What??

Ok, I haven't blogged in awhile and this is not even about running. It is about football...which I must admit I do not follow closely... All I can say is that there are billions of people in the world. If we think about it, talented football players are (like all of us) a dime a dozen. And yet, there are those among us that think it is just fine to support and watch a penis breathed asswipe like Vick the Dick. Kill a few dogs??? Ok kids, lets admire this dude. What is next? Reformed pedophiles???? Get a grip country!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Boston post #1

Not ready for a race report yet...madly studying Physics (well not at the moment but mostly I am...) Besides there are some great ones posted already - Mike's is brilliant!! Just had to say that Boston was beautiful. Great city, good food, chilly but good weather, and wonderful team mates (and John!!!) to spend my time with. The Boston course is perfect for us. Our training is very compatible with the rolling course. And boy, the crowd support is like NO other. What a great race!!

That said, it was the most painful race that I have ever done. (Personal...nothing to do with the course!) By mile 4 I lost control of my left leg and by mile six I had stabbing pains up and down that leg. By mile 13, I did not know how I would do another 13 miles. I ran (never walked!!) the whole time concentrating on breathing through the pain mile by mile...and then minute by minute. But, bitching and moaning aside, my legs managed to keep striding all 26.2. I owe it to 3 main things:

• Steve telling me that I seem to pull out miracles at weird times
• My supportive teammates and the wonderful throngs of Bostonians
• My own adaptation of Emil Zatopek's saying "Today I can die."

This course may think that it kicked my a-- but actually it just fired me up to come back next year. Congrats to all my Rogue buddies!

I love my car...

The driveway to my house!



A closer view...



They were big suckers!!



I saw the storm coming and it was BLACK (and kinda green...) I was hauling ass home from the barn on this little winding country road with the wind blowing and rain pelting my windshield when suddenly the Heavens opened and threw pounds of hail on me. The road turned from asphalt to ice in a second and my car went skidding across the hail balls totally out of control! But good ol' Sabrina (the car) stayed straight and grabbed a tiny piece of asphalt to slow down and stay outta the ditch. I drove (SLOWLY!!) the rest of the way home with hail the size of ping pong balls beating the Hell out of me. Got home and Sabrina looks like she may have weathered all that without (I hope) any dents! (From Physics I have learned that moving through the hail is better than stopping!!) So, my car seems to have saved me AND still maintained her beauty...cool. I can't say the same for the plants out on my deck...poor naked little things...shredded leaves...

An old Irish Blessing...

"May the road rise up to meet you..." came true for me this morning on our run on Shoal Creek.

So...St. Paddy's Day is over, to heck with Irish blessings, I am going with a Lily Tomlin quote:

"The ROAD to success is always under construction."

Ain't that the truth???

Wheels on the Bus go Round and Round

...instead of falling off again!!

Today's run wasn't easy or fast but it was SO much better than last week. Already, my body is responding to the days off and the decrease in mileage. By the time I reached the track (after 20+) I felt ok and Steve let me run the first two MGP miles. The plan had been to run none of the track miles so I was relieved to run a couple and listened when he told me not to run any more... I feel like I can go to my weight workout with a better heart tomorrow (saving my next short run for Tuesday...)

Since I have also been instructed to stay on the trails once a week, I can say that part of my better mood today can likely be attributed to my run on the trails at Rocky Hill Ranch yesterday. Nothing like running in the mud and then downing mimosas and migas with friends to clear the head.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PogKE70oC4

Last night, before I turned in, I watched this "old" Pike's Peak video made by Dan Keitz for our Rogue 2006 Pikes team. I have said that I love to run because I love to compete...and that is true...but this video also reminds me of the childish pleasure I get from romping around with my friends too... Check it out!

Over the mountain!

Well, Steve told me to trail run more this summer so I went ahead and signed up to run the 50K at Lake Tahoe in July. Check out the picture! It just looks like a good idea!!

Da Plan! Da Plan!

Basically 5 weeks to go until Boston and I have cussed and discussed my plan with my coach. I now have a new "let's get through this round of sh-t (again)" plan. Ok, I am good with that. A plan is a plan. No goal for Boston...just run. No fall marathon!!!! (This could be reinstated) Run for fun at Jemez in May and H2C in August. Aim for Boston 2010. Ok, I accept (kinda wholeheartedly) this challenge. The challenge of maintaining a forward focus dictated by my body, my hormones (I guess,) and my overly active brain.

My Plan:

Keep up with the weights 3x a week. (probably need a visit with Mark about that)
Keep my weekly trail run going.
Cut mileage in half or don't even think about it...just get my 20 long in each week.
No quality.
Cut running days to 4 or 5.

I am not disappointed about this new plan. (I was the last time we did something similar) I am relieved. I was scared to take a non running break (I already took 4 days and thought I may need longer) because I am already grumpy and fatter. But I have felt so bad in everyway on every run lately, it was getting to my psyche (you noticed??) and making me really lose sight of any joy in running. So, I look at my new plan and I am relieved. I know that all the "no this and that" is all negotiable. And I think I may actually be able to find some balance with this more compact (I won't say smaller!!) effort.

I have put hours, months, and years into horses that I patched up on numerous occasions throughout their training. No matter what the outcome, it is always worth it. In the words of T.S. Elliot:

"Only those who will risk going too far, can possibly find out how far one can go."

That said, I am headed out to run a little in the mud tomorrow morning and then I will be seeing my team at Sunday's Soul Buster II for my 20 miles!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!