tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86364683619985861612024-03-05T17:41:16.091-05:00Two Ears One MouthRennayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04311238061247492025noreply@blogger.comBlogger241125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8636468361998586161.post-39059192287058895342018-06-18T22:20:00.001-04:002018-06-18T22:20:37.432-04:00Burn the PastOne of my old pastors used to say "God gave you two ears and one mouth so you could listen twice as much". I've always been a pretty decent listener. I was always in the top 5 during games of Simon Says and with a mother like mine, you needed to do your best to prevent her repeating herself. But one area where I really struggle is listening to what God says to me and what direction to go in my life. I'm a control freak. There, I said it. There have been times in my life where I've had to schedule not only when I would have free time but what I would do during said free time. I've literally put "watch tv" on my calendar. So is it any surprise that when someone says to "let go and let God" I have trouble leaving my entire life and existence to someone other than myself? Not only that, but someone who isn't a someone at all? To someone I can't see, don't understand, don't know how to listen to and just have to have blind faith even exists? It's rare that I talk about God or spirituality and while I firmly believe that everyone's relationship with the higher power is their own I no longer think mine needs to be a secret.<br />
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On Sunday we went to a new church as I'd been looking for one nearby for quite some time. I finally got up the courage to go and wow, did I need to be there! The sermon was <i>exactly</i> what I needed to hear. "I'll never be able to see what God has in front of me, if I keep looking at what's behind me." If that doesn't sum up my life. I spend an insane amount of time beating myself up over my past. I'm embarrassed of who I am today because I can only see the mistakes that have gotten me here instead of remembering the triumphs. I shy away from people and experiences and communities because I rely on past experiences to tell me who I should be and what to expect. I've had bad church experiences, so all churches must be bad, right? I've been burned by coworkers before so I shouldn't get to close to anyone, right? I've tried new things before and they didn't work out so I should probably stick to the familiar. But that fear and cynicism and judgment are what's keeping me from the life that God has in store for me. "In order to fully embrace a new life, you must be willing to let go of the old one" (paraphrasing here, work with me). If I want this life, the one that I truly feel is at my fingertips (a happy, loving marriage, a satisfying and fulfilling career and eventually at least one successful adoption) I <i>have </i>to let go of my old judgments, behaviors and worries.<br />
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I have no idea where this post came from tonight or what I meant to accomplish but I already feel a lot better than I did when I started. If you'd like to watch the sermon that now means so much to me check it out on the YouTube below:<br />
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<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZVnKPfrNyAY" width="560"></iframe>Rennayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04311238061247492025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8636468361998586161.post-88470855694353797772018-06-07T13:10:00.002-04:002018-06-07T13:10:52.679-04:00Year 30Is this thing on? I've been struggling with a bit anxiety out of nowhere over the past year and a half so in an attempt to keep my head from spinning I'm going to try my return to writing.<br />
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I turned 30 in February and it's seriously been my best year. Suddenly I stopped caring so much about things, and more about *gasp* my family and friends. Weird right? But in caring more about people, I also started to care less about their opinions on my life choices. That said, I am going to provide you with a VERY brief rundown of the 3 major life events happening right now:<br />
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<li><b>We are buying a house! Maybe...</b></li>
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Yay right? Back in October I found this really great house under a lease option contract that we ended up snatching up. It's in a nice, established neighborhood where *most* people own and genuinely take care of their houses. Not at the Hank Hill lawn level but I'm talking seasonal outdoor decorations and it just happens to be the neighborhood other parents bring their kids to for trick or treating. Needless to say, we ran out of candy and will be taking this much more seriously next year. Anyway, we can exercise our option to buy anytime after October 1st so TBD on how that goes. The house is great but does have a few issues we need to consider.<br />
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<li><b>I'm having surgery! Maybe...</b></li>
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I think I started figuring out my many health issues around the time I stopped blogging. Appropriate. But to shorten a very long story, I am potentially having a laparoscopic hysterectomy later this year to combat my one issue I've yet to get under control: Fibroids. Yuck. I've been having regular ultrasounds every 10 weeks and having them measured and they just keep growing. I've managed to slow the growth but at this point I just want them gone. Yes, I know there are less invasive procedures but they're all far less permanent too and I'm not interested in having them removed every few years. TBD on you know, any detail at all.<br />
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<li><b>We're Adopting! Maybe...</b></li>
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This one is probably the biggie. But we are starting the process to potentially adopt a child (or 2) which is kind of insane but really exciting. It's also one of the only things I want to talk about so if you want to talk to me, please do! Otherwise, trying to keep myself under control although I'll give a few more details as we go.<br />
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That's all the big news for now. Hopefully I'll keep this up and start to feel a little better soon :)Rennayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04311238061247492025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8636468361998586161.post-21488734710226690882016-07-27T12:39:00.000-04:002016-07-27T12:39:27.129-04:00CurrentlySo now I live in Louisville and have a place to live and a job so the time consuming myself with looking for a place to live and a job is now vacant and I don't know what to do so I'm considering blogging again. How's that for a sentence? Anyway, currently:<br />
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<b>Current Music: </b>I have been way into the Justin Timberlake Pandora station lately but I've also been listening to the Undisclosed podcast because I'm apparently stuck in 2014 and just finished Serial like a month ago.<br />
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<b>Current Guilty Pleasure: </b>Bravo TV. I think I'm watching like 4 Bravo shows right now. I should probably be embarrassed but I'm not. Not at all.<br />
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<b>Current Drink: </b>Besides a ton of water because it's so effing hot here right now (and apparently everywhere) I'm way into Trader Joe's Rooibos and Honeybush tea. This is a leftover from a little elimination diet I did (did I ever mention that?) in the spring. As part of it I wasn't allowed to use any sweeteners or drink any caffeine (not usually an issue for me). One of the amazing baristas where I was working at the time told me my usual iced tea had caffeine so she made me a Honeybush iced tea because it had a little bit of a naturally sweet flavor and was caffeine free. I'm not obsessed but started adding honey again when I moved back to allergy town.<br />
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<b>Current Food: </b><i>These</i> bars<br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BILom-xBxH8/" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">Making my own snack bars again. These are hella easy to make and soooo freaking good! And only 5 ingredients! #nobake #homemade #snack #snackbar #omnomnom</a></div>
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A photo posted by Rennay Cooke Marshall (@rnay225) on <time datetime="2016-07-22T23:13:53+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Jul 22, 2016 at 4:13pm PDT</time></div>
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<b>Current Needs: </b>More peanut butter to make <i>more</i> of those bars. And acupuncture. And to get my eyebrows in check. In deeper needs, I need to practice my forgiveness. I've been a bit of a grudge holder lately. Hashtag not a good look<br />
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<b>Current Indulgence: </b>Um, Bravo TV....and food. I feel like I'm eating a lot but I don't think I actually am. I think it's just because I'm home more so I have the opportunity to eat more. But really probably my R&R. I am rarely one to be super lazy (even though I think I'm the laziest sometimes) but I'm starting work soon so I'm soaking up every ounce of nothingness while I can.<br />
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<b>Current Outfit: </b>My Guiness shorts and a tank. So?<br />
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<b>Current Excitement: </b>Yoga in the park tonight unless it's raining, hanging out with my sister, starting my new job and writing out the budget with T later this week. Yes, I like writing budgets. I'm going to get my life together one of these days.<br />
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<b>Current Obsession: </b>Crossfit. Seriously, I'm stuck in 2014. But really I watched the Crossfit Games this year because I've been following a few 'fitters on the 'gram and got so freaking obsessed with it. I've wanted to try it myself for a while but, you know, it's really hard.<br />
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<b>Current Thoughts: </b>Oh boy, so many. Like I said, I'm on a forgiveness train. I harbored a lot of resentment and hard feelings towards this city and a lot of the people in it. Moving to Oregon was really hard and I was hurt that my friends weren't there for me. When I first broke the news I was coming back I was expecting more than what I got and I was angry. So I hermited as I often do and sulked, then thought about it and now I'm trying the move on approach. Everyone else's lives went on when I moved just like mine did and part of being an adult and a good friend/person is to not hold that against people.Rennayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04311238061247492025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8636468361998586161.post-17937642305047218182016-06-21T19:19:00.002-04:002016-06-21T19:19:53.932-04:00Guess Who's BackSometimes my thoughts get really overwhelming and when that happens I usually have to do something active and relatively creative. I've been using coloring books since before they were cool and strangely baking is still a big go-to for me but there's also writing. Today while lamenting to the husband he suggested I write a blog to try to just get shit out. So that's what I'm doing.<br />
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We are moving back to Louisville. Yay? I guess that's still TBD. I love Louisville, I really do and I have for years but like a weird, slightly dysfunctional, long term relationship, love just wasn't enough. I felt trapped and suffocated. I had created this identity box for myself and while it worked for a while it eventually turned into my coffin. It was tiny and I didn't feel like it could fit everything I wanted to be a part of my identity. 15 months ago I was exercise and non-profit worker Rennay. That's it. When we moved I realized it was a true clean slate. Absolutely no one out here knew anything about me. They didn't know me <i>as</i> anyone or anything. There were no expectations and I loved it. I used my time out here wisely. I ran a little, swam a little, biked not at all. I ate healthy. I ate crappy. I started to really become who I wanted to be. I think there was a bad combination in Louisville for me of youth, indecision, insecurity and expectations and it turned me into someone I didn't entirely want to be. I feel like I've just been on a very long much needed vacation. I've used this time to get to know myself, relax a little (or a lot) and just generally feel good again.<br />
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I'm excited to come back "home". I'm also scared to death. I don't want to fall back into old patterns and a general disdain for life. I want to feel great, I want to be happy and I want to have fun. So yes, I'm coming back, but there's a very good chance you may not recognize me.<br />
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Oh yeah, and I'm bringing bread ;)Rennayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04311238061247492025noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8636468361998586161.post-19619022486315329202016-05-04T11:16:00.001-04:002016-05-04T11:16:42.971-04:00Eugene Half Marathon RecapApril was a weird month. I finished school at the very end of March and spent about 2 weeks being unemployed and dramatic before getting a call from my externship site offering me a job which I obviously took. I'm now working strictly on the pastry side which has been fun but I must admit I miss bread a little. Anyway, working 10 hour shifts is hard on the body so it's taken me some time to adjust meaning I haven't been running or working out much in the traditional sense. But I figure being on my feet for at least 9 1/2 hours at work and slinging 50 lb bags of dead weight around counts for something.<br />
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There were some family issues that popped up in April too that were less than ideal but the month ended with me and T hosting 3 out of town guests in our apartment for a few days. Exhausting but so amazing at the same time. One of those guests was my sister and bestie who flew out to run the <a href="http://www.eugenemarathon.com/" target="_blank">Eugene Half</a> with me. She's about finished with nursing school but needless to say, running hasn't been her top priority lately either so we were just going to go for it and enjoy a nice loooong walk on a beautiful day. </div>
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I'd booked an <a href="http://www.airbnb.com/" target="_blank">Airbnb</a> in Springfield about 20 minutes from Eugene because it looked like it was on some form of a farm. Since I now want to be a farmer (I know, I know) I was way pumped to stay somewhere scenic, quiet and kind of removed from the nervous energy of a race venue. It was exactly what I wanted.</div>
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Also, my current phone camera situation is not exactly what I want. Not sure what that's all about. Anyway, me and my sister drove into Eugene and went to the expo. I've been to Hayward Field before but it's still just so exciting every time I see it and even better that it was her first time there. We headed into the expo which was small but well put together and right outside the tent was a list of all of the participants organized by state. It was cool that there were only 2 people from Kentucky racing so we found my sister's name right away. I had to do a little bit of searching but I found it.</div>
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They tried to give me a tiny shirt (I guess I was being optimistic about weight loss when I registered...) but it was really easy to exchange it. I ate some seaweed, drank some tea and of course it wouldn't be Oregon without a little wine then we headed out. We stopped at the grocery store and headed back to the Airbnb to relax. It was great having an entire guest house to ourselves with a full kitchen.. Definitely made pre-race easy. I went to sleep that night easily and slept hard until my alarm. That probably goes to show how relaxed I really was about this race which ended up paying off.</div>
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We got up around 4 am and left by 5:30. Free parking and shuttle service was available at Autzen Stadium so we very easily made our way there and luckily there were a couple of very gently used porta pots there so I took advantage of the short line before hopping onto the bus. A quick ride later and we were back at the expo site at Hayward Field. In a very rare act we actually used the gear check since it was only about 40 degrees when we left. We both had long sleeves on but not things we wanted to throw away so we packed some extra shoes and threw in our shirts for gear check then headed to the start line. The race started right at 7 am and we were in good spirits but neither of us were sure how the day would go. </div>
