And a big push to Wallace!

     After three days of sickness, Boomer was finally able to exercise without pain! Huzzah! A 6.3 mile hills bike ride at dawn, a 2.67 mile run mid-morning, and a 13 mile bike ride right before lunch. Making good time still on this cross country trip. Today's pit stop is Wallace, Idaho, almost 60.99 miles into Idaho. In just under 11 miles, I will reach the Montana State Line, then comes the LOOOOONG Montana crossing.

Old Mission at Cataldo

Today has been an off day for Boomer. Woke up still feeling feverish and it was not until an afternoon nap that the fever broke. Rode 10.63 miles and called it good. This puts this otter babe at 39 or so miles into Idaho from the Washington State Line. The church pictured above is an old Jesuit mission church and this park is a favorite place to stop for a picnic. Eric and I stopped there on the way to take him to college in Rexburg. Beautiful!

4th of July

     Yesterday, after an almost 3 mile walk and a 13 mile bike ride, Boomer the Otter reached 4th of July Pass, in Idaho. That is 28.38 miles into Idaho from the Washington State Line on Eastbound 90. To honor the fact that I was going up to the summit, I did a hill workout for the biking portion of yesterday's exercises. Today, I hope to reach Old Mission State Park, a lovely spot I stopped at for a picnic with Eric when I drove to drop him off in college. More on that later today!

Washington-Idaho State line

     Today started with a trip to the Seattle Temple for the 8 o'clock session, then a trip to Dr. Te's office for one of my yearly routine visits. Once I got home, I took a run. My knee held up OK for a twenty minute run sandwiched between an 8 minute warm up and 8 minute cool down. I also enjoyed a great bike ride. My total mileage between the two of those puts me at the Washington-Idaho state line between Spokane and Coeur D'Alene. I am at Mile 297.52 in my trip across the US. I have crossed Washington State in 21 days (I don't work out on Sundays). The Idaho crossing is next and is a short one in that part of Idaho.

Today Spokane, tomorrow, the State Line!

Boomer reached the Freya exit at 281.44 miles from Seattle on I 90. Today's workouts, two walks and one bike ride totaled up 19.42 miles. Tomorrow, Boomer hopes to make it to the Idaho state line.

Cheney!

     Boomer reached the #264 exit off Eastbound I 90. That would be Cheney/Medical Lake area. Almost in Spokane, the place where my hubby was born and where he grew up.

Sprague, Washington

     Sprague, Washington was founded in 1880 and named for American Civil War Genreal John Wilson Sprague, who fought on the Union side. Sprague Lake, pictured above is the pit stop for Boomer after today's workouts, which consisted of:

• A forty minute 2.03 mile walk round and round the chapel hallways during Seminary (3 mph pace)
• A thirty minute 2 mile dance DVD (4 mph beat to the music)
• A fifteen min 1 mile walk DVD with high # of reps of light weight training (4 mph)
• A forty minute 9 mile bike ride while starting the BBC version of Wuthering Heights

     This puts Boomer's map flag at exit 245 on Eastbound I 90, at mile 242.98. This means Spokane is just over 30 miles away. Making good time this year!



    

Tokio, Washington

After a 2 mile walk and a 7.28 mile bike ride, Boomer reached Tokio, Washington, 228.95 miles into my trip.

Flu's blues

Well, it had to happen with the flu going around. Boomer was down for the count yesterday and accumulated very little mileage other than running from bed to bathroom and bathroom to bed. Woke up feeling better today, but still wobbly on my paws. Took a bike ride for 14.54 miles and the little map flag got moved to Ritzville. 219.67 miles into the crossing of the US.

Warden

Warden, Washington... Boomer traveled 14.29 miles today, 4.29 on foot and 10 on a bike. It was a gorgeous sunny day, and unseasonably warm in the Seattle area. LOVED the outdoors and even had a picnic with Chris and Rachel. And yes, I know the high was only 46 degrees... Total mileage since January 1st is 187.18 miles. Exit 188 on Eastbound Interstate 90.

 

Blue Heron Park in Moses Lake

Boomer is still a bit under the weather. Most exercise today was low key and not high impact at all. 4 miles of walking at 3.00 mph and 6 miles of biking at 12 miles per hour. At Exit 174 which leads to Blue Heron Park in Moses Lake, one of our favorite places to have a picnic whenever we travel the Seattle Spokane route.

