baby makes six

Mamalates

2012-01-25T05:29:00.000-08:00

No, this is not a group of Moms drinking lattes. Who's got an extra hand to hold a coffee drink??? After doing some research about diastasis (the abdominal separation) a friend suggested Mamalates. This class is basically a Pilate's class for new mothers, and...their babies. The "And their babies," portion is key. I would love to get a massage, go to the chiropractor, get acupuncture, go swimming, go to yoga, all the things I used to do for self care. My body is tied in knots, all the old ones from training, plus new ones from sitting hunched over while nursing and compensating for having zero core strength. But I can't bring Soren so I don't bother making the appointments. Don't get me wrong, I am not suffering from separation anxiety with my child, not yet anyway...we will re-visit this topic when I return to work, but there really is no easy way of bringing a baby to any of those arenas. If he sleeps...sure, great! But he most likely won't.

With the Mamalates class we bring our babies, crying or sleeping into the room. We squeeze into the small space on mats surrounded by balls, bands, and in between car seats. Some babies sleep, some lay on a blanket, some are carried by the instructor as she teaches - those are the lucky moms that get to participate in the movement for the whole class! Yesterday, during our second class, Soren was the first to start crying, "Yes!" which meant Wendy, the instructor, would carry and calm him bouncing on the ball as she taught. When he calmed she placed him back in his carrier. This didn't last so I took him out again and laid him on the floor next to a six week old little girl named, Ophelia. He was fascinated and I participated for another 10 minutes! While he cried, or nursed, I looked around the room. This is the last place I would have ever imagined myself. There were Moms and babies everywhere. All ages, sizes, and iterations of mother and child. It's so interesting to observe the bond between them and the manner of touch and expression that has already become their routine. It occurred to me that this was the important part of class. During the first class I attended, there were very few babies present. None of them were awake, except for Soren, so the instructor held him for the entire class. I was relieved and worked really hard engaging my core and moving those bands. I was killing it in that class. Yes folks (all two of you that read this, plus my Mom) "Killing it," now means six knee push-ups before I fall to the ground sweating. It's all relative.

Anyway, returning to my point. Yesterday, as I noticed the room begin to brim with babies I felt a stab of anxiety. Some of these other babies are bound to cry. Soren was awake. So it was just a matter of time before he started expressing his displeasure. Connecting the dots here...I'm not going to get my workout in today!! But while I nursed him for the second time in an hour and fifteen minute period that's when I noticed it. The reason I came to this class is not the only reason to be here. I looked down at Soren. He has this adorable habit of moving his little fingers as though he's directing the feeding session. His eyes, if open, look so dreamy and relaxed. It literally causes me to take a deep breath and wonder how I got so lucky. I am constantly amazed that someone as impatient, wound, and with the sometimes anxiety-ridden shark-like attitude of Move or die, can create such calm in a little person like Soren. It gives me hope.

So. I will pack up the little guy every week, sometimes twice a week, into his carrier. I will drive to the other side of town. I will endure his crying, screaming days and be thankful for his sleepy or happy days as I kill another workout. Because no matter what, I will be surrounded by women learning similar lessons about themselves. And the smiles we give each other across the room are more validating than any doctor, nurse, partner, Mom, or friend could match. We are all in it together for one hour and fifteen minutes. And that is worth so much more than the small amount of money I pay to attend that class.

I may get to do 7 knee push-ups and 10 air squats holding Soren. Or, I may nurse, hold, and bounce Soren for the entire class. Either way I'm killing it.

While Soren Sleeps

2012-01-06T09:15:00.001-08:00

I'm most productive in the morning after Soren's second feeding. He tends to sleep 3-4 hours at a stretch while his Mor Mor drinks her coffee watching over him. This morning, at 4:30 am, after his first feeding, I finally put him in his crib. He laughed and watched his mobile while I pumped. Because it was 5:00 am after his crib-story-diaper change time, I decided to stay up instead of go back to sleep. This kind of got us out of our usual groove. But it's 9:19am now and he's fast asleep in his swing as I type here.

Since Mor Mor is going to be away all day hiking with Uncle Alan, I've decided to give the Moby Wrap another shot. Soren loved this when my friend Kelley helped me wrap the giant scarf around my body in a useful sling configuration. But he soon tired of being stuffed like a pea pod into the scarf. After looking online I found another method we will try today allowing his feet to hang while still close and supported.

In other news: I tried on my work pants. They are the pants I got just before I got pregnant. They hung around my hips comfortably back in January. I'm happy to say I was able to zip and snap the Ben Davis pants. I'm a little worried to admit that they look like the worst case of "Mom Pants" I have ever witnessed. What happened to my butt? What in the world does my butt have to do with having a baby? All I can think is that our bodies are all tied together in a confusing weave of muscles and ligaments (kind of like the Moby wrap but with live tissue) and somewhere along the line I lost tone everywhere. I only say this to express how bad the Mom Pant look is. Not only because the pants no longer hang at my hips in a casual cool manner; but as they pass the hips to the higher ground of my "waist" (really non-existent...but area where waist used to be) and squeeze together to snap, I now fill the Pants like a "Mom." My butt is flat and long...really no distinguishable end of butt and beginning of back. The high pants accentuate this fact. The front is no better. As the pants ride up in back they are poofing out in front where tummys should lay flat. In short, I am poofing where I should be flat and flat where I should be poofing.

I am taking all of this in stride, despite what Chester and my Mom may say. Yes, I am anxious to fix this situation. But I'm also using it to be thankful for how fit I WAS and as inspiration to get back to that fitness. I also understand that there are no guarantees. My body is not the same as it was. It will no doubt not be like it was after the weight is worked off slowly. But I am confident it can be different but better, or at least different but just as good in a different way. Basically, I'm just sporting a new style. :)

Patience.

2012-01-05T13:45:00.000-08:00

I've been hearing that word offered often these days. My latest question to receive that answer is about my stomach. How long before my abdominal wall feels like a wall again instead of curtains open wide? What can I do to strengthen and repair them?

Waiting. I've never been good at it. But to me there is a difference between having patience and being idle. I will be patient with the process, but I want to help my body move in the right direction. I guess this statement falls under another phrase typically advised, "Allow everything to fall back into place on it's own." In other words, "You can't MAKE this happen." Hmphf. I remember hearing that when Chester and I were trying to get pregnant. I guess I'm still learning that one.

I know this facet of my personality causes no end of frustration and irritation to those who work with me, know me, and even those who love me. For many not close to me it is the reason for their disliking me. But I like this about my personality. I know it could be tempered and softened...and I think it has with age, yes, believe it or not. It comes from a value and belief so strong and at the core of who I strive to be. Namely, I do not ever want to stop and "Wait" or "Let" life pass by me. I'll admit there is a magic to allowing things to fall into place and happen seemingly on their own. But I'm a firm believer that something never happens "On its own." I believe things change, happen, move, evolve only by laying the groundwork, taking opportunities to learn about processes, and taking action. I know what you're thinking. She's a control freak. Well, yes, I've been called that too. In a black and white world I suppose you choose to be victim to those things you don't like or fear; or we try to control them. I choose the latter. I admit the world we live in is not black and white and there is a fine line between when we should push and when we should relax. Water is stronger than stone.

Soren is waking up and will want to be fed. He will not have to wait or be patient...lucky boy. Hmm...maybe it's not patience I seek, but maturity. Ouch.

January 1, 2012

2012-01-01T07:55:00.000-08:00

First day of the new year. I just finished pumping and have to retrieve the little Munch from my mom, his Mor Mor. But, I've decided to blog my way back to sanity. So I wanted to get letter to page before the crazy day commences. Hell or high water we are going to Crossfit today with 7 Week old Soren in tow. We've tried the past two days to no avail. Today is a new dawn.

If I don't get going we won't make it. I need to: Wake husband (Chester), eat breakfast, pack diaper bag, pack food for after workout, change for workout, pack baby into carrier and be on our way in 40 minutes. Life has become a blur with the "List" never realized. The Challenge: Slow down and enjoy: the smiles in Soren's sleep, the sounds of joy when he stares at the mobile, the sheer thankfulness of having my Mom here to share in his life and care, watching him grow, learning patience and "Letting go," the list goes on and on. Hopefully, this blog will help me live in these moments instead of the in the list of laundry, vacuuming, dirty dishes, dog piles in the yard, lack of sleep and other chores.

More to come...

The best part.

2010-02-27T16:16:00.000-08:00

I didn't train for 24 hours of solo riding in Old Pueblo. When Chester signed up, I thought about sitting on the sidelines for another race and couldn't fathom going "just" in support. After the first frigid, rainy, three hour ride topped off with the rude spraying of the hose to remove the inch of mud covering our bodies before we made our way into the house...but only AFTER we hosed our bikes and shoes off as well, I knew my heart wasn't into this day in and day out for three months. Chester's heart was. While I played at crossfit, running, riding on weekends (when I felt like it) and walking the dogs...he came home from work, sat on the couch for 30 minutes, then made his way out to the packed garage (we still haven't organized from moving in September.) There was just enough room for my bike trainer and his road bike. In layers of sweatpants, sweatshirt and hat he did interval drills and all out threshold tests for 60-90 minutes a night. On weekends he put in three to four hours saturday and 6-9 hours on Sunday. Although I whined now and then about missing time with him, after we established "date night" things got better. I still struggled now and then feeling like I was doing more than my share of household stuff...but I also knew what it was like to totally commit to a training program and go for it 100%. I was excited for him and watched his fitness continue to rise to a level I'd not seen in him previously. Incidentally he never, not one day, told me he was too tired to talk or walk the girls with me, or make dinner with me. I am still amazed and grateful for his ability to always be there for me, regardless of his fatigue. In my days of triathlon I was not able to give so much...lesson learned. ;)

So, when we arrived, after the initial scuffle for command over the sleeping tent and logistics tent locations we set to riding the course. Chris and I rode what we believed would be a small loop, thinking we would ride the whole course with Chester later. Well our small loop turned out to be 3/4 of the course. Interestingly we felt like we'd been riding forever and had, at the time we checked our odometers, only covered 6 miles of the 17 mile course. Not what you want to experience the day before the race. But we smiled and rode on...we were in it for fun- six laps at least. We picked Chester up and did it again...a little more quickly.

RACE DAY: Brian, Brent, Jenna, Audrey, Isaac, and Andrew...oh and Bella were all there to help support the three of us in this adventure. Throughout the night they cooked soup, heated water to fill camelbacks, delivered requested food, changed batteries for lights and cheered as we rode off to do another lap. They also had an eye on the other competitors and would update Chester and I as we came in about our placement as well as telling us how our other racers were fairing. They were amazing. There would be no race without a support crew. There are so many logistics to think of at every stop. And even I, not having raced the whole night through, was getting tired and less apt to remember batteries or a water switch. I know Chester could not have done what he did without them.

I mentioned previously my goal was to ride 6 laps. Having never ridden more then three hours or about 35 miles on my mountain bike, I thought 100 miles was a great goal...especially with little to ah-hem, no training. I rode for 10:30 hours getting six laps. The last lap was dark, and I was feeling the strain on my back. I also, looking back, was feeling the effects of not enough calories per hour. I just didn't have the practice fueling on my bike. It's more difficult than fueling while I run. In that 10:30 hours I burned about 7500 calories. I was getting about 200/ hour...if lucky. The sixth lap started feeling miserable. It felt like a good time to sit and re-group.

When I came in and announced my plans to sit a spell, Brent announced that I was in fifth place. "Really?!" I looked at my bike. I looked at the campfire and remembered why I came. I came to have fun. I did not train for this. But I could go for it and chase my ego around that 17 mile loop for as long as my body would allow. Hmm...I chose the chair. I now had a front row seat as I watched Chester come in every 1:30-1:45 and helped get him what he needed to continue racing. I listened as Brent told him he was 13th, then top ten, then fifth, then fourth place! I finally tried to get some sleep at 4am. I fell asleep at 6am and at 7am Brent woke me up to get back out on the trail. I loaded my camelback with clif shots and set off for the unknown. Apparently my get up and go had really got up and went. I struggled with each stroke getting nowhere. 10 miles into the lap I realized I was in my granny gear! No wonder I wasn't going anywhere. I finally shifted to the middle ring and made some time. I traveled well until the steady uphill of the His and Hers trail. I was dragging. I happily decided to make this my farewell lap. With 7 laps I would complete 118 miles on my bike. That's more than double the distance I've previously ridden. My smile came back and I started chatting with others on the trail. It was sunny and beautiful and everyone seemed to be ecstatic that the endless darkness had disappeared bringing sun and renewed energy...well some of the riders seemed to have the renewed energy. I was happy for them as I considered shifting back to my granny gear for the flats.

When I came in Brent told me that the other women seemed to be resting as well...I could keep going and possibly regain some ranking. I smiled. The choice was easy this time. It was cool to get the report and felt really good to know definitively I'd done what I'd set out to do, was finished, and most importantly smiling. I packed it up and waited for Chester to come around a few more times before I put my jeans on and "officially" crossed the finish line. When people see the solo plate they go crazy at the finish. I felt a little sheepish knowing I didn't ride all night. But I also felt good about what I'd accomplished over the weekend. I'm excited about this new yearly tradition in my life and look forward to next year.

Chester finished almost 90 minutes ahead of the next solo male finisher. Chester stood on the podium in fourth place in his Carharts, down jacket and Arizona cap in 75 degree weather. He then downed a pulled pork sandwich and a coke. When we made our way back to camp to pack our bikes for the next destination I turned to ask him a question. He was passed out on the desert floor sleeping with a big smile on his face.

Next stop British Virgin Islands for some sailing. We rested, tanned, swam, ran (at least two days) and ate seafood while hanging with three fun couples. It was a perfect end to the race week. Ok, I'll admit I started going a little crazy for activity...but the trip was an adventure of a lifetime and being surrounded by bright blue water and sun for a week was great. But the best part of the two weeks, was spending uninterrupted time with Chester. AFter two weeks we were both pleased to realize that it was date night when we got home and were excited to spend it together. :)

Thanks also to George and Cass for allowing us to send our bikes to QCS so we wouldn't have to lug them onto the sailboat!

Big Week

2010-02-09T11:15:00.000-08:00

Yes, blogging went to the wayside in the past months. To sum up: Chester has been training so hard his bike has been ridden into the ground. He needs to replace: his shocks, rotors- front and back, brake pads and extract the water from his front fork. Riding in forest park for hours in the rain back to back days every weekend apparently takes it's toll. Rather than go into a full description of what I did or did not do to train...suffice to say my new Superfly, has some mud on the frame, but would still pass as a "New" bike. So with that going for each of us we are off, Wednesday morning, for the races. My goal is to ride 100 miles. Chester's goal is 12 laps. Each lap is approx 17 miles. Chris Barney- who also enjoys a healthy bike going into the race, if you catch my drift, hopes to complete 6 laps.

Before we fly out, I have one more not so minor detail to meet. Today, in a short two hours I will appear before a panel of Chief's for my Captain interview. Although it has added an undercurrent of additional stress as we packed for not one, but two vacations (more on that later) I will be relieved to have the process complete before we leave Portland. This has been a year long succession of: studying, written test, assessment center (scenario-based drills, oral resume and written communication problems) and now will finally close with the Chief's Interviews. We, meaning myself and the other candidates, assuming we pass the Chief's Interview, wait on a ranked list for retirements. Then, as positions become available, we are placed according to our rank. I am number 5 on the list.

AFTER THE RACE Chester and I will head from Tucson, AZ to Tortola Island in the British Virgin Islands. We are meeting three additional couples for a week long sailing trip on a 52 foot Catamaran. As you can imagine, the packing alone was quite a challenge for this two week hiatus. But both the sailing trip and the race have also been in planning for a year. So three goals will be met and dreams played out as the next two weeks progress.

