure has become my new best friend.
          However, I do know that I am not where I want to be yet.  I have areas between my belly button and knees that I have to improve.  My running will give me the cardio I need to make progress, and the Crossfit will help me firm up the still flabby areas.  I need to reassess how I am going to monitor my progress this next year, so one thing I decided to do was to purchase a bikini--size 8/10 to be exact.  The bikini actually fits me, but reveals all the areas on my body that can really use work.  I had Sean take photos of me in this bikini from the front, back, and sides (and no, I will not be sharing these anytime soon).  This will be my visual assessment of my progress.  I will also use the current inch measurements of my body to accurately gauge my progress, so if the scale doesn't move I can know that I am on the right track.
          I will not be 145 pounds a month from now, and I am okay with this fact.  I continue to make improvements to the shape of my body, and I am healthier and stronger than I have been in years.  I am happy with the new me.  I am hoping that by this time next year I will still be running my crazy races, pushing myself with my Crossfit workouts, and that I will be rocking my new bikini in public instead of hiding and wearing it in my backyard where I won't scare anyone.

And as a kick-off to my newly redefined goals I will be going on an early morning 10-mile Mother's Day run, and then sneaking back into bed for my yearly breakfast in bed pampering from my husband and kids.  Happy Mother's Day everyone!

         As I was preparing to write my blog this week a funny thought popped into my head--what must it be like to be my friend and never know what might make it into my blog?  I get inspiration from the smallest things people say or from the things we do together--is this something that can be a little weird for those that see a little something of themselves in what I write each week?  I found it especially ironic that I will be sharing my experiences in Vegas--after all, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, right?  So, to strike a good balance between the two I will not be sharing some of the funnier nightlife stories from the weekend, but will stick to the daytime hours.
         When I think of Vegas, healthy lifestyle choices is not the first thing that pops into my head.  The land of all-you-can-eat buffets, smoke filled casinos, alcohol pouring from every corner, late night slot playing--how does one stay on the straight and narrow in a place such as this?  It is not easy, and I am actually a little tired from trying to enjoy my weekend away while still continuing on my path to a more flabulous version of myself.  I am not going to lie--I had a few drinks, but I kept that to a minimum because I knew that wherever I go, I have to get my exercise in.  I had more ambitious plans in mind for the weekend and it would require me to be at my very best.
         I need to digress a little to give you a little background information so that you will understand why I chose this weekend to truly challenge myself like never before.  Lately, I have been running with a couple groups of girls who are training for full marathons.  In order to run a full 26.2 miles there is a lot more training involved--my weekday 3-4 mile runs are now like 5-6 miles and my long weekend runs have bumped up as well.  Instead of running 6 on Saturday/Sunday, we are doing 10 or more miles.  While I do not have a full marathon planned, I have decided to push myself to see what I am truly capable of.
         So, while I was in Nevada, my Temecula running buddies were going to do a 20-mile run.  I figured if they could do 20, I could surely do more than 14.  While I have never really run more than 13.5 miles, my new "can do" attitude pushed me to at least attempt this challenge.  Friday night I had a great time with my friends, but I got back to the hotel at a decent time so I could fit in 5-6 hours of sleep prior to rising early to fit in a run before the Vegas heat got unbearable.  I headed out just after dawn Saturday morning--ran to the Mandalay Bay, across the strip past Circus Circus, back to Mandalay, around the UNLV campus before heading back to my hotel.  I ran a total of 17.5 miles--something I would have told you even a week ago I wasn't ready for.  In addition, I had to run up and down a lot of stairs to access the overpass crossings scattered throughout the strip, so while most of the run was fairly flat, the stairs added a little extra challenge.  In this case, I was so happy I had finally proven to myself that I could run enough miles to train for a full marathon that what happened in Vegas needed to go into my blog.      

         Later that day, despite the fact that I was understandably a little sore, we decided to head away from the strip to enjoy one of Nevada's most beautiful natural resources--Red Rock Canyon.  It is amazing that something so beautiful and pristine is only a half-hour outside of Sin City--but as I have shared previously, we often research fun places to play outdoors in our vacation destinations, and this was just one of those great finds. This area offers many opportunities for biking, running, rock climbing, and our chosen activity, hiking--I highly suggest you check it out next time you are in the area.  We took a short two mile hike mostly to enjoy the amazing scenery.  What happens in Vegas needs to be shared when it comes to healthy and fun ways to spend your daytime hours.
         So to all my friends out there, I hope you understand why sometimes you inspire me to write about what we say and do together. I have made so much progress over the last year because of the amazing people I surround myself with, and sometimes I just need to brag a little about all of you.  So thanks to my running friends who keep pushing me to run distances that I never thought possible.  Thanks to my husband who makes sure that wherever we travel, we always get outdoors to explore the surrounding area.

So, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas--except when I am inspired to share it in my blog.  ;)