Dodson Road Exit 164

Boomer the Otter had a wonderful exercise day today amounting to 14.81 miles and putting her at Exit 164 on Eastbound 90, the Dodson Road exit, mile 162.88 total into this map trip:

• 20.00 minutes Yoga
• 14.50 minutes morning walk (0.81 miles)
• 21.00 minutes intervals of running and walking (1.61 miles)
• 41.00 minutes afternoon walk (2.39 miles)
• 41.00 minutes bike ride (10 miles)

Boomer over and out!

George, Washington Martha Inn

     Boomer reached 148.07 miles into the map trip and is now in George, Washington, home of the Martha Inn roadside trucker stop. 2.35 mile walk and 10 mile bike ride. A slow day for Boomer, but considering Boomer has a migraine today, still pretty decent.

Vantage Bridge

Today, Boomer took a loooooong bike ride at a nice easy coasting speed of 12 miles per hour. Nearly 22 miles in length, it helped move Boomer's map flag to milestone 135.72, the Vantage Bridge over the Columbia River near Vantage, Washington. Tomorrow's goal is George, Washington, home of the Gorge Amphitheater venue and of Martha Inn and its famous pies.

Kittitas

Kittitas

 

 

     Boomer the Otter had a big exercise day today in spite of being sick. It consisted of:

• A 5 mile interval jog on the treadmill
• A 9.40 mile bike ride
• 20 minutes of Yoga

     Adding the 14.40 mile of today to my total yearly mileage of 99.36 so far, puts me at Exit 115, 113.76 miles East of Seattle, in a tiny town named Kittitas. Kittitas is the name of a local tribe. Depending on the dialect of Kittitas spoken, it means "white chalk" of "shoal people" or "shale rock".
     Getting to Kittitas means I have left the lush coastal forests behind and am now in the agricultural and ranching plain lands. I have passed through Ellensburg without stopping. My next big spot on the map is the bridge across the Columbia River near Vantage. That is almost 22 miles away. Long bike ride tomorrow?

Thorp

 

     Fielden Mortimer THORP (1822-1893), son of John and Lucy (Embree) Thorp was a Missourian cattleman who was the first white pioneer to settle in the Yakima Valley, in what was then Washington Territory. Later in life he became part of the legislature as a probate judge in Yakima. The town of Thorp is named after him. Whenever we drive the I90 distance between Seattle and Spokane, one of our landmarks is the Thorp Fruit Stand and Antique Mall, visible from the Freeway.

Thorp Fruit Stand and Antique Mall

 



      Boomer's workouts today included:

• 3.5 miles of walking in 59 minutes (very slightly over 3.5 mph pace)
• 13.37 miles of biking in 54 minutes (slightly under 15 mph pace)
• Abs and Lower Body training for 35 minutes. 

Thorp Grist Mill

 

     Boomer is one tired Otter Babe right now, and it is time for a nice shower with the massagers on! Boomer over and out!

 



Tle-E-Lum

The Cle Elum River

 

Today's mileage was 12.64 miles for Boomer the Otter. This consisted of:

• A 1.5 mile walk around the chapel while my girls were in Seminary
• A 2.14 mile dance DVD (according to the pedometer I wore clipped on my belt)
• A 9 mile bike ride while watching a short movie

This puts Boomer's map flag at Exit # 84 on Eastbound Interstate 90, at mile 82.49, which is Cle Elum, Washington. Cle Elum is named after the Kittitas name for the river that runs through it, the "Tle-E-Lum", which means Swift Water. Tomorrow, Boomer is aiming for almost 17 miles to try and reach the Thorp, Washington Exit.

 



Boomer over and out!