I am thankful for the opportunities I have to pursue such adventures as well as to challenge myself and develop as a leader at PF&R. In the past I would not have chosen to juggle three major undertakings at one time. My focus was narrow, singular, and strong. These days I've noticed some drift in my approach. Though there is room to reinvigorate and visit the singular goal, I'm enjoying the balance and diversity I've welcomed by gaining a wider perspective. Or maybe this is just another verbose excuse for not training. :) Catch you when we return...Thanks for reading.

JANUARY 2010

2010-01-10T08:17:00.000-08:00

The post below was actually written today, Jan 10, 2010.

2010 Year of the Tiger!

2009-12-02T15:12:00.000-08:00

Yes, yes, it's been a while since I've written. Since the last post I have been continuing my commitment to my training identity crisis. It seems to be forming into something recognizable...but in truth I am not yet quite there. I believe I am suffering from wanting my pie and wanting to eat it too-itis. I want to dive into crossfit, continuing my education of the power lifts that elude me. I want to run with my friend Ronda: T-runs, M-Pace runs, track workouts, hills, strides...and Zoe gets exercise too...while we solve the world's and our own problems. I also want to nest. I want to fix our house up, organize the garage, put things in their proper place...okay first we need to figure out where that place is, but then I'm on it getting them there. I want to ride my new mountain bike in a confident and aggressive manner downhill...cautiously of course. I want to bring yoga and swimming back into my life. The flexibility, grounding and fluidity those pursuits bring are missing from my current perspective. I want to say, "Goodbye," happily and without regret to sugar in my life. I want to learn to knit! This Christmas, Chester's mother gave me the incredible gift of a knitting lesson.

Look what I've done. Without even realizing it, I've listed a pile of New Year's Resolutions. Ronda repeated some words to me during our last run together. Her friend Michael had shared them with her. After listening to my list of wishes and wants she said, "Kris, nothing changes if nothing changes." I really had no reply. There really are no words of response to that statement. It's all choice. But more importantly and effectively, it's all actions. You can want to change the world. You can have the best intentions, but if the action does not follow, nothing will change.

I will make the year 2010 the year of action. I will shift my energy from the analytical to the physical. I am going to stop worrying and wondering. I will act.

Today, Chester and I will ride with Chris in Forest Park. The 24 hour race at Old Pueblo is just around the corner- Feb 13. I'm excited to begin our two week adventure starting with this race and followed by our sailing trip in the BVI.

Chester's Training Update: Aside from a small cold that derailed training for three days, Chester has been his usual disciplined, nose to the grindstone self while training for Old Pueblo. He's had some low points, wondering why he didn't lean down like during his CreamPuff training- I reminded him that Creampuff was in the middle of summer and we are in the thick of the holiday season...oh and maybe we shouldn't have eaten that 12th cookie bar. But his hard work has also been rewarded with his lactate threshold jumping considerably. I am by no means an expert in these matters, but basically this means Chester will be able to work harder for a longer period of time before the build-up of lactic acid in his muscles renders him into a quivering mass of mountain-biking flesh on the trail. For those of you unfamiliar with the tests he takes to discover this increased capability and confused at my somewhat melodramatic verbage, allow me to explain. Chester will go out to the garage where his bike is set up on our bike trainer. He warms up for about 30 minutes pedaling hard enough to get the blood to his legs and a healthy sweat going. Then for 20 minutes he will pedal like his life depends on it- ALL OUT. The pain and exhaustion he endures, no continuously causes to happen, must seem to last for an hour.

I've completed similar tests on the track, running. There is nothing fun about them. Afterwards you can barely walk and feel like throwing up. You've used every last bit of energy and strength you had- if you did it correctly. You'll recall that test was NOT in my list of things I want to do this year. Chester has already completed this test four times. I've no doubt before his training for Old Pueblo ends he will complete at least one more test. Today, however, Chester is going to ride laps in Forest Park. The plan calls for 6 hours worth. He may do less having been sick all week. In short summary his training is going well from my outsider's view. If I can get him to sit down for 10 minutes I'll try and convince him to type some words himself. Until then I hope to see you out on the trails: running, riding, hiking or dog-walking! Happy New year.

1...2...3...GO!

2009-11-30T10:43:00.000-08:00

First big training weekend under our belts. The plan was a three hour moderate ride on Saturday and 5 hour easy ride on Sunday. I had an idea the 5 hour ride wasn't going to work for me... as the morning became early afternoon. Clearly Chester and Zoe were taking their time getting ready. Emma had staked out the New York Times I thought I would read. I had friends in town to meet so my time was limited. LUCKILY, my plan allows for alternatives. While Chester braved the clear skies and sun for a muddy five hour tour of Leif Erickson, Zoe and I started at Saltzman. We took the Maple Trail to Leif then added some 30 sec hill climbs up the firelanes as we made our way back to Saltzman for an easy 2 hour run. My legs were tired, but I suspect not as tired as they would have been if I had been riding. I wanted to be careful since the 2 hour run was a significant increase in mileage for me. In the future, on days I can't ride back to back, I will have to add weights to add more fatigue to my legs for that second day.

Overall it felt good to get the workouts finished. My hips and right knee are talking to me...but it's a familiar story of tightness. My plan today is an easy spin and stretch along with some core work. This week my plan looks like this: ( I work on the Bold colored days.)

Monday: Easy spin, stretch, core
Tuesday: Xfit, Run w/intervals
Wednesday: xfit, Ride 2.5 hours
Thursday: Easy run
Friday: Xfit, Ride 2-3 hours
Saturday: Long Run 2-2.5 hours
Sunday: Easy ride/stretch/core

Chester's Plan:

Monday: Weights/Stretch
Tuesday: Bike 2Hr/Stretch
Wednesday: Bike 2Hr/weights/core
Thursday: Bike 1 hr/stretch
Friday: Mtb 1 hr/weights
Saturday: Bike 3 hr on or off road
Sunday: Core/ MTB 5.5 hours

Thankful

2009-11-27T06:14:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I woke up and didn't have to think about what I would do for Thanksgiving. Chester and I finished baking the pie we'd promised to bring to his Mom's for Thanksgiving supper and then took the girls for a rainy run in Forest Park. With family in Illinois and Tennessee I'm usually up in the air until day of for Thanksgiving plans. This year I knew I would be spending it with Chester's family. We had a great meal, gave his brother Sam his birthday present and played Dominoes. Then we were off to his Step-mom's sisters for second dinner. It was a long day full of plans where usually I have none.

I'm thankful for being invited so warmly into Chester's family. I'm thankful that my own family is healthy and happy and also had fun plans for the holiday. I'm sooo thankful that I live with this amazing man that agrees running through the cold rain in the mud with dogs at our heels is a good idea and a fun thing to do before embarking on our eating tour. I'm thankful that the girls also believe this to be an excellent, fun and delicious activity as they eat sticks and grasses along the way. Finally I'm thankful that Chester just smiles and shakes his head when Zoe throws up the sticks and grasses in the middle of the night on our new carpet.

I'm lucky and thankful to be surrounded by friends that have lives equally as rich and loving. We definitely follow different paths but I learn so much from you all. Happy Day after Thanksgiving.

PS...I'm thankful Chester has the day off today, even if I do have to work.

New Game Plan

2009-11-24T11:10:00.001-08:00

Like many of my friends I've spent a good number of years following training plans by very capable and admired coaches for some kind of finish line. Whether it be climbing, triathlon, cycling, or ultra-running I want a recipe for success from those with first-hand experience. Since my five years pursuing Ironman finishes, my ability to stay with the program and maintain focus has waned year after year. I find myself too distracted and rebellious to stick to the structured process already proven to improve race times, fitness and strength. It's not that I don't like someone telling me what to do. Okay, that may be true in some/um...most instances. But I love having a coach. I love learning from other's experience. I love having complete confidence that the workout planned for that day is going to help me three months down the road. I absolutely love not having to think about what I should do today...allowing an inevitable consideration of weather, life, or laziness playing into the decision. I still get enjoyment out of performing well and turning to my coach and feeling thankful that someone invested time and belief in me...ok, so I paid him to do so, it still feels good to measure up, come through or sometimes exceed some one's notion of what I am capable of.

Walking away from Triathlon was one of the hardest things I had to do. Even though I was burned out beyond repair, the sport had become part of my identity. The coach that had shaped me into a consistent performer had become an integral part of my day and invaluable resource for fitness, nutrition and injury prevention or rehab.

With Ultra-running I'd found another great coach and a group of runner's that taught me both about running and acceptance of everyone for who they are and not who you want them to be. Unfortunately, at that time, my body did not seem to "want" to be an ultra-runner. The stress reaction in my tibia and subsequent rehab was frustrating and disheartening, causing me to bid adieu to my new-found program.

So where did that leave me? The lack of blog entries might be some clue. But in the last two years I've learned first hand there is a whole lot of living out there to do that doesn't entail competition.

Without the assistance and guidance of a professional coach I have:

Started surfing again
Started riding and racing my mountain bike
Increased my strength and power through crossfit
Learned to Telemark ski...ok...am learning would be more accurate
Enjoyed every day off with Emma and Zoe

And most importantly, and life-changing, have fallen in love and moved in with Chester.

Okay. So now you're caught up. Here is what I propose to do. If you're still interested and want to read along...GREAT. If not, I don't blame you, life is too short to sit and read about someone else's. Get out and enjoy it for yourself! But if my experiment intrigues or moves you with the faintest dash of curiosity, let me know what you think. AND if you have any suggestions, I am OPEN to them. Because there is not ONE coach in this adventure. There is only the accumulation of experience, experiments, successes and failures of myself and those that have already shared their stories with me. Clearly this is not a professional endeavor. I have no delusions of grandeur. I have only the highest expectations for performance at a level I am capable of given the amount of work I put into the training...and that...remains to be seen. I plan on working hard. We just have to see, in the end, if I did the right type of work.

The Race: 24 Hours of Old Pueblo- SOLO: The race consists of a 17 mile loop with check-in occurring at the end of every loop. We begin racing at noon on Saturday and finish at high noon on Valentine's Day...the next day. There will be a host of challenges throughout the night...not the least being adequate lighting to supply both Chester and myself with constant light throughout the night. More on logistics later...

The Date: February 13th 2010

The Plan: Train for the solo endurance race with a combination of crossfit, running, and riding.

I know what this looks like. But it's not the conclusion most will assume. I am not trying to avoid riding in the rain. Well, okay...it's a plan benefit that I won't ONLY be riding in the rain. I've decided that my new "distracted" personality might not be a hindrance or fault. Perhaps instead of fighting it, and trudging through a day in and day out plan that is a sure path to burn-out and frustration, I should see it as a strength. Use my love of running and crossfit to supplement my days of riding and keep me engaged and interested on a day to day basis. Instead of working to stay with the plan, the idea is to look forward to variety and stay curious regarding what these three disciplines will churn out in the form of an endurance mountain biker.

I've never done a 24 hour mountain bike race.
I've never ridden more than 25 miles at time on my mountain bike.
I can tell you, just from that ride, that it is not a mile-for-mile exchange from road-biking to mountain biking. Mountain-biking is more taxing. There is more resistance on the surface, the bike is heavier, and the weather conditions effect work load as well as capacity for work.

Clearly, I have nothing to lose.

Training started yesterday. Chester is following a professional mountain-biker's coaching plan. He used it last year for CreamPUff, a grueling 100 mile mountain bike race. It was his first and he finished strong, knowing he wanted to do it again next year. It will be interesting to compare our plans and progress as we roll towards Feb 13.

Yesterday I did heavy Back Squats, Presses and Dead lifts at crossfit and a 40 minute spin with intervals at the gym.

I hope to construct my plan this week. As the weeks progress I will compare Chester's plan with my own. I'm looking forward to writing again. I also have a new camera and will do my best to supplement with photos.

It's good to be back, Cheers, Kris

Old Pueblo 24 Hour Mountain Bike Race or

2009-02-17T09:02:00.001-08:00

Chester asked me to do this race with his friends soon after we met. The race was on Valentine's Day. For 24 hours: Chester, Meghan, Jenna, Brent, Mike and I would switch off riding the 17 mile loop through Choya and other Cactus friends. I had an early introduction to the Choya. As Chester and I set up camp on Thursday afternoon I was skipping back and forth and discovered I had three oval sections of some spikey plant free-loading on my leg. Then I realized those spikes were embedded DEEPLY into my calf, side of knee and quadriceps. OUCH! Chester had to get the pliers out to yank the Choya out of my leg. While he was helping me doff the Choya he explained that they were called, "Jumping Choya," because people swear they jump off the main plant and onto unsuspecting bodies. Apparently I didn't believe him because I had to test the theory three more times before finally agreeing to steer clear of the Choya. I gave every Choya at least a 5 foot birth for the rest of the weekend.

After mastering the Choya, Meghan, Mike and Jenna arrived and we pre-rode the course. The course was a mixture of dirt roads, holding the immediate pleasure of climbing the "Bitches" within the second mile of the course, windy single track, sandy patches, rocks, and mucho, mucho cacti beckoning riders off course. Though the course is predominantly flat, we are surrounded by mountains leaving no shortage of scenery and distraction from tired and sore muscles.

The race started Saturday morning at noon. We would ride until noon on Sunday. The professionals and some courageous and endurance dynamos would ride this course solo, lap after lap, for 24 hours. I was lucky enough to get the first lap. They staged us .5 mile from our bikes. The gun went off and arms, legs, cycling shoes, cleats were everywhere churning dust and headed for our steeds full speed. The tension and excitement alone wore me out after the first 1/4 mile. I wondered how I ever ran more than 1 in a row! Finally I got to my bike and started pedaling. My first lap of the three I would do was my fastest. I would get progressively slower throughout the night and finally- again so lucky, would be out on the course to watch the sun rise and feel renewed enough to finish my last lap smiling ear to ear.

Chester raced two night laps and finally, after no sleep bested his time in the morning with a lap less than 1 hour and 17 minutes. Brent also improved his time from last year as I suspect Jenna did as well. Meghan braved the rocky shortcut along with Brent and Chester while Jenna and I chose to ride the long way around leaving the rocky downhill section for next year...right Jenna?

I have so much more to write but after putting the books away for four days it's time to pick them back up again. I had an amazing time. I can't wait to explore mountain biking and go on more adventures with Chester and hopefully his friends. Next adventure: Mountain Bike Oregon in July! Come join us!!!

ps... I heart my Titus Racer X thank you Cyclepath- Josh, Bill, Michael and Cody!!!!! :) Oh yeah, and pumpkin and marlo.

Day 1

2009-02-05T18:39:00.000-08:00

I signed up for the Captain's Test this morning. After receiving the cd of study materials I dropped it off at Kinko's to get everything printed and ready to review-over and over again. While the Kinkos crew was printing, Chris and I set off for a quick mountain bike ride in forest park. I bought a brand new Titus Racerx last week and had yet to give her a try! Since Chester and I are packing up on Sunday for our 24 hour race in AZ I thought it prudent to at least get some dirt on.

The last two weeks have been tough. I've been working through some pretty rough patches. I sense there is more to come. Without indulging myself in the drama and emotion of it all too much, I am hoping I can feel what I feel and move on without too many steps back. Right now I need to focus, study, and at the same time enjoy life balancing fun and relaxation with work.

My Himalayan Apple Spice Tea Bag says, "Grace brings trust, appreciation, love and prosperity." Ronda and I have had a few conversations about Grace. For a while this summer I wore a bracelet reminding me to treat others with grace. The quote is a timely reminder for me. I will continue to always try and treat others with grace. But right now especially I need to allow, accept, and give myself grace. It's so difficult to be in such an uncomfortable state and just be in it. Instead I find myself agonizing over why I can't get through it....faster, now! Have you ever tried to meditate? I could never get past being so tight and uncomfortable just sitting in the position! That's how this feels now. Only no matter how I sit I still feel this way. Looks like I'm going to learn how to meditate from the inside out.

