Some hills are just hills, but some are Hills (with a capital “H”).  Johnson Ferry at Columns Drive is definitely a Hill. 

I ran it during my 12 miler, and I was set to face it again for an 18 miler.  Leading up to Saturday’s run, I’d been living on a solid diet of Olympics.  I love the Winter Olympics: bob sledding, biathlon, cross-country skiing, snowboard cross, even curling.  My television never strayed from NBC for those ten days (given NBC’s usual programming line-up, this was a huge change despite my obvious 11Alive loyalties).  So, I entered Saturday inspired and ready to treat Johnson Ferry like that cocky ice skater from Russia—Take that!

By now, you’re thinking: it’s a hill, what’s the big deal?  So it’s time to admit I have a thing about Hills (not the little hills, just the Hills). 

I’m not nervously uncomfortable of them the way I am of revolving doors and garbage disposals.  They just keep beating me.  I can’t run them at the pace I should be.  I fall behind on the hills and catch up with my runner partners at the top, but as the runs get longer it’s getting tougher.  There are lots of things I can do to improve my hill performance next time, but right now, I’m about to start ramping down on my running: no time to start a new strength training plan.

So I just have to gut it out. 

And you know what? I did.  Maybe it was the pocket full of jelly beans I nibbled at the later water stops.  Maybe it was the extra hours of sleep I squeezed into my week.  I’m not saying it was super-fast or that I didn’t fall behind.  But I did it, and I felt good.  So, in my book, that makes it 1-1.

The Olympics are over, everything is getting torn down at the international broadcast center, and Vancouver is quickly reverting back to its non-Olympic form. We have just one more day left, and then it’s flight time back to Atlanta.

I wanted to just take a moment to say some (quick) final thoughts. This has been an exhilarating experience, and I truly hope you all have enjoyed reading about it and seeing it from afar as much as I enjoyed experiencing it in person. The goal with any story like this is to try to take the energy, excitement, and atmosphere of the event and bring it to your television set or computer. It’s a tough task, especially with an event as broad in its scope as this one. I hope you all enjoyed the stories and moments, and I am thrilled to have had the opportunity to bring them to you.

In a few days, I’ll be back at work at WXIA, and you can continue to follow my work through my Twitter account: MattPearlWXIA11. In the meantime, thanks so much for following along with our Olympic coverage — it was our pleasure to provide it!

Attic Treasures in Chamblee is clearing out all its winter merchandise to make way for spring.  Starting Tuesday everything is 75 percent off and prices will continue to drop until the 9th, when you can fill a bag for $3.00 in the morning and $1.00 in the afternoon.  All proceeds from sales at Attic Treasures benefit the Assistance League of Atlanta. 

Attic Treasures is located at 3534 Broad Street in Chamblee. It is closed on Mondays.

On March 5th and 6th, Oak Grove United Methodist Church in Decatur is having a Children’s Consignment Sale.   The sale will feature high quality, low priced children’s clothing from infant to size 14 as well as toys, books, bikes, play sets and furniture. Hours are Friday March 5th 9:15 am to 1:30 pm and 6-8 pm, and Saturday March 6th from 9am to 12:30pm. Saturday is Half Price Day. The church is located at 1722 Oak Grove Road, Decatur, GA 30033. 

Fernbank Museum of Natural History is having a Buy One, Get One Free Sale. Guests who buy a Value Pass Ticket get one free through April 4th. Adult Value Pass tickets are $19.00, which includes admission to the museum and the IMAX Movie Theatre.

Halfoffgreen.com, the organic bargains website, has giftcertificates for $17.50 that are good for  $35.00 worth of food at The Iberian Pig Restaurant. The organic food eatery features Spanish and American cuisine and was voted one of Atlanta’s Top Ten New Restaurants of 2009 by City Search Magazine.

Restaurant.com has $25.00 certificates on sale for $2.00. Shoppers can order them at restaurant.com using the code “SAVOR. Most gift certificates require a purchase of at least $35.00.

And I have fallen off.

