Portland, Oregon

I'd never been to Portland before, so I was psyched when I had the opportunity to visit recently through work. My friend Kelsey has been living there for awhile and was kind enough to be my tour guide on a hot and sunny Saturday.

We started the day at the Farmer's Market

Berry season

Real tomatoes, not the crap they try to pass off as tomatoes at the grocery store.

Delicious produce

I read about this Popsicle start-up called SolPops in the newspaper the day before. We came across their mobile stand.

We went with Coconut Agave and Spicy Nectarine.

Most of our day was spent on the 4T Trail: Train, Trolley, Tram, and Trail

From the top of Council Hill, with views of Mount St. Helen's and Mount Hood.

I wish I had a moss covered bench in my yard.

Kelsey taking Sadie off road

I became a little obsessed with this Japanese themed front yard.

And this tree house

The "Tram" portion of the 4T. It takes you down to the waterfront.

A bus snuggie

Cooling off in a fountain at the Saturday Market

Sweet tats. The eyes of the bull are diamond stud piercings. Click to enlarge.

2010 Westlake HS XC 5K

I took a lot of time off from running since my 50 miler. The knees needed a chance to recuperate. Now I'm starting the process of getting back into shape, which meant one thing: 5K's! I signed up last minute for the Westlake High School Cross Country 5K in Saratoga Springs. I dragged my 8 month pregnant friend Kristin along with me.

I knew going in that they weren't giving away age group awards, so I didn't feel compelled to go all out. Instead, I ran the first mile with Kristin at a 9:17 pace. I've only run 3 times since June 5th, so I wasn't sure how my legs would react to high speeds. I felt good after that first mile, so I decided to kick it into high gear for the last two.

Mile 2 was 6:35 and mile 3 was 6:27. It was fun passing people right up to the end, however my time was nowhere near where it usually is. I finished in 23:12, whereas I'm usually right around 20:30. It was good enough for 7th place. It did give me back some confidence that I can start training harder than I have been.

I won a 50 minute massage from some lady in the raffle afterward. I traded it for a metal water bottle instead. I didn't feel comfortable going to someone's house for a massage.