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We started out at a conversational slow pace and actually kept it up through 9 miles! I was definitely not expecting that. The longest run I've done in recent memory was 7 miles and I remember it being not so fun so to manage a full 9 before really feeling like I didn't want to be out there anymore was pretty amazing. At around 1.5 miles I had to stop to pee but again, the lines were short and pots were still in good shape. We ran along talking nonstop like those super annoying people you find in races from time to time and around mile 4 we saw the blog famous <a href="http://www.sweatonceaday.com/" target="_blank">Sweaty Emily</a> on the sidelines talking to a really fast looking guy I'm almost positive had already finished the race. We ran past a little bit discussing whether or not we should go back and say hello or just leave her alone before deciding we <i>had</i> to say something. So we stopped, turned around and walked back. <a href="http://www.instagram.com/emilysweats" target="_blank">She</a> was quite nice and even called us by name (they were on our bibs) and told us to have a good race. We ran on feeling pretty refreshed after being in the presence of greatness (she runs 100 milers....like a badass). There was a big hill shortly after that but we ran it just fine and were met with a fun drumline at the top. Then a big downhill. The miles were ticking by really fast and we were hardly walking. I took in water at every stop and Gatorade after a while because I was <i>HUNGRY</i>. I've actually never been that hungry during a race so I'm chalking it up to the lack of training and preparation.<br />
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Both of us suffered a few random aches and pains that would go away and come back until mile 9. After mile 9 things started to hurt and keep hurting. It's true that training for races strengthens your mind but also trains your body to withstand a beating and that is exactly what we weren't prepared to do. My mind stayed strong because for some reason I excel at that part of long distance running but my joints weren't having much fun anymore, especially since I've gained a few pounds over the past year. We walked a lot of mile 10 and some of 11 before getting it back together and running to the end.<br />
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The course was beautiful and there was great support throughout. Eugene is a small-ish city but you can tell they love their running. It's actually fairly flat with only a couple of climbs and spreads out after about a mile or 2. It was a big race! The highlight has to be the finish when you enter Hayward Field and finish on the same track at the same finish line as track and field legends. This is the same track that's hosting the USA track and field Olympic Trials this summer. Yes, OLYMPICS.<br />
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All in all, this race was awesome. I'm stunned that I've reached a point where I can just <i>do</i> a half marathon mostly untrained but I absolutely wouldn't recommend it. Especially if you're someone who cares about times and performance. I don't run with a watch anymore and there were no clocks on the course so it was right up my alley to just go out with my sister and enjoy a beautiful day with some exercise. It also helps that I definitely wasn't attempting a couch to half marathon. I have been exercising and staying active, just not training in the traditional sense and maybe that's what works for me. I know I'll race again but I'm not sure when or in what capacity. Right now I'm just trying to enjoy my life and not worry so much about what it's supposed to look like.</div>
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Rennayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04311238061247492025noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8636468361998586161.post-56447908189708569562016-03-11T09:47:00.002-05:002016-03-11T09:47:47.755-05:00Do You Even Lift?This will be a quick one. I've always heard the whole "if you don't blog/facebook/instagram about it, did it even happen?" thing so in my case, I've done essentially nothing for months. This is not true. You know how I go really long spans without blogging? Because sometimes life is better spent being lived than written about? Yeah, kind of the same with the whole exercise thing right now.<br />
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I started this post a loooooong time ago and am just getting around to finishing it so it's interesting that it's still so relevant. I'm currently training for the Eugene Half Marathon (which was originally going to be marathon #4) and doing Orangetheory once a week which is not exactly nothing. I've posted a few somewhat obligatory #gymselfie pics on instagram but in general I've just been doing my thing and not talking about it much.<br />
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I follow the instagrams of numerous athletes, almost all amateurs and really enjoy them so don't think I'm against sharing exercise. I think when it comes to me, I felt like I got stuck in a very one dimensional place. When you thought of me, you thought of running. And I thought that's what I wanted which it was until it wasn't. I have a lot of sides to me and being so known for just one side made me really uncomfortable for whatever reason. When I moved to Oregon (10 months ago, holy crap) the few people from Louisville who kept up with me or asked about me spoke almost exclusively in terms of fitness. "How are you liking the trails out there?" "Have you found a place for lap swimming?" "Which races do you have your eye on?" I mean, at least they were asking something, right? But you know me, I can never be fully satisfied and those questions just seemed really shallow to me. Nobody was asking about <i>me</i>, they were asking about <i>things</i>.<br />
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So even though I've continued working out since it is important and enjoyable to me, I haven't made it the big thing it used to be. I've gained weight that I'm working on losing again, I run faster some days than others and I've joined maybe 3 group runs in the entire time I've been here. Obviously a lot of that has to do with school being all consuming but now that it's almost over and my time has freed up I've been doing a lot of other things and trying to remember what's made me happy. Coloring has become a new fad and for the first time it's one I was already ahead of so that's been fun. I'm also reading again; albeit slowly I'm getting into books and in true form reading more than one at a time. And I'm cooking. Not huge things or anything terribly time consuming but I've made it a point to eat more veggies and have been cooking some up and throwing them into many meals which has me feeling pretty good.<br />
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In a nutshell, I hate being in a nutshell. I want all of my sides to show and to embrace my complexity. What about you? Do you feel like you're stuck in a shell? Or maybe you like being known as "the one who *insert whatever*?Rennayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04311238061247492025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8636468361998586161.post-2354513988054856722016-02-27T17:53:00.000-05:002016-02-27T18:00:19.949-05:00A Day in the Life of an ExternI'm currently on externship at a super cool cafe called <a href="http://www.romancandlebaking.com/" target="_blank">Roman Candle Baking Co</a>. in Southeast Portland.They're open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and on the baking side we make pastries and breads and since I've only been there for 2 weeks I'm sure there's a lot more we make that I haven't come across yet. My favorite things to do in school were bread and laminated dough (aka puff pastry aka delicious, flaky pastries like croissants) and luckily that's a lot of what they do at Roman Candle. Just for kicks, here's a little peek into what my days have looked like so far...<br />
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1<b>2:30 am</b><br />
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Wake up time! Alarm goes off and I get up, say goodnight to T who is usually going to bed around this time and get ready for the day. Do some stretches, nibble on something, brush my teeth and get my caffeine drip started. Really, I just start drinking Cherry Limeade <a href="http://www.nuun.com/products/nuun-energy" target="_blank">Nuun Energy</a>. By 1:20 am I'm on my way into the city.<br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BCKhkA_GAri/" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">I seriously love when the streets are totally empty just before 2 am. Too bad I have to wake up so early to see it... #lovewhatyoudo #lovewhereyoulive #portland #pdx #divisionstreet #cheflife #breadbaker #pnw #chefintraining #earlybird</a></div>
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A photo posted by Rennay Cooke Marshall (@rnay225) on <time datetime="2016-02-24T09:44:43+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Feb 24, 2016 at 1:44am PST</time></div>
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<b>1:45-1:50 am</b><br />
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Get to work, climb up to the loft to get my chef's coat (I can't believe they actually call them that and let me wear one) and apron and coats and aprons for whoever else is working with me that day. Bathroom, hand washing, all that stuff.<br />
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<b>2:00 am</b><br />
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Get to work! Pull the pre-ferments from the walk-in, grab a bowl for the dusting flour, turn on the small convection oven (someone else gets the deck pre-heated since I don't work with that oven yet) and start chopping dough for shaping. It's also somewhere during this hour that the laminates (think croissants and danish) go into the proofer.<br />
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<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="6" style="background: #fff; border-radius: 3px; border: 0; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0 , 0 , 0 , 0.5) , 0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0 , 0 , 0 , 0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 658px; padding: 0; width: 99.375%;">
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BB0X6MNmAo2/" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">Calm before the storm. I've never really experienced the feeling I have in the #kitchen by myself, especially in the morning at any other point in my life. For just a few minutes everything is calm and quiet and feels right. Then we kick the ovens on and bring on the noise and heat and shit really starts to feel good. Loving my #externship and new #career #cheflife #chefschool #chefintraining #ocisugarbaker #chefstagram #chefsofinstagram #womeninculinary #pastrychef #breadbaker</a></div>
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A photo posted by Rennay Cooke Marshall (@rnay225) on <time datetime="2016-02-15T19:17:04+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Feb 15, 2016 at 11:17am PST</time></div>
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<b>3:00-3:20 am</b><br />
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This is the goal time for having everything into the proofer. The day I was mostly on my own and trying to hit the time goal for the first time I had everything in by 3:30. A little late but not too far off. Once everything is in the proofer we start scaling and mixing for the next day. Slider dough, French bread, Grissini and Carta crackers, Tomato Basil bread and any special orders. Depending on what time the dough for the potato rolls went into the proofer, we will also pull theme out for dressing. The dough is de-gassed (i.e. patted down to push the air bubbles out), placed on a wet towel and then into the toppings. We do an onion potato roll, sesame potato roll and everything bun from this dough. Then back into the proofer.<br />
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<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="6" style="background: #fff; border-radius: 3px; border: 0; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0 , 0 , 0 , 0.5) , 0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0 , 0 , 0 , 0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 658px; padding: 0; width: 99.375%;">
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BB3Bzr8mAkU/" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">Proofing, proofing, proofing! #bread #Danish #croissant #sourdough #breadbaker #pastry #pastrychef #cheflife #chefschool #chefintraining #womeninculinary #chefstagram #chefsofinstagram #ocisugarbaker</a></div>
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A photo posted by Rennay Cooke Marshall (@rnay225) on <time datetime="2016-02-16T20:01:40+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Feb 16, 2016 at 12:01pm PST</time></div>
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<b>3:45 am</b><br />
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Turn on the Revent oven to preheat and check the laminates to see how they're proofing. Also check the doughs from the morning depending on when they went in to proof and stretch the Trapazini in the pans if needed.<br />
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<b>4:00 am</b><br />
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If not started earlier, breads start going into the ovens. I don't know what time the sourdoughs and ciabattas go into the deck oven but usually around this time the timers start going off and whoever is working with them is getting things going. Hopefully I'll get to learn more about them! This is also a good opportunity to do some cleaning so I sweep and do dishes for a little while.<br />
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<b>4:30 am</b><br />
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Jump over from the bread side to pastry and get the morning bake procedure started. Check the laminates again, if they are starting to proof too quickly or the butter is starting to get melty, pull them from the proofer and let them finish up at room temp. Check the list for the pastry numbers to see what needs to be made that morning. Into the walk in to grab scones, cookie doughs, pop tarts, and any other pastries for the day. Arrange and prep all the pastries so they can go into the small convection oven quickly. Throw everything that bakes at 330 degrees into the oven: ginger cookies, poptarts, and triple chocolate cookies. Set a 6 minute timer. Check the laminates again and egg wash them. Keep an eye on the bread team to see when a break will be to put the laminates into the Revent oven. Once the timer goes off, rotate the trays and set the oven for 5 more minutes. Scoop and top the muffin batter then pull the ginger cookies and poptarts. Set more time for the triple chocolates. Pull the quiche shells from the freezer and fill them with everything except the custard and put back into freezer. Pull the triple chocolate cookies and crank the oven temp to 350, let it preheat. Pull the quiche back out, fill the shells with custard and put them, the scones and muffins into the oven. Set a 12 minute timer. Dress and plate the torta ditas and hostess cupcakes and start frosting the poptarts. Once the timer goes off, rotate and set another timer, usually around 8 minutes. Sometimes the laminates are ready to go into the big Revent oven at this point so in they go for 20 minutes. Torch the poptart fluff and sprinkle the chocolate and hazelnut topping, put on the rack for retail. Pipe mascarpone filling into the ginger cookies and put them on the rack for retail. Pull the scones, quiche and muffins from the oven. Move the triple chocolate cookies to the retail rack. Once the scones, quiche and muffins have cooled, de-pan the muffins and quiche and move everything to the retail rack. When the laminates are finished, de-pan the kouign amann immediately and sprinkle with salt. De-pan the morning buns and Danish. Coat the morning buns with sugar and glaze the Danish then when everything is cooled, put them on the retail rack. And the morning bake is done!<br />
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<b>6:00 am</b><br />
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Somewhere around this time I finish up the morning bake and since I clean as I go there's no big clean up so I can jump back in with the bread team. The doughs for the next day's laminates are usually mixed by this time so I help out with stretching the dough into the pans and chilling it.<br />
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<b>6:30 am</b><br />
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Time to pre-shape the sourdoughs for the next day. We pre-shape most of them into rounds then let them rest for about an hour. The time all depends on how the dough feels that day and how many varieties we're doing.<br />
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<b>7:00 am</b><br />
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While we wait for the sours, we do some light cleaning and then prep the pre-ferments for the next day. We also restock and start putting the morning's breads out for retail and take the daily order to the restaurant next door. We also eat breakfast sometimes.<br />