Maybe it’s because, every time I eat Chinese food, it’s either at the end of a 13-hour workday or in the middle of a 13-hour workday — ergo, not much time or energy to be writing blogs about cuisine. But there’s a brief window now, as I’m waiting to receive the feed of my 1-on-1 interview with USA Women’s Hockey silver medalist Angela Ruggiero. So here’s a quick rundown of where I’ve eaten so far:

Fisherman’s Terrace: I profiled them in the first blog. Since then I’ve been back for dim sum, or a special lunch-type meal filled with delicious, unique, smaller dishes. The food’s so good I’m planning on renting an apartment in their kitchen. NINE out of ten forks

Red Star: This restaurant’s key advantage is that it’s connected to our hotel, so it’s a short in door walk away. I had a beef dinner that was quite hearty, too hearty in fact considering how late in the day I was eating it (10 pm). Definitely a strong showing, but not Fisherman’s Terrace level. SEVEN forks

Sea Harbour: The only real dud of the trip. They were sold out of half the dishes by the time I got there (this time only 8:30 pm), and I wound up ordering a chicken dish that was far plainer than I had anticipated. Perfectly fine, but not at the level I had heretofore witnessed. FIVE forks

Hot Pot One: So, I have a little story about this one.

I ate dim sum Hot Pot One Sunday morning, before departing to meet the family of Elana Meyers at the airport. Between the airport meeting and live shots later that day, I had a lot on my mind. And as a result, I committed a bit of a boo-boo.

I left my credit card there.

Luckily, the restaurant is close by the hotel (noticing a theme there?), so I was able to hop back the following night. And sure enough, they not only hung onto the card but called up the Credit Card Center and reported it had gone lost. I was so touched I stayed for dinner, where I experienced the curiosity known as the Hot Pot.

Hot Pot?

Naturally, my first image took me back to those things they don’t let you have in college dorm rooms. But this was a little something different.

A Hot Pot set-up involves a giant wok-sized (but not a wok) contraption filled with a boiling broth of your choice. You order the broth and whatever meats and vegetables you like, and then they bring out the Hot Pot and your ordered ingredients … raw.

Now I was cool with the raw vegetables. But the raw beef slices I ordered? A little odd — or, at least, that’s how it looked.

But then I learned how the whole dinner works. You cook the slices in the Hot Pot broth one at a time, so every slice is piping hot when you eat it. It also bears the taste of whatever broth you chose, which creates a truly unique eating experience and a delicious meal!

(Could this ever catch on in the States? I doubt it — we’re generally not really fans of paying to cook our own food. We’re more of the “I’ll-pay-you-and-you-make-the-dinner” variety.)

And the servers were so friendly to me — they walked me through the process and even gave me free red bean soup for dessert — and yes, I know that sounds like an odd dessert choice, but it was actually quite sweet and quite good.

Of course, at meal’s end, I called up my credit card company to find the card has officially been deactivated. So there’s that. At the end of the day, I’m walking around Vancouver without a working credit card … but of course, if I hadn’t left it at Hot Pot One, I don’t know that I would have gone back for dinner.

So, in the end, I’m pretty happy with the deal. EIGHT forks

Don’t get me wrong — it was still cool seeing all the Today Show anchors up-close, and it was still wondrous checking out their phenomenal Vancouver set atop Grouse Mountain. But I was there for one purpose, and it had nothing to do with Matt, Meredith, Al, Ann, or Natalie.

It was all about Elana Meyers.

Georgia’s lone born-and-raised Olympian was just nine hours removed from winning a bronze medal with the USA-2 women’s bobsled team. She was also running on no sleep — not unlike myself, incidentally, after again incurring the mockery of the hotel staff for requesting a 2:30 AM wake-up call. (Quick side note: it’s never a good sign when someone who logs hundreds of wake-up calls a day tells you he “noticed that one” when he saw what time you requested.)

But Meyers certainly wasn’t complaining; amidst the non-stop adrenaline rush, she was living her dreams — and the Today Show was part of that. “Oh, that was amazing,” Meyers told me a half-hour later. “It’s funny because me and Erin [Pac, her bobsled pilot] watched the Today Show every day in Park City while we were training, like, ‘Look at those people — those Olympians! That could be us!’”

Thursday, that *was* them. So was driving two hours south to Vancouver, doing boatloads of interviews, and then driving two hours back to Whistler to stand on the podium and officially receive their bronze medals.