Count me in, I got this. ;)

Beauty in Strength

2009-01-17T11:34:00.000-08:00

I was visiting some other Crossfit websites and came across this article. Made me think of all the amazing women I have had the fortune to train and play with over the years. Here's to us. :)

“If I were feeling a little more lawless, I’d gather all the copies of Cosmo and Seventeen, douse them in kerosene, and strike a match. I’d throw in reams of print ads from Calvin Klein and watch with delight as Kate Moss’ stick-thin image was reduced to carbon. I’d add copies of Shape and Runner’s World until the flames reached toward the heavens, and then I’d crank call the editorial desk at Muscle and Fitness until they stopped publishing pictures of women on steroids.I’d get the master tapes of America’s Next Top Model and dub over them with “Nasty Girls”, broadcasting the results on every television station in America. I’d skywrite “CrossFit.com” across the Boston skyline, and gently admonish the hoards of long distance runners trotting along the Charles River—with a bullhorn.I’d take every woman with mass media-induced ideals of beauty, and I’d show them what it really means to be beautiful. Beautiful women are strong and powerful. They are athletes, capable of every feat under the sun. They have muscles, borne of hard work and sweat. They gauge their self-worth through accomplishments, not by the numbers on the bathroom scale. They understand that muscle weighs more than fat, and they love the fact that designer jeans don’t fit over their well-developed quads. They know that high repetitions using light weights is a path to mediocrity, and “toning” is a complete and utter myth. They refuse to succumb to the marketers that prey on insecurity, leaving the pre-packaged diet dinners and fat-burning pills on the shelf to pass their expiration date.Beautiful women train with intensity. The derive self-image from the quality of their work and their ability to excel. They don’t wear makeup to the gym, and they wouldn’t be caught dead with a vinyl pink dumbbell. They move iron, they do pull-ups, they jump, sprint, punch, and kick, and they use the elliptical machine—as a place to hang their jump rope. They spend their weekends in sport, climbing walls, winning races, and running rivers. They laugh as they sprint circles around the unschooled, turning the image-obsessed into bench warmers. Beautiful women don’t care if they’re soaked in sweat and covered in dirt, if their nails are chipped or their hair out of place. They care only about quality of life. Beautiful women are happy, healthy, and strong, and they’re right there beside me, tossing conventional beauty on the ever-growing flames of what used to be.
Be beautiful.

By Jon Glisan

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T16:28:00.000-08:00

Tray, Mom and I finally spent Christmas in the same house for the first time in years. Todd, Tracy's boyfriend, joined us and helped fill the house with holiday cheer when he wasn't listening to his headphones to drown out the mother-daughters conversations...beyond me why anyone wouldn't be fascinated by our topics of discussion: dogs, clothes, books, dogs, food, dogs, clothes and chocolate. My only complaint for the trip was the lack of individual time it afforded each of us with each other. But with Bob and Dawn joining us for Christmas Eve and everyone pitching in to make the dinner a success...ok Tray and I had to shop a bit, then I had to workout...and shower...but I was 100% supportive of mom as she moved around the kitchen like a pro. I'd forgotten what a good cook she was. The turkey was delicious as were the salad and sweet potato sides Dawn brought for us. The girls kept the begging to a minimum and were rewarded generously by Todd, who withstood my tongue-lashing for giving the dogs people food. It was Christmas after all.

New Year's Day Chester took me for my second Telemark Skiing lesson. I made more progress as I settled into my left turns and worked hard to commit to those scary right hand turns. With an incline of about 2% I am dialed on the left and, thinking hard enough, can piece together a right turn. But when gravity pulls me downward to the tune of any decline beyond bunny/green hill proportions...I become slightly less committed to bending and lunging and readily forget my heels can and should leave the secure and stable backing of the ski. With that said, I feel very confident on the chairlift. I was settling into both quad and double lifts easily with my innate ability of sitting down and taking a breather.

I can't wait to get up to the mountain again and again. Hopefully, someday this year, Chester won't have to ski backwards while skiing with me.

I'd like to write more...but I'm at work and need to get some exercise. I think I'm going to, as caleb said, kick it old school and hop on the treadmill for an hour. Let's see if I can last that long running in place. I think it's a great thing that this very skill was once easy and now seems very challenging. Running in place for too long doesn't seem like a good idea...physically or metaphorically. Cheers.

Emma's Surgery...Take Two

2008-11-29T17:04:00.001-08:00

Even though she ran like a pro at Michael and Katherine's Turkey Trot Emma was still not feeling well on Thanksgiving. She was showing her characteristic symptoms of a possible repeat sock ingestion. She adores a good running sock as a mid-morning snack. Though I guard them like gold and put them up...she always manages to find a spare. Usually they pass within a couple days. So I was stumped. I called the vet and they said to bring her into the clinic. After a day-long barium x-ray diagnostic epic Dr Mary called with the verdict. "We think there's something in there and it's not moving. We need to open her up."

This is not Emma's first dance with Dr Mary's scalpel. Three years ago she ate a Greenie, fed to her by yours truly, and the darn thing adhered to her intestine and had to be removed surgically. Greenies have since changed their formula, removing the vast amounts of gluten, since many dogs died from the same affliction. Needless to say, neither Emma nor Zoe are allowed to eat Greenies.

I called the Dr immediately and told her to do what she thought she needed to. Three hours later I got the call to bring her home. Emma, still gorked from the anesthetic and pain meds, could barely lift her head from the floor as her lip slung open and her tongue lolled to the side of gravity. Dr. Mary immediately began showing me the x-rays. She wanted me to see why they felt it necessary to go in. She literally saved Emma's life three years ago and I was not about to question her motives. Then she told me what they found, in a word...nothing. There was nothing in my little Emma's tummy. She was sick, just sick.

After beating myself up about sending Emma to unnecessarily surgery and staying up all night with her, changing the towels as she was in too much pain to go outside and full of fluid from the iv fluid she received, I finally stopped. We can second guess every decision we make. We literally make thousands of decisions every day. All we can do is follow our heart and make the best decision with the information available to us at the time. That is all we can do. To worry, regret, wish, or stress about what could have, should have, or would have been is futile.

My 6 year old dog Emma, the first dog I've ever raised from a pup, is going to be ok. She's already wagging her tail, eating, and giving me kisses. She can't pull her trademark move of both legs stretched out behind her right now...but I bet even that will come back with time. If it doesn't, her bag is so full of moves that make my heart melt...we won't miss the super-emma-frog-legs one bit.

She's sleeping comfortably now. She looks relaxed and content as opposed to the moaning that worried Zoe and I last night as we curled up next to her on the floor. Thankfully, today was a scheduled day off. Thankfully Brett, who continues to love and care for Emma and Zoe as his own, is helping with the vet bill. Being faced with the mortality of someone you love strips away any pretense of comfortable detachment from those we care about. I consider myself lucky to be reminded of this today and so thankful that Emma is staring up at me with her tail wagging right now.

Thank you.

My Other Little Sister.

2008-11-21T16:42:00.000-08:00

Meet Hydeia and Stephanie. Hydeia is my new Little Sister. Stephanie is her Aunt. The three of us have committed to Hydeia and I spending time together once week for at least a year and hopefully more! I was nervous as I drove to meet both Hydeia and Stephanie. I thought, "What if they don't like me? what if we have nothing in common?"...the questions went on and on. Turns out I had nothing to worry about. Shannon, our match specialist, was awesome and ready with fun questions like, "like if you could be a cat or a dog...which would it be?" When Hydeia answered, "A dog." I knew we were definitely sisters.

We spent about an hour talking over the rules, regulations, guidelines, suggestions and anything else Big Brothers/Big Sisters felt prudent to write down. We made easy work of the document with Hydeia volunteering to start the reading. Hydeia is 12 years old. My initial impressions of her are that she's smart, caring, kind, honest, curious and enthusiastic. We made a list of 15 things we hope to do in our meetings. Next week we will scratch off number one and take some turns around the local mall. If we have time we'll ice skate- or maybe just check into it for next time. If anyone has other suggestions for great low-cost or free outings...please let us know!! For now I'm psyched to learn more about Hydeia and math. She says she needs work on her math homework. I'm looking forward to trying to remember what I forgot about math.

Crossfit WoD today:

As many rounds as possible in 20 minutes.

BW Squats x 10 (I did 2 rounds at 125, three at 115)
15 ring push-ups (I modified with rubber bands)

Afternoon: Easy run with girls. 6 x 30 second strides up hill. No limping for Emma or me. Good to be injury free.

Hard Routine

2008-11-12T19:11:00.000-08:00

We have all agreed to abide by a Hard Routine, created by each of us, for three weeks as a precursor to our crossfit games training. Oddly enough, the diet Mark has worked out for me has been easier than in the past. I've a whole team of people going through similar restrictions and that's helped immensely. I did, however, falter on my coffee intake yesterday. Namely, I had two cups of coffee. I'd already gotten over the hump too! But as I was back off today, and had no headaches, I'm thankfully back on the wagon. Had dinner with Pete and Marila today at Miss Delta's. Figuring out a zone-friendly diet there wasn't as tough as I thought it might be. Collard greens were delicious...vegan style. They've got me excited for the upcoming cross country ski season, as well as mountain biking next year. The final cross race is this sunday and with as much fun as I had last week...I'm definitely going to be there.

Almost finished with week two.

Birthday.

2008-11-09T16:33:00.001-08:00

This morning as I was getting off work and the guys were wishing me "Happy 40th" on today, my 38th birthday, Mike convinced me to meet him and another Mike, retired ff, to race cyclo-cross at PIR. It's been over a year since I jumped into one of these races and had no plans...so figured why not? I raced with the Mike's in their Men's Beginner group. The first thing I noticed was the size of the field! There had to be over 100 people!! Compared to the women's fields, or at least what they were when I was racing, this was huge! I started to line up at the front of the pack and Mike stopped me. "No, we want to start back here." "Back here" was the last third of the bunch. I'm thinking how in the heck are we going to make it through this mess of riders to get in front during the race?? Mike said, "I'm not here to win the thing. I just want to have fun." His point was well-taken. I lined up in between Mike and Mike. I had just enough time to register and find Mike so I hadn't pre-ridden the course at all. Mike told me what he could, "There's a hell of a lot of mud and the run up has a 6 pack of barriers with a windmill you have to run through." With reconnaissance complete the gun went off and we moved like a giant glob of molasses through the mud towards first bend.

During races like these, in the beginning...when I still have enough energy to think outside of the pain, I always have to laugh at the concept that we are all moving roughly 5miles an hour and call it "racing." The conditions at the start and a few other points in the race were so muddy it was a challenge to move fast enough to stay upright on your bike. People are waving the cowbells yelling, "Yeah! Go girl you're doing awesome!" Then there is this somewhat funny and awkward silence because I've only moved 30 inches since the spectator compassionately cheered me on. He's got to be thinking..."Should I give her more bell and say it again...or just pretend she's not still moving at a snail's pace directly in front of me?"

I don't know what he chose because I was concentrating so hard on my route. Should I go through the 12" deep puddle not knowing what type of surface lies beneath? Or, should I "barrel" through the 6" deep sludge that just caused that dude in front of me to go down? Puddle. Good choice!! Rode through. :]

Running uphill with my bike on my shoulder and jumping over barriers was fun. I passed people really feeling the beginning of some power coming back to my legs since the marathon. The downhills were another story. I slipped and slided landing on my clean white race kit more than a few times. It's always better to look hardcore anyway. Schultz on the other hand, told me after the race that he had learned to negotiate the off-camber downhill and rode the whole thing! He chose to run through the muddy flats and discovered he could pass multiple racers...but was more exhausted than when he snail-peddled through. Liel got out front early, but when I saw a hole I passed and never looked back. I didn't get to hear or see him race after that. But he looked recovered and fresh when we finished. Both him and Mike talked and ate at breakfast denying any pain or soreness. Meanwhile my muscles were screaming at me. My glutes and hamstrings were having a conversation all their own while I ate my garden scramble in silence. Liel was sweet enough to give me kudos for the Ironman races I ran over four years ago. I sat there amazed that these two guys raced the same race I did and felt no pain, as much as I train...ok so not on my bike...details. All I could think was what a great way to spend my birthday, covered in mud, muscles aching, surrounded by friends. I asked Schultz if he wanted my hash browns. He did. I swiped them off my plate onto his, looking forward to a nap.

Great day.

Next up...and Thanks

2008-10-30T15:38:00.000-07:00

Just a couple more weeks of hiking and riding to be safe. This week I started Crossfit, albeit slowly and conservatively, again. It felt good to be pushing myself again for the first time since the marathon. After three days on and today off, I'm feeling stronger already. I'm also relieved to be out of the office and away from the temptations of snack food during the long days of interviews. It never ceases to amaze me how different and better I feel after just a couple days of clean eating.

I've yet to decide on the direction my training will take from here. Scott has agreed to help me attain that elusive marathon PR...well a faster PR this spring. I will also be diving back into the books preparing for the Captain's exam in May. Another possible goal includes the Crossfit Games in early July held in California. Matt will be coaching a select team of 7 from crossfithel to go to the games. The program will include additional skills work, WOD's, and nutrition. Going to the games as a part of a team with anyone from that gym sounds like a chance of a lifetime and I'm definitely going to the informational meeting on Saturday to find out more.

Also, he Police and Fire Games, being only hours away, are a serious consideration. I haven't been since the year 2000 when I went to Stockholm, Sweden. The games are a big deal with firefighters and officers from around the globe competing. I am still in contact with people I met from the Sweden games and look forward to expanding that network of peers.

The difficult part is going to be choosing my path. The Captain's exam must take priority. Lately, whether life's stress or running stress, my body has not been recovering like it used to. For now I'll have to be thankful I can participate in some easy trail runs. Deciding on the marathon will come only after I'm certain I can juggle training for the race with studying.

Finally I want to say how inspiring it's been over the last year to witness so many barriers broken and goals exceeded by friends and family. Chris, Mike and Caleb are or will be lieutenants very soon. My mom re-adjusting to life state-side, finding a new job and looking for more volunteer opportunities as she settles back into life in Nashville, TN. My housemate, Sean, his company is inches away from receiving full funding and moving into production. Marcus, Daniel, and Nick worked their tails off to be ready for the interview process and agility in hopes of becoming new firefighters. Trisha completed her first, and second ultra-marathon. Darin ran his first 50 miler. Stacey damn near won the women's race at the Spartathlon, coming in second after leading most of the race. Scott won overall, again...missing his goal time for the 152 mile road race by only 20 minutes with his finish time of 20:20. Last but not least, Ronda. Ronda is no stranger to winning races. But watching from behind the scenes the discipline, dedication and passion that goes into her training has been a real gift. The relatively anonymous status she held at the beginning of the year is now shattered. She will be one to watch at the line. And even though this can be intimidating for some, she will have always done her homework. She knows exactly what she can do and her drive is unparalleled.

Thanks again everyone. And you take care too.

Last Day

2008-10-24T05:50:00.000-07:00

The leaves are from the tree in my front yard. The morning after I got my Kodak M1093 IS I went out and started snapping. I have two days before the IT guy comes to get my first round of photos. I've been in interviews all week...so there haven't been a lot of shoots. But I look forward to using my camera this afternoon and at Mike and Sally's Wedding this evening.

This week of interviewing has been long and very interesting. There have been some amazing people sitting in front of us. A fellow panel member was talking about one particular candidate that graduated from a very prestigious school and had unbelievable experience for her young age. He wondered why she'd want to be a firefighter. I was surprised he asked. Obviously she wasn't just book-smart but knew what elements in her career would make her happy and it was clear the fire service was a perfect fit. I hope she will soon be a new recruit. There were many other fine candidates that left our panel feeling relieved, thankful, and so glad we weren't up against them for our own jobs! Today should be an earlier day. After work the girls and I are headed straight to Forest Park to get re-acquainted with the trails we've missed this week.

