"Begin doing what you want to do now. We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand - - and melting like a snowflake." (Marie Beyon Ray)
Welcome to a new week!
Did 15 min of core this a.m. whilst watching "Fox and Friends." Was surprised to see that Kim Jong Il died. It'll be interesting (and scary) to see what happens in North Korea now.
Have a good one, peeps ~
Leslie Living and Running Behind the Redwood Curtain -------------
Trail Runner Nation
Sally McCrae-Choose Strong
Bare Performance
Queen of 3rd Place
Leslie - thanks for getting things going, hope your knee does well this week. Yeah, I wonder if the young Mr. Kim will be up to running a country - he's only something like 23.
Ev - I will look at your music links when I'm home later - thanks!
Cindy - I looked at the video of the causeway marathon - looks beautiful. I didn't realize there were other videos, I'll have to look into those.
Carol - don't get TOO excited about the ankle! Sounds like you're proceeding cautiously.
Did something to my right wrist, not sure what, feels like a mild sprain. It's keeping me away from my weights workouts for now. And between finals and helping out a friend last week the running just didn't happen. But I'll make one last push to get that 2000 mile bunny, going to have to in order to deal with all the holiday calories!
Ex runner
Hey ladies.
3 wet miles for me this evening. Been raining all day long.....it's supposed to turn to snow as the temps drop. Big time snow event for a large area just west of me. Big accumulation and high winds expected. I should be on the edge of this storm and we expect to get only a few inches here.
Well....it's another day so we got that going for us, which is nice. 3 more miles for me. It snowed, and as expected, we got received about an inch. The paved trail where I run was clear. I used my new balaclava for the first time today. I got the "Smart Wool" thru REI. Worked great. It's pretty thin and I was concerned it might not keep my ears warm enough.....but it worked like a champ. Very light weight. Warm and cozy.
Later my friends.
Thanks for starting us off Leslie! Like the quote very much. No sense putting things off .
Arla, hope your wrist feels better. Is is the one you write with/grade papers with?
Well Ev, if you can't go to the snow, I guess it's coming to you. REI is a good!
My back has been sore from walking with a longer legged friend this weekend. But 2,500 yards in the pool followed by a little soak in the hot tub seems to have worked most of the kinks out. I weighed yesterday, and had actually dropped a couple more pounds. I wasn't trying to lose, just maintain, but my body seems to really like it when I do things other than running. Anway, went jeans shopping today and was pleasantly amazed .
Good job on the weight loss, Carol. Yeah, our body likes it when we mix things up, keep it surprised.
Ev - Any pics of you in that get-up?
Take care of that wrist, Arla. Hope you catch the pace bunny!
30 min of stationary cycling this morning, followed by an hour of core/strength training, then 7.5 hours of work, and now I'm off until Tuesday, the 27th. Woo hoo! Have some transcription to finish up tonight, house cleaning tomorrow, then I'm free, free, free! to relax and have some much needed ME time.
Good morning all!
I'm with Carol on Leslie's quote. After my post last week about wanting to do the many things there are to do, I feel the quote was custom made just for me. Leslie posted it at the perfect time. Thanks.
Carol's got some new jeans! Nice!
Leslie......I'm happy for your little vacation. Enjoy! How's the knee?
No pics of me in my "get-up". At least that I know of. I did catch a glimpse of myself in the reflection provided by my pickup window. "My, what big ears you have!" So I'm pretty excited about that.
Ev - And you're welcome re the quote.
It felt good to sleep in this morning (relatively speaking since I had to get up at 6:30 and feed the zoo crew), but that just means I had to deal with more cars on the road while running. Did 5.2 miles with 6 hill strides thrown into the middle. I was suppose to do 3-6. I got to 4 and thought, "Well, if I can do 4, I can do 5." After the 5th, I figured I may as well go for the 6th one. Unfortunately, I had to stop about halfway through the 6th to catch my breath, but all in all, I'm happy with how it went. Only two instances of nano second sharp pain the left knee, so will continue to watch and gauge.
I've decided I want to learn to play the guitar. This is unfortunate since (1) I don't own one, (2) I can't really afford to buy one right now, (3) I can't afford lessons (but that's not a deal breaker) and (3) I don't own one. Will have to save my pennies . . . . or see if my brother has one he would be willing to part with for awhile.