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<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="6" style="background: #fff; border-radius: 3px; border: 0; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0 , 0 , 0 , 0.5) , 0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0 , 0 , 0 , 0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 658px; padding: 0; width: 99.375%;">
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BBv3ueDmAgy/" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">#Love at 6am. If you want fresh #bread when you get #breakfast thank the #bakers who were up early (or late) getting it ready for you #breadbaker #pastrychef #cheflife #chefintraining #chefsofinstagram #ocisugarbaker #romancandlebakingco #nofilter #chefstagram</a></div>
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A photo posted by Rennay Cooke Marshall (@rnay225) on <time datetime="2016-02-14T01:18:53+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Feb 13, 2016 at 5:18pm PST</time></div>
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<b>8:00 am</b><br />
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Final shaping of the sourdoughs then we put them into the retarder for the night.<br />
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<b>8:45 am</b><br />
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Deep clean for the end of the shift by the bread team. Sometimes I help them clean and then leave a little before 10, sometimes I jump back over to pastry and help do some mixing until 10. It just depends on how the day is going and how many people are there.<br />
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Once I'm finished, I head home, change and go to the gym (or outside to run) on Mondays and Tuesdays. Sometimes I need a nap, sometimes I don't. Then I just live life until I go to bed which can be anywhere between 5-6:30 pm.<br />
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So there's my life 4 days per week for the next 4-5 weeks. Pray for me.<br />
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<br />Rennayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04311238061247492025noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8636468361998586161.post-47715367183556872302016-02-15T08:00:00.000-05:002016-02-15T08:00:03.406-05:00#inbendI don't remember when it was that I heard about Bend, Oregon for the first time but whenever it was I instantly knew I needed to go there. I assume it was from a blog and probably from <a href="http://www.sweatonceaday.com/" target="_blank">Sweaty Emily</a> or <a href="http://sarahoual.com/" target="_blank">Sarah OUAL</a>. It wasn't very long ago that I heard about this magical place with it's mountain views and bright sunshine but when we moved to Oregon I set immediately to planning a trip to my homeland.<br />
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I really had no background on Bend and didn't know anything about it aside from the beautiful photos I'd seen on <a href="http://instagram.com/" target="_blank">insta</a> and beyond. We planned the trip for our anniversary weekend and I high fived myself again for planning a September wedding date because the weather is pretty much perfect everywhere that time of year with central Oregon being no exception. It's about a 3 hour drive from Portland to Bend but you get off the highway around Salem (roughly 40 miles south) and ride on a mostly 2 lane road the rest of the way. The weather switched regularly between clouds, sun and drizzle as we drove but no amount of weather could make the views any less spectacular.<br />
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I'd never used <a href="https://www.airbnb.com/" target="_blank">Airbnb</a> before so I was pretty nervous but Marilyn (the owner) was really responsive beforehand and ended up being a great person to work with. The place we were staying was an attachment she'd built onto her home but with a private entrance, small yard, 2 locking bedrooms with private bathrooms and a shared kitchen space. Nobody had rented the other private room which was actually kind of nice but she still ensured our privacy and made sure we had keys to lock up as we saw fit. </div>
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Her house was within walking distance to a big shopping and food area right on the Deschutes River. She gave us some recommendations and let us know her whereabouts over the next couple of days in case we needed her. <a href="https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/7601116?eluid=2&euid=8fed8498-2677-ca33-113f-940b11a2d3e8" target="_blank">Here's a link to her rental</a> in case you're interested in heading out. I'd highly recommend her!</div>
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Because T really values relaxation, he made a few calls and managed to get us a massage booked within walking distance a couple of hours after we got into town. The massages were amazing and the location was right in the middle of everything so we got some food at a Mexican restaurant and had quite literally the best tableside guacamole I've ever had. For the life of me I can't remember the name of the place but I remember exactly where it was and we made a point to go there for guac more than once. </div>
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We made sure to be out and about as much as we could during the day and I insisted on visiting the home of <a href="http://www.atlascider.com/" target="_blank">Atlas Cider Co.</a> which happens to brew THE BEST cider possibly on earth. We also drove out to Mt. Bachelor and took nice long walks around the Deschutes while really trendy Oregonians utilized their SUPs and kayaks. </div>
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Eventually the time came when we had to tell Bend to put her top back on and quit showing off. The show was over and we had to head home. We stopped off to check out the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Sisters_%28Oregon%29" target="_blank">Three Sisters</a> on the ride home and then continued to pout until...maybe last week or so. I loved Bend and can't wait to go back. It's a beautiful area!</div>
<br />Rennayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04311238061247492025noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8636468361998586161.post-77054701393552772102016-02-12T16:28:00.002-05:002016-02-12T17:04:30.215-05:00Welcome BackMan oh man has moving west changed my life for the better. I moved out here planning to find a nonprofit or public relations job, make a nice little salary and settle into my 9-5 and hellishly long commutes from the burbs to the city.<br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BAYJXwFGAs7/" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">Such a pretty day today! #mthood #pdx #portland #pnw #lovewhereyoulive #nofilter #oregon</a></div>
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A photo posted by Rennay Cooke Marshall (@rnay225) on <time datetime="2016-01-10T23:39:54+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Jan 10, 2016 at 3:39pm PST</time></div>
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Life has a way of saying no to your best laid plans.<br />
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I started out working from home for a database company based in Louisville and did a pretty good job of getting up early, getting dressed and settling into a work day. The summer was absurdly hot and since the majority of Oregonians (especially in apartments) don't have ac it made for some really miserable work days. I tried not to turn on the TV much while I was working and for a while we didn't have cable so that was pretty easy but database work isn't always the most exciting so I gave in every now and then. Every single time I turned on the TV I saw the same commercial for the <a href="http://www.oregonculinaryinstitute.com/baking-and-pastry" target="_blank">Baking and Pastry</a> program at <a href="http://www.oregonculinaryinstitute.com/" target="_blank">Oregon Culinary Institute</a>. Long story short, one day I decided to go there and see about becoming a pastry chef. A day or so later, I was registered for the July 29th start date.<br />
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A photo posted by Rennay Cooke Marshall (@rnay225) on <time datetime="2015-06-18T00:37:02+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Jun 17, 2015 at 5:37pm PDT</time></div>
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I could go on and on about what an experience it has been, what each and every class was like, the dozens of formulas and procedures I had to work through and how many cuts and burns I had to suffer through but I'll spare you for now. In a nutshell (and I'm ironically eating from a container of mixed nuts...) school was/has been incredibly difficult and even though I am praying for time to speed up so that I can be completely finished (I've finished all of my classes and am now on my 240 hour externship at an Italian bakery/restaurant downtown) I wouldn't trade the experience for the world. Hopefully now that my days no longer look like this:<br />
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4:00 am - Wake Up<br />
4:45 am - Leave for work<br />
5:20 am - Start working<br />
11:30 am - Get home from work<br />
12:00 pm - Wake up from nap, eat and change into school uniform. Also wash off the dough bits and debris that somehow make it all the way to my elbows over the sink since there's no time for a shower<br />
12:30 pm - Leave for school<br />
1:00 pm - Into the kitchen at school<br />
6:00 pm - Break for snack before classroom and kitchen demo for the next day<br />
8:45 pm - Home from school<br />
9:00 pm - Eat then shower and probably fall asleep<br />
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I'll be able to blog more regularly. I'd forgotten how much I missed writing (and reading, and running) and I'm hopeful to add it back in as a regular part of my life.<br />
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<br />Rennayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04311238061247492025noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8636468361998586161.post-10018359402049838212015-06-22T14:38:00.000-04:002015-06-22T14:44:08.017-04:00WeekendersFor the past couple of years I've dreamed of becoming a weekender, aka those people who seem like they have plans or do something fun every weekend. Ladies and gentlemen, I think I'm doing well so far.<br />
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Working from home has its benefits for sure but a huge downfall is a lack of interaction with the outside world. If I wanted to I could quite literally never use my car all week. In fact, I could get by with only leaving the house to walk the dog and maybe get the mail. But even for as introverted and socially weird I am I still can't live like that so I make it a point to go out most days. But weekends are another story. I finally have The Colonel home to talk to me AND there's always something to do around here.<br />
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Saturday was the lazier of our days. The Colonel hurt his foot a little in kickboxing so we kept it low key. He slept late and I got up at my normal time, walked the dog then cuddled on the couch with my book for a few hours. Love. Then we went to a matinee showing of Jurassic World 3D because cheapo here refuses to pay $16 to see a movie. It was actually pretty good. I know most people were stoked about it and looking forward to it but I didn't really care. I was pleasantly surprised though and afterwards it was still early so we headed out to the <a href="http://www.fs.usda.gov/crgnsa" target="_blank">Columbia River Gorge</a>...again. This time I just wanted to drive the scenic highway and you know...see the scenes. The unexpected surprise were the waterfalls! We drove past 3 waterfalls and since it wasn't really peak visiting time, were able to park and get out to take some pics at 2 of them. The famous <a href="http://www.oregon.com/attractions/multnomah_falls" target="_blank">Multnomah Falls</a> area was still packed so we skipped trying to get another pic of it.<br />
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Sunday we'd planned to drive out to the coast and by planned I mean Saturday night we said "Oh! We should go to the coast tomorrow!" <a href="http://www.cannonbeach.org/" target="_blank">Cannon Beach</a> is about an hour and a half away and you get to drive on this gorgeous windy little road most of the way to the Pacific Coast Highway. The change in landscape is stunning as you go from actual strawberry fields to green green green natural forests to sad looking, depleted logging areas to the freaking beach and Pacific Ocean. All that fun in 86 miles. What a cool state. Anyway, Cannon Beach is the first of 9 or 10 beach towns to check out and I think it's one of the more popular ones too. Aside from being super cute it's also one of the few dog friendly beaches which I have mixed feelings about (Don't kill me dog lovers). We didn't bring our noble steed because she doesn't love other dogs lately and hates water and it was nice to have a relaxing time with nobody to look after. Once we finally found a place to park we walked towards the ocean hoping by magic we'd figure out how to get there. There weren't any noticeable signs telling you where the public beach areas were but we followed some random people and walked through a resort type area and found it just fine. The <a href="http://visittheoregoncoast.com/" target="_blank">Oregon Coast</a> isn't really your typical beach since it's in the Northwest and not the Southeast or Puerto Rico like I'm used to so for starters, <b>it's not hot!</b> Dream come true. It's also normally cloudy I've heard and sometimes foggy/misty. You know, my dream. But we somehow managed a pretty perfect day and had blue skies, sunshine and temps in the 60s. Since we were expecting something different I was unprepared to actually go in the water or anything but couldn't resist the urge. 2 steps in and holy crap is the Pacific cold! I played in it for a bit then we walked over to some of the big rocks and checked out where the puffins nest in the spring and where the seagulls were currently nesting.<br />
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Later in the afternoon the clouds and fog started to roll in but it still seemed pretty bright. We walked around and checked out the little shops before stopping for lunch. I actually managed to find and finish 2 whole beers that I actually enjoyed. Shocking! Blackberry Beauty and a guest cider from <a href="http://www.atlascider.com/" target="_blank">Atlas Cider Company</a> in Bend. Our next long weekend may need to be spent #inbend.<br />
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All in all, very successful 2 days of weekending. Learned a lot about Oregon and about how awesome our new location is within the state. Also, we didn't die in a tsunami.<br />
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<br />Rennayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04311238061247492025noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8636468361998586161.post-30571449632335762292015-06-18T21:08:00.000-04:002015-06-18T21:08:01.480-04:00Currently...I've been wanting to write a blog for quite a while but was waiting until I was in a great mood so it would be upbeat and fun! Unfortunately the times that I'm in a great mood are when I'm not anywhere near a computer or device and walking along some tree lined path/finding rivers/staring at mountains and incredible scenery while driving somewhere. In short, the Northwest is incredible and I absolutely love living here. BUT location alone doesn't change your entire life (although it seems like it would) so I'm still battling my regular issues of career, my ever changing mood and finances as we work on the moving rebound. Living far away is hard. It's kind of like I died. I don't yet have a busy enough life to distract myself in the day to day so not getting texts or calls or messages from my friends back east makes me feel lonely.<br />
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The show must go on and I'm sure you are absolutely <i>dying </i>to know what I'm doing right now so thanks to Pinterest I have a lovely set of blog post prompts to fill you in.<br />
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Currently...<br />
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<li><b>Listening: </b>to the many fans in our apartment. Air conditioning is not common in Oregon apartments (who knew?) so we have 5 or 6 fans all going in different directions and at different speeds. They're surprisingly effective.</li>
<li><b>Eating: </b>Nothing! This needs to change stat because it's basically dinnertime! Since we've been here I've been eating tons of oranges though.</li>
<li><b>Drinking: </b>Water. Lots of water. My swimming stuff finally got here yesterday (the last of the boxes has arrived!) and I got so excited I threw on my suit an ran out the door to the pool. And I swam hard and then easy and then floated around and then swam hard again and after way too long realized I was exhausted because I'm out of shape and THIRSTY. And so today I'm still thirsty. Hydration station y'all.</li>
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<a href="https://instagram.com/p/4DFizlGAkA/" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_top">A photo posted by Rennay Cooke Marshall (@rnay225)</a> on <time datetime="2015-06-17T23:11:15+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Jun 17, 2015 at 4:11pm PDT</time></div>
