Adventures of Rachele

Just came back from an Oscar Party in Ballard.  Given that I've never met the hostess and knew only two people there, I didn't know what to expect.  The invitation encouraged us to dress up and bring a dish inspired by one of the nominating movies (two examples were sushi for "Iwo Jima" and KFC for "Little Miss Sunshine").  I thought I'd just come with a bottle of wine and normal clothes, but who am I kidding...my competitive spirit got the best of me.  I ended up making two types of tea sandwiches (smoked salmon and cucumber) in honor of "The Queen," and dressing up with my red high heels in deference to "The Devil Wears Prada."   The first people I saw were all in jeans, so I was slightly alarmed, then I found the hostess dressed as though she were attending the Oscars.  Whew!

Tiffany and Corey came as characters from "The Devil Wore Prada."  Tiff was Miranda Priestly and when Merrill Streep lost to Helen Mirren for best actress, Tiff ran through the party saying that she was robbed.  The party consensus agreed with her and she was allowed to hold a fake Oscar for the rest of the party.  If there was a "best dressed" award for the party, it would definately go to Tiff.

 

 

I know, I know...I haven't made any entires all week.  Right now, I should be biking Chilly Hilly, but freezing my buns, weaving through a big crowd through slick hills just didn't sound appealing today.  This was to be my first biking event and I'm feeling a little guilty that I bailed.  I can remember only one other race where I registered and couldn't go.  I've even run a marathon with bronchitis (don't tell my doctor) and another one three days after falling down a flight of stairs, so I don't take missing races lightly. 

It was a pretty full week and the funny thing was that we had three spontaneous dinner parties.  We kicked it off at my place.  Heidi cooked, while Bethany and I acted as sous-chefs.  Then Bethany invited her husband over to join us.  Tuesday was another spontaneous dinner at Mel's after track workout.  Friday was a 40 mile bike ride with Lily & Bill.  Saturday, Cindy, Karena and I ran a race in Steilacoom (Cindy won 2nd place...yeah!) .  Then another dinner last night at Bill's and the girls.

I did get to see "Breach" staring Chris Cooper as Robert Hanssen, Ryan Phillippe as Eric O'Neil, and Laura Linney as Kate Burroughs.  The movie is based on the true story of Robert Hanssen, who worked for the FBI and sold classified information to the Russians.  I really didn't know what to expect because an espionage story isn't packed with action.  They did a great job diving into the charcters of Robert Hanssen, Eric O'Neil and Laura Linney.  If you get a chance to see it, do.

Yesterday, a bunch of us decided to cool off our legs in Greenlake after our long runs.  I've done ice baths after 20 miles runs, but I'm just 1/2 Marathon training now...there was no reason for me to jump in the lake.  Cindy and I decided that it's too early in the season for an ice bath, so we acted as "judges" instead.  We gave out awards for "Longest Stay in the Water," "Most Aggressive Dive," and "Best Artistic Move (aka interpretive water dance)."  The winners were Amol, Jim and Tiffany, respectively.

 

This year's Valentine's Day was spent with friends: Tia, Heidi, Bill, Kim, and Dwight.  All the girls received roses and we celebrated and laughed the entire time at El Gaucho.

 

  I started the day off with the Love 'em or Leave 'em 5K at Greenlake.  You had a choice of running by yourself or having your times combined as a couple.  I ran with Cindy as a couple (they combine your ages and your race times), so we could qualify for the Women's Master's Division (thanks for inflating our age group, Cindy!).  We got 10th place in the Open Division (we would've been 5th, if they put us in right category).  Again, I gave in to peer pressure.  I would normally skip this kind of race since I run around Greenlake at least twice a week, and I couldn't figure out how 1,300 runners were going to fit around the path.  It actually spread out and I had more room than I've had in other races.  Serendipity?  I was also surprised that there wasn't much traffic getting there.  Cindy and I met an hour before on the other side of the lake and just hung out at Starbucks before the start time.  We planned on doing a warm-up run to the start line, but I thought an hour-long warm-up was overkill for a 3 mile race.  One to two miles is a perfect warm-up for a 5K.  It was funny that we bumped into friends at the coffee shop, at the start, at the finish, and walking back to our cars...it's a small town. Anyways, thanks for kicking my butt, Cindy.

So, on the way back we actually committed to our time goals for the year.  No sandbagging allowed in 2007!  We're also increasing our race schedule, which should help improve our times.  So, far we've already seen improvements, so racing does work.  I can attest that our  3 races last month have affected our bodies because we can't help but run faster in a race. 

Along, with the training schedule is fine-tuning our diets.  Really, it's another factor that will help us get faster.  So, Heidi and I agreed to do some healthy grocery shopping and cooking.  It's so much easier cooking for two or more people than just cooking for myself.  And, unless I'm throwing a dinner party, I just don't feel motivated to cook a complicated meal.  Also, having a cooking buddy made the errands of grocery shopping, putting things away and cooking, so much more fun.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not completely changing my life; I think resolutions don't work.  I can't imagine having a strict schedule of working and training...there is so much more to life! 

This morning, I attended the Women's Business Exchange (WBE) meeting and our guest speaker was Dr. Gloria J Burgess.  She spoke about living a legacy; going through life with purpose, intention and integrity.  She was an amazing motivational speaker.  What struck me was how she defined integrity: showing your whole self.  There is nothing more honest than allowing people to see "the good, the bad and the ugly."   None of us are perfect and it shows incredible strength to share ourselves.  The other focus was on having a convenant, or contract, with yourself and the ones you love.  She wanted us to stop and think of what we're doing right now and if it is in line with the purpose we've set for our lives.  She reinforced the concept of intention and how we should make sure that the things we choose to do are focused towards our life goals.  I'm completely butchering her speech, but I left the room totally energized and it set the tone for the rest of my day.