Okay - Off to take a shower before I freeze to death (you know, sweaty and all . . . ) Catch ya later -
Carol - You've GOT to be the first person in the history of the world to LOSE weight during the holidays! Don't care much for swimming...but hot tub...now you're talking!
ev - sounds like you missed out on the winds, at least. Love that smart wool stuff.
Hope mtn isn't too snowed in...
Leslie - nice work on the mileage, 5 is getting to be a nice distance! And: once you find a cheap/free/borrowed guitar, look around the web for free online lessons. Print out a chord chart such as http://charkmusic.blogspot.com/2010/05/use-this-guitar-chord-chart.html - and then look for some tunes that use the same chords. That should get you started.
OR....
You could make your life easier and get a baritone ukulele, it has only four strings but they're the same as the highest four strings on a guitar so you can use guitar chord charts and you get a similar sound and in a smaller and easier-to-play package. Doesn't sound like a uke at all, if you don't like that uke sound, more like a high-pitched guitar. I've seen them on Amazon for less than $50, probably what you'd pay for a pawn-shop guitar. I used to play bass (fun and simple but big and you need others) and guitar (kind of hard unless you're dedicated) and am now loving my two little ukes but I warn you that they're addicting!
Off to pick up between 12 - 13 today, shooting for 70 this week. Fortunately we're having IRC so it's been a pleasure, sure glad I'm off work this week, and glad that running doesn't involve using the wrist!
Later...
Hmmm. I'll have to do some nosing around, Arla. Thanks for the info.
Well, I was walking through my kitchen this afternoon and the knee did it's thing so bad, I thought I was going to throw up. Seriously. I had to stand at the sink and wait for the feeling to pass (while the cats hollered: "Feed Us!"). Called my ortho's office and lo and behold, my next appt was for the 10th, not the 19th. Um, by chance do you have anything earlier? (please, please, please, please, please . . . ) How does the 3rd at 9:30 sound? Fine and dandy!
This definitely isn't just an inflammation issue - at least that's not what it feels like. I googled meniscus tear. Sounds suspiciously like what I'm feeling. *sigh* We'll see . . . . .
Top 'O the World!
Hope mtn isn't too snowed in... Later...
....working on it! somewhere around 10" so far from this little squall! Some foothills spots have seen 28" so far & we have a few more hours before it moves out! Looks to be pushing more Southward rather than Eastward this time...which may mean I'm sending Carol a white Christmas instead of Ev!? It really is pretty out. Evrything looks all soft & the doggies are frolicking about in the back yard....they think this is pretty neat stuff! Was really kewl last night around 9pm, coming down at about an inch an hour w/all the Christmas lights shining through! I think Christmas lights need a bit of snow to really look their best.
Nice quote, Leslie! Hmm, somethimes I need that little nudge a little more than others...I can let myself be lazy at times...proactively challenged? no matter that I do indeed understand, intellectually anyway, the benefits of moving forward more expeditiously....I'll still read one more article/page/chapter, drink one more cup....!?
Is it balaclava weather, Ev? I have a cpl of different fabric wgts of those....I seem to need it to be pretty sharp, cold before I use them though...I just overheat way too easily, get all sweaty wet, & then get a nasty case of the chills! Sorry! TMI! Strangely, I can have a tough time getting my layering dialed in just right. Speaking of Winter Weather gear, saw Jim modeling his ski goggles the other day on fb! Looks to be a great year for you to explore RMNP w/the igloo crew! *hint, hint!*
Did you really sprain it, Arla, or is it one of those "psuedo/phantom" things? Is there a term for what I'm thinking? You know what I mean, right? Don't remember doing anything to cause it, but have a "tweaky joint?" ~ Thankfully, it usually only lasts a day or two. Do you get those, or it just another one of weirdisms? Congrats in advance on the 2K!