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<li><b>Wearing: </b>Shorts and a tank</li>
<li><b>Feeling: </b>Hungry, a little bit lonely, and a little sleepy</li>
<li><b>Reading: </b>The Silent Wife. I randomly found this book when I was in Tucson with my sister a couple weeks ago and dragged her into a used book store. It was on the featured table and I don't really read a ton of fiction but it caught my eye. Instead of spending the $4 on it (cheapo) I came home and downloaded the ebook from the library. I've got 19 days and 200 pages left so I'm confident I'll get it done. I have If You Have to Cry, Go Outside on the back burner until this one is done.</li>
<li><b>Wanting: </b>A steady income. My current remote position isn't working out at all like it was supposed to and has really put a hurting on the wallet.</li>
<li><b>Needing: </b>To get my ass up and go to the grocery store! </li>
<li><b>Thinking: </b>About everything since I have that whole overactive brain thing happening. New blog posts, what to do with my life (per usual), what to eat...etc. etc. etc.</li>
<li><b>Enjoying: </b>Being lazy. I'm actually back to working out regularly again which makes the downtime feel so much better. A lot of things are up in the air right now and with the constant stress it feels good when I just ignore it all for a few minutes and do nothing.</li>
<li><b>Anticipating: </b>the weekend! Working from home makes me feel kinda like a desperate housewife so I look forward to weekends when I have someone to talk to all day.</li>
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<a href="https://instagram.com/p/37LOBIGAvi/" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_top">Lovely day for my first #Portland beer festival! #beerfest #fruitbeerfest #PDX #LoveWhereYouLive</a></div>
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A photo posted by Rennay Cooke Marshall (@rnay225) on <time datetime="2015-06-14T21:26:55+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Jun 14, 2015 at 2:26pm PDT</time></div>
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<b><i>What are you up to? Do you want to text me?</i></b></div>
Rennayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04311238061247492025noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8636468361998586161.post-31876652366348237702015-05-22T16:15:00.000-04:002015-05-22T16:15:04.121-04:00First ImpressionsWell hello there from your friendly neighborhood Oregonian! I think that's what people in Oregon are called. I may need to confirm that or wait until someone says it so I know without having to ask.<br />
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Anyway, thought now would be a good time to pop in and let you know that I'm alive and well and have been living in Oregon for about a week now. I'm sure some of you think you're interested in a recap of the road trip but trust me, you're not. It was quite long and quite boring. I'm not one who loves a road trip anyway so loading me up for 5 days wasn't exactly thrilling. Here's a quick rundown for you though, just in case you don't believe it happened:<br />
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Day 1: Louisville to Kansas City<br />
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We'd hardly crossed into Indiana before I started crying but luckily it didn't last long. It took forever for us to leave and starting out 3 hours behind wasn't exactly how I wanted to begin the journey but it really wasn't a big deal. We made it to the hotel in KC with no problems and hit the hay.<br />
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Day 2: Kansas City to Cheyenne<br />
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This was the longest travel day and I was thoroughly dreading it. The night before I tried really hard to reign in my mental process and get in a good frame of mind. No use bitching or being grumpy about it because it was going to happen. It had to. The only thing that made it terrible was driving through Nebraska. No offense to Nebraskans (????) but the state is so incredibly boring. We entered eastern Wyoming only to find...well, more of the same. Once again, no troubles with check in or travel in general and made it to the hotel nicely. I can't quite remember if we'd entered mountain time or not by then but our schedule was already jacked up and sleeping was welcome...although my anxiety was killing me and I hardly slept a wink the whole time we were traveling.<br />
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A photo posted by Rennay Cooke Marshall (@rnay225) on <time datetime="2015-05-12T18:14:44+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">May 12, 2015 at 11:14am PDT</time></div>
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Day 3: Cheyenne to Salt Lake City<br />
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I was really looking forward to this day mainly because it was about 3 hours shorter than the day before and I've always wanted to see Salt Lake City. Western Wyoming got a lot better looking and Utah surely didn't disappoint. I'll have to make it back to Utah for an extended stay some time.<br />
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A photo posted by Rennay Cooke Marshall (@rnay225) on <time datetime="2015-05-13T20:24:00+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">May 13, 2015 at 1:24pm PDT</time></div>
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<a href="https://instagram.com/p/2o3f9VmAmy/" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_top">#Utah rocks! #oregontrail #ussie #marshallsmovewest #byebyeky</a></div>
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A photo posted by Rennay Cooke Marshall (@rnay225) on <time datetime="2015-05-13T22:16:53+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">May 13, 2015 at 3:16pm PDT</time></div>
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I was pretty busy geeking out over seeing snowcapped mountains from the hotel to bother taking pictures. The pictures didn't do justice anyway. As I like to say, sometimes life is better being lived than photographed. Or something.<br />
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Day 4: Salt Lake City to Baker City<br />
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Another shorter driving day which was good. We were also going to enter Oregon so I was mega pumped about that and hoping to get some good scenery. Utah kept putting on a show for us and Idaho tried to counter but it was just ok. We kept getting gas because we'd heard there were big stretches of nothingness between Utah and Oregon which was true. But they weren't really more than 100 miles apart and The Colonel's car gets like 450+ miles per tank so we were a little overly cautious.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeSWIoNvaPbNA4kO6VRdjHkiRX650xlSPRQvPqrBHILchijj3lzqv9ovI6JiYs-l8ADk5S8Elqrn6uWut_Up_ltmCcYoC54xr6QKXgzs3c-KkgvJ5T1B6AwnSp-ly7GOBHCrhQ8VPqswMH/s1600/idaho.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeSWIoNvaPbNA4kO6VRdjHkiRX650xlSPRQvPqrBHILchijj3lzqv9ovI6JiYs-l8ADk5S8Elqrn6uWut_Up_ltmCcYoC54xr6QKXgzs3c-KkgvJ5T1B6AwnSp-ly7GOBHCrhQ8VPqswMH/s400/idaho.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://instagram.com/p/2rOLu4GAqd/" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_top">#Boise will now be known as the city with the best gas station #strawberries in the country. Not that I make a habit of getting fruit in a gas station... #oregontrail #marshallsmovewest #byebyeky #Idaho</a></div>
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A photo posted by Rennay Cooke Marshall (@rnay225) on <time datetime="2015-05-14T20:13:35+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">May 14, 2015 at 1:13pm PDT</time></div>
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<a href="https://instagram.com/p/2rUkStmAl-/" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_top">Finally!!! 374 miles to #Portland! But that's not until tomorrow. #oregontrail #marshallsmovewest #byebyeky #PDX #Oregon</a></div>
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A photo posted by Rennay Cooke Marshall (@rnay225) on <time datetime="2015-05-14T21:09:22+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">May 14, 2015 at 2:09pm PDT</time></div>
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Day 5: Baker City to Portland (Tualatin)<br />
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The last day was just under 5 hours and we were soooo pumped. It was tempting to just tack it on to the day before but we would've killed each other and our apartment wasn't ready until Friday anyway. We planned to sleep in a little but finally being in the Pacific timezone with Eastern time bodies we were up pretty early and just decided to leave. The day before we'd had the same problem and ended up needing to kill about a half hour since we were due to get to the hotel before check in. Oregon is a beauty and I totally see why people gush about it. We drove through wine country, the Cascades and the Columbia River Gorge and I just couldn't even. I took pics but my retinas do a better job than retinal display. We got to our apartment around 2 pm and since we sold all of our stuff unpacking was a breeze! It was great to get out of the car and finally have a new home! We were also super lucky with the apartment because it's really cute and I like it a lot! Definitely could go 50/50 with the whole renting sight unseen thing.<br />
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<a href="https://instagram.com/p/2tUNxPGAgM/" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_top">You. Guys. I'm in love. #Oregon #oregontrail #marshallsmovewest #byebyeky #nofilter</a></div>
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A photo posted by Rennay Cooke Marshall (@rnay225) on <time datetime="2015-05-15T15:44:46+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">May 15, 2015 at 8:44am PDT</time></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2_2b7RF7lq_ch84o7eGuQSVvsMDXysGNdUORO6UeqxZIYtK5UhuxLu35CkH4S5_3kMD4P6etmGhcVF-Jdp2LO-5RQcnnNCZp8odeE35g10BUzTPEyVC0VMqsLIc49gswsJA_34ytpWv0Z/s1600/baker+city.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2_2b7RF7lq_ch84o7eGuQSVvsMDXysGNdUORO6UeqxZIYtK5UhuxLu35CkH4S5_3kMD4P6etmGhcVF-Jdp2LO-5RQcnnNCZp8odeE35g10BUzTPEyVC0VMqsLIc49gswsJA_34ytpWv0Z/s400/baker+city.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://instagram.com/p/2tjmFEGAsp/" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_top">Just stop it #Oregon. Now you're just showing off. Oh, hi #Washington. I see you too across the river. #oregontrail #marshallsmovewest #byebyeky #nofilter</a></div>
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A photo posted by Rennay Cooke Marshall (@rnay225) on <time datetime="2015-05-15T17:59:10+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">May 15, 2015 at 10:59am PDT</time></div>
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<a href="https://instagram.com/p/2tm1WfGAjA/" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_top">Peek a boo! #MtHood is that you? #oregontrail #marshallsmovewest #byebyeky</a></div>
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A photo posted by Rennay Cooke Marshall (@rnay225) on <time datetime="2015-05-15T18:27:28+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">May 15, 2015 at 11:27am PDT</time></div>
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And now we're here. I've been making sure to work for at least a couple of hours everyday but it's actually been pretty crazy trying to get life in order. We have a couch that was delivered the day after we got into town and our bed is coming today. The pets adjusted pretty quickly and I've been taking Armani for walks every morning just because I can and because the weather is <i>amazing. </i>We also got our wifi hooked up and despite a minor snafu with my car, everything has gone really smoothly which I couldn't be happier about.<br />
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<a href="https://instagram.com/p/2wCveamAvD/" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_top">Perfect morning walk to the park less than a mile from the new place. Loving it here already! #marshallsmovewest #Oregon #Tualatin #LoveWhereYouLive #PDX</a></div>
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A photo posted by Rennay Cooke Marshall (@rnay225) on <time datetime="2015-05-16T17:09:48+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">May 16, 2015 at 10:09am PDT</time></div>
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Today has been a tough day actually. I think finally slowing down has let it soak in that my family and friends are all really far away. We have 2 weddings to go to "back east" (yes, I'll start saying things like that now to refer to anything east of the Rockies) and I realized just how far away we are when searching for flights this morning. It's also Memorial Day weekend so hearing about it is reminding me that I'll have no one (other than The Colonel of course) to get together with and that's hard to swallow. I also haven't really heard from most of my friends. Very few texts and not much more than a Facebook like here and there. It's just a reminder of how permanent the distance is. But I did go back to Orangetheory Fitness and had a good workout yesterday and met a couple of people so I know it won't be long before I make some friends here and start to feel more comfortable and like I have a life. So to all those in a different timezone, you can still text me! I'm here!<br />
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Also, and most importantly, I think it's time to change the name of the ol' blog. What should I change it to?? Help!Rennayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04311238061247492025noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8636468361998586161.post-7923110907874325972015-04-29T11:19:00.000-04:002015-04-29T11:55:46.322-04:00Driving the Oregon TrailWe are driving all the way to Oregon so there's definitely planning that has to go into such a trip. We have to make sure we buy enough ammunition, spare wagon parts and clothing at the general store which can be hard on a carpenter's salary. We have to stop and talk to people to get their opinion on what we're doing and how we're doing it and most of all, we have to ready the oxen.<br />
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Oh wait, sorry, we're taking the trail for real by car, not on pix-elated computer screens by wagon. My mistake.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCLBgGsx782q3e82L7VxlMGrW6VbhTVcObrGAh3u2kUeyZURCfWHX-vqznqRYMMVK2uV8hYX4nJfR1X-L4LYJ3qoWZtitH6spHaho2btmOEb__0VVTKmtxuUuXT5AMu9ficgfBgKfvgrNY/s1600/oregontrail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCLBgGsx782q3e82L7VxlMGrW6VbhTVcObrGAh3u2kUeyZURCfWHX-vqznqRYMMVK2uV8hYX4nJfR1X-L4LYJ3qoWZtitH6spHaho2btmOEb__0VVTKmtxuUuXT5AMu9ficgfBgKfvgrNY/s1600/oregontrail.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://t.fod4.com/t/d87f6ba752/c480x270_60.jpg" target="_blank">via</a><br />
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I'll probably never stop making Oregon Trail jokes so you should just go ahead and accept that. The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oregon_Trail" target="_blank">original OT</a> traveled from Independence, MO (where I almost booked our Day 1 hotel just for kicks) to Oregon City, OR. Our fair city of Tualatin lies just 11 miles west of Oregon City so we're going a bit further than the true OT but we're also in a car and not a wagon so I think we'll make it like the true explorers we are.<br />
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And there's your geography lesson for the day.<br />
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Recall this little image:<br />
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<a href="https://instagram.com/p/1mKj7nGAse/" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_top">It's official! We are driving the real live #oregontrail and moving to Portland! #adventure #PDX #PNW #roadtrip</a></div>
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A photo posted by Rennay Cooke Marshall (@rnay225) on <time datetime="2015-04-18T00:34:20+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Apr 17, 2015 at 5:34pm PDT</time></div>
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We have a lot of ground to cover so like the planner that I am, I signed up to handle logistics. I had a few things to keep in mind like how many hours can I and the pets comfortably travel (The Colonel loves to drive so he doesn't count), how many miles will that equate to per day, where are there actual cities to stay the night in within those limitations (Nebraska is not known as a bustling metropolis), are the hotels pet friendly, oh yeah, how much does it cost?<br />