The Next Generation

2008-10-18T06:17:00.001-07:00

For the next 8 days we will be testing and interviewing new recruits for the next generation of fire fighters. I love being involved with this process as people from all backgrounds step onto the drill ground hoping it is the beginning of a new career and life. The relief on their faces when we tell them, "congratulations, you passed (the physical agility course)" is heartening and takes me back to when I did the same thing almost 13 years ago. The regret and frustration of not passing is palpable. The only positive offering is our changed policy of testing every year as opposed to every two years. A small consolation to someone who has already worked so hard and put their life on hold for the outcome of this test. The agility test has evolved and changed slightly over the years but the tension and stress of completing it quickly and without incident remains intact.

Last shift myself and the crew went out for our yearly turn at completing the Physical Agility Test (PAT). After my first run since the marathon and well timed physical I was informed I may have another stress fracture. This time the culprit is my left foot. Without spending too much time on this subject, haven't we already covered this?, I did notice some swelling a few weeks ago...but it wasn't bothering me. I made it through the marathon and felt great afterwards. But the post marathon run left me with a throbbing foot that was difficult to conceal from my doctor. One round of XRays down and a bone scan appointment for the 28th, it'll be good to see ole' Mary again, and I'll know for sure. Until then...the PAT was not exactly my idea of a restful activity. But there was no way I was going to even try to shuffle out of this. Being one of the proctors of this test for the rest of the bureau and still feeling the need to prove myself to my crew, I used a whole roll of tape on my foot. It felt, well come to think of it...I couldn't feel my foot. This was perfect. I told Jamie, who happened to be my proctor, to please just keep me on time to make the standard which was 8:02.

Of course when he said go something happened and I took off racing. It is amazing how physical discomfort can be totally overridden by your brain. From the minute that stopwatch started my body knew nothing but it's immediate goal of pushing as hard and fast as I could. The strange thing is that it wasn't pre-meditated. This test has always made me nervous and sick to my stomach. I think most of us, being honest, would admit this. Perhaps we each have different reasons for these feelings...but few actually relish the opportunity to take the test. For this reason I have always been conservative in my progress through each station. I never wanted to race for fear I would run out of energy and not be able to complete the remaining tasks within the allotted time. Today, apparently, I had something to prove to myself.

I got to the fourth floor carrying the hose bundle before I started feeling tired. One more floor and I was on my way down. The fan carry and straight ladder are easy. The 35' Extension ladder raise was methodical and roughly the same speed for both extensions. The body drag was quick going out and I slowed some bringing the 165 pound dummy made of rubber hose back to his home across the white line. I had two more stations to complete. The buckets. Everyone hates the 400 foot bucket carry. We can set the two full five gallon buckets of foam down at every 100 foot point to rest, but not in between. The key, if you can do it, is to keep hold of those buckets the full 400 feet and just keep walking, no rest. I did it. Finally the sled. The sled is 125 pounds attached to a 25 foot length of hose with a nozzle attached. After the test your legs are a little shot. What would normally be an easy 100' pull seems tiring and slow. But I gave it everything I could not feeling any pain or discomfort. I finished in 5:50. I think this is my fastest time to date on this test. 30 seconds after finishing the test my foot started throbbing and upon removing the tape, appeared to have grown in size...a bit.

Two days later my foot feels much better. I am optimistic that it may not be a stress fracture at all. Perhaps at worst it is another stress reaction. I will stay off of it and take the rest from running that I had intended to do anyway. Yoga, swimming and crossfit have been more than enough to keep me occupied these days. Knowing I didn't further damage my foot makes my day at the PAT even better. But I would almost be willing to say it would have been worth it even if it took another two weeks to heal. I risked a lot not playing it safe that day. I care more than I should some days about the opinions of those I work with regarding my ability to do the job. If I would have failed I would have of course, first and foremost disappointed myself. But worse, I would have provided an example for any nay-sayers looking for the latest gossip thread. Instead, I tried something I've never been willing to try and ended up with the second fastest time on my crew. We all drove away smiling each feeling good about our performance as a crew. And that 5:50 minute test reminded me how important it is to take chances.

Portland Marathon 2008

2008-10-06T06:07:00.000-07:00

photo:Joe English

I went out too fast. For the first three miles I kept my heart rate below 151. I was flying and feeling great. Then I allowed my heart rate to get up to 164 and I would back off. I kept this up for about 14 miles. Looking at my paces they were more consistent with what I wanted to do than what I was fit enough to do at this point. I ran 8:09's for the first 6.2 miles, 8:04's for the next 6.9 miles, then...8:38's for 8miles and finally 8:58 for the last 5 miles. Those last five miles were no doubt slower than that but I at least tore down the hills to make up for my sluggish flat and uphill pace. Darin, Ronda, Troy and Trisha were out in the rain supporting me with smiles. Seeing all my brothers from Portland Fire always cheered me and gave me energy. Darin jumped in to pace me from mile 18. I appreciated his helpful reminders to use the downhills, shorten my stride on the uphills and run in a straight line- no I'm not being sarcastic...this strategy seemed to elude me yesterday as I chose to run in serpentine style.

The rain was not a factor. It was warm and dry when we started and when the rains came I smiled to myself. This is Portland. I haven't run a marathon in over three years. I'm reminded that there is definitely a science to it. First, you have to do the work- missing workouts, for whatever reason, is not going to get me to my goal. Second, I have to FOLLOW my race strategy. It was a great experience to remember the flow and feel of the race...they hurt! I definitely want to come back and chip away at my PR (now 3:41:15). With training I believe I'm capable of a 3:30, maybe faster. Back to work this morning. My knees are a bit sore. I'm moving tenderly but feel pretty good. I woke up this morning and have some how decided to cut myself some slack and be happy with my performance yesterday. There is always room for improvement- I look forward to working towards faster miles. But 341:15 was a great time for October 5, 2008.

Finally, my friend Ken had never run a marathon. He will soon begin training for his first Ironman in my college town Madison, WI. He decided to run Portland, two weeks before the race. He was coming off a half ironman and decided to run easy 3-4 times a week and then just see what would happen. Well what happened was a 3:15! He qualified for Boston and walked around like he had merely completed a 5K. The guy is born to run and will be a real threat in Madison next year. I can't wait to be there on the sidelines cheering him on. Great job Ken!!!!

You calling me chicken? or...Shingles anyone?

2008-10-03T08:19:00.001-07:00

The Taper. It's been two weeks of relatively light and easy runs. I decided against my last "long" run last week in an effort to allow my body to heal. Not content to believe it until I experienced it, I discovered first hand that Shingles is not strictly a grandpa's disease. I learned more than I wanted to know about the re-appearing chicken pox virus. Thankfully I had a very light case. My taper and plenty of rest has them already disappearing and me on the mend. Without fail the reduction in miles and hours of taper always plays tricks with my mental state. I feel like I might as well clunk an hour glass on my kitchen table filled with sands of my fitness. As each day passes by I watch the fitness fall through to the bottom of the glass. Logically I know this is not true...but I feel it every time. The upside of tapering is all of my aches, pains, and shingles have healed for the most part. I am heading into this marathon healthy and rested.

My speed and endurance never quite made it's way back from where I was this spring. But I am definitely ready to have an enjoyable race and still, hopefully, eek out a PR (faster than 3:47). Without being asked Darin, Ronda, and even my housemate Sean have offered to be there providing support and screamin' lungs to encourage. Before I even line up at the starting line I'm counting my blessings. Not only am I healthy and able to run this race in our green city, but I am so lucky to have patient and supportive friends witnessing and helping me finish.

Three weeks and counting

2008-09-15T14:56:00.000-07:00

I signed up, Officially, for the marathon two days ago. I've been training for about three months. But I waited to sign up until I could be certain the minor injuries would subside. They have/are. So game on! Last week I had my Kelly Day and used every day to my advantage. I slept, ate well, and nailed everyone of my workouts. Over the weekend I got my long run in, cleaned the gutters, weeded the forest that is my garden, and spread 7 yards of bark dust. We made a few trips to the dog park too as that is Emma's preferred method of exercise these days. No, I am not experiencing a manic phase...I'm just going to be very busy with peak training and some overtime for work coinciding. I thought I better get some stuff done around the house so I can remember actually accomplishing something at home. My Mom, sister, and Todd coming for Christmas may have played a small role in my renewed interest in finishing the house projects as well. ;]

I bought paint to finish the hallway (been sitting half painted for a year now.)
When I looked at the YOLO Paint display at the Kelly Moore Paint Store...who was staring back at me but the D-Doe proudly posing on her favorite sofa. Apparently the photo shoot they did last year went well and now little Zoe is proudly representing Yolo Paints. Her career in modeling is up and running. If I can maintain the same form, "Up and running," for the marathon...I will be more than pleased.

The Horizon

2008-08-19T08:48:00.000-07:00

My thoughts are scattered these days. I've so many paths in front of me. Each one is appealing for one reason or another. I remember learning about Leonardo Divinci in high school. I thought, "That's how I want to be!" I want to explore everything and once I've mastered it, move on. I got it wrong. Davinci's gift wasn't in the quantity of his skills but the quality of his curiosity. I have many interests. I have no trouble kick-starting the path, learning the basics, and over-coming initial challenges. It's sticking with it, patiently wading through the slow tides, where I lose momentum. I can think of very few paths that have not strayed into the wood to be taken another day as Frost would say.

Recently, my mornings have not been met by my typical leap out of bed to feed the girls, drink coffee, get breakfast and get out to run, lift, or dog park before getting on with the day. I find myself lying there wondering what I want. I make coffee, read...some would say I was "Relaxing." It doesn't really feel that way- though it is peaceful. I don't seem to be coming to any conclusions. Though I'm the first to admit patience is not my strong suit...I'm thinking thinking is redundant and not really an activity. If I'm not coming to conclusions while specifically being still, and meanwhile feeling a bit stir crazy under the peace of rest, I need to get back to doing what I do best. I need to move. The answers will come when I am ready. Perhaps they are already there and I just need to notice them. Regardless. Starting seconds after I close this laptop, the girls and I are going outside, into the rain, and getting on with getting on. It's what we do. The rest will just have to fall into place. And as for Mr Davinci, my guess is he probably had a few short-term pursuits as well. Before he stumbled into science and art and the human form...he may have been a triathlete for a short stint. It didn't make his top ten, so we didn't hear about it. We just don't know. There are hobbies and then there are things that are just a part of who we are. Just like family, they will always be there, ready and willing to pick up where we left off. No judgement- just love, acceptance, and still so much to learn.

August 9 2008

2008-08-09T08:25:00.000-07:00

I have not been sitting on the couch this whole time. I've been thinking...about a lot of things. I'm running again- not entirely without my vocal knee and heel peanut gallery...but the majority of systems are go. It's during my runs that I usually come up with my next blog post. But lately, I've had so much on my mind that I can't seem to limit myself to one coherent idea. Or the idea is so deeply personal that I'm not certain it's post-it-and-let-the-world-read-it material. Ok, perhaps I overstate my audience. :] But you get the idea.

I've decided to jump back on the proverbial big wheel and just start typing. I'm limiting myself by believing I need to have the answers and great breakthroughs with every post. So here are some of the more trivial happenings these past few weeks. Even as I type that word, "trivial" I realize that nothing we do is trivial. Our actions are always indicative of the inner desire for happiness, peace, contentment, evolution, this list could go on and on.

SHORT TRACK

This year I managed to make 4 of the 6 races out at PIR on the motor cross track.
Short track, as it implies, is a fast relatively short looped course through the dirt, over logs, and under the trees. I'm reminded of the saying, "Do something that scares you every day." Well, Mondays pretty much take care of the week's worth of fear. I have no off road skills to speak of- but when that horn starts the race, I pretend not to be afraid. It's amazing what you can accomplish when you choose to disregard every fiber in your being that is telling you not to ride your 15 year old mountain bike over that ledge. My friend Ronda, just decided she will be racing in Leadville's 100 mile mountain bike race. She's run the Ultramarathon so naturally she must conquer the same trails on mountain bike. It's no small detail that she didn't own a mountain bike. After getting a sweet new ride- her and her family joined me for the Monday night madness. Seeing Ronda, in running shoes and tank tops- "the biking outfits are just too unflattering" kicking butt and sailing over obstacles that I'm still thinking about...helped eleviate some fear. Actually, that's a lie, I wasn't ABOUT to let her out perform me when I was the one wearing the ugly bike outfit and supposedly the one with experience!

For all of you that were concerned...clearly the spirit of competition- my longest love affair, is still alive and well within me.

THE BEACH

Seth is in town for two weeks. We went to the coast for three days with the girls and stayed in the trailor on the Nehalem River like old times. The surf was small but oh so clean! Seth's skills have markedly improved from surfing 4 times a week in Los Angeles. He had hoped for bigger waves. I was secretly pleased with the waist-high swell. It was like I'd been surfing all summer long. The short trip left me anxious to get back out on a regular basis. I met two more local Portlanders that I can carpool with.

RUNNING...or the obsessive relationship many beg me to get out of. (Sometimes love hurts)

Today Zoe and I will head out for our recovery week long run. It's only 90 minutes with 2-4 miles of M-Pace. My VDot has dropped considerably along with my fitness in the few months I was busy stressing over my stress reaction. FYI I learned that stress reactions are directly related to stress! And futhermore, if you continue to agonize and stress over the injury, I can't be certain, but I'm pretty sure it slows the healing process. And you thought there would be no profound breakthroughs in this entry!

With not enough time to ramp the training up in a safe and slow manner, ultras are out this year. The Tetons will have to wait. Instead Scott is helping me with a plan that will hopefully give me a marathon PR.

Those are the biggies. Of course there is a lot more, on the periphery and beyond. But you will just have to start tuning in again to get all the details. Until then, feels good to be back. Thanks Scott (Dr Fuller) and Ronda for keeping at me to post. :]

Rest is hard work...

2008-06-15T14:12:00.000-07:00

Working two in a row. The weekend has been sunny and beautiful. I think summer is finally here! Ronda and crew are getting ready for our flight to Montana and drive to Sheridan, WY for the Bighorn 100. It will be my first time crewing and I am lucky to have the help of pro's like Ronda's husband Bill, and pacer Darin. Michael will be running as well...but has crewed for Ronda in the past so will no doubt be a huge help. The challenge for me will be attention to my nutrition as I focus on Ronda's needs. I've been really good this past week and would like to continue laying the groundwork for changing my eating habits for the better for good.

Ronda got excellent news as all of her discipline and hardwork finally payed off with fat loss and muscle gain. Curiously, my daily digressions into the bag of chips, bowl of popcorn, rice latte's, and chocolate chip vegan cookies didn't work for me this time. I gained fat and lost muscle mass. I can't understand why? Vacation is over. I'm back on track and feeling more energy and better in general for it. I really take food and it's effects for granted sometimes. All it takes is a week of eating poorly to realize I don't want to feel like that and change my ways...again. Yes I have reached into that proverbial cookie jar many times in this journey. But I am learning and the general trend is change and growth, not, thankfully, abdominal growth, but conscious decisions regarding nutrition. Some may wonder if this is an unhealthy obsession to be so focused on food. I understand that initial impression. I can only relate it to anything else worth learning. It's hard work changing old habits, whatever they may be. Change requires constant attention, time and commitment to the process as well as the results.

Gandhi's words, "You must be the change you wish to see in the world," come to mind. Of course, he probably wasn't talking about my nutrition plan. But it's all related. We spend so much time hoping others will meet our expectations. It's hard to remember to question ourselves and answer truthfully if we are meeting our own expectations. It's good to be reminded of this now and then.

