Mosquito Send-off

On Friday the first, as the sun set and our team was ready to start our next section of the relay, we had to say goodbye to our new friends we had met at Silver Lake-the mosquitoes. We were waiting for the Silver Fox to run in and send EK off into the sunset, then they came out of no where. The swarming mass seemed to enjoy the fact that we had put repellent on, as they were on a different kind of sports adventure. We swatted at the bugs on each other, as we stood waiting at the exchange. We gave a short congratulations to the Silver Fox, who was then quickly surrounded by his adoring mosquito fans. 

So began the darkness.

We followed our runners with the van lights on, often leap frogging ahead or following directly behind so the runner could see what was in the road. Each of the runners faced a rutted, dusty road, and altogether ran about thirty-six miles in the dark.

 The van ride was interesting as EK began her run at my normal bedtime. She was first, and I was to run last. This is where our conversations became, less lucid and more "interesting?" I spent most of this time in the back of the van, attempting to sleep when I wasn't being used as ottoman. 

I wasn't quite conscious enough before the exchange, in that I realized needed to use the powder room  to freshen up right before it was my turn to run. The driver quickly drove me ahead, but our bionic runner made it to the exchange just as I had put on my lip gloss. So I hurried to meet her and out of the light of the giant spotlights into the dark. I quickly realized that I had left my headlamp in the van. I paused for a moment, but new that the ladies would follow shortly after. 

As I began my route on pavement near the Paulina Mountains, all that I could see were the lane lines and the stars above the tree line. 

One step after the other I began a gradual uphill, yet my teammates hadn't followed with the light. I ran a bit faster than normal those first five minutes. I also had a great time of reflection, in that, I had to trust whatever was my story in the road ahead. Was it a pothole? A mountain lion or other wild animal that would end my life's journey? 

I looked at the stars so far away, yet was comforted by knowing that whatever my "fate" on the run, I had to trust the Maker of those stars.

The ladies in the van did catch up to me, and so did the Hulagans. I didn't understand why their van was out there, as they didn't have a runner in sight. At one point their van pulled up ahead, seeming to wait for their runner, but as I passed, they cheered. I said thank you. Then I saw a different kind of moon.

I was taken aback by this tomfoolery, so much so I lost a bit of focus, reminding myself that I should try and find the humor of the situation rather than having my sensibilities offended. 

Shortly after this incident, my van checked in with me, and then said a Hulagan was behind me-fifteen yards. Before I knew it, she passed me going uphill. It seemed I never recovered from that non-celestial greeting. 

Thru Travel Not Advised

Here's my new Canadian friend before she headed down this very long, hot and dusty road. She ran almost nine miles on this road, whereas I ran a little over the last five it. 

I estimate that she ran during the time of the "Great Badger Showdown." A woman from the Hulagans said a badger chased her down the road. She said that she came down with heat stroke not long after. Must have been the stress of the wildlife encounter. She should have taken a picture of herself.

The story of the chase down is rumored to be so enthralling that a person using a port-a-potty while the woman shared her story right outside the potty, chose to sit and listen to said story rather than exit. People clearly don't get out in the woods enough. 

On this run is where my handy-dandy waist belt came in handy, as I used my water spritzer on this run. At first the sprayer was quite handy, but as I became hotter, all the spritzing I did just made me have to, well, it gave me the "Gotta go right now" urgency. I stopped spritzing and took care of nature's call before the officials' cars came by.
I did receive an encouraging, "Only one mile to go!" from an official gal who was inside her air conditioned Audi. Easy for her to say. The official guy in the other car reminded me of those sweepers when I did the Nike run-good looking guys pointing the old lady the way to the end. He asked, "You alright?" Of course I huffed, "Yes." I didn't ask, "Would you be alright if you were out here?"

I ran leg six, finishing the run at the 85 degree mark. My experience was that the farther I ran up the road, the less the trees attempted to provide shade. I saw no mirages, but I was happy to have done the training I did on those very hot days in Eugene. I felt this training helped me know I could handle the heat. I hadn't trained on such a running surface, but I kept my slow but steady pace. I did wear my Garmin watch, and it said that I ran hundreds of miles. I forgot to turn it off at the end of my run. So, I couldn't tell my pace and I couldn't tell if the elevation slowed me down.

I would like to say I enjoyed the beauty of this particular leg, but I just recognized that it was hot and I needed to put one foot in front of the other.  I did appreciate my peeps with the water and woo-hoos, and for fixing my iPod when I floundered with it at the start of my run.  

Here is the team at the Silver Lake rest area. I tried to sleep but became enthralled with a couple that were singing in the park. I love bluegrass, old time country, and folk music. Although my teammates may have found them annoying while they were trying to sleep, I loved the interruption.

Matt and Rachel Wilson of Silver Lake Oregon

So It Began

This photo doesn't look like much to the non-participant's eye, but this photo has race historic significance. These people aren't just standing around.  This was the beginning of the race, and the beginning of the friendly rivalry amongst these three teams.  This is a photo of our team along with the Sea Monkeys and the Hulagans. The Sea Monkeys have just attached their precious mascot to their car. Notice that our blond friend seems to be mesmerized by the monkey. More later on the significance of the photo...