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That may sound like a lot but I love a good plan and got right to work. I decided we'd like to travel for around 8 hours per day so I didn't go crazy and my cats didn't pee themselves. It turns out only 1 day will be a bit longer than that which I'm counting in the win column. In looking at hotels, I found that the most affordable, well rated by <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.com/" target="_blank">TripAdvisor</a> and pet friendly ones all fell under the <a href="https://www.wyndhamrewards.com/trec/consumer/home.action" target="_blank">Wyndham Group</a> of hotels. I contacted the company to see about discounts and although they weren't jumping at the opportunity to give me free stays, they signed me up for the rewards program and pointed me to rates where I can stay in budget and earn extra points towards future free stays. An added bonus of the hotels I chose is free breakfast. That's a must for people like us and will allow us to save money on the first meal of the day, eat well so we aren't starved after only a couple hours on the road and stock up on "free" fruit and other snack food for the ride. #clutch.<br />
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Now for the big unveiling. Here's the travel plan I've come up with:<br />
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<b>Day 1:</b> 7 hours 27 minutes and 513 miles from Louisville, KY to Kansas City, MO<br />
<b>Day 2:</b> 9 hours 29 minutes and 648 miles from Kansas City, MO to Cheyenne, WY (remember what I said about Nebraska? We won't be stopping there unless we see something super awesome like the World's Largest Rubberband Ball)<br />
<b>Day 3:</b> 6 hours 30 minutes and 443 miles from Cheyenne, WY to Salt Lake City, UT.<br />
I thought we'd need a shorter day after nearly 10 hours the day before and I've always wanted to see SLC.<br />
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<a href="http://bookofmormonbroadway.com/tickets" target="_blank">Book of Mormon</a> anyone?<br />
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<b>Day 4:</b> 6 hours 40 minutes and 468 miles from Salt Lake City, UT to Baker City, OR.<br />
Funny story about deciding on Baker City. Boise is only 4-5 hours from SLC and we wanted a longer leg than that. Eastern Oregon isn't crawling with cities so it was between Baker City, La Grande or Pendleton. Of the 3, Baker City is the only one that had a single hotel that allowed cats. And seriously, it's just 1 hotel. The other pet friendlies in the area are weirdly dog only to the point they even write ABSOLUTELY no cats. Um, alright...<br />
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<b>Day 5:</b> 4 hours 57 minutes and 313 miles to our new home in Tualatin! This is also our move in day so we'll be able to get there and get our keys right away so no more hotel stays! Also, no more beds...because we won't have one. But that's another story.<br />
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So what do you think? Did I miss anything?<br />
<script async="" defer="" src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script>Rennayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04311238061247492025noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8636468361998586161.post-6844412398016265252015-04-28T10:02:00.002-04:002015-04-28T10:02:39.320-04:00What About Your Stuff?Let's take the emotions down a notch from my <a href="http://rnay225.blogspot.com/2015/04/why-i-hate-ironman.html" target="_blank">last post</a> and get back to that moving across the country thing.<br />
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As of last night we're officially not homeless! Hooray! We got the approval for an apartment in a fun little town called Tualatin which is a few miles southwest of Portland, aka the 'burbs. The apartment is within walking distance of lots of stores (including a grocery store and farmer's market, top priority obvs) and is centrally located to a lap swimming pool, 3 (count em, THREE) parks and 2 hot yoga studios. I'm pretty pumped to say the least.</div>
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But back to the moving thing.</div>
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The easiest way to move your stuff across the country is to not have a lot of stuff to move across the country. Seriously. Read any moving blog or website or whatever and they will tell you to sell your shit. Or donate it, or whatever you have to do to get rid of it because hauling it all is expensive and the farther you go the more expensive it is. I can't remember which of the many moving tips posts it was, but I really liked their idea of the 2 year test. Look at what you're considering taking with you and if it's something you will probably replace in 2 years or less (whether or not you were planning to move) toss it. The Colonel and I have crappy furniture. It's not terrible but it's still early 20s stuff that was all bought from some kind of discount/clearance store which we were hoping to upgrade anyway once we became adults. We clearly aren't adults yet but what better way to give yourself the push to grow up than by trying to do a hugely expensive thing on a budget?</div>
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Whatever won't fit in our cars or in a box to ship is getting a new home. And speaking of cars, we have 2 of them that both need to get to a new home. Driving 2 cars means filling up 2 cars and since we aren't in a Prius and a Tesla that will cost money. We calculated the costs and decided to ship one car and drive the other. Aside from me being a snot and not wanting the miles on my car, we decided to ship mine because it's an SUV and can fit a lot more stuff than The Colonel's sedan. Why does this matter? Because another fun money saving tip is to load the shipped car to the brim with your stuff and kill 2 birds with 1 stone. *tip: make sure the company shipping your car will allow that. Some companies require additional insurance or have guidelines regarding what type and how much of your personal belongings can tag along for free.</div>
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We also got a few big moving boxes to send things like blankets, winter coats, sweaters, movies, books and wedding dresses (ok, there's just one) the old fashioned way. Those things tend to take up a lot of space since they're so bulky but aside from books they're pretty light which makes shipping them pretty inexpensive. It also helps we're moving in May so we don't immediately need winter wear and blankets.</div>
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If at all possible, sell your stuff. I'm a big fan of donation (hello nonprofit employee) but there is that small matter of arriving in your new home with no furniture and potentially no money to buy new stuff. Also, if you're moving to an apartment, see what amenities they already have. Most apartments have some version of overhead lighting so lamps may not be necessary and check out the appliance situation. Is a microwave built in? Washer and dryer hook ups alone or will you have the actual units? Knowing this information will keep you from dragging along extra items for no real reason.</div>
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Renting remotely is hard by the way so don't get discouraged <strike>like me</strike> and stay positive. Explore all of your options and make a plan B in case you get out there and are in fact homeless. Find someone you trust and who likes you a lot to hold onto those boxes you plan to ship until you have an address. Pester the crap out of your potential landlord. Yes, it is probably annoying for them but if they can keep their cool and help you during an incredibly stressful time, they'll probably do the same if you have a major disaster (i.e. your basement floods 2 feet and ruins your dryer and furnace and leaves the floor covered in smelly mud...not that anything like that has ever happened to me). That is the kind of landlord you want. Ask for pictures and video if you can. Clarify EVERYTHING and make a list of all of your questions. Some people place a lot of emphasis on reviews and I read them but don't necessarily take them to heart. In my experience, people one write reviews when they're really angry or really happy. Otherwise, they don't waste their time. </div>
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So there's where we are now. I have 8 work days left, will be on the road in 13 and *hopefully* in the PDX in a mere 18! Time sure is flying!Rennayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04311238061247492025noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8636468361998586161.post-36204969649533643492015-04-26T21:34:00.000-04:002015-04-26T21:34:39.751-04:00Why I Hate the IronmanI figure it's about time to put this out there and I'm pretty sure if you know me really well, you won't be surprised by any of what I have to say.<br />
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I've been having a lot of issues lately. I've been working hard with my counselor to determine who I really am and what brings me true joy in life and it's been surprising, frustrating, difficult, fun, exhausting, enlightening, exciting and hard....to sum it up in a few words.<br />
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I spent some time in Puerto Rico back in March and finally got back into doing some writing while I was out there. It wasn't anything long and certainly not anything particularly newsworthy but it made me feel good. I enjoy writing. When I was young I used to write short fiction stories on my mom's computer whenever I had free time and though a lot of them remained unfinished, they were always fun for me and surprisingly effortless to compose. Blogging has never quite been the same as my true writing and I've been working hard to figure out why. I read a lot of my old posts from the past couple of years and once I stopped trying to fight my brain to figure out what I didn't like I figured it out.<br />
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It was glaringly obvious.<br />
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The last day in Puerto Rico, I wrote a lot. Probably the most profound thing I put on paper was this, "Sometimes I feel like I'm living in a hell of my own making." I listen to a daily "motivational" podcast called The Daily Boost (check it out if you can use 9 minutes of "motivation" during the week) and he says a lot of things that stick with me. Lately I've been stuck on an episode where he said "What if what you think you want isn't what you really want."<br />
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Holy Shit. Mind Blown.<br />
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(I promise this is all about to come together)<br />
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In my <a href="http://rnay225.blogspot.com/2015/04/logistics-of-2300-mile-move.html" target="_blank">last post</a> I whined about how nobody was asking me anything about my big move across the country. And I wasn't being entirely honest about that. People are asking me questions, or rather <i>one</i> question. <b><i>What about the Ironman?</i></b><br />
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The first time I got this question I rolled my eyes and ignored the text. The second time I logged off of Facebook (which has become more and more common for me these days) and quit answering messages for a while. The more I thought about it, the angrier I got. These people are all wonderful people and I don't mean to come off as a total asshole but what was incredibly frustrating and actually hurtful for me was that nobody was asking about <i>me</i>. When I sat down to think more about it I had a lightbulb moment and realized they were asking about my next big race because I'd trained them to. I have turned myself into nothing but races and fitness goals and athletic achievements. My entire self worth, all self esteem and emotional being is tied to what event I have coming up.<br />
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Training took over my life. And not in a good way.<br />
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As embarrassing as it is, I will confess that it has been at least a year since I've truly sat down and just read a book. I have more unfinished writing pieces than I care to count, and they're really good pieces that deserve to be finished. I can't tell you the last hot yoga class I took (yes, I know this is technically still fitness but it's quite mental for me too). I hardly bake anymore and only cook what's fast and healthy regardless of how good it tastes. I don't just lay on the floor and play with my dog. The Colonel and I don't sit and play cards while listening to music like we used to because I never have time.<br />
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<b>Bottom line: I don't do any of the things I enjoy. </b><br />
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You probably know that I'm obsessed with the Canadian tv show <a href="http://tv.esquire.com/shows/boundless" target="_blank">Boundless</a>. One of the stars of the show, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/paulturbotrebilcock" target="_blank">Turbo</a>, brilliantly says during a particularly awful and grueling event "If it's not fun, why do it?" I've really been trying to focus on that and I'm realizing that most of my life is full of things I force myself to do for no real reason at all.<br />
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Case in point, Ironman Louisville. When training for endurance events (or I guess anything) gets hard and generally unpleasant you have to talk yourself through it and as I and a bunch of other people like to say "remember your why". Why the hell are you doing this? When I was running along in my solo 20 miler before my <a href="http://rnay225.blogspot.com/2014/10/indianapolis-marathon-race-report.html" target="_blank">last marathon</a> I didn't have to ask myself why I was out there until probably somewhere after mile 18 (a good sign!). I had that ever so popular thought of <i>Jesus Christ what the hell am I doing to myself out here? </i>I marathon because it's fun for me. I don't know why and I don't especially care but I genuinely enjoy it. Even during the race when after mile 15 I couldn't keep down a single solid and after mile 26 watched as my goal time slipped out of my hands I was having fun. I wasn't worrying about anything in particular, I wasn't even thinking about anything. I was just being grateful. For my surroundings, for my body, for my life.<br />
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When I hop onto my detested bike (I like Dottie, I just don't care to spend hours on end with her...) I immediately have to remember my why. But through some soul searching and deep convos with my counselor I learned that my Iron-why wasn't actually a legitimate why. I signed up for Ironman to be proud of myself. I wanted an accomplishment that was so big I could never doubt myself again or feel down about myself. If I finished an Ironman, I wouldn't be myself anymore. I'd be someone better.<br />
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But here's the thing. I should already be proud of myself. I have accomplishments, some that are quite big. Why do I need to finish something "even bigger"? If I'm not proud of any of my <a href="http://rnay225.blogspot.com/2013/10/louisville-dream-factory-marathon-race.html" target="_blank">marathons</a>, of <a href="http://rnay225.blogspot.com/2012/08/go-girl-sprint-triathlon-recap.html" target="_blank">my first triathlon</a>, of learning to ride a bike, of losing 60 pounds, of graduating college in 4 years with honors, of not marrying an asshole, of <a href="http://rnay225.blogspot.com/2014/07/in-case-you-missed-it.html" target="_blank">becoming a certified trainer</a> or of anything else I've ever done, why oh why do I think Ironman will be any different? The issue is with me, with my own self and my own brain and no amount of physical punishment (yes, to some degree endurance sports can be defined as punishment) is going to change that. In my current mind, I'll never be fast enough or go far enough. I was training for Ironman and already looking forward to finishing ultramarathons. I always say I prefer to run far because I'm not fast. Nobody asks about your time for an ultra but they always seem to ask for a 5K (which I think are way harder than marathons btw).<br />
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<i>Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent.</i><br />
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I don't remember who said that quote but it's fucking brilliant. I have consented to let myself feel like I must complete longer and longer races to actually be somebody. But in doing that I've lost the pretty great somebody I actually am. I want to be well rounded. I like to read and write and exercise. I like to run but I hate to bike. I'll swim for an hour or so, I'll ride for an hour at best and I'll run slowly for days. So why don't I just do that? Why can't I or anyone just do what we want to do, what we like to do, what we <i>live</i> to do?<br />
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I have surrounded myself with some pretty great people, but I've also inadvertently surrounded myself with people who are my particular version of krytonite. People who are overly competitive, people who reek of false modesty (i.e. Omg I ran such a sloooow 7 minute mile today...), people who, like me, force themselves to do things they don't enjoy doing. And when you're around people with the same issues as you, it's hard to see when there's something wrong. I don't determine what's wrong with other people but I do know there's something wrong in my life.<br />