Got to hang out with Ultrachick's friend from Breck again most of yesterday! Good times! Spent the day btwn chatting over "absolutely every conceivable topic" over chai tea, a little tour infused run/walk, a little massage....Doug had her car at the shop all day for some minor work & a thorough health check-up...poor thing needs a new car! but DH did what he could for her. Did a number of little necessaries off the clock...Good reminder to me of just how many details he does indeed take care of for me! How blessed I am to have my automotively proficient McGyver residing in my house!! Anyhow, she is fairly new to CO - moved just a few months ago from VT, so whilst overwhelming her on a general CO history, & specific to this little area, we went out on my bluff trail so she could get a good visual of the South end of the metro area - the top of the bluff sits at 6400' so, enough over the city/foothills area to be able to see a good ways. With a weather system moving in, it wasn't as clear as I've seen it at times...We could see Pikes Peak to the South, but much beyond downtown (Northward) was pretty shrouded. Many days, I can see clear past the Flatirons, up to Longs Peak! Was supposed to be a run...we ended up doing lots of walking! Some semi-packed snow on the rolling trail makes it a bit more of a workout and I was doing a lot of talking - can't seem to run & talk much! Not to mention the hill itself is fairly aggressive...still. I can usually run much more of it than I seemed able to do! I am becoming aware that I have a far different run experience in "some" groups vs alone. I do think that most of the time I attribute it to my body's misfunctions more than anything else & while that could be true a degree, something she said to me kinda surprised me...on further consideration, it was very illuminating! She noted that I was upper quadrant breathing rather than deeper, especially on hills..(I had not noticed) & that it seemed to be more "anxiety breathing" - not quite hyperventilating, & not all of the time! Inconsistent & inefficient... I do find it intimidating to run with folks whom I perceive as "better runners/athletes" than I am, and my chatter, both audible & internal speaks to that far more than I'd realized! I didn't realize that it affected how I was breathing, nor that I may not be breathing very efficiently anyway!! Hmmm.....
....trying to decide now if I'm going to brave the weather for a few.....20*F, 8* "real feel," light snow, gusty breezes....
Leslie - that sounds awful, I hope your orthopod figures it out! Just as your foot was behaving, too! Good thing you're getting in soon.
Mtn - Christmas lights look just fine to me with palm trees in the background! I have the same problem with layering and getting soggy, so I go out layered up with a light backpack (REI Flash 18, cheap, weighs nothing and also can hold a water bladder) and peel off as I go. The wrist might not be a sprain, but it's been about a week now so it's the real deal. The swelling's gone and it's sloooowwwwllly getting better, looks like it's gonna be awhile.
Got a third place trophy for the Valley Runner of the Year series! Third place women's masters (40 - 49). I didn't know until they called, I hadn't thought about it because I haven't raced in the series since March or April, but there's no summer racing and only a few races in the fall, so the spring racing did it. Schlepped over to the local running store and OMG! This stupid plastic trophy is 2 feet tall! Never having been good at sports in school or anything, this is a huge surprise...and a lot of fun.
Oh, and Happy solstice! The days get longer from here!
Congratulations, Arla! How about a pic of that 2-footer?
Cindy - I've noticed that I tend to not breath deep from the diaphragm. When I took voice lessons, I learned how to, but was a long time ago and all that "memory" is long gone.
So, we all need voice lessons! With Leslie's guitar and my uke, we could form a little ensemble. Oh, and doesn't ev play, too?
Here 'tis, Best Christmas present, ever! With my very well-worn favorite racing shoes. They really oughta be retired.
Very nice trophy Arla, and well deserved! You get style points too....the positioning of the shoes, trophy and backdrop are quite artistic.
Leslie, ugh on the knee! Better safe than sorry, so hope the doc can help you figure out what's wrong.
Cindy, I think the snow is going to turn to rain before it gets here, but thanks for trying. As for the breathing thing, just surviving at altitude is a victory in my book.
Ev, who knew the big bad wolf wore a balaclava?
As for the music, I'm great at enjoying it, but not so good at making it .
Nice trophy! And as Carol said, most definitely deserved and great framing.
I attempted to get in 40 mins of stationary cycling tonight, but about 15 minutes in, my brother called. I finally got him off the phone and started up again only to be interrupted 5 mins later with a call from Shorty. After 10+ minutes there, I gave up and called it a night. Will do one of those evil DVDs tomorrow morning. Then the plan is put on my sweats and lay on the couch the rest of the day watching movies. Haven't done that in ages.
And two other things happened this evening: (1) Shorty isn't getting any credit for all the schoolwork he's done the last two weeks, so instead of getting out between the 6th and the 12th, he's getting out around the 16th, and (2) I became a redhead. The first Shorty was POd about at first, but has since calmed down, the second he should find interesting. He always did like redheads.