Now...the update on my needy right tibia:

Although still resting my leg and disappointed not to be pacing, I'm excited to check out the 100 mile scene. I'm hoping another solid week of rest from running will give the tibia the time it needs to heal. This is optimistic...but I'm so anxious to run again. I'm struggling with the patience portion of healing. I can be as patient as a monk...I just need a two hour run before I show it. Yes, lot's of work to do here. For now, back in the weight room. :] Cheers.

love it

2008-06-01T07:47:00.000-07:00

Saw this puddle in the forest park parking lot a few days ago. Girls and I went easy today on wildwood without a heart rate monitor or watch. Felt really good. It's a bit cloudy, rainy and overcast today- not bad weather for a Sunday. That's all. Cheers.

On Your Knees

2008-05-26T10:47:00.000-07:00

Once, while my Grandma was still living, she fell out of her chair and didn't have the strength to get to her feet. When my mom found my grandma she was lying on the floor next to the window sill picking dead leaves out of the potted African Violets. When my mom asked why she dragged herself over there Gram replied, "I figured I might be down here for a while I might as well make myself useful."

It's been two weeks. I finally went for a 30 minute jog yesterday. It was raining, misty, the trail was soft and the dogs and I were in heaven. There were no symptoms from the tibial stress reaction so that was encouraging. I had intended to use this time "Off" from running to really work in the weight room, hit the yoga, stretch, recover, relax. I was going to embrace restorative measures. Instead I started working on my "to do" list for the house, garden, and work. After a week off I went to Crossfit. I walked in and seeing the times on the board: 45-50 minutes. I knew we were in for a tough and longer than usual.

For the first time in a long while I had to drop to my knees to complete the second and third rounds of push-ups. I immediately thought of my tibia. "I'm falling apart, I'm getting weaker, I can't compete, I'm so tired." I watched everyone around me moving double time. Kevin kept asking, "last round kris?" I'd have to answer, "No, just my second." He'd just smile and say, "Good work." When I finished and looked around the room everyone had the same look of accomplishment and contentment on their face. No one cared that I didn't seem as "tough" as I thought myself to be. No one wondered why I was so slow, so tired, so weak. In fact everyone was smiling at everyone else, me included, as if to say, "I know first-hand what you just went through and I respect and admire you for sticking with it to the end with the rest of us."

We all have our moments of glory. The days were we feel unstoppable, on fire, in the zone, at the top of our game. We walk away from the accomplishments of those days in a cloud. What just happened? Where did that come from? How did I do that?! Of course we strive and hope to have more of these days than the days when we are not at the top of our game. On the days when we pause to think, "Wow, I'm really struggling with this, I'm going to have to make it easier...just to finish, I'm hardly on fire...I'm barely luke warm!" But I believe it's these more difficult times, when the world brings you to your knees, that we learn from our mistakes and weaknesses and improve ourselves by working on them. Sometimes just showing up and giving your all when your all is clearly not what you expect or hoped it would be, is what makes you stronger. Working on a weakness is not fun, because it makes us vulnerable which doesn't feel very strong. But when we stay with it and persevere we overcome obstacles. Overcoming obstacles redefines what we believe is possible. Removing limitations set only by fear or ignorance opens the door to achieve amazing things.

I've had to strip the weight, stop the forward momentum, and find my slow-moving, low-calorie burning center. At first this ridiculously seemed like the end of my world, an admittedly melodramatic, self-centered, short-sighted response to a temporary obstacle. I'm still struggling with the interruption to my training schedule, to my plans. But I am fully aware of the benefits that have come with this injury and imposed vulnerability. I've been forced to shift my perspective, even if it may be a temporary shift. It's been enlightening. I've had more time to spend with friends and family. My body is relaxing slowly into the idea that it doesn't have to be moving forward 100 mph to accomplish things. I'm hoping to apply this knowledge to my training when I continue. Admittedly I've already "learned" this lesson a few times. Maybe this time it will take. Like my Grandma, it's just a matter of re-defining what is useful.

Breaking Point

2008-05-10T07:45:00.001-07:00

The irony of my last post is not lost on me. I should be racing right now. Actually I would be in Zone 3a to be more specific...not quite "racing" yet. Macdonald Forest was going to be my first race run according to the plan set out by Scott, my coach. For the first time I was going to approach a 50k with a HR and nutrition plan. Instead I'm reaping the combined results of over-training and poor judgement.

What I was hoping was just another ache and pain of my body adapting to ultra-running has turned out, according to the bone scan, to be a stress injury. Those in the know are assuring me it's not a stress fracture. But before I could say the words, "I'll ice it," I was warned it could quickly become a fracture if not rested. So here I am. In the best fitness of my life and I'm side-lined. Many will say, "I knew this running wasn't good for you," or "You're getting too old to do what you used to do," or "This is a sign, really, why don't you just take it easy and take up knitting?"

It's these "helpful" comments that leave me speechless and frustrated. The injury is just that, an injury. It is a sign, but it's not a death to activity warrant. After taking a close look at my activities and stress levels during the past month I can understand the factors that lead to this hurdle. I will learn, adapt, change and grow. This, in turn, will make me stronger. If our answer is always to quit what makes us uncomfortable or sets us back we slowly stop learning, improving and growing. I realize as I get older my body will be able to do less. But I refuse to let my numerical age dictate a set plan of exertion levels. So, if you want to ask about the injury, that's fine, let's talk about your experience, recovery options, the bright side- surf is calling.

The office manager at Epic Imaging worked with me to schedule a bone scan with only one day's notice. She smiled when I walked in. As I thanked her for squeezing me in, explaining about my race the next day, she nodded. "Don't worry I understand. I have to get foot surgery, but I'm training for the Hood to Coast walk, so I'm waiting until afterwards to get the surgery." I sat down and smiled. She gets it. Physical limitations are sometimes temporary, sometimes with us for the span of our lives in some shape or form. It's the process of over-coming these limitations that motivates and inspires us to continue our passion. This can be found at any level of sport. These are the people I'm drawn to. And these are the opinions I value.

Flexibility is always stronger than rigidity. I don't know about you, but I feel great after a 30 minute run. Thirty minutes on the couch leaves me stiff.

Choice.

Ego is my rabbit...

2008-04-25T09:59:00.000-07:00

I drove home from work today excited and pumped to get my 2 x30 minute hill repeats done. The sun was shining, I slept the night through, and thought only briefly of the crossfit workout I checked before leaving work. My fellow crossfitters were meeting at the track for 3 x 800's. Hmm...that sounded fun, but I have a goal and work to do. I met Troy to get into my car and recover my belongings...what amazing luck! The police found my stolen car after a month and all of my belongings were intact!! After a quick breakfast for the girls and myself I changed into my trail shoes. Caleb called.

He did the morning Crossfit workout. He smoked his 800's getting 2:30's and faster. Then he casually mentioned he thought I could be faster than the fastest woman so far. Her 800's were in the 330 range. He knows my math is atrocious and explained that I could easily do this. I told him I had a workout to do. He said he knew and that was too bad. I hung up. It took me all of 5 seconds to decide. I knew what I had to do. I called Ronda about 10 times looking for validation and enabling like a good friend will do, but she was no where near her phone. She was doing her PRESCRIBED workouts for the day. "Girls, I'm sorry...I have an appointment with a stopwatch." Emma shook her head sadly as Zoe gave me the evil eye. I tried not to notice as I took off the trail shoes and replaced them with my road shoes. I changed my shirt for good measure to the "Run like a girl" Montrail t-shirt. It's become my lucky t-shirt. I grabbed my keys, water, gu and went to warm-up. Caleb arrived just as I was finishing the first lap of my first 800. "1:16" I was in trouble...too fast. But on the second lap I held it together long enough to catch that furry little ego bunny. I finished in 2:45. That's fast for me. I couldn't keep the pace for the final two. I clocked a 2:57 and 2:55. The last one had even splits. With my ego soothed I called Ronda to confess my transgression.

She said that's great and her voice told me everything I needed to know. Those 800's weren't getting me out of my hill repeats and those hill repeats that I was looking forward to earlier this morning, were now going to HURT. The phrase, "You gotta pay to play," entered my mind. I went back home, grabbed the dogs, and off we went towards our 7-9% grade hill to run up it 2 times at threshold.

So as not to keep anyone on the edge of their seat I did finish my workout. I could not get my HR up to 168 on the first repeat, but did push hard at 156 for 30 minutes. The 25 minute downhill was like chocolate, chips, and a great kiss all rolled into one. The lactic acid cleared and I had some legs for the second repeat. For our second trip I started a little farther downhill and managed to get my HR up to 166. The 30 minutes brought us in sight of the gate at the top of our hill.

I learned my lesson. As Ronda reminded me I don't want to make a habit of writing checks my body can't cash. Those all out sprints at Max HR are fun and yeah, make you feel good when you catch some high fives for the numbers, but they will not serve me in the long run. Remembering my long-term goal, The Tetons, and sticking to the plan is going to give me the best chance of competing at my potential. But living in the moment and running a 2:45 makes me feel pretty damn good too.

Now- does anyone want to help me clean my house? Because that was on the list of "to do's" as well.

Learning to love numbers

2008-04-19T18:13:00.000-07:00

I went back to OHSU to get another VO2Max Test on Thursday. Last November I was less than thrilled to hear my VO2 Max was 51 and Threshold HR was 155. My "Numbers" have never been exceptional. Which is why I've always chosen to rely on Heart, thinking that never-give-up mentality would take me a heck of a lot further than having a VO2 Max better than him or her. Somehow seeing the numbers felt more limiting than encouraging. The science told me what my limits were. I didn't want to know. Because if you don't know, you can accomplish anything right? Childlike, perhaps, but it had served me relatively well in my athletic pursuits. I've changed my mind.

I'm 37 years old. Yes, 37. I'm running longer and faster than I ever thought I could. I'm working hard no doubt about it. But when I falter, or want to slow down, there is something else besides that beating organ that I've become obsessed with through my watch, pushing me forward. It's numbers. It's knowing I am physically capable of running the last 6 miles of my three hour run at 7:40's because I've run faster in my tempo runs. Now I think merely, "I've done it before, I can do it again." My taxed heart has only to beat accordingly as my mind blocks the excuses and reasons to stop. Numbers don't have to limit us. I think the key is not to be attached to the meaning we put into them. 53.6 isn't a good or bad VO2 Max. It's a where I'm at right now. My threshold went up to 166. I'm using 86% of my capacity. There is room for improvement. Nothing limiting there. 7:40 miles aren't fast or slow. They are just the tools I'm using to get faster. And I am getting faster. So next time you think..."Oh she's just doing 7:40 miles," you better look over your shoulder because that was yesterday and I'm coming for you. ;] Cheers.

Free Day

2008-04-09T11:25:00.000-07:00

It's interesting what we do with our time when we think we have all the time in the world vs when we believe our time is not our own. I went in to work today on my Kelly Day. Kelly Day's are a day off from work without having to use your own vacation. Usually I watch and plan for these days like a hawk. This month I was so distracted I didn't even realize today was my Kelly Day. When I showed up at work, everyone had a good laugh. Then I stepped back into my car and headed home. Today I can do anything. I thought I would be held at work for 24 hours. Instead I started planning: the workouts, the time with the dogs, and even building those raised beds for my garden. I decided to start the day off at Crossfit. The WOD was:

21-15-9 Reps of: Row (21 calories)
Push Press (85pounds)
GHD Sit-ups

Nick inspired the morning group by finishing in 9:40 on his own! I stepped onto the rowing machine feeling strong and focused. I felt an intensity that I sometimes lack and realize comes from knowing I have a choice and have come to this workout with focus and intention. In other words, I didn't happen to be driving by, or decide to come because someone else talked me into it. I arrived with a plan and that drove me to success. For the rest of the day I plan on practicing actions with intention. I have the luxury of a free day to practice. I hope to carry on tomorrow, and the next day. Returning to work on Friday, the challenge will be maintaining my focus and intention in the workplace. I'm challenging myself to remain engaged in my choices and actions. Two quotes come to mind. One I've put at the heading of my blog- Bob Marley's, "Wake up and Live." The other, just as important, and sometimes harder to remember and practice, is Thich Naht Hanh's "Be free where you are."

It's all choice. So simple. So challenging. So rewarding.

Chuckanut 50K

2008-03-17T12:22:00.001-07:00

Even though this was technically my third 50k, it felt like my coming out party. When we arrived race morning with our "Black Saturday, No Excuses" shirts I could tell by the high amounts of chi flowing from the ground up, except for that muddy part Ronda ran through, Ronda, Michael, Steve, Trisha, Darin and I would be quite a force that day. The rain had us changing layers right up until race start. Then, magically, the rain stopped and didn't make another appearance the remainder of the day.

With the first and last six miles of the race being mostly flat my head was already in a good place. Even though I knew we would make the equivalent of one Mt Hood ascent and back...the flats and downhills would offer welcome respit and leg turnover after the snail's pace climbing. And "Snail's Pace" is not just an expression here. People I passed on the run portions would leave me in their dust when we all walked. I wondered if I should purchase a walker or start training in the malls with the seniors because I couldn't walk fast enough to catch a car thief at this point.

As I mentioned the flats pulled me through. I followed Ronda and Michael's advice and ate a gu/hammer gel/or clif shot roughly every 30 minutes. I went through about four bottles of gu2o and or my glyco-maize mixed with heed. I kept my heart rate at 156 and that seemed manageable. At the start Michael took off in his speedy manner. I took off in my brain switched off start of the race manner. When I saw 160 flashing on the monitor I slowed down reminding myself that the race was 31 miles and there would be a good chance I would see everyone passing me another time during the course of the run. Ronda and Steve- both more experienced seemed cool and collected from the start.

After the first six miles I happily realized I had only a marathon to run. I've done that! And I knew at least 6 miles of that marathon would be flat...the last six. So I was pretty happy with whatever they would throw my way in the middle. Turns out "They" threw a beautiful, mossy, waterfalls, rocks, ferns, soft dirt trail scenic tour!! The run was fun. I was smiling and at mile ...who knows no one would tell me how far we'd run or had to go- are you really not supposed to ask this? Regardless...at some point, about halfway, I realized I was actively enjoying the run. I didn't even care that my butt looked 3 sizes bigger than usual because of the pockets sitting on top filled with gu's. Then, when, "What you gonna do with all that junk, all that junk inside your trunk," came on the ipod I had to laugh out loud. And I wasn't "get[tting] you love drunk on my hump," I was passing you up, passing you up with my trunk!! As you can see it was all a highly intelligent and profound experience.

On a more serious note..I got to meet my new coach!! I look forward to having a plan and learning to walk...um fast, and climb...fast, and run those flats faster!! :]

Ronda caught me at the third aid station. I knew it was only a matter of time. She looked fresh and strong as I climbed to the ridge behind her. Her efficient energetic climbing style leaves me feeling tired and a bit clumsy. I was glad I couldn't hear my breathing to have to admit how hard I was working to keep up with her. Then, as we descended down a rocky portion, I took a different route putting me in front. It was one of those downhill, "rest" portions of the course. I knew if I didn't take advantage of it then I would be sorry later as I SLOWLY climbed up again. So I took off and didn't look back. In typical world class style Ronda cheered me onward.

