I’ve heard it said about nature that trees bend low with ripened fruit Clouds hang down with gentle rain Noble men bow graciously This is the way of generous things —Swami Sivananda Good morning 40s+ ! Let's get this running thing going! 9 easy paced miles for me yesterday. I just finished a recovery week and looking forward to the homestretch that will finish off the training for my April 26 marathon. Looking to get in added miles from now thru the first of April, then taper on down. Great weather on tap for OK this week? Jim, hows the weather up north? I see that arla has a marathon planned in May. You're sure getting some good mileage in. Joe, do you have a race planned in the near future? Ultra...how's the personal training thing going? I see you got a 20 miler in a short time back. Fato....got your bags packed? Are you going to start the running and x-training weekly thread this week? I'll pick it up when you leave. Carol....hope to see pics of San Fran and Bryce Canyon (if you made it there). Hey Jewels, Salty, mtnck. Hey to evryone else. Let's hear about evryone's runs and stuff.

Ev - Got the weekly started. Thanks for the reminder. Didn't get to check in yesterday. Carol - What time do you guys get into San Fran on Saturday? We fly out on the red eye at 10:00 p.m., so we're not in any rush to get down there. I'll get my run in that a.m., and we'll probably toodle down through the Napa Valley. Regarding our old kitty - he's hanging in there, poor guy. I can definitely see more of the senility setting in, so I'm keeping a close watch on him. We have someone coming in every 3rd day while we're gone to give him his fluids. Plus we have "kitty laxatives" that we give him. It seems to be helping. I just have this feeling that before the end of the year we'll have to make a decision. Definitely NOT looking forward to that, but the last thing I want is for him to be uncomfortable. Jewels - Hey there, girlie girl. When's your dr appt for your knee? Did almost 5 miles on Sunday. Shorted myself by a little less than .20. No biggy. Ended up running part of the way with a guy Karen and I have run with before, and he attempted the Bizz Johnson Marathon last October. Had problems with his diabetes and DNF'd, but turned around and ran 2 within the next 3 or 4 weeks. He had a "new" dog with him, a 12-yo golden retriever rescue named Jinx. Very, very sweet dog. Had a light rain the entire time I ran. Rather have a light rain than mist. Mist just feels like someone's spitting in your face. Since about noon yesterday, though, it's been coming down pretty steady. Thankfully, it's not cold. Today was my rest day, so I'll get back in the game tomorrow. Have great week ~

Hi gals and guys. No runs this weekend but did a big ski tour in a back country ski seminar in Rocky Mountain National Park. We did avalance assesment and training and some work with avalanche beacons some classroom but mostly just getting out there. We skinned to the top of one minor peak on relatively low angle variable snow and skiied down. I got cocky at the bottom and crashed in some crusty snow that sucked my ski tips under and I went over the front in an arse over teakettle face plant that was good for a laugh. We then made a rather steep skin ascent over a ridge then got the bejeebers scared outa me on a steep and deep powder descent through scattered trees. I woosed out and locked up with fear, had trouble even functioning and side slipped all the way to the bottom. If any of the video he took makes it to the web I will post a link, good for a laugh eh? He has some vid of some "real skiers" shredding the terrain that ate me up if anyone wants to see. Should been equivalent effort to a long run for me. Ev great weather here now, warmed up over the weekend, sounds like your marathon training is progressing well. Carol and Leslie would be fun if you guys hooked up, hope it works. Will be in the fields very soon.