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I downloaded a new book on my kindle. I'm writing again. I've already googled yoga studios near our potential new apartment. I'm ready to be who I am and to do things I like. So in case it wasn't obvious, I won't be doing Ironman this year.<br />
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And for that matter, I may not do it any year.Rennayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04311238061247492025noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8636468361998586161.post-52342412639341113032015-04-22T10:15:00.000-04:002015-04-22T10:15:54.975-04:00Logistics of a 2300 Mile MoveAs self centered as I can sometimes be, I have to say I'm a little disappointed. After spending almost 8 years in Louisville (holy crap has it really been that long!) I was really expecting to have made very close connections. I was expecting to have friends who upon hearing the news would start asking me questions.<br />
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<i>When are you leaving?</i><br />
<i>Where will you live?</i><br />
<i>Do you have a job lined up?</i><br />
<i>How will you get your stuff there?</i><br />
<i>Do you need help?</i><br />
<i>WHEN CAN I COME VISIT?</i><br />
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If I'd heard my friend was moving quite literally across the country, I'd like to think I would be asking those questions. Aside from my sister and 1 or 2 people I honestly haven't known for very long, nobody really seems to be asking anything. That makes me sad because in my sensitivity and dramatics, it comes off as not caring. I mean, surely they don't have anything going on in their lives that could need more attention than my move right? <i>*I'm being dramatic here, I know people have important things going on and probably don't want to stress me or themselves out worse than we already are. Work with me.</i><br />
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I'm really into logistics which makes me assume I'd ask way too many questions about someone's impending move which would likely stress them to the max. Nonetheless, I love to make things happen, especially if they're things that shouldn't happen or at least shouldn't happen easily. So for those of you who can appreciate logistics and tiny details, here's an outline of the way we are <strike>hoping</strike> going to make this 2,300 mile (or 2,317...but who's counting) move happen.<br />
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<b>What Needs to Move?</b><br />
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Ah, the purging process. Every time we move, and I'm using a collective we in hopes you do this too, the first thing we think of is getting rid of all of our unnecessary clutter. Luckily for us, I attempt to declutter regularly and before our last move 2 ish years ago we trashed a TON of stuff.<br />
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In a short distance move like our last one (6.8 miles...but again, who's counting?) you can pretty much load all your stuff in a car/truck/van and drive back and forth until you've moved it all. If you have a few extra boxes, no big deal. I've never facilitated a long haul before other than <a href="http://rnay225.blogspot.com/2010/05/stanley.html" target="_blank">that time I moved to Texas</a> but luckily my mom has moved us to 3 states throughout my life and had some words of wisdom. Here are some things to keep in mind as you prepare for a big move:<br />
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<ul>
<li>You have to pay to move things. If the cost of the item is less than the cost to move it, it may not be worth it.</li>
<li>Sentimental items also have value and the cost ratio changes significantly when it comes to these things.</li>
<li>In a year or two, will you probably be buying this item again? Leave it. If you know you want to buy a new couch or kitchen table in the near future, sell what you've got and buy a new one when you get to your destination. You'll save the cost of shipping big furniture and you get new stuff. Win.</li>
<li>How flexible are you? If you're moving on a budget, you'll need to get yogi with it and become as flexible as possible. Can you leave your bed and use an air mattress for a couple of weeks? How comfortable are you towing a trailer behind your car to save money on movers? Stretch it out.</li>
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In our case, we don't have a lot of things that <i>need</i> to move. I don't love our furniture, aside from my mattress and as luck would have it, a local organization called <a href="http://cedarlake.org/" target="_blank">Cedar Lake</a> sent a post card saying they'll have a truck in our neighborhood that will pick up donations. Hello, perfect timing! We've bagged up about 6 bags of clothes and are now boxing up things like printers (why do we have so many?), dishes (ditto) and linens (extra towels, blankets etc.). We will need to make a call on some of our furniture but I'm seeing the coffee and end tables, dining room set and extra desk heading to a nice new home. This is how things are divided as of now:<br />
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<b>To Take</b><br />
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<ul>
<li>Ourselves (duh)</li>
<li>Our pets...all 3 of them (triple duh)</li>
<li>Both cars</li>
<li>Spring/Summer Clothes</li>
<li>A set of dishware and silverware</li>
<li>A set of linens</li>
<li>Sentimental stuff (photos, journals, books)</li>
<li>Some small kitchen appliances</li>
<li>Bikes (what kind of Portlanders would we be without bikes?)</li>
</ul>
<b>To Leave aka Donate</b><br />
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<ul>
<li>Above mentioned furniture</li>
<li>Fall/Winter Clothes</li>
<li>Some books</li>
<li>Treadmill (possibly sell since it's brand new)</li>
<li>Dressers/Nightstand</li>
<li>Washer/Dryer</li>
</ul>
<b>Undecided</b></div>
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<ul>
<li>Couch/Chair</li>
<li>Bed</li>
<li>Microwave (depends on whether or not our new place has one)</li>
<li>Probably some other things I'm forgetting</li>
</ul>
It helps to move when you are still young enough to only have discount furniture you purchased from American Freight, Big Lots or stuff you found because it's much easier to say so long to it. Plus cheap stuff is lighter.</div>
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I'll be back soon to chat about <i style="font-weight: bold;">HOW</i> you actually get the things you decide to take to the new location but you'll need to give me a chance to actually figure that out first ;)</div>
Rennayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04311238061247492025noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8636468361998586161.post-85076047649847862012015-04-21T09:43:00.000-04:002015-04-21T09:43:18.310-04:00The Oregon TrailA lot of things have changed.<br />
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Like, a lot of them.<br />
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The biggest thing that has (or at least is about to) changed is my location. In a few short weeks The Colonel and I will be embarking on a real live Oregon Trail and moving to Portland!<br />
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A photo posted by Rennay Cooke Marshall (@rnay225) on <time datetime="2015-04-18T00:34:20+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Apr 17, 2015 at 5:34pm PDT</time></div>
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To make a long story short, we've been talking about moving for ages but wanted to do it the right way (i.e. save up money, purge excess crap, visit a few cities, pick one, get jobs etc.). You know what they say about best laid plans right? Turns out The Colonel accepted a transfer to Portland at the end of last week and now we have roughly a month to be moved the 2300 miles to Oregon.<br />
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Holy moly.<br />
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Interestingly, a few weeks ago I started watching <a href="http://www.fyi.tv/shows/my-citys-just-not-that-into-me" target="_blank">My City's Just Not That Into Me</a> on FYI and thought just for kicks to take their <a href="http://www.fyi.tv/shows/my-citys-just-not-that-into-me/interactives/quiz" target="_blank">My City Personality Test</a>. My results?<br />
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<a href="https://instagram.com/p/0yokEPGAq9/" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_top">I started watching #MyCitysJustNotThatIntoMe on #FYI and thought I'd take the quiz for myself...not even a little bit surprised by my results. #westcoast #mountainliving #pnw</a></div>
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A photo posted by Rennay Cooke Marshall (@rnay225) on <time datetime="2015-03-29T00:15:59+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Mar 28, 2015 at 5:15pm PDT</time></div>
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I mean, is anyone surprised? I love mountains. I like to be outside. I hate humidity and hot hot summers. Why wouldn't I be in one of these cities? The Colonel took the quiz too and matched 2 out of 3. We're apparently meant to be.<br />
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Anyway, logistics are currently being figured out <strike>in a panic</strike> in an orderly and adult fashion but I have figured out that my last day at work will be May 8th and we will be taking trip 1 of 2 out west starting May 12th...or 13th...ok so that part isn't figured out yet.<br />
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I haven't felt entirely like blogging lately but I thought a 2300 mile cross country move seemed particularly blog-worthy. Do you agree?<br />
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Keep up with me on <a href="http://instagram.com/rnay225/" target="_blank">instagram</a> and see the photos of the adventure well before I get the time to sit and write about it. And tell me, <b><i>have you ever been out west?</i></b><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/g9vrNRAqEkU" width="560"></iframe>Rennayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04311238061247492025noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8636468361998586161.post-85882583365353108302015-03-02T10:24:00.002-05:002015-03-02T10:24:28.329-05:00Best Tweets of February<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Do you think anyone will notice my <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/goggleeyes?src=hash">#goggleeyes</a> from the swim I just finished? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/triathleteproblems?src=hash">#triathleteproblems</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/futureironman?src=hash">#futureironman</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IMLOU?src=hash">#IMLOU</a></p>— Rennay Cooke (@Rnay225) <a href="https://twitter.com/Rnay225/status/562751851876327424">February 3, 2015</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Going through wedding photos and my sister and I should be in a magazine. <a href="http://t.co/dLCZESpheB">pic.twitter.com/dLCZESpheB</a></p>— Rennay Cooke (@Rnay225) <a href="https://twitter.com/Rnay225/status/563498211898564608">February 6, 2015</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>So fitting a <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/treadmill?src=hash">#treadmill</a> into a <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Chevy?src=hash">#Chevy</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/aveo?src=hash">#aveo</a> is challenging. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/triathleteproblems?src=hash">#triathleteproblems</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/runnerproblems?src=hash">#runnerproblems</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/futureironman?src=hash">#futureironman</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IMLOU?src=hash">#IMLOU</a></p>— Rennay Cooke (@Rnay225) <a href="https://twitter.com/Rnay225/status/566698666355085312">February 14, 2015</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>After trying Aphrodisioats "Breakfast is sexy again!" <a href="https://twitter.com/Ocelot110">@Ocelot110</a> is wise. <a href="https://twitter.com/StokedOats">@StokedOats</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/adventuresimon">@adventuresimon</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/MelRaeStewart">@MelRaeStewart</a></p>— Rennay Cooke (@Rnay225) <a href="https://twitter.com/Rnay225/status/568386926694289408">February 19, 2015</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>I wore <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/hylete?src=hash">#hylete</a> compression socks to work because my regular tall socks were dirty. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/innovation?src=hash">#innovation</a></p>— Rennay Cooke (@Rnay225) <a href="https://twitter.com/Rnay225/status/568785278275604480">February 20, 2015</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Old episodes of <a href="https://twitter.com/BoundlessESQ">@BoundlessESQ</a> are on! Thanks for the birthday treat <a href="https://twitter.com/ESQTV">@ESQTV</a>! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HappyBirthdayToMe?src=hash">#HappyBirthdayToMe</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Brooklyn_North">@Brooklyn_North</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/adventuresimon">@adventuresimon</a></p>— Rennay Cooke (@Rnay225) <a href="https://twitter.com/Rnay225/status/570556483362017280">February 25, 2015</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>I'm eating a plate full of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/popcorn?src=hash">#popcorn</a> because I'm no longer in control of my own life. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/omnomnom?src=hash">#omnomnom</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/futureironman?src=hash">#futureironman</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IMLOU?src=hash">#IMLOU</a></p>— Rennay Cooke (@Rnay225) <a href="https://twitter.com/Rnay225/status/571039926327885827">February 26, 2015</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>When you're stuck in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/traffic?src=hash">#traffic</a> and really can run to your destination quicker than your gps eta...<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/runnerproblems?src=hash">#runnerproblems</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/triathleteproblems?src=hash">#triathleteproblems</a></p>— Rennay Cooke (@Rnay225) <a href="https://twitter.com/Rnay225/status/571084340001697792">February 26, 2015</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>When you're hiding behind a bar at a fancy work event eating <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/clifbars?src=hash">#clifbars</a> you might be training for an <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ironman?src=hash">#ironman</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/ClifBar">@ClifBar</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/triathleteproblems?src=hash">#triathleteproblems</a></p>— Rennay Cooke (@Rnay225) <a href="https://twitter.com/Rnay225/status/571132538133065728">February 27, 2015</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>I can't decide which flavor <a href="https://twitter.com/HoneyStinger">@HoneyStinger</a> to eat and all I want to do is watch <a href="https://twitter.com/HouseofCards">@HouseofCards</a>. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/firstworldproblems?src=hash">#firstworldproblems</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HSHIVE?src=hash">#HSHIVE</a></p>— Rennay Cooke (@Rnay225) <a href="https://twitter.com/Rnay225/status/571271996446801920">February 27, 2015</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>My desk looks like a coke dealer's kitchen table with the amount of cash I'm counting from last night's fundraiser. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/nonprofit?src=hash">#nonprofit</a></p>— Rennay Cooke (@Rnay225) <a href="https://twitter.com/Rnay225/status/571322396688441344">February 27, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>Rennayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04311238061247492025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8636468361998586161.post-91815287975148641192015-02-24T14:26:00.002-05:002015-02-24T14:26:31.738-05:0026 ThingsThe other day I sent a text to my sister that went something like, "Remember when I used to write a blog? That was fun." I spend a lot of time nowadays watching my head movies (as <a href="http://runeatrepeat.com/" target="_blank">RER</a> calls them) and when you have tons of time to think you can come up with all sorts of things to write about. What I'm saying is, my absence isn't due to a lack of material.<br />
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Since today is my last day as a 26 year old I thought I'd at least throw something together very quickly for the sake of...I don't know, 26-ing. Also yes, tomorrow is my birthday!<br />
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Here are 26 things I've learned or thought about since beginning Ironman training:<br />