In the broadcast center, Ted Hall and I kept marveling at how the one Olympian representing our state — considered a longshot to even finish in the Top 10 — found her way to a medal and the podium. For me, it was an even wilder feeling because I had covered Elana’s run to the Games since October, when it wasn’t even assumed she’d be here. I first interviewed her in Lake Placid back in October; I got to observe her during practice, and she didn’t exactly scream Olympic-ness. She mostly hung in the background, listened to music in her headphones, and just kind of chilled. She didn’t seem overly intense or focused; then again, that’s not really her style. And, as she would tell me later, one of her best strengths was her ability to not take everything too seriously — to stay loose and relaxed even in the tensest of situations.

The next time I saw her, she again seemed like an Olympic afterthought — even at the Olympics. I interviewed her at the Medals Plaza in Whistler Village. We were surrounded by hundreds of people; she was wearing her Team USA gear … and no one recognized or came up to her. She was virtually anonymous, despite standing one quick gondola ride from where she’d eventually compete and win a medal.

But if those externalities told the story of an afterthought, Elana was about to tell her own story. Teaming with Erin Pac for the USA-2 squad, they stood in second place through the first day of competition and then held strong to finish in third at the end. They were the top American finishers on a stacked squad, and they were the top non-Canadian finishers — and keep in mind, the Canadian sledders had extended access to the Whistler track while everyone else received limited runs.

Quite simply, this was a phenomenal achievement.

Getting to know Elana and her family over these past few months, I have been so impressed at how tight-knit and supportive everyone is — not just of Elana, but of everyone in the family. Needless to say, it’s celebration time for Team Meyers — and it’s absolutely well-earned.

And maybe somewhere in there, she’ll be able to get some sleep.

I finished it.  And that’s pretty much the only good thing I can say.

Usually, I run with Team in Training mates, Andrea and Paul.  The funny thing about running partners, you don’t pick them, it just kind of happens.  By the time you build up to eight miles, you know who’s running at your pace and you stick with them.  You spend a big chunk of every Saturday morning chatting, so you get to know them pretty well.  And by well, I mean, you don’t know their last name but you can list at least 20 random facts about them. 

Last Saturday started out like our other long runs, but somewhere around 11 miles, I started falling behind.  No question, I was hurting.  And the thing about bad runs is you have a lot of time to think about what you did wrong. 

So as I trudged up the hill, and analyzed everything from my life in the previous week, I came to one conclusion: your long runs are a measure of your week.  During the week, I get so busy jumping from deadline to deadline, squeezing in mid-week runs, errands, volunteer stuff.  Suddenly, Saturday comes and I can barely remember the week. 

Until I’m all alone running and hurting.  Then, I start to think.

I probably didn’t get enough sleep (but I never do).  Maybe I don’t drink enough liquids or eat enough carbohydrates.  Maybe that Friday night fundraiser wasn’t such a hot idea (but I was home by 9:30, coach!).  Maybe that ear infection is making me feel run down. 

The thing is, at 12 miles, it doesn’t really matter WHY you feel like this, and you just have to do it.  And I did.  Then, I freaked out.  On the inside.

Every long run until now has left me feeling pretty good.  I’ve run marathons and half-marathons, but I’ve never trained really hard and I’ve never set a time goal (sub-4 hours for this ING).  I was feeling good about that goal until the not-so-sweet-16.  Now, not so much. 

There’s only one thing that will calm my nerves:  a decent 18 mile run.  I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

I’m not homesick, and I’m certainly not tired of Vancouver. There’s just something big going on Monday and Tuesday that I wish I could see with my own eyes.

Back in December I received a wonderful opportunity to follow a young local woman named Courtney as she flew to Los Angeles to meet an older man named Scott — a man whose lived she had saved a year earlier.

Scott was battling leukemia, had undergone chemotherapy, and had been placed on the bone marrow registry. Out of the 13 million people on the registry, Courtney was the only perfect match.

She donated, and she saved Scott’s life. On the weekend I followed them in December, Courtney and Scott got to meet each other for the first time.

Tonight on 11Alive News at 11:00, you’ll be able to see their story.

I learned so much from talking with and watching these two, but I think more than anything I came away with a renewed belief in what we as individuals can accomplish. I mean, Courtney’s bone marrow donation was a relatively simple process — much easier than the invasive surgeries of the past — and in taking part, she may have added years to Scott’s life. It’s inspiring because it’s so easy, and you can’t tell me one person can’t make a legitimate difference when you see the effects of what she did.