 



Lake Easton

Lake Easton

 

 

Boomer had a good exercise day today and totaled up 15.82 miles, which puts our brave otter near Lake Easton, at 69.85 miles total in 2014, at Exit 71 on Eastbound Interstate 90:

 

• 50 minute walk this morning that totaled up 3.88 miles according to Boomer's pedometer.
• 20 minutes of Yoga
• 34 minute intervals of jogging and walking 2.24 miles
• 38 minutes of biking 9.70 miles

 

Hyak/Gold Creek

 

     Boomer the otter went on a walk this morning for 2.35 miles, and then a bike ride for 12 miles. The walk was at an average pace of 3.6 mph since it took 39 minutes to cover the distance. The bike ride took 44 minutes, so an average speed of slightly over 16 mph.
     This puts Boomer a mile past Exit 54 on Eastbound Interstate 90, at the Hyak/ Gold Creek Pond exit. Hyak is a word from the Chinook dialect. It means "swift", "fast", "speedy". Gold Creek is beautiful in all seasons and a great place for an easy hike in the summertime and for snowshoeing in the wintertime.

Tinkham Road Exit #42

Tinkham Campground

• 34 minutes on the treadmill at 5 incline consisting of: 2 minute warmup with shoulder rotations, 30 minutes of walking while doing upper body weight training, 2 minute cool down walk with arm stretches. TOTAL: 2.05 miles in 34 minutes, so I averaged slightly over 3.6 mph on that small hill work-out. Core had to be engaged for extra balance challenge of lifting weights.

• 38 minutes hill work-out on the bike that amounted to 10 miles, so an average speed of 15.78 mph on that ride. 10 + 2.05 = 12.05 miles
• 28.83 mile distance of past two days + 12.05 distance of today = 40.68 miles.
• Reached Exit #42, Tinkham Road Exit (40.68 milestone), which leads to one of my favorite campgrounds along the I 90 corridor in Washington State.

Introducing Boomer the Otter

 

 

     Hello, Folks. My name is BOOMER! It stands for Brave Optimistic Otter Mum Enjoys Running.

Why and Otter, you might ask? Don't think I am totally kooky, but I was told 25 years ago by a Native American friend that my totem animal was the otter. If that were not enough, they were already my favorite animals before he even mentioned that. I am a mother of eight kids ages 25 to 12. Their various friends or significant others tend to hang out at our home, so it can be kind of crazy at times around these parts. Some have nicknamed me Molly Weasley because I remind them of that particular Harry Potter character. It fits too, given the fact that I knit, I "adopt" people who come into my life as a result of being my kids' friends, and if anyone messes with my children, they had better be ready for this Otter Mum to turn into Mamma Bear! The purpose of this blog is keeping track of my efforts at enjoying a healthy lifestyle. No Mamma Bear involved... Just Boomer the Otter.  

 



    
     Every year since 2000, I have kept track of my distance over the entire year by mapping my mileage on a map of Interstate 90 starting in Seattle and traveling all the way to the East coast to the other end of 90 in Boston. Some years were better than others, mileage wise. In 2001, after the birth of my twins, it actually took me a full two years to go the 3100 or so miles that this Interstate covers.

     I work-out every day of the week except for Sunday, because I spend that day going to church with my family and enjoying a "reset" day of rest and refocusing. That leaves me with 313 days in the year when I get to exercise and tally up miles for this map trip.

     If I were to plant a little map marker on the above map of Interstate 90, it would be between Seattle and Snoqualmie Pass, at exit #31, exactly 28.63 miles from my starting line at Safeco Field in downtown Seattle. How did I tally up 28.63 miles in two days so far?

     Yesterday, my exercise routine consisted of:

• 35 minutes of Abs and Lower Body training
• 50 minutes of walking and running intervals that amounted to 3.75 miles (average speed of 4.5 all told). Running intervals were 4 minutes long and jogging intervals were 3 minutes long. I am returning to running slowly after dealing with patellar tendinitis. Plan is to slowly increase the length of the running intervals and decrease the length of the walking intervals until I am able to run long distances again.
• 50 minutes hill biking that amounted only to 10 miles because of the harder difficulty of riding hills. Average speed for that one was 12 mph.

     Today, my exercise routine consisted of:

• 30 minutes of Vinyasa Yoga
• 60 minutes on the treadmill running inclines and walking flats, for a total of 3.88 miles. That was a good heart workout and those hills were killers, hence the lower average speed of 3.88 mph. I'd have gone a lot faster if I had walked the hills and run the flats, I can tell you that!
• 44 minutes on the bike that amounted to 11 miles, so an average overall speed of 15 mph.

     Tomorrow, I am planning a lighter day due to scheduling making it hard to get much more than twelve miles in. We shall see!