On the last 6 mile stretch I was hurting. I remember Ronda telling me she did a faster split on this last year coming in than going out. That was not going to happen. BUT I had no intention of slowing down. I knew I could hold my heart rate at 156 for 6 miles because I've done it on Leif Erickson countless times with Emma and Zoe. Ok, so maybe we didn't run 25 miles prior, but I was in no mood or capacity for details. I started picking people off in the distance and trying to catch them. To my surprise, I caught one, then another, then there was a guy in black. I focused and started after him. Within a mile I realized it was Michael! Even though I could tell by his boppy, cruise-control stride he was rollin back in on the mellow I wasn't going to let that cloud the fact that I had caught up with him! I ran behind him for about 1/4 mile, hurting, while he jogged along. Finally, after "resting" on his heels a bit I reached out and said Hello as I tried to pass. He, in the same sincere style as Ronda, smiled huge and sent me on telling me how proud he was of me. This gave me a great boost of energy and I rode it for all it was worth. It got me about 10 feet. Inflation I guess...and the hill that didn't seem like a hill when we were going out. I pushed forward not about to let the woman, that had passed me and vice/versa many times during the race, pass me a final time. When I looked behind me one last time and no one was there I asked a bystander how far to the finish. He told me 90 yards!!! I smiled. I ran hard. I just RACED my first 50 K.

Next up: MacDonald Forest. Cheers and congratulations to all of my new and dear friends for finishing in style: Trisha, Ronda, Michael and Steve. Darin I hope to help you as much as you helped us Saturday. Thanks. K

Eat/ Sleep / Run / Kipping Pull-ups/ Surf ?

2008-03-04T17:42:00.000-08:00

So I've been back for a month. I've gained three pounds. The running is coming back. My knee is getting better with the PT and stretching. My strength is taking it's time, apparently on extended vacation. All of this aside, things are good. The girls are fit, the house is our own and we are back on track.

Good thing. Because Chuckanut, the first race of the season, is right around the corner. On March 15th we are all heading up to Bellingham to run a 50k. I'm toying with the idea of hiring a coach. It's been three and a half years since the structure of Ironman and Marc Becker's coaching plans. I've enjoyed the hiatus but feel I'm not only ready, but looking for the direction and focus having a coach gives me. Oddly enough, I also miss the freedom of a plan. By freedom I mean I can concentrate on other things while at home...not.."What should I be running tomorrow?"

I've been talking about the 50 miler in the Tetons without a whole lot of thought into what it's going to take to train for this. I run with Ronda, Tom and Michael multiple days of the week and haven't even asked them. I wonder if I'm not quite prepared for the answer. How will crossfit fit into my training plan? What about my plans to get back to the beach occasionally for some surfing? The side effects of training and racing are slowly returning to my life and I haven't even made the conscious decision to go there.

Training, it seems, is just another form of gravity. It pulls you whether you're thinking about it or not. I've got a track workout tomorrow then I'm going to crossfit and I'll be damned if I can't get back up to at least 10 kipping pull-ups in a row. Pura Vida.

Salamet Mom.

2008-02-17T18:05:00.000-08:00

The trip to the Philippines and Thailand with my mother was to be the first time in five years that I would bring neither a surfboard nor bicycle for an adventure with obvious intentions. I packed my running shoes, socks and sports bras before anything else, knowing these items would be necessary for every one's sanity and enjoyment. My enjoyment for running and theirs, especially my mom's, for not having to deal with me if I didn't run.

When I arrived in Manila- mom and I stayed at a pensione that she routinely visits when she has to come into the city. Of course she had talked to everyone and their neighbor about my visiting. People she probably didn't even know where smiling at me and wishing us a happy visit when we arrived. Gabby, the owner of the Pensione was especially kind and accommodating. I could tell he cared for mom, a running theme in the people I would meet, and while it didn't surprise me, it made it easier to know mom was surrounded by people who appreciated how special she truly is.

Nita met us in Kalibo and drove us back to Altavas. Nita is my Mom's host and a Physics teacher at the high school. She instantly reminded me of Mom. She was warm, intelligent and I felt right at home. At Nita's house I met her mother Nai Nai and Also Ruby and Li Li (I hope that is right.) They were all so sweet and smiling all of the time. We were only there for two full days. But I got to run in the mornings down the dirt road while passing rice fields, cows soaking in mud, and accompanied by the many stray dogs.

Since Mom was the only American in the town, everyone was curious about her daughter. As we moved through the market, visited the Mayor, the fire station, and the garden her kids worked so hard to create, I felt like a dignitary as I shook hands with all of these smiling people approaching me. I think I understand now what people mean when they say they felt humility in the face of such caring, open, loving people. They didn't know me, but because I was Alice's daughter, they welcomed me with genuine and enthusiastic warmth. Altavas was hot, and humid, and it was exhausting touring the small town at such a breakneck pace after having flown for 15 hours and no sleep.
Despite all of this, looking back, Altavas was my favorite part of the two weeks.

I almost forgot to mention the best part. I saw my mom, the woman who raised Tray and I by cutting every one's hair in the town of Cary from our basement 7 days a week, get up on stage and speak. She spoke eloquently and with confidence about the work her high-schoolers had done in the garden. She talked about teamwork, and coming together with the townspeople to plant the garden and raise the minouck (chicken). While she spoke I looked around the table and out into the garden where the kids and their families were gathered. Everyone was smiling up at her. I always knew my mom was strong, and independent, and had a great sense of adventure. But for the first time I saw her as a leader. I think about the challenges I face at work. My own insecurities as a supervisor. Seeing her assume that role with such ease and humor helped me realize I could do the same. The key is to be true to yourself. My mom has always been so good at that. I was often embarrassed of that as a child- the crazy hats, her loud laugh, the list goes on. It's ironic that I now know this to be one of my Mom's greatest strengths. She knows who she is and presents that same loud-laughing, smiling, woman to everyone she meets. My mother is incapable of pretension. If you don't like her, she will shrug her shoulders and move on. I still have so much to learn from her.

Thailand: The Islands were friendly and relaxing. The water was warm- great for kite-boarding. The massages were inexpensive and deep. The silk pillowcases, of which I bought too many for friends and family, were colorful, bright and cool. The stray dogs were happy and well-fed. The food, oh my god the food. I promptly stopped worrying about my diet and indulged while mom spent the first few days eating salads and other American Fare because she missed it so much. Our time in Thailand was spent on the beach. We were in areas catering to tourists and it was obvious. But after not seeing each other for two years and too much flying, driving and ferrying previous to our arrival, a little down-time with mom was exactly what I needed. We caught each other up on our lives, talked about Tracy's new house and how much we wished she could be sitting on the beach with us.

When I got home I didn't have stories of riding on elephants, seeing great temples, climbing mountains, or even catching one wave. I was at a loss when people asked me how the trip was and what we did. I think that's why it's taken me so long to write. I definitely want to go back to Thailand. I can see the country has so much to offer and experience. But this trip wasn't about any of the places I traveled to. It was about my mom. I hadn't seen her in two years. In the past two years she's become once again what she was to me during my childhood. She is my idol.

sa' wa't dii kha

2008-01-24T18:51:00.001-08:00

I missed my first workout with Tom and Ronda today. I had a good excuse, and went out to breakfast!! I completed the tempo run on the treadmill tonight at the gym. My paces at threshold and beyond (not supposed to do that!) were: 7:26, 7:35, 7:47x 3 and 7:35. It was challenging to sit on that treadmill for the 95 minute workout but felt really good to hold a constant pace for 50 minutes. I missed the wise advise of my surrogate big brother...during the tempo run to spur me on- but I have no doubt he's taking pen to paper for this next session...cause he's gonna have lot's to say! :]

As I enjoy one of my last sweet potato, spinach and chicken meals for a while I'm trying to psych myself up for my up-coming flight to the Philippines. I'm excited to see Mom after so long. And meeting her community and new friends will be cool. The sun and warm water will be brilliant since I definitely miss the warmth of the summer sun. But in all honesty with my training starting to take shape- thanks to Ronda's help, and the nutrition changes yielding results, I'm anxious about losing momentum. But what is life if we are not simultaneously experiencing adventures in many different areas? It certainly would be a colorless and dull existence if all we focused on was our priority of the moment. So I will concentrate on living in the moment, taking this adventure in for all it's worth, and daydreaming about what awaits in Portland when I return. But you can bet your gosh-darned tail I'm going to also be doing crossfit workouts in the sand and running in the ocean if that's the only place I find. Call me crazy- go ahead...I can name five people that get it. OK so they might be crazy too...just makes life in this moment more interesting. So come on, GET CRAZY!

My new shoes...

2008-01-16T06:46:00.000-08:00

don't look so new anymore. I've made my first milestone in Ultra-training. As we ran the trails of wildwood on Saturday with the usual crew my toe broke through the top of my shoe. As I investigated further I saw holes on both sidewalls of the shoes as well. I complained in disgust that I had just bought these shoes 2 1/2 months ago! Everyone laughed and patiently explained that 2 months was usually the maximum life of an ultra shoe. When the question regarding my sock arose, namely, where was it? I quickly changed the subject...having already realized on my own- I'm quick this way, that the socks may have a shortened life-span as well. My old trick of just putting the sock with the hole on the other foot (so the big toe wouldn't poke out) just wasn't going to fly anymore. So I've arrived. I've not even run fifty miles and my shoes are telling a story I still haven't admitted. I'm training for Ultra-marathons. It's time to stop pretending the idea is crazy and unattainable. It may still be crazy, I'm ready to admit this. But it is possible. And I will run 50 miles this year.

The diet continues to yield results. I'm 10 pounds lighter than when I started. My intent was to take the extra weight off to limit the stress put on my joints with the increased miles. It's working. And I'm getting faster- barring yesterday's track workout. With my trip to the Philippines and Thailand nearing. I'm trying not to stress about lost fitness and finding foods to fit my "diet." Two weeks off is really just what I need. The warmth of the sun and water will do wonders for my motivation and inspiration. Which, if honest, has been lacking in these past months.

Day of vacation today. It's frosty but will be dry and sunny. The girls and I are going to take a spin in my new trail shoes. North Face Ultra 300's...or something like that. Found them on sale at REI. If anyone knows of more sales please let me know...I'm admitting I have an Ultra-running addiction. That's the first step right?

Run Fast...er

2008-01-07T11:57:00.001-08:00

Group field trip to Forest Grove for a "Quick" 12.44 mile race in the sleet and cold. As I gathered my recovery drink, post race meal and water I noticed I only had one "Gu" left. Oh well, should be good I thought. Well, I need to get with the program. I was so disciplined and methodical with nutrition when I was racing triathlons. I don't know what this backlash of lazy behavior is..but I'm ready to be done with it. I'm certainly not going to get results this way. Good results..that is. I was hoping for 8min miles for the length of the race. I came away with 8:15's. Not bad. Definitely room for improvement. Ronda, on the other hand smoked us all (besides Michael...but I'm not even sure how fast he is...because we are always holding him back.) Tom ran according to his plan, which included running..the whole time. He seems to be adjusting to this well and is getting faster every week. Steve passed me at mile four and never looked back. Beast was kind enough to yell splits or place in the race...something with numbers in it. I was just honored he remembered me and smiled. :] Met another runner, Anna, and she finished strong too.

It was a cold, cold day. We all started seizing up a bit in different areas of our bodies and that was fun to share on the way home. Kind of like a road trip car game...but different. Ronda and I both resisted the pancakes and ate our packed meals instead. We are on a mission. Clean food. Next weigh in is this weekend. Should be interesting.

Having the house to ourselves: Me, Emma and Zoe is really great. Building fires, stretching, taking time to cook meals and hang out...I realize I wasn't doing these things before...and am glad to be enjoying my home again.

Looking forward to our next race and big workout. Next two days: work

Happy New Year 2008

2008-01-05T08:56:00.001-08:00

I was already a month into my "diet" when New Year's rolled in at 12:00 while my crew and I loaded hose for someone else's fire. I've been training regularly thanks to the No Excuses Rooster Crew. I'm visiting my Mom very soon in the Philippines as she finishes her Peace Corps Tour. My sister, Todd, and their pups are settling into their new house. I even took my Christmas lights down before the week's end. 2007 has been a year of firsts. I climbed the rope at crossfit- 6times! I ran my first and then my second 50k. I participated in Christmas Camp, logging close to 70 miles of running in one week. I became a truck officer. I've met some amazing, inspiring, caring, and original people. I recovered from a frightening low back injury that put everything into perspective and made me value my health and fitness like never before.

Before the girls and I head out into this temporary sun break for an easy 30 minute run I thought I would reflect a bit on some goals for 2008. I may come back with another post as this is a bit off the cuff. It seems after all of these years my life is still filled with athletic pursuits, friendships, family, home repairs, and continued learning and experience at work.

2008: It's easy to get wrapped up in my own life's drama. It can send me reeling wondering how I can clear my plate and effectively finish everything I've started. It may seem counter-intuitive; but I think I've found the answer. I've often entertained, albeit briefly, the idea of volunteering at a school, or as a big sister. As friends and neighbors set amazing examples of community building and selfless gifts of their time and energy I've decided this is the key. This is the answer to not getting wrapped up in my life's daily dramas. It's also a break. I can take a vacation from my challenges by helping someone else with their own. Talk is cheap. That is number one on my list. I'm going to volunteer. Finally.

The next goals will be the less profound more selfish variety. :]

2. Run 50 miles...at one go, not over the course of the week. ;](My eyes are on the Grand Teton 50 mile race) I will be running with Tom, Ronda, and Michael who are running the 100miler.

3. Run a sub 21:00 min 5K.

4. Get out of debt (house mortgage not included) sooooo....close.

5. Reach and maintain 150 pounds.

6. Study for Captain.

7. Work on my attention span for blog entries.

Ok the girls and I are going running now for our easy 30min.

No Excuses

2007-12-30T17:25:00.000-08:00

I only got up twice last night. And over-sleeping past the all-call at 7am wasn't going to keep me from racing out the station door with oatmeal and eggs in a bowl. I stopped at Stumptown and thankfully realized it was Sunday-no line! I got home, fed the dogs, found my hat, put Emma's leash outside for her adventure with Brett, and Zoe and I were off. This was going to be a personal distance record for Zoe. I was looking forward to running with Tom and attempting an even consistent pace for 25 miles.

The weather was nothing short of epic as we made our way from Germantown, where I met the masses, to the zoo. It rained, sleeted, snowed, hailed, shined, and we even caught lightening and thunder! Tom amazed me with his skills of observation. Tom was facing the tree we were resting under to get a rock out of his shoe. I was staring out into the rain coming down sideways as he said, "Now Kris it's going to start raining." Tom is full of wise words like these. You have to pay attention because you might miss them. Tom was strong and ran about 3/4 of the day at 160-165 HR. I was happy to sustain a slightly lower and more forgiving rate. Ronda and Michael, who finished the 30.16 miles in a smoking 5:06 had placed water and goodies out at the trail heads and fire lanes so we had great aid stations to boot! It was an awesome end (well save the 7 miles I have on the treadmill tomorrow) to my first Christmas Camp.

Oh yeah. Tom convinced, threatened, made me promise...it's all the same right? to run 100 miles with him and the rest of the gang to honor his 50Th birthday. This is in 2009. If all goes well in the Tetons- my first 50, I shall look forward to sharing this 100 mile day, wherever it will be, with the group. :] 7:24pm...totally bedtime.

Christmas Camp!!

2007-12-24T05:49:00.000-08:00

Two days on, one off, two on. Half-way through! Yesterday at work I managed to get a 60 minute run in on the treadmill without interuption!! 30min easy, 10 min 8:00min/mi, three min easy, 10 min 7:40min/mile, 10 minute easy. Felt good.

Today we start Christmas camp at 8:00 on Wilwood with a nice 5-7 mile run. Then push-ups, sit-ups, planks for all.

Merry Christmas!!

2007-12-22T15:43:00.000-08:00

It's going to be a long week. That's one way to make the Christmas Holiday last, work...four out of five days. Hopefully everyone will be nestled in their warm homes and not feel the urge to dial 911 between sips of hot chocolate and nips of sugar cookies. You hear that? Chew your food, unplug the lights before you go to bed and for goodness sake don't cook anything if you are busy doing something else. Thank you. Looking forward to Christmas Camp. Starting Monday we will run, do push-ups,sit-ups, and plank every day for a week. This yearly camp put on by Ronda and Stacey will include an end of the week jaunt down the length of wildwood. A mere 30 miles as Tom would have it. Sounds like a long ways to me, yes...still. But I'm game. Is the diet off that day? I'm going to have to make a command decision there and say, "YES."

