Training Days #5 and #6

And on the 5th day she rested :-)

Fridays are my rest day throughout training. Pretty fitting. End the work week by indulging in a little R&R (rest and relaxation..not Rock and Roll :-D). And I have to say that the day of rest was much needed. My muscles were pretty sore on Friday, plus I was exhausted from being up most of the night for the midnight showing of the final Harry Potter :)

So I woke up bright and early this morning to get prepped for our hike. This time we were only doing a 4 mile round trip (last trip was 9 miles in total!). So a nice leisurely hike in comparison. My friend Kelly and I headed out early and were slightly hesitant about how it would go considering there was a pretty steady rain going on. But we went onward and upward. Literally.

The area was beautiful. Right around North Bend. At the bottom of the mountain is Rattlesnake Lake. Its quite a beautiful area and with the light fog over the lake and mountain in the morning it was breathtaking. Overall the hike was beautiful. Had a definite incline, gaining about 1200 ft in 2 miles. Gave my already sore muscles a nice little work out. Switchbacks most of the way up that caused you to really use your legs!

About 40 minutes later we'd made the 2 mile hike up to the top and found SPECTACULAR views at the top. We'll be heading back on a nicer day when you can actually see everything. The fog hindered the view somewhat but even with the fog it was one of the best overviews I've had the pleasure of seeing. When we reached the ledge the rain was at a pretty steady pace so we didn't end up lingering too long. Just long enough to enjoy the view and get some good pictures in.

We were back in the car and headed back to the city in less than 2 hours from when we started. All in all not a bad way to start a Saturday morning, and get my training in so I could enjoy the remainder of my day. I've posted pictures below of the lookout from the ledge. There were additional trails from this look out spot (another 2.4 mile hike to East Point, and another 6 miles up to Snoqualmie Point). These will be attempted at a later date and time, and if the day is nice enough we plan to end the hike back at the bottom and enjoy the lake and sun.

Tomorrow is training day 7 and our first long run. It's a 2 mile consecutive run. While we've run 2 miles other nights this week they were broken up. Looking forward to pushing myself through it and completing the first full week of training! :)

Training Day #6 - success!

Training Day #4

Cross-training!

This week my cross training activity was dance :-)
Fitting right?! I mean its my favorite thing to do in the world, and it gives me a way to cross train at the same time! Throughout the training process my cross train days will be changing as we go. It's going to either be dance, hot yoga, walking, running, hiking....the list goes on. Nothing TOO crazy as I don't want to injure myself during the process but its good to have an outlet  throughout the training process.

So I'm training at Westlake Dance Center. Two classes on Thursday evenings. A beginning hip hop class that allows me to really just let loose and have fun. I don't worry about the steps. It's all about going, having fun and performing the crap out of the routine. And its AMAZING! Being separated from dance for so long has been such a drain on my life. Not doing the ONE thing that ALWAYS makes me happy. The ONE thing that I'm truly passionate about. That I need in my life. Its my passion, my hope, my love, my everything. Dance is who I am. It is what defines me as a person.

The second class is a hip hop III class. The teacher is phenomenal and really inspires me to try my best. I was worried that after being so far removed from dance classses that my pick up would suck. But luckily it wasn't bad at all. It was like riding a bike....you fall off but you get straight back on. And the great thing about the class is that the students in it are very inviting. A lot of times I feel like a class is a very tight nit group who doesn't let in outsiders, but this class is completely the opposite. I didn't feel like the outsider at all, and felt at home right away.

I can't wait to continue this voyage and my dance classes at Westlake. Getting back to me and what I love. Who could ask for anything more?