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<li> My laundry is finally being done regularly. I only have 4 sports bras and 1 bathing suit so laundry needs to be done <i>all the time</i>.</li>
<li>I truly don't have time for things. You know how you say you'll call someone or write that blog or watch that show but you never have time because you're too busy doing some equally unnecessary task? That's not really my life anymore. I wake up, work, train, cook, eat and sleep. Fun stuff</li>
<li>I'm learning to make time for things I really enjoy. Like watching <strike>Scandal on Netflix</strike> the news.</li>
<li>In making time management decisions I'm also learning which people and activities are truly important to me. This is a good thing.</li>
<li>Sleep is even more important than even I, a certified Good Sleeping Specialist (or GSS for short) realized. I'm sleepy a lot.</li>
<li>It scares me to think I haven't even dipped into the actual training pool yet.</li>
<li>There are only 2 reasons I don't like winter as much as I used to and 1 of them is because of training. I don't hate the treadmill or the trainer like everyone else but I do miss fresh air and sunshine as I sweat it out.</li>
<li>I read somewhere (or maybe someone told me) that if you can't control your mind for a couple hours on a treadmill or bike trainer, you'll have a hell of a time controlling it for a 12+ hour race day. I <i>love</i> that. And believe it. When I'm outside I can distract myself with just about anything but inside I have to face my own mind. Even when it's mean to me. Learning to deal with it now will pay off big time on race day.</li>
<li>Eating 2 rice krispy treats a day won't kill you. In fact, it's fun.</li>
<li>Drinking 4 glasses of wine in a couple of hours won't kill you either, but it will kill your run the next day.</li>
<li>Fun is a choice. That was my wisdom filled gem I released before the <a href="http://rnay225.blogspot.com/2015/02/lovin-hills-race-report.html" target="_blank">Lovin the Hills trail race</a> and I remind myself of it regularly during my workouts. I always say if it's not fun, why do it? So I choose to have as much fun as possible.</li>
<li>I Lived by One Republic is my favorite song. </li>
<li>By the time race day comes, I'm pretty sure I'll be thrown off when things don't unfold as I imagined them. And not race performance things or anything normal. Things like my friends not standing where I've imagined them standing. I'm very detail oriented.</li>
<li>I'm still a terrible cyclist but I'm making greater gains there than anywhere else. Maybe it's because it's the worst of the 3 disciplines for me so I'm learning a lot or maybe it's because I really am built for power and not speed.</li>
<li>My running is not speeding up. In fact, I think it's slowing down. </li>
<li>Heart rate training destroys my enormous ego everyday. </li>
<li>I'm not sure if I want training partners or not. I roll the idea around in my head all the time and I'm sure once I'm doing long runs or rides without specific workouts I'll appreciate it but for now it just feels like a hassle to have people join me for my very specific sessions.</li>
<li>I'm still reluctant to call myself an Ironman in training or even a triathlete at all. I've hit some really big milestones but I'm still too afraid of criticism if I share those gains so I just sort of sit silently in limbo.</li>
<li>I remember being really bummed when one of my blog "friends" blogged less once their training started because I was DYING to know what was going on. Now I realize that they were probably choosing between writing or sleeping and we all know the clear winner.</li>
<li>Aside from my sister, I don't think I know a lot of people who care enough about my training to indulge in every detail of it. If there are, tell me because I will divulge every ridiculous second of my sessions!</li>
<li>I'm in need of more shows to watch on Netflix that The Colonel won't like. Right now it's Scandal but I can't watch without him. Help!</li>
<li>I had no idea I had this many thoughts....</li>
<li>I just read an article regarding weight for Ironman and really enjoyed it. I love science! <a href="http://trisutto.com/the-weight-debate-a-response/" target="_blank">Read it here.</a></li>
<li>I decided to splurge on the hotel room for IMLOU and think it'll be money well spent. Even though I live here, not worrying about driving will be one less thing on the long list of to-do's that weekend.</li>
<li>We got a new person at work and she doesn't yet know things about me. So far she's only learned that I'm a vegetarian and that I drink a lot of water.</li>
<li>I would love to get back to blogging regularly but I just can't guarantee that will happen. But in the meantime, just subscribe and you'll be the first to know if I ever post again ;)</li>
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Rennayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04311238061247492025noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8636468361998586161.post-26107906934894421642015-02-16T09:00:00.000-05:002015-02-16T09:00:00.836-05:00Commit to Fit Round 3!<span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;">Round 2 of <a href="http://rennay.trainerize.com/Commit-to-Fit">Commit to Fit</a> was triple the size of round 1 and just as much fun as the first go!</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;">For the short month of February we took a short break but don't fret, Commit to Fit is BACK for March! If you haven't joined in yet, what are you waiting for? </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKjmMYTl7raSKJNTuSnaIF3VvP4lk0rl4TOYpb8rmKPvG7EhKJBA-XNa5ZBOEwH-yH9HPmzs9wNRKyhgDXKGe9-J_AsMuEy3rG4A7o3PbljmnjUHHks3u9bcQri-qTa6GvlNeQ_2vXk1-O/s1600/Untitled+design.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKjmMYTl7raSKJNTuSnaIF3VvP4lk0rl4TOYpb8rmKPvG7EhKJBA-XNa5ZBOEwH-yH9HPmzs9wNRKyhgDXKGe9-J_AsMuEy3rG4A7o3PbljmnjUHHks3u9bcQri-qTa6GvlNeQ_2vXk1-O/s1600/Untitled+design.jpg" height="236" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;">The goal of this challenge is to remember that being active is a lifestyle and not necessarily a specific workout plan. Think ahead and plan to do what you want to do when you can do it.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;" /><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://rennay.trainerize.com/Commit-to-Fit" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;"> for more information and to sign up! There have been some changes for the better this round so please read carefully:</span><br />
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<ul style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;">
<li style="margin-left: 15px;">All official participants will be required to pay the $15 fee and use the Trainerize software to track their progress. With the size of the program, it has become difficult to manage points effectively through manual tracking. I think it's best to rely on a software system than my tired eyes to make sure everyone gets the points they deserve!</li>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;">People can still play along for free by joining the <a href="http://trainerize.us9.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=52316b15ad7361a6cc4d2d840&id=cc538d7d13&e=16fb222682" style="color: #6dc6dd; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">Facebook group</a> but they will not be eligible for prizes or any other benefits afforded to official participants.</li>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;">Every paid member of the challenge will have access to me through messaging within Trainerize software for questions or concerns.</li>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;">Questions? Comments? Concerns? </span><a href="http://rennay.trainerize.com/contact.aspx" style="background-color: white; color: #6dc6dd; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">Let me know!</a>Rennayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04311238061247492025noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8636468361998586161.post-6667203695435126072015-02-11T14:02:00.001-05:002015-02-11T14:02:57.679-05:00When I'm Not Blogging<a href="http://www.totalbassetcase.com/">Sarah</a> posted her version of <a href="http://www.totalbassetcase.com/2015/02/when-im-not-blogging.html">this post</a> just the other day and I thought I would follow suit. It seemed particularly appropriate as I've had an absence of blogging as of late so I might as well do a little explainin'.<br />
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I'm a busy bee and I like it that way so here are just a few of the many things I'm doing when I'm not chatting with you fine people. *Cue Titanic reference<br />
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<b>Training Myself</b><br />
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With that little <a href="http://rnay225.blogspot.com/2014/08/ironman-louisville-one-week-later.html">Ironman race</a> coming up I've been spending a lot of time trying to get my life in order before training actually starts. In the meantime, I'm getting in 2 solid swim, bike, run and strength sessions in 6 days each week. I started up with my awesome <a href="http://www.dreambigtriathloncoaching.com/">Coach</a> on January 1st and so far so good. The workouts aren't long but between commuting (I live a good drive from the pool, gym and most safe outdoor running routes), changing clothes, showering and eating it takes up much more time than I realized. Luckily I'll be moving before ish really gets real...hopefully.<br />
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<b>Training Others</b><br />
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I'm up in the air about what to do with the whole personal training thing but I have still been doing some legitimate work in the field. Most notably has been running the Commit to Fit activity challenge and I just got a new online client from an auction I participated in. I'm really excited to work with her and possibly generate some new business. I'm also in talks with a local facility here about doing some in person sessions so we'll see how that turns out.<br />
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<b>Sleeping</b><br />
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I love to sleep. I take my sleep very very seriously and when my new coach said he wanted me to focus on getting 8-10 hours a night, I knew there was one part of training I wasn't going to have any trouble with.<br />
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Seriously. I am <strike>totally honest</strike> joking when I say I'd go to bed at sunset and partially hate summer because it's too bright to sleep. I know and respect the importance of sleep when it comes to training and I don't care what it means I have to sacrifice, I will sleep.<br />
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<b>Working</b><br />
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I do have a day job. You knew that right? Unfortunately my life isn't just training and sleeping and training some more. I also work at a local nonprofit doing super important, life changing database work. Oxymoron? The organization I work for does indeed do super important life changing work, just can't say I'm one of the people in the field. But even though it is just part time, 30 hours of my week are spent there.<br />
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Unlike Emily, I really do like my job. I'm lucky to have it because it is incredibly flexible, my coworkers are fun and it accommodates my training schedules. So I win.<br />
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I went a little heavy on the gifs today! I just think they're fun sometimes and I'm always proud of my pop culture knowledge when an idea for one to use pops into my head.<br />
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What about you? What kinds of things do you do on the reg?Rennayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04311238061247492025noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8636468361998586161.post-63373480402485677542015-02-09T10:52:00.004-05:002015-02-09T10:57:21.721-05:00Lovin the Hills Race ReportGuess what I did this weekend???<br />
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I was a very good girl and asked <a href="http://dreambigtriathloncoaching.com/">my coach</a> very nicely if I could please please please do the <a href="http://headfirstperformance.com/Home.aspx">Lovin' the Hills</a> 6 mile trail race and because he's the best he gave me the green light to <i>participate</i>. So, I did my very first trail race on Saturday!<br />
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I'm not necessarily a stranger to trails but I definitely wouldn't say we're friends. Trail running goes on the same list as all of those really great athletes I "know" and am Facebook friends with and want to be able to be real friends with but I'm too intimidated to try. You know what I mean right? Anyway, I've run trails before and volunteered at many a trail race but I've never actually "raced" myself so this was going to be a fun new experience.<br />
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The site wasn't far from my house and since I'd waited to sign up for various reasons, I didn't have to get up too too early to get there in time for race day registration. I drove to <a href="http://louisvilleky.gov/government/jefferson-memorial-forest">Jefferson Memorial Forest</a> and drove up and up and up and up to the start/finish line. As my car groaned up the neverending hill it occurred to me that I may have been in over my head. Then my oil change light came on and I decided my car just needed a tune up and that the hill wasn't really that bad. I parked my car and quickly realized I was surrounded by those people I totally want to be. It was a crunchy crew. Subarus and camelbacks and happy, fit people. I say this every time I'm around trail runners but they really are some of the nicest people around. I'm sure the front runners are a bit more intense but in general I find them to be a super supportive, super fun, very laid back group of people. It's awesome. I want to be one.<br />
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....back to the race. I don't know as many people in the trail circuit as I do at road races but there also aren't nearly as many participants so it's not overwhelming for me. I saw a couple of people I knew as soon as I walked into the lodge to register and pretty much always had at least one or two people in my sights who I recognized. It's been a long time since I've gone to a race totally solo so it was a little strange to be on my own. I wore my HR monitor and my Garmin which is rare but I've finally figured out how to upload data and I'm sure my coach appreciates stuff like that. I do have to admit that as cool as it is to be able to see an entire race mapped out in graphs and charts I'd still rather go without. I don't know why numbers stress me out so much.<br />
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I was staying calm and really embracing the opportunity to have a lot of fun without worrying about the numbers but I think everyone is always a little anxious at the start. I also had to make sure not to break anything.<br />
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The run started and we all stayed together for about a quarter mile until we reached the first trail head when we got onto some single track (look at me using trail terms!) and it bottlenecked pretty bad. I saw a group of women I knew and they said it was normal as we made our single file march through the trees. Then we were off again and as the trail widened I stayed right to let people go past me. Right around 1.5 miles I tripped and almost took a massive dive but saved myself and actually laughed quite a bit. One of the guys coming up behind me said "Nice save!" and another guy said "You're one of us." I giggled like a schoolgirl and decided to take much smaller steps for the rest of the way so I didn't kill my <a href="http://ironmanlouisville.com/">Ironman</a> before it even started.<br />
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There were a few really wide spots and a lot of people came past me at that point. On the road it always stings me a bit when I feel like everyone is passing me because I'm a bit more competitive (in my head, not in my talent) there but out in the woods I was hoping they'd go by so I didn't slow anyone down. Before mile 2 we came up on the first steep descent and it was a whole different world. Trails are scary! Luckily it was still early so the trail was cold and hard packed but there were still some slick spots and I slowed to a crawl. Another man came past and said I was really smart for going slow. I got to the bottom and picked it up again until a creek crossing when I tiptoed so I didn't get my feet wet. *Note to self, probably time to buy trail shoes. What goes down must go up and it wasn't long before I hit the first climb. It was huge. I walked. It sucked. My HR spiked to the 180s and I was working! But in a sick way I was enjoying it. I've always liked going up more than coming down since I'm a weenie and afraid of speed and a lot of the people who were gaining on me in the flat fell off once we started going up. I hit the top and broke into a slow jog to bring my HR back down and recover and the runners behind me caught up at that point.<br />