Courtney, meanwhile, continues to make a difference. Since her own donation, she has become extremely active in expanding the bone marrow registry list; she has organized several bone marrow drives, one of which will take place this Tuesday at Discover Mills Mall. I encourage you to attend and, more importantly, sign up; I have done it, and I only hope that one day I can be someone’s else perfect match and give the same gift that Courtney gave to Scott.

And in the meantime, I hope you get as much out of watching their story as I got from doing it.

Viewer Sue Edwards likes cooking with fresh herbs but doesn’t like having to throw away the leftovers, so she freezes them. First she sprays the herbs with cold water, and then she wraps them in plastic wrap, puts them in a plastic bag and stores them in the freezer.

Many thrifty shoppers also reuse resealable plastic food storage bags. They rinse them out with a few drops of dish soap, stand then up to dry and then use them over again.

Catherine Hendee’s entry suggested using canisters instead of plastic bags throughout the kitchen. She likes her canister method of food storage because it’s also good for the environment. She said her food stays fresh longer when she  takes  it out  of boxes and packages and stores it in tightly sealed canisters.

Other people who are trying to go green avoid using paper towels and instead use microfiber cloths which can be washed and reused over and over again.

Do you have a money saving tip? Email  vhoff@11alive.com

 The Spring consignment sale season is underway and there are three large sales coming up this week:

The All4Kids Sale in Acworth starts Thursday at 9:30 am. (No strollers allowed until 11am) Shoppers who make a $5.00 donation can enter early at 8:30 am. The sale has 300 consignors. On Friday February 26th hours are from 9am to 7pm, and on Saturday February 27th the sale runs from 9am to 1pm.

On Friday February 26th at 9am the Born Again Blessings consignment sale begins at the Cobb Civic Center.  On Saturday February 27th it will be open from 9am to 1pm.

The Consigning Closets Sale will be held at Sonrise Baptist Church, 6  Ahenandoah Blvd, Newnan GA on February 26th and 27th from 8am to 4pm. 

All three  sales feature gently used kids’ clothing, toys, furniture and equipment.  Maternity clothes are available as well.

Big Lots has a Buzz Rewards program where shoppers can earn 20 percent off coupons. Sign up for a Buzz Rewards card at biglots.com.

In Gainesville, America’s Finest Car Wash at 1528 Browns Bridge Road has Fee Fabulous Friday Car Washes. Customers who mention 11 Alive get a free exterior car wash. Also, if you purchase a car wash on other days of the week you get unlimited re-washes for 7 days.

When I actually take a moment and count the hours up in my own head, I internally gasp.

Sometimes it’s best just not to think about that stuff.

I don’t think a day has gone by yet where I have worked less than 10 hours; on average, they run about 12-13. Meals generally consist of scarfing down food at your workspace, hoping not to spill it on your tapes or computer, and in my case I spend several hours a day lugging around a 20-pound camera, a nearly-as-heavy tripod, and a definitely-as-heavy equipment bag.

Oh, and for three weeks, I won’t have a single day off.

And yet, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t having an absolute blast.

This is one of those assignments where you know exactly what you are signing up for when you accept it. You know the days are going to be long, the free time is going to be short, and the days off are going to be none. But you also know you are going to have an amazing, unique experience and receive access most would crave. On Saturday I sat in the cockpit of a float plane — a plane that docks like a boat and takes off from the water — and got straight-ahead views of a perfect Vancouver sunset. On Friday I kayaked in Deep Cove, the world’s southernmost glacial fjord, where the trees are both plentiful and phenomenal. Since I have been here I have touched a gold medal, interviewed both celebrities and tremendous figures, and seen some of the most gorgeous views imaginable. I did it all for free.

And on top of that, I get to produce stories that bring the Olympics to people that aren’t there. If folks in Atlanta are able to get something out of my stories — get a feel for the electricity in Vancouver right now and the beauty that surrounds this city — then I feel I have fulfilled the privilege of this assignment.

I guess it’s not totally free — see the physical prices listed above — but it sure feels like a vacation even as I’m working.

On some nights the exhaustion sets in. And when it does I simply turn around as I’m heading out the International Broadcast Center, look behind, and see the Olympic Cauldron lit up on the platform over my shoulder.

And then somehow my energy just comes back.