Saturday in Portland

I've been lucky enough to be able get out a lot exploring Portland this summer.  I walk/run around the West End at least 2 or 3 times a week and once a week I make my way downtown to the library.  There are always interesting, vibrant things that I see along the way. Today I made my way to the library and since it was the sidewalk art festival I didn't even have to dodge cars as most of the streets were blocked off to traffic.  Here are a few sights I saw along the way.

I think these houses are really cool looking

Fine Food and a Bathtub

Classic Building

I like these banners

I need to find a new place to get my hair done...maybe here?

Best cosmo in the city

Monday Running

So, my running schedule has me starting a new running week on Sundays.  Except yesterday I could not, can't make me, not gonna do it, wouldn't go out for a run.  I barely made it outside at all.
So, that left me determined to make up for it by running tonight.  I've been really disciplined about this program and I know all it takes are a few little slip ups and I will not be finishing that nine week program until next July :) 
As the day wore on today I thought of a thousand reasons why I couldn't possibly go out.  It's a Monday, I'm tired, I'm hungry, it's been a long day, it's going to rain, it's going to lightening...and on and on.
Of course I might not be writing this if I had actually given in to those excuses and been a slug this evening.  No, you guessed it...I went running.  It didn't rain or thunder and lightening.  I was tired and hungry but it was only 35 minutes and then it was done. 
I'm trying to mentally prepare myself for my Friday run since it will be the longest yet--a 20 minute stretch with no walk break.  Stay tuned...

Mexican!

There's a little gem of a place a block from my apartment called El Rayo.  Just walking up to the building brings back fond memories of the place.  The building is the old gas station, convenience store, pizza place that was called Harborview. At the time I worked at the Holiday Inn By the Bay and was constantly giving out menus to guests for Harborview Pizza.  One late night after many beverages a friend and I found ourselves stumbling into a convenience store.  As I roamed the little store I suddenly noticed that in the back of the store they were making pizzas and the sign said HarborView.  I screamed out "We're in Harborview!" As many menus as I had handed out and phone calls I made to help guests place orders I never gave much thought to where the place was located.  In my drunken state I found it hilarious that it resided at the back of a convenience store--I didn't get out much back then I guess. Shortly thereafter I moved to a great studio apartment on State Street. I would often walk from my apartment down to Harborview to pick up soda or whatever.  I even remember tucking a tiny black and white kitten named Lou under my arm and bringing him down to Harborview. 

Well, here we are 15 years later and I'm back living on State Street with that little black and white kitty.  Only now Harborview has morphed into El Rayo.  Several times I've found myself sitting outside at a picnic table with an umbrella overhead on one of many hot summer days we have been fortunate to have. Tonight I had char grilled chicken quesadillas and a margarita de la casa.  I like to sit and imagine for a moment that I'm back in Mexico.  The place has more than a touch of the feel of Frosty's at Tulum.

Tonight I went there with a close friend. We sat and talked and people watched while a band played in the background.  Afterwards it took only a few uphill steps and I was home again...and Mexico many miles behind me.

El Rayo Web

Running

Once again I find myself attempting to be someone who could be called "runner".  I've had several short-lived attempts at running in the past.  It's not something that comes naturally to me and I always quickly come to the point where I hit a wall, get frustrated, think I'm a poser, and so I quit.  Now I could have all kinds of philosophical discussion about running being a metaphor for life.  Some might say that things getting tough and then I quit parallels many aspects of my life. In fact a friend once said about running "It doesn't ever get easier.  Or if it does than you aren't making progress."  Now that struck me as a philosophical statement even when this friend was really just simply talking about running.  But I'm going to completely stay rather one dimensional and really just talk about my current journey with running.

I just started week four of a couch to 5k program that I'm doing.  I found a set of great pod casts that I'm using to guide me.  When the voice in my ipod says run, I run.  When he tells me to walk and stay loose, I try to do that. In between there is some techno type music that seems to suit running quite well. The fact that I don't have to carry an annoying and dorky stopwatch to time these runs is the icing on the cake.  Here the link for what I'm using:

http://www.ullreys.com/robert/Podcasts/

So, I'm in week four and I'm hanging in there and can truthfully say that I have fully followed this program and am committed to seeing it through the entire nine weeks.  At that time I've been promised that I'll be running 3 miles.  I've even checked out local 5ks happening in late September. 

My essentials are really my sneakers and ipod.  I'm still struggling to find really comfortable clothes that move and seem to not be annoying.  I'm sure this isn't helped much by the fact that most times I've run it has been 85 degrees and disgustingly humid.