Here's a little Christmas show courtesy of a friend. Of Course Zoe has to add flourish to all the dance moves. Peace.

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1675404907

Treats and Sweets?...No thank you.

2007-12-16T07:06:00.000-08:00

After another Kenyan Progression Run with Ronda, Tom, Steve, Michael, and Susan, Ronda loaned me her "Trail RNR" Range Rover and the girls and I were off to the showers. I had an appointment with Mark in two hours. I would either see the fruits of my dieting labor or find that I ate too many fruits as they are not part of the plan. (incidentally no fruit had passed these lips for two weeks...so there.) Don't ask me about popcorn, I'm telling this story. After a short confession of banana pancakes after a fire (did I say "banana?") and some involuntary handfuls of popcorn (I blacked out) I was stripping down to my measuring and weighing-in clothes. Mark started caliper-pinching and tape measuring his guts out to get to the info that would tell me what I already felt in my waistline. I'd done a good job. I peeked as he entered the results from each pinch and measure. The numbers were going down by an average of 2 pretty consistently across the board. I've never been great at math, but I had an inkling this was a really good thing.

Finally he pinched my quadricep- OUCH! We don't carry a lot of fat right there and it's not a pleasant feeling to be pinched where the skin is already pretty tight! Now the abdomen, for example, is another story...not only can he easily grab some fat, he seems to enjoy pulling it away from the body to both pinch and demonstrate how generous the portions of pinch-able material are in that area. Never mind. Moving on- My numbers. :] After weighing in we found I'd lost roughly four pounds. With the measurements and pinching we found that I did not lose lean muscle mass so in fact lost 4 pounds of body fat. This is monumental for me and very inspiring. Two measurements of note: My quads are larger (though could be from workout earlier in the day...blood still in muscles causing them to expand) and my back is larger- thank you crossfit. Just two days ago I was able to climb that gym rope 6 times with a little instruction. A few months ago I couldn't get a couple feet on that thing.

Progress is an intoxicating thing. My DFF (Diet Friends Forever...) is having equally impressive results. Ok, so our eating habits and determination may be termed obsessive by some. But water-dining and sweet potato-finding aside, you can't argue with the results. (ask if you dare...) It was a brilliant end to a very stressful week.

I'm now the proud owner of a 1995 Honda Accord Wagon. After the work it's had in Spencer's Shop (He's an amazing, sweet, and honest mechanic that specializes in Subaru's..."but can't say anything bad about Toyota's or Honda's either." 503-775-7467) old, (enter name here...haven't named her yet) should give me another 100k miles. Next up? Phase Two of the Diet (Unlike some...I don't get any more or different food), Christmas Camp (73-83 mile week of running...!) Working Christmas Day at the Training Station with Trainees on Truck 2, finally finalizing accommodations for my mom and I in Thailand. Good Times.

Tis The Season

2007-12-11T07:15:00.000-08:00

Mark is holding over for me so I can ride my bike into work in the daytime. The sky is steel grey with peach colored light infusing the clouds. My Christmas lights are still on. The timer doesn't work...I just remembered that. There's a lot going on right now. I've used the word, "Stress," more times than I care to count this month and we are only in the 11th day. It's Christmas. Not being particularly religious this word has different meaning for me than some. But, the lights and spirit of the holidays usually causes me to look around and re-connect with those around me in a more intentional way. This year I'm struggling with that. I find myself very wrapped up in my own drama.

This is my attempt to jump out of this rut. My Mom is in the Philippines. I get to visit her in Janaury. I've not seen my mom for more than a year. She's become an activist, a friend, and an important part of a community on the other side of the world. I get to see this amazing woman in yet another shining example of someone to live up to.

My sister and her partner Todd will move into there new house shortly. Todd remodeled this house, while working full time, with his own hands. There journey of buying, fixing, almost losing, and finally moving into their new home has been nothing short of a miracle.

I've been adopted by this amazing group of runners. They run together, for miles, but they're so close and so supportive of every aspect in each other's lives. This energy practically carries you on air if you are fortunate enough to join this pack on wildwood. Ronda, my new DFF, has become a mentor and inspiration. I thought I was tough. She's doing things I haven't even imagined...let alone thought possible. We don't grow unless we challenge ourselves. I'm indebted to Ronda because I'm excited again to challenge myself in both running and nutrition. I've never tried the combination and the results...in just a short time are amazing. And Tom. Tom doesn't like to be mentioned in blogs. But he doesn't read them either so what he doesn't know won't hurt him. He doesn't take any shit. Especially your excuses or the reasons why. He just wants 20 push-ups and 20 pull-ups and if you can do that, great do them with one arm. There is no talk, just action. Tom rules.

My friend Seth is visiting this week. I've not seen Seth for almost a year. We used to surf together 2-3 times a week. I've not been in the water since September. I've not surfed with him...I can't remember the last time I caught a wave, and looked up afterwards to see if he watched. Only to find him staring back while riding the bigger wave of the set as I get pummeled trying to get back outside. He's taking me to the mountain to teach me how to snowboard.

My friend Kelley called wanting a swim lesson. Since a pretty traumatic introduction to water at a young age, Kelley has wanted nothing to do with anything more than a bath tub. I've not been in the pool for over a year. Kelley is actually easily swimming the length of the pool. Her only difficulty is learning to exhale out of her nose. She's determined to practice this basic skill so she can master swimming. She practiced the advice and drills I gave her willingly and with a smile.

Helen and Ann, Mother and daughter, are still walking the lanes of the pool causing mischief and smiles wherever they direct their caring jabs. They are like pillars of community. Even when you don't go for days, months, or years, they are there excited to see you back again when you do decide to return.

My friend Rishi just returned from a month in Brazil. He moved into my house over a year ago and put up with my impatience, odd schedule and obsessive behaviour caring for my dogs. He became a friend and cooked soup for the neighborhood soup party. He actually reads and comments on my blog. He works hard to reach out to people no matter where he's living, which is Chicago now, unfortunately. Hi Rishi!

It's light out. I have to ride to work. I sold my car yesterday. Today I have: no car payment, amazing friends, amazing family, beautiful dogs, and strong legs to ride to work under a clear, dry sky that still has some peach clouds.

Thanks.

Car For Sale

2007-12-06T19:18:00.000-08:00

I think I'm on Day 5...or is it 6? of my new menu. I don't want to psych myself out by calling it a diet. Not only that, but I'm hoping to implement a more permanent overhaul to my daily intake than "diet" suggests. Mark of www.atlasfoods.com did warn me of the sugar cravings I would feel and possibly a bit of the not-so-nice-Kris might make an appearance. Well, she came out yesterday, of course at work. I was surrounded by really delicious-looking, smelling food. I persevered. But after waking at 2:30 in the morning for a fire and not getting back to the station until 5am...I caved. The banana pancakes were too much to resist. If Jack Johnson says...how can I refuse? After confessing/consulting with Ronda today I've decided to eat 5oz of brown rice, 2.5 oz of Flank Steak, 5 oz of Asparagus and say 3 Hail Mary's. (Not being Catholic I made do with saying, "Hi," to the girls three times.) Consensus was that I needed another meal having worked (some might argue that while being in command) for hours in the night. So I've learned I need to have contingency meals in the fridge at work. This will thrill the self-appointed refrigerator guard at the station. Bring it baby, this food is working, nothing standing in my way.

On the fitness side of today. I'd planned on an easy run with the girls and crossfit. I adjusted begrudgingly to a nap and grocery shopping at Trader Joe's for the next week's meals. I'm feeling somewhat recovered because of that decision. This weekend will be a long weekend filled with TWO "long" runs back to back. Zoe's wicked excited. I'm curious as to whether this will knock me out for the rest of the night.

Finally, I'm selling the Pilot. Anyone want to buy a silver Honda Pilot for a screamin deal give me a call. Gots to tighten the old belt strap. Audi...girls and I have some movies to watch!

New Nutrition

2007-12-01T18:24:00.000-08:00

Fruit is out. At least for the time being. I'm eating what seems like my body weight in green vegetables everyday ...well ok, I just started today. I met with Mark of Atlasfoods.com and he set up a comprehensive diet/menu plan for me for the next six months. My goal is to lose body fat. I would be thrilled with losing 7% but obviously any positive change will be appreciated. I'm hoping this plan will help me lose the fat without significant lean muscle mass loss. I will continue the long distance running training as well as crossfit. Today, my first day, was spent cooking and preparing tomorrow's foods for work. Even though it's only 1600 calories on my easy workout days the food actually seems like quite a lot. The five meals will hopefully keep me full and not thinking of snacking on popcorn and other treats. I can't wait to hear the guys at work and their opinion on my bags of food. No doubt I will have some rich quotes to include in my next entry. It's 6:30 and I have to eat again! Will keep posting. K

Kenyan Progression Run

2007-12-01T18:14:00.000-08:00

Today was a two hour run getting increasingly faster as the miles clicked. Not sure how much I actually "Progressed," more of a regression run for myself. But it was really good to realize the VO2max test is probably inaccurate due to some heavy workouts and lack of sleep prior to the test. I was bopping along at my supposed new threshold, 155, for quite some time...speaking in full sentences. So will look forward to getting the test again in 6 months. Ronda kept us all in line on the way out and put her headphones in for some serious marathon pace business on the way back. I look forward to keeping up with her at some point...not today. Zoe did repeats back and forth from the front line to Tom and I. Emma hung with us the whole way. We were surprised with some beautiful fluffy white snowflakes as we finished up the run.

Striding for time

2007-11-24T18:33:00.000-08:00

Ronda, Tom and I met at 53rd for Ronda's newest lesson in "How to be a fast Ultra-runner 101." Thankfully I've already had the Heart Rate Monitor prerequisite so I was spared Ronda's version of an informative summary. Namely dousing unsuspecting friend with water from his own water bottle to "moisten" the HR Monitor strap for efficient contact with skin. Uncomfortable perhaps, but effective. :] The rest of the run was crisp, cold and fun! Crossfit has helped with my power output, I think, so the short bursts seemed easy and I felt fast. Of course the carry-over to racing will take a lot more work. But it was encouraging to feel strong.

I'm determined to remember my heart rate monitor next time as the heart rate twins were beginning to scare me just a little. I was about to ask the herd of lady walkers if their heart rates were also at 147.3. It was fun to listen to Tom and Ronda's calls back and forth checking their rates. It was odd to hear the numbers match up almost perfectly every 10-15 minutes. Just another reason these two train so well together I suspect.

Emma was also throwing the hammer down. She was challenging Zoe to the usual run-ups on the steep embankments. No squirrels were sighted during the run, but don't mention that to Emma...as she is certain she treed 14 of them. After reading Ronda's blog, it seems I've been tagged (or am about to be) to mention 5 things about myself. So I will include them below. :]

1. I studied acting in college. I majored in psychology and also completed the Acting Specialist program in the theatre dept. Oddly enough I think I learned more about people in the acting program than in psychology.

2. As a child I was bossy and always the one setting the rules of the game. I was also the only kid on the block that would stop playing and go home early wondering when lunch, or dinner was going to be ready. I still wonder that everyday. :]

3. I still congratulate my 5 year old dog on going, "Outside Potty." I do this despite the pained and embarrassed looks I see on the faces of my close friends.

4. I love to bake bread, my cousin and grandma taught me, and I'm not bad at it.

5. I can hold my own: pulling hose, throwing ladders, and cutting holes on the roof.. (Even though now most of the time I hold a clipboard, talk on the radio and point.)

Snow at 1500'

2007-11-19T18:02:00.000-08:00

Zoe and I pushed off early this morning to catch Ronda, Trisha, and Susan in the Gorge for a rainy, waterfall-gushing two hour run. Zoe, excited to sport her new rain coat with fleece underside, was all about the hills. Trisha got the prize for fastest downhill despite Zoe's attempt to cut her off by cruising off trail to skip the
switch-backs.

Game is apparently back on as I have committed to sign up for the Cuckanut 50K coming up in March. I'm looking forward to racing with Ronda, Tom and Stacey. My one goal for my third time at this distance is to finish smiling and comfortable. If I accomplish this, then we can talk about 50 miles.

Today also included a crossfit workout. I raced home after the run in time to make the 1200 class. Caleb met me there and we knocked out: 10 rounds of: 200m row, 15 DB thrusters, and a rope/hanging ladder climb. The Thrusters were killing us all. But I finished the workout. Which felt like quite an accomplishment after our 2 hour run. Going to have to come up with some type of training schedule for the run. Will be interesting to see how crossfit and diet play into performance on race day. :]

KISS

2007-11-03T12:34:00.000-07:00

I've gotten behind in my posts...again. Halloween with the crew at 25's was a great time. I had the opportunity to be Peter Criss. For all you KISS fans out there no explanation necessary. For those of you like me, a KISS newbie, He was the drummer and wrote the infamous ballad, "Beth." You can check it out on utube if you like. Interesting.

Heading into my fourth day of being sick. Sore throat, swollen glands, exhausted. Needless to say this is driving me crazy. The sun is shining and I'm missing quality DRY fall forest park runs. The girls are getting their walks...but I think even Emma would be up for a little jog in this weather. I'm also missing Crossfit. I was starting to see results and feel much stronger. Though I know just like life, training is a journey of ups and downs. It's so frustrating to imagine my hard work draining away as I sit and hack and try to sleep and get tired walking up a tiny hill. I'm trying to use this time to really appreciate how lucky I am. Also, it's a good reminder that rest is a good thing and necessary and your body will take it whether you agree you need it or not. So listen to your body! Too bad I can't follow my own advice. For those of you enjoying this beautiful day outside- good for you!! I'm going to continue sipping my tea, drinking soup, and trying to understand the allure of watching football on tv. :]

CrossFit First Day

2007-09-18T19:39:00.000-07:00

After surviving the boot camp three weeks ago I finally went back for my first workout. Kevin did mention it had been a while since he saw me. I reminded him I had a 31 mile date with a river I had to go through before returning for more crossfithel.

Today was a relatively "easy" workout...so I hear. We warmed up with some dips, sit-ups and overhead squats. Then it was off to the races with 1000m of rowing, 50 thrusters with a 45 pound bar and 30 kip pull-ups...or box jumps to the bar in my case. I went through the sequence in 10 minutes 52 seconds. And that was it. My legs felt a little wobbly for the first 20 minutes of my easy run afterward, and I'm already a little sore in my quads and calves...but ready for more. :] Tomorrow on the track we will mix sprints with dips and push-ups. I'll try and get some photos up eventually.

One more day of detox and coffee and popcorn here I come! :]

McKenzie River Trail Run 2007

2007-09-09T12:59:00.000-07:00

This was, without a doubt, the most scenic race I've had the opportunity to run. I went in hoping to run the course in 5 hours. I stated this goal without even really knowing the terrain, only that it was a gradual downhill. Since I'm a less than average climber I like to believe going gradually downhill is a specialty of mine. Yeah, well...there may really be an Easter Bunny too. My goal was to keep the heart rate below 155 for the first 30 minutes. Use that first few miles as a warm-up. I knew the initial leg of the run was a climb...so that would help me keep it slow. At eleven minutes in I knew I was in trouble with my heart rate at 170. I reined myself in a bit and let what seemed like EVERYONE pass me. From Sahalie Falls to the remainder of the race I worked on keeping my heart rate at or below 165.

Before the race Brett had warned he believed the course to be more technical than I was thinking. He was right. I chose to wait and find this out for myself. I only fell four times. Thankfully none of my falls were on the lava rock that seemed to not only pop up everywhere, but also seemed to reach up and grab the foot you swore you had lifted high enough to clear the rough, unforgiving obstacle. Even while I was bopping down the trail for the first 20 miles I could tell my enthusiasm and energy was not with me on this perfect day. The weather never got over 75 degrees. The race is mostly covered by moss-covered trees and you are in company of the rushing river for most of the race.