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The trail was tough but beautiful. I always think of trails as being pretty in the summer or fall but even in winter with everything brown and bare it was so nice to just look around and take it all in. A little bit later we hit another steep downhill and I let a few people go but one woman said she was fine to stay behind me. She stayed there for a bit and we got to talking. Her name was Sarah and we did the rest of the race together which made it really fun. Turns out she'd lost over 100 pounds and was really into triathlons so naturally, we had lots to talk about. She was taller than me and was a great hiker so she hiked while I "ran" and it turned out to be about the same pace. Since we were both out for fun we stayed at a conversational pace and talked about everything except the hills when things got tough.<br />
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When we came towards the finish there were volunteers telling us which way to go. We were doing the 6 mile short course but there was also a 15 mile and 50K option. For once I finally picked the right race! We came around the bend to the finish all smiles and got a medal which I totally wasn't expecting! We went inside to get some food and I introduced her to a few more of my friends who had already finished. We hung out for a bit longer and then said our goodbyes before I headed out to the aid station my sister and <a href="http://sweatysheep.com/">our church</a> were in charge of.<br />
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Overall the course had over 700 feet of climbing over just under 6 miles and I could really feel it in my glutes as the day went on. I spent some time at the aid station and was DYING to already be out doing the 50K (have I mentioned I'm hoping to get into ultras next year?). I had a great day and can't wait to start getting on the trails regularly. Sunday I wasn't too too sore which was a good thing because my coach had 2 minute hill repeats written for me on the bike trainer.<br />
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How do I feel today? Well...let's just say I'm glad it's a rest day.Rennayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04311238061247492025noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8636468361998586161.post-51482636795677224312015-02-04T11:41:00.000-05:002015-02-04T11:41:25.311-05:00Best Tweets of January<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Return of the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/baglady?src=hash">#baglady</a>. Please note there's a bag inside another bag too. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/triathleteproblems?src=hash">#triathleteproblems</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/futureironman?src=hash">#futureironman</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IMLOU?src=hash">#IMLOU</a> <a href="http://t.co/lnm5fxbxSC">pic.twitter.com/lnm5fxbxSC</a></p>— Rennay Cooke (@Rnay225) <a href="https://twitter.com/Rnay225/status/552586437489868803">January 6, 2015</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>I think <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ironman?src=hash">#ironman</a> training means laundry needs to be done a lot more often... <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/triathleteproblems?src=hash">#triathleteproblems</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/aintnobodygottimeforthat?src=hash">#aintnobodygottimeforthat</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IMLOU?src=hash">#IMLOU</a></p>— Rennay Cooke (@Rnay225) <a href="https://twitter.com/Rnay225/status/552953016182398976">January 7, 2015</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>This round of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RCMC2Fit?src=hash">#RCMC2Fit</a> is bigger and they are hitting it hard! <a href="https://twitter.com/PhiMu822">@PhiMu822</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/KALIWOOD02">@KALIWOOD02</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/_J2">@_J2</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/ericka2407">@ericka2407</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/heymacee">@heymacee</a> <a href="http://t.co/Pdi6yEgcPa">pic.twitter.com/Pdi6yEgcPa</a></p>— Rennay Cooke (@Rnay225) <a href="https://twitter.com/Rnay225/status/552980905007255552">January 8, 2015</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/wine?src=hash">#wine</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/water?src=hash">#water</a>. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/sundayfunday?src=hash">#sundayfunday</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/hydration?src=hash">#hydration</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/hydrationstation?src=hash">#hydrationstation</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/browncounty?src=hash">#browncounty</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/localwine?src=hash">#localwine</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/drinkup?src=hash">#drinkup</a> <a href="http://t.co/5AfdKiRUUC">http://t.co/5AfdKiRUUC</a></p>— Rennay Cooke (@Rnay225) <a href="https://twitter.com/Rnay225/status/554423948835037184">January 11, 2015</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/momisms?src=hash">#momisms</a> <a href="http://t.co/QI3X27HmAB">http://t.co/QI3X27HmAB</a> <a href="http://t.co/fg01FzaGi2">pic.twitter.com/fg01FzaGi2</a></p>— Rennay Cooke (@Rnay225) <a href="https://twitter.com/Rnay225/status/554990007350738945">January 13, 2015</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Yep. <a href="https://twitter.com/Mirindacarfrae">@mirindacarfrae</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/wine?src=hash">#wine</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/hydrationstation?src=hash">#hydrationstation</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/bestfriends?src=hash">#bestfriends</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/bffls?src=hash">#bffls</a> <a href="http://t.co/aAyaAI5gm9">http://t.co/aAyaAI5gm9</a></p>— Rennay Cooke (@Rnay225) <a href="https://twitter.com/Rnay225/status/556223863890382848">January 16, 2015</a></blockquote>
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Mirinda Carfrae herself favorited this tweet. Oh my heart... Here's the referenced photo
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<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-version="4" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAAGFBMVEUiIiI9PT0eHh4gIB4hIBkcHBwcHBwcHBydr+JQAAAACHRSTlMABA4YHyQsM5jtaMwAAADfSURBVDjL7ZVBEgMhCAQBAf//42xcNbpAqakcM0ftUmFAAIBE81IqBJdS3lS6zs3bIpB9WED3YYXFPmHRfT8sgyrCP1x8uEUxLMzNWElFOYCV6mHWWwMzdPEKHlhLw7NWJqkHc4uIZphavDzA2JPzUDsBZziNae2S6owH8xPmX8G7zzgKEOPUoYHvGz1TBCxMkd3kwNVbU0gKHkx+iZILf77IofhrY1nYFnB/lQPb79drWOyJVa/DAvg9B/rLB4cC+Nqgdz/TvBbBnr6GBReqn/nRmDgaQEej7WhonozjF+Y2I/fZou/qAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://instagram.com/p/x7rMWNmAkx/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_top">Yep. @mirindacarfrae #wine #hydrationstation #bestfriends #bffls</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by Rennay Cooke Marshall (@rnay225) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2015-01-16T22:57:57+00:00">Jan 16, 2015 at 2:57pm PST</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Yep. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/protectthequeen?src=hash">#protectthequeen</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/SwimBikeMom">@swimbikemom</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/futureironman?src=hash">#futureironman</a> <a href="http://t.co/xU42RXTrun">http://t.co/xU42RXTrun</a></p>— Rennay Cooke (@Rnay225) <a href="https://twitter.com/Rnay225/status/558374398357688320">January 22, 2015</a></blockquote>
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And the great Swim Bike Mom favorited this one thanks to a royal reference.
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<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-version="4" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAAGFBMVEUiIiI9PT0eHh4gIB4hIBkcHBwcHBwcHBydr+JQAAAACHRSTlMABA4YHyQsM5jtaMwAAADfSURBVDjL7ZVBEgMhCAQBAf//42xcNbpAqakcM0ftUmFAAIBE81IqBJdS3lS6zs3bIpB9WED3YYXFPmHRfT8sgyrCP1x8uEUxLMzNWElFOYCV6mHWWwMzdPEKHlhLw7NWJqkHc4uIZphavDzA2JPzUDsBZziNae2S6owH8xPmX8G7zzgKEOPUoYHvGz1TBCxMkd3kwNVbU0gKHkx+iZILf77IofhrY1nYFnB/lQPb79drWOyJVa/DAvg9B/rLB4cC+Nqgdz/TvBbBnr6GBReqn/nRmDgaQEej7WhonozjF+Y2I/fZou/qAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://instagram.com/p/yK9JJYGAsQ/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_top">Yep. #protectthequeen @swimbikemom #futureironman</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by Rennay Cooke Marshall (@rnay225) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2015-01-22T21:23:24+00:00">Jan 22, 2015 at 1:23pm PST</time></p></div></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Left work at lunchtime looking normal. Returned with wet curly hair and goggle eyes. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/triathleteproblems?src=hash">#triathleteproblems</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/futureironman?src=hash">#futureironman</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IMLOU?src=hash">#IMLOU</a></p>— Rennay Cooke (@Rnay225) <a href="https://twitter.com/Rnay225/status/560147504277504000">January 27, 2015</a></blockquote>
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Rennayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04311238061247492025noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8636468361998586161.post-27424216980120865452015-01-13T08:41:00.000-05:002015-01-13T08:42:17.408-05:00The Iron-BabyHey there!<br />
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How are things?<br />
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<a href="https://instagram.com/p/xVDepBGAiL/" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_top">Hangover Classic 10 miler complete with my sister this morning! It was cold but the sun was beautiful, the route was right on the river and I like the cold anyway so it was perfect! Last year I did the 5k recovering from a femoral stress fracture and this year all 10 pain free! #happynewyear #2015 #roadtoironman #futureironman @ponyabands #sweatysheep</a></div>
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A photo posted by Rennay Cooke Marshall (@rnay225) on <time datetime="2015-01-01T22:59:47+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Jan 1, 2015 at 2:59pm PST</time></div>
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I've just been swimming and biking and running and eating and stretching and getting strong. Or at least trying. The great <a href="http://www.swimbikemom.com/">Swim Bike Mom </a>wrote about the similarities between Ironman (9 months of training) and childbirth (9 months of ...uh..training?), you go into labor/race day and it's <i>almost</i> total misery especially towards the very end but then the moment of glory comes and you have a tiny (or huge) little (or big) baby (or medal) that makes you forget everything you just went through.<br />
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Moms....is that accurate? I hope so. Because I want to love my IronBaby!<br />
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<a href="https://instagram.com/p/xX731bGAnZ/" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_top">Swimming is hard #notaswimmer #futureironman #sisterlove #bringinsexyback</a></div>
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A photo posted by Rennay Cooke Marshall (@rnay225) on <time datetime="2015-01-03T01:51:02+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Jan 2, 2015 at 5:51pm PST</time></div>
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So I've started working with a coach and he is awesome! I'm on day 13 with him and so far so good! I feel like he really took the time to get to know me and my current fitness level and has written workouts that are challenging but still doable. I don't feel like I'm struggling but also don't feel like I'm doing nothing. In my head I've turned Ironman into a monster that requires exercising myself into oblivion but he has turned it into something much more manageable. Especially since I'm not truly training yet and just base building and establishing a routine.<br />
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<a href="https://instagram.com/p/xh04N6mApN/" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_top">Return of the #baglady. Please note there is an additional bag inside of another bag. #triathleteproblems #futureironman #IMLOU #2015</a></div>
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A photo posted by Rennay Cooke Marshall (@rnay225) on <time datetime="2015-01-06T22:02:20+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Jan 6, 2015 at 2:02pm PST</time> </div>
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I am loving "training" so far because 30 miles and 6 hours a week is pretty easy...ask me again in 6 months how that baby's doing ;)<br />
<br />Rennayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04311238061247492025noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8636468361998586161.post-33695329731302106002015-01-08T10:00:00.000-05:002015-01-08T10:01:32.316-05:00We Got the BeatI love trivia. I'm not necessarily great at it but I love learning random bits of information and then regurgitating them in somewhat relevant situations.<br />
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Yesterday I got my <a href="http://rennay.trainerize.com/Commit-to-Fit">Commit to Fit</a> crew in on the action and asked them a little question about running just to test their skillz.<br />
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<i><b>Trivia time!</b></i><br />
<i><b>Do you know what cadence is in reference to running? Your cadence is the number of times your foot hits the ground in a minute. So, what do studies say is the most efficient cadence for running? (Answers are for the number of times 1 foot hits the ground, double it for both feet)</b></i></blockquote>
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I tend to think that everybody is exactly like me for some reason and spends their time reading about biomechanics, kinesiology and watching videos about running cadence. Apparently not. Wonder why...<br />
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Anyway, I was excited to drop a knowledge bomb since I so rarely get to do so and especially because it gave me an excuse to include a video of <a href="https://marathonmeb.com/">Meb</a>.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">And the answer is..... A</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">! Many experts of biomechanics have determined that a cadence of 90 (per foot) or 180 strides per minute (3 strides per second) is best "to minimize overstriding, lessen impact forces on the legs, and maintain forward momentum" (<a href="http://www.runnersworld.com/running-tips/how-boost-your-cadence">via</a>)... </span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;">cadence can be hard to master so what I've done is built a playlist of songs that are all 180 beats per minute and run to the tempo. Luckily I'm an excellent dancer so finding the beat is no problem for me <span class="_4-k1 img sp_Uv0xZx7Cw5K sx_c57772" style="background-image: url(https://fbstatic-a.akamaihd.net/rsrc.php/v2/yT/r/u-FvntoxabH.png); background-position: 0px -8101px; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: auto; display: inline-block; height: 16px; vertical-align: -3px; width: 16px;"></span></span></i></b></span></blockquote>
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I googled 180 bpm songs yesterday before my short treadmill run and felt only a little nerdy until I realized how many people had exactly what I was looking for. Good to know I'm not alone. What's really fun is that there are hype, mellow, loud and quiet songs that all have the same tempo! Makes for a super fun and probably bi-polar run. Want to know my top ten songs? *Disclaimer...these are not entirely PG13...and I have a very broad range of musical tastes. Here you go, you're welcome.<br />
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<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Damn it Feels Good to be a Gangsta - Geto Boys</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Livin' La Vida Loca - Ricky Martin</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Runnin' Down a Dream - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Life is a Highway - Rascal Flatts</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Lose Yourself - Eminem</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Fighter - Christina Aguilera</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Lighters - Bad Meets Evil, Bruno Mars</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">F**kin' Perfect - Pink</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Demons - Imagine Dragons</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Brave - Sara Bareilles</span></li>
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Oh yeah, and here's that video of Meb!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Jb53bSl_HYQ" width="420"></iframe>Rennayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04311238061247492025noreply@blogger.com0