Kewl! Sounds like another RA/40's meeting in the works! Happy St Patty's Eve everyone! Thanks for starting us out Ev! May you have awesome runs in awesome Spring weather this week Just finished sorting out my Garmin data for the wknd...Doug changed my "page data" just before yesterday's LoDo "race"...had me a little discombooberated for a bit....think I got it now. some days, I really do get to be "the blonde!" I think we both did pretty well, all things considering... both of us had huge Saturdays, didn't get to bed till well after midnight (oh yeah! & didn't I loose all control & easy run like 10 miles on Sat?! idiot!!) Mairead, fortunately, was all rested & ready to go! But, well.... shall we say that it's been awhile since she's been in a crowd like that, although not in the immediate downtown area - which has EVIL gutters, train tracks, tree grates, open stairs etc!! Stress!! Oh, but corned beef afterwards! Oh! Life is GOOD! The 21st Annual Running of the Green Lucky 7K, proceeds benefiting Volunteers of America - specifically, Meals on Wheels program: 5500 runners, walkers, dogs, strollers, costumes, food, beer, Irish music, some dancing, in LoDo (lower downtown) Denver....abt 55* F, dead calm, clear, through the rolling hills (my whacky garmin says we did 787' of ups & downs!) of lower downtown....IRC!! We started mid/back of the pack (w/most of the other dogs) just ahead of the strollers, who were ahead of the majority of the walkers...well, not entirely, but generally so - it's hard I suppose to truly sort this type of crowd....10:15 start time, so sun is up, enrt a 70* ish day.... in this crowd, it took a full 3 mins for us to get to the start line from gun time...I lost sight of Doug in the first block - so busy was I keeping Mairead off sides...(trying to be a very considerate dog runner) & then, at no time during the next 4.3 miles - especially in the final .3 miles! - did I ever have to NOT dodge walkers stopping abruptly right in front of us!! one girl stopped so abruptly, & quite directly in front of us! startled Mairead so much, that she jumped hard right to get around her, while still attached to me via leash, & almost took the girl out! & then there was the man stepping out from the sidelines amid runners to hand off a baby to his running mother - again, directly in front of me! WTH!? The good stuff> lotsa funny costumes, moments here & there running w/other dog runners (serious pack stuff!), watching one dad w/squealing toddlers in a dbl jogging stroller off to the side wheeling them side to side & poppin wheelies carnival ride style, two ladies skipping up a hill while singing some weird ditty that I couldn't make out, Doug reported seeing the cutest little leprechaun (toddler) running for all he was worth around mile 3 - I'm sure he belonged to one of the strollers! ...we had one "mandatory" group walk break while we sorted out the congestion @ the top of the last hill...hrumphf!! not the most fluid of neighborhood runs! & all this before we started drinking!!! Again, loads of food & goodies @ the end..All of the dogs loved the food lines...lotsa dropped corned beef!! ...we milled around for abt 6 cups of beer & some people watchin' then mosied over to another Irish pub for a pint of Guinness...then another (pub)....they have outdoor patios (which are lovely in this weather) where Mairead can sit on the outside of the railings...okay, so I got not much else constructive done w/my day!! Me & Mairead: 46:34.5/10:43 (after yesterday's ) Doug: 38:38.4/ 8:53 (some folks apparently took this run fairly seriously - best time: 20:56! ) FR: see pics of Guinness pj's & stuff This morning was to be our "long run" of the week..... okay, so 5-ish, that kinda came together a little better than I thought it would, but still processing the excesses of yesterday.....so, how should I feel after nearly 20 miles in 3 days on insufficient sleep & excess beer!? ..... Have a Great Week everyone!! C

Cindy - Sounds like you had a fantastic time. And 'Read looks so go! Happy dog! Arla - Pics of you riding your bike? And you never posed them? Shame on you. And yes, you and Joe are definitely the high mileage folks these days. Ev - Tell me yet again when you are running your marathon. I promise, this time I'll put the dang thing on my calendar. Carol - I'll have to talk to The Hub and try to figure out when we might be getting to SF. I know the hotel where we're parking our truck is in Milbrae. I'm already having withdrawals 'cause I'm not taking my laptop with me. Cripes! I can just see me staggering down the streets, looking for an Internet cafe so I can get my RA fix. Hopefully, there won't be any slobbering involved.

Joe - heh, yeah your best part of the year is in front of you, mine is here...oh well maybe I'll catch ya next year. Leslie - maybe the place you're staying will have a business center where you can check in with us. Because we WILL be wondering whazzup. Easy few miles today plus one mile barefoot which felt really good. On the way home the last few blocks I crossed paths with a woman run/walking with a jogging stroller, as I said hi I noticed that her eyes were locked on my bare footsies. Yeah, so I look like a weirdo. Welcome to the sometimes-wacky world of running. Arla

FJ: that looketh familiar! but not this year! freakish warm!!

6 miles for me and mrsday this evening. And it was hot....87F. But there was a nice breeze that helped keep us cool. I thought I might struggle in the warmer temps, but felt great. For those that have asked....I'll be running my second marathon on April 26th.....The Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon.....