By mile 22-23 I was hurting. My joints were screaming from all the trail dancing due to rocks and the path itself that resembled a 1 mile bike race with at least 8 turns! By the time Brett saw me at the 4th aid station I warned him I was going to walk the last 6 miles. I could hear the wobble in my voice and knew if I didn't keep moving I would get into the car and just tell him to take me home. I was rationalizing what I would say to the guys at the station. I had almost convinced myself that I could deal with admitting to them that I quit 6 miles out and went home crying. "They would understand..."I thought. Clearly I was delusional. I drank some coke, then some water, then had an orange hammergel- yuk...not recommended. I asked the wonderful aid station hosts how many more miles. He lied, knowingly, and told me 5 more miles. I told him rhetorically, but not really, that I could do that. He agreed, "yes...you can." So I figured if anyone would know..he would. I continued .

The thought of Ronda, Stacey and Tom running this distance and then onward for another 69 miles entered my mind a few times. It brought a bit of comfort knowing I was only completing little more than a marathon. I was still walking...the last 6 miles were going to take a long time, especially since I started peppering the silence with self-indulgent grunts of pain and a very dramatic swaying motion. My little act caused me to fall, again, and then someone caught up to me, no shocker there. But this guy wasn't having it. "Oh no, you've been kicking my butt all day long you're not stopping now, come on!" I fell in behind him. He sounded like he knew what he was doing and what I should be doing too...I was tired of thinking and very impressionable at this point. I focused on his feet and shut my brain off. This proved very effective. In no time at all I had some energy. He asked if I wanted to pass and I declined. But when we came to a small hill he started walking, I passed him. I decided to leave the brain off for the time being and just focused on moving my feet and breathing. It felt like a lot, but I've always been good at multi-tasking.

I started seeing spectators who had walked in from the finish line. This pepped me up a little more. I have proof...my heart rate went from 154 to 155. I finally got the nerve to ask a guy how much further. He told me a couple hundred yards! Yeah! I bumped my pace up to what felt like 8min/miles but what was probably a cool 11:30 min/mile. At about 400 yards I saw another woman and she offered helpfully, without being asked,"You only have less than five minutes left!" Here was a dilemma. Do I finish the race? Or do I go back and find that guy that told me, "a couple hundred yards." Since Ultra runners seem, in my little experience, to be such positive, open-minded, friendly people I decided to continue forward. I was not above, however, silently cursing him. I realize it was immature and look forward to more growth and maturity on my part. Or more likely, not believing what people tell me when I'm running in these races. Were they lying about how good I looked too?

WArning: excuses/reasons/bodily function discussions to following

Upon finishing I didn't feel the usual high and elated relief. I felt completely depleted, exhausted, and emotionally spent. My time, unofficially in the 5:30's, was respectable and right on mark for what I'm capable of. But my extreme emotional reaction and the fact I drank close to a gallon of fluids following the race and didn't pee for roughly 2-3 hours after the race tells me I need some work in the fluid intake area. I wasn't as prepared as I should have been for this race. Looking back, I cavalierly believed this race would be similar to the Congo Run in Forest Park. I was very wrong. When I recover from this race and if I continue to go long I'll remember this lesson. Thanks Brett for awesome support and great camera work. :]

The Finish!

2007-06-24T06:22:00.000-07:00

What an amazing experience. We raised $1000.00 for the Women of the Congo. There was delicious food, drumming, and women singing when I crossed the finish line. But I'm getting ahead of myself. I started the race after letting everyone, all 6 of the other 30-milers, go ahead of me. I wanted to take it really slow the first few miles. I ended up talking to Lisa, the organizer, for about 30 minutes. My heart rate was a low 120. I kept to my plan of walking if my heart rate got up to 140 for the first 15 miles. In hindsight...this may have been a little conservative. At the 17 mile turn-around I couldn't take the sluggish pace any longer. For the next hour I ran hard. Too hard, but it felt so good. With the trails so overgrown with ferns and other foliage crowding the trail I felt like I was running 6 minute miles. The truth is probably closer to 9:30's...MAYBE 9 minute miles. I finally came to my senses at the next aid station. I grabbed a salted potato chunk, filled my camelback, and set off at an average pace. That was mile 21, I had nine more miles to go. I felt good. At five to go my feet started really hurting. My glutes were also talking to me. I thought about finally putting the ipod on, but couldn't really be bothered with all the movement and adjusting. Then I realized if I ran faster my feet seemed to be on the ground for less amount of time. So during the downhills especially I ran fast. At mile 4 Brett came to meet me and pace me in. When I walked he tried to jog next to me. I wasn't having it. I told him he had to walk too if he was going to stay with me. I think at that point my mood dropped a bit with the climb to Pittock Mansion. At 2 miles left to go Brett took off for the finish. My speed slowed considerably!

At mile 1.5 I stopped to put my skirt back on. The task was daunting- actually lifting my legs, bending at the knees, AND bending at the waist. It seemed, and felt far more advanced a move than I should be executing at this point. I had taken the skirt off at mile 9 because it was falling off as I ran- I should have bought the medium. Anyway, I wanted to put it back on for the finish because I could hear the music and drums and it sounded like a party so I wanted to look nice. Carol Lee was waiting at the finish! It was sunny,I got a massage and had great pasta salad. :]

Finishing felt good. It's the farthest I've ever run. I look forward to the McKenzie River Trail Run and hope to improve on my time of 5:34 significantly. The ice bath afterwards wasn't so bad either. After about five minutes everything goes numb. Thanks to Stacey for the hint of staying dressed, with hat and sipping tea to pass the time!! Thank you again everyone for your support and donations to a great cause.

2007-06-22T10:45:00.000-07:00

Emma shares her Ultra-napping techniques.

Big Day

2007-06-22T10:38:00.001-07:00

The big run is tomorrow. Thank you everyone who donated so generously. I'm hoping by the end of the day our total will come to $1000.00 for the Women of the Congo. I will be thinking of all of you, the women we are running for, and probably be running a few fire scenarios through my head as well. There will no doubt be plenty of time for all of that and more. I pity the person running next to me. I may even break into my oral resume. With the assessment center next week it's been a stressful month. I look forward to spending time with all of you very soon. Thanks again, love Kris

Well-deserved rest

2007-05-21T07:26:00.000-07:00

I feel like I broke through a wall. I've never run a four hour training run prior to yesterday. And I did it without music. I'm putting the Ipod away. I felt much more connected mentally, physically and relaxed without the music distracting me from the trail. It rained on us pretty much the whole time. But the day was warm enough to be pleasant. The trail is at it's greenest and in parts growing into the trail. It's a trip to be running through such a lush forest. We did an out and back on the Germantown side of Wildwood which is in no way as hilly as the Pittock Mansion (race start) side. All we can do is chip away at the distance and run with what we got on June 23.

My assessment center, assuming I did well enough on the test, will be the week of June 25 so hopefully I won't be hobbling into the room full of out-of-town Chiefs to explain why I would be a good leader. Keep you posted.

Mother's Day

2007-05-13T08:10:00.000-07:00

Morning. It's 8:10am. I'm supposed to be studying. I've repeated this phrase countless times in the past three months. In two days I won't have to say it anymore, let alone act on it. The three months preparing for the Captain's exam has been not unlike training and racing in an Ironman. It has felt long, arduous, tiring and painful at times. And even though the finish line is in my sight. The finish line is not really the point. The point is what are you going to do when you get there?

After the test on Tuesday I will re-engage in my Ultra Marathon Training. I'll take a week off from preparation for the promotional process then begin again- this time for the Assessment Center. The assessment center is a half-day of scenario-based testing given by a contractor hired by the city. The contractor hires officers and Chiefs from surrounding departments to score candidates on our answers. If you are not prepared, it can be very stressful. If you've given the position a lot of thought, practiced your tactics and oral resume and have an idea of your leadership style and philosophy AND can brush aside the inevitable nerves it can be fun. I just keep telling myself this.

The sun has finally been covered with clouds. The week and a half off from work has been restful if not productive. These next two days will cement what I have absorbed and I will be ready for the written test. Then I will return to more physical endeavor posts. Thanks. k

UH-OH

2007-04-26T06:06:00.000-07:00

Emma kickin' it at the beach after Zoe and I blew up on our run.

Zoe and I took to the course yesterday morning at 0900. We hoped to run for three hours while checking out the terrain of the 30 mile fundraising run for the Congo Women. We were armed with two water bottles, three duck and potato crunchy treats and three Gu's. Zoe asked that I carry this time and she promised she had next time. As we got out onto the parking lot of the Pittock Mansion, our starting point, I realized we were at the top of a very large hill. I didn't mention this to Zoe as we made our way to the trail head. My concerns were correct, the first 2 miles of the course would be downhill, a rather steep, swithcback trail to be exact. At roughly the .5 mile point into the route we crossed Cornell and were on the familiar territory of Lower Maclay and more down hill.

We didn't let this disrupt our energetic descent and progress. After descending we, what else? started climbing again. My plan of "walking the hills" to conserve energy was out the window. I had no intention of walking the 30 miles and this is what I'd be doing with that plan. I needed another plan. Zoe suggested sucking it up and running the whole thing. We climbed to the top of Fire lane 1 then had a brief snack , drink (myself from a water bottle, Zoe opted for the mud puddle) we continued down into the canyon. Then we continued up, out of the canyon, and finally we turned around at 90 minutes. We continued out ups and downs with a low point being a very long attempt at audience participation from Cake during their rendition of their song Jolene? I can tell you the first thing after writing this blog that sucker is coming off the ipod! Painful. We finally arrived at the 2 mile UPHILL finish. We walked. I'd like to say I tried to run it. I jogged parts, but mostly I walked. It was an eye-opening experience to say the least. I'd believed I would finish this 30 mile run in five hours. Now I know I will be lucky to complete it in 6 hours. I don't even like being on my bike for six hours. This will be an accomplishment in mental strength for sure. I'm hoping on the day of the run, the companionship and cause will carry us through. In the meantime, I will not be training on the flat and easy Leif Erickson any longer. We are heading to the hills...care to join us?

Rest Day!

2007-04-20T12:04:00.000-07:00

Today Zoe, Emma and I took a recovery walk on Leif Erickson. I felt really good after yesterday's long run and felt I could have done another 30 minutes...which is what we will do next week. The girls are going to sleep and play in the sun while I commence to many hours of studying today. Beautiful sunny day.

Slug Tempo Run

2007-04-16T16:10:00.000-07:00

Emma stayed home dreaming of snowy hills while,rainy and cold, Zoe and I tempo-ed our way through wildwood trail. After two days off, yes, that's one too many, my legs felt sluggish and heavy. But running with music for the first time on trails...did help. My next long run is looming already only two days away! I work tomorrow and will run easy, then hills on wednesday. With only three weeks left until the Captain's exam my life is simplifying quickly. Wake up, eat, walk dogs, study, run, eat, study, make unnecessary bothersome calls to friends as procrastination tool, study more. Of course I can't help thinking about the trail run in June. I'm more excited and motivated to train for this than being a Captain...but it's also more fun.

I'm looking into renting the old firehouse for a fundraising party June 2. Anyone seeing this and wanting to attend let me know! Back to the books. Peace. K

150 minutes

2007-04-13T17:48:00.000-07:00

Scott, Caleb and I set off at about 8am for our 2.5 hour run. We were holding just under 9minute miles on the way out and just barely over 9minute miles on the way back. Caleb had to zoom off ahead because his lungs are made from something else entirely than Scott's and mine. I think he finished the 16 miles about 15 minutes ahead of us. As for the training day I felt good. Zoe did about 20 miles and wrestled with Emma for hours afterwards...so I guess she felt good too. I must admit that I didn't accomplish much else today. I did clean the house, walk the dogs...Emma needed her turn, and avoid studying until now...well after the entry. It was really cool to have two people to run and laugh with for most of the run. I'm hoping to make that a re-occurring theme of the long run days. 60 plus degrees, the windows are open and it finally started raining a nice spring rain. Will lift weights and work tomorrow. Thanks. K

Rest

2007-04-10T14:55:00.000-07:00

The girls and I joined Kelley for an easy 50 minute walk/jog since it was a recovery day. Emma is still not so sure 50 minutes counts as recovery. It's the second day of hitting the books hard. I hope to get at least 7 hours in today. After four hours at home I needed a little social interaction. I joined little black cat at the Albina Press for a soy latte and some light reading of assorted Chief's memos. Lovely.

long run

2007-04-07T16:11:00.001-07:00

week two: Today Brett joined Zoe and I on an easy two hour run. Brett felt it necessary to show his superior fitness by riding to my house from Lake Oswego prior to our run as well as riding home afterwards. But this blog is about the girls...so enough about that.

Zoe was in fine form kicking mud up from beginning to end. At Ronda's advice I now give her a bit of snack when I take my gu. She seems to agree whole-heartedly with this new plan. I felt sluggish at the start of the run after hills with Caleb the day before and a squat workout two days before. But about 20 minutes into the run I felt good for the remaining hour out. Coming back the mud and hills were taking there toll. I would tire easily but recover quickly. For the last 20 minutes I felt strong and could have run another 20 minutes at least. So far the only really fatigued body part have been my feet. I'm careful to stretch those arches well after running...don't want that plantar faciitis to return!

Emma had a nice chase at the park today and enjoys her bone as I type. Zoe is under the table reminding me that dinner time is 39 minutes away. The photo is of emma and I before the run this morning. Day off tomorrow. More time for studying! Good times.

Indian Beach

2007-04-02T05:57:00.000-07:00

Pledge

2007-04-02T05:55:00.000-07:00

I failed to mention, if you want to pledge your money through me, for the run, please contact me by email and I will give you my address. Then I will bundle the checks and send them off. Make the checks out to Run for the Congo Women. Thank you. Have a great day.

Training Day one

2007-04-01T14:27:00.000-07:00

Today Zoe and I hit the trail for a longish hour and forty minute run. After working two days in a row and having a pretty rough night last night; up at 1230, 3:30 and 5:45 the run was good mental practice for moving through the fatigue. I'm officially setting up the link to Run for the Congo Women for anyone who would like to donate money for the cause. Please go to the website and read about the program and the strong women it supports. Keep June open for the pre-run party and fundraiser...it'll be fun and crazy in some way...still working on that! Cheers.

http://www.runforcongowomen.org/donate.php

Spring Time

2007-03-31T09:06:00.000-07:00

The birds are singing. It's our first spring in this house and the bulbs I planted last winter are finally popping up in surprising places. Zoe's nose is in the air tracking squirrels around the neigborhood as they fluff their tails and pursue their twitterpated mates. It's rainy and overcast but just below 60 degrees. After a cup of green tea the girls and I will go for a short run in forest park. It will be a sloshy mud run like 3/4 of the runs we do up there. But we finally have a goal. It's been two years since any thoughts of competition have entered my mind. But now, with the fitness fumes of yester-year wearing off, and needing an active distraction from studying, the time has come. I signed up for a 30 mile trail run. The run is a fundraiser for the Congo Women. It appealed to me for three reasons. It's an amazing cause, raising awareness and independence for these women. It's in Forest Park. And I've always wanted to run an ultra marathon. The training period will be a bit condensed- I have a little less than three months to train. If the body holds up, I know I can do it. Finished with tea. We're off.

2007-03-29T08:04:00.000-07:00

In the beginning

2007-03-29T07:57:00.000-07:00

The sun is finding it's bright way through the nose-smeared picture window in the living room. Emma snores for now, but will soon be expecting a hike in the park. Zoe is tending to her morning grooming, she is ahead of me. I've barely finished my first cup of coffee and am thinking I need another.