I'm Olivia and I'll be your tour guide!

Secure your PFD

Getting in using the 3 point system

Turning you kayak!

And were off

The best part about my job is that I get to do something new every day! I LOVE that I get to share my skills with others. These kids had a great time and were able to be a little more active. During the summer a lot of parents struggle to find ways for their kids to get their energy out. Children need 60 minutes of physical activity everyday and this paddle trip took us every bit of 60 minutes and I took out 3 tours. So my arms were really feeling it.
When your out there paddling remember:
- Secure your PFD
       - Also known as a personal floatation device
- Use the 3 point system when getting in or out of the boat.
       - Make sure that you have at least three points of contact to the boat or land
-  Keep an eye out for fellow boaters
- Always travel with someone or file a float plan
      - It can be as simple as telling someone where you are going and when you plan to be back
-Wear Sun Screen
-Have fun

Oh and I have another class coming up! You can check it out on our webpage it was written by one of my coworkers who wrangles the kids who are not in the water with me. 

4-H 4k

We are on the third year of the 4-H 4k and I have really enjoyed this event! This year I actually got to participate. We set aside the day before the race to set up but tropical storm Andrea was heading through so we ended up having to map out the course in the rain. We got so much rain there was really no need to wear my rain coat. It did not stop me from getting soaked all the way through. Oh and that body of water behind me is over spill form the sound! 

I put my iPhone in my pocket because we were out of the office. I had it in an otter box and in my zipped up pocket for about 2 hours while we stood in the pouring rain and when I pulled it out to use it I saw all this water under the plastic. That is how hard it was raining.

Race day was great! The rain stopped in the afternoon on set up day so there was a little bit of time for the ground to dry (kind of). The morning was beautiful and cool. Perfect for running!

My co-workers and myself getting ready to start the race. I love that being active is so catching around our office! 

A beautiful start to the race. We had a race photographer, but I took a few pictures with my iPhone along the way. I am actually getting pretty good at taking pictures while running. It reminds me of Zooey Deschanel in the movie where she teaches a jogging photography class.

All the race participants and volunteers made this race great! We had some first time runners, walkers and lots of kids. Man they are fast. We ran a 4k which is about 2.3 miles. It is a great starter run for anyone and is easy to walk.

Oh and did I mention I WON in my age group? I also PRed! I have been running solid 11 minute miles. The week before the race I broke my 11 mile wall. When I say wall I mean it. I ran faster, pushed harder, read books, tried intervals, but still I was averaging 11 minutes each time. In this race my official time was 23.56 which is a 10' 23" mile! I am so stoked! And I am not looking back. My runs since the race have been right around 10' 30". Although when I run with friends we still run at more of a conversational pace. We do use it as catch up time so with all that talking I should expect an 11' 30" mile. Right?

My co-workers are so encouraging! And super fast I have a long way to catch up with these ladies who are a whole 3 minutes faster than me! I really enjoyed the race and I hope we get more people to participate next year. Maybe there will not be a tropical storm to contend with either. Oh and after this race I had to throw those shoes out! They were smelling ripe.