So at the end of the first leg of the race, a new friend and I were bonding by the information kiosk, while my old buddy EK was kickin' it in up mountain. EK took on quite a bit of mileage this race, and did wonderfully. We had a great time in the van together, and she only made me spew out my water once while I was in a post race delirium. 

And So the Story of Van One, Leg Six Begins...

 The adventure of the Cascade Lakes Relay started the evening of Thursday July31st. Our welcoming sign at the Ray's in LaPine Oregon confirmed that this event was really happening. If I recall correctly, this is where we called ourselves, "Sports Adventurers." Perhaps this gave us a reason why we had uprooted ourselves from our home and families.  

The story goes something like this...

After picking up one of our runners in Black Butte, we ate our first meal together in Sisters at Martolli's Pizza. The ladies of "True Grit Natives" then met up with the men of our team as we spent the night in cabins on Lemolo Lake. 

Our team's start time was at 8:30A, needing to be there an hour before the start for "check-in," leaving us with a wake-up time of 6:00AM. Not too early of a time, if it weren't for not sleeping well the night before. When I did sleep, my anxiety about the race and fear of injury lead me to dream, or think that I was going into renal failure. Although this condition would have rendered me unable to compete in the relay, I had to convince myself it was only a dream. 

Nancy's Sleeping

It was a week ago that I set off to compete in the Cascade Lakes Relay. Time flys. I will post about the race, but for now I'm catching up. It seems like I spend time either catching up, or moving on...I'm on Orcas Island right now, and only a few spots have wireless internet. This is the first day I have attempted to write a post so here goes...

A few other runners and myself drove back from Bend on Saturday evening, still exhausted from the race. We ended up having the Canadian contingent of the team stay over at our house. I wasn't able to be as hospitable as I would like, as we were to leave for Washington bright and early on Sunday.

 The third of August, our family headed north to Orcas Island, Washington to vacation with friends for a week of respite on the water. During our travel north, I was rather short with my family, and out of sorts when we left home, as our goal was to catch the 2:45PM ferry to Orcas Island. I let our Canadian friends know they could stay as long as they liked. I think I actually gave them our house. 

I slept, and grumped all the way north, making it to the ferry, as we were one of the last cars on board. We met up with our friends, and I had to make the transition between exhausted sports adventurer to "Travelin' Nan."

I spent the first couple of days at Orcas eating and sleeping. If I remember Monday at all, it went something like: Sleep in. Eat. Take a nap. Eat. Go to bed. Not a great vacation companion, but I did start waking up on Tuesday.

The joke around the house was a quote from our friend Silas, "Nancy's sleeping. Nancy's sleeping like tractor at Fernwood School."

I Met a Bear In Tennis Shoes

Well, actually I was in running shoes and the bear was about two hundred yards away, not appearing to be wearing any shoes at all. 

So here's the story...

I had to run a long run this weekend, as next weekend I participate in the Cascade Lakes Relay, an insane relay from Diamond Lake to Bend. Twelve people running about two hundred miles in  about twenty four hours...desert, high country, woods, who knows...

I decided running up and down Willamette street here in Eugene would be good practice for almost any part of the relay. Last year, I had practiced the downhill for the Hood to Coast, but had avoided the uphill, because not any of my relay legs were uphill. I don't know what my legs are this year, so I have practiced some in the heat of the day, and up and down some of Eugene's nasty hills.

Today, I started at Amazon Pool, as I had left Paul to help with the swim meet. I began my run by calling my pal EK to tell her my endeavour, and to acclimate to the heat as I walked at talked. I began running about a quarter mile out of Amazon when I immediately felt a wet sensation running down my backside. The water bottle I chose to run with didn't have the right lid on it, so the water sloshed all over the back of my shorts and down my legs as I ran. I usually run with a full water bottle, and for some reason thought dumping half of it out would stop the leakage. I did a little, and fortunately it was pushing ninety degrees, so the water was drying fast. 

Also, I had recently bought new shoes, as well as having had my podiatrist mess with my orthotics. The result of the two changes were that my foot going painfully numb. So from mile one, it was numb for most of the run, and I almost stopped at one point, as it seemed that my ankle decided to join in on the fun. 

So I ran with this numbing past the trail head of the Ridgeline Trail, about three miles into the run. I ran about another half a mile, noticing the hill going up and up, but then as I went up and up, I pondered making it to the Spencer Butte parking lot, which was up more. But my foot was numb enough that I was contemplating whether or not I should stop and put my orthotic in my pack, thinking that might stop the numbing. 

So as I was cogitating I stopped, was looking up the hill toward the top, and then said to myself, 

"That's a bear." 

He looked at me.

I looked at him.

He sized up me.

I sized I up him. 

He said to me, "Why don't you run? I see you ain't got any gun."

And so I slowly walked backwards, away from the bear as he crossed Willamette. I'm assuming he saw me. I was wearing a white hat, a bright fuchsia running top, and light blue shorts. He didn't seem to confuse me for a salmon.

I slowly walked backwards, thinking there wasn't much I could really do. He was a bear, and although I had my handy pack with a Nutragrain Bar, Sports Beans, a dollar, and my cell phone, I couldn't do much to protect myself from a bear. He could run faster than me, even downhill. While I was backing down the hill, I had the brilliant idea to snap a picture of the bear while 

I kept completely calm as, again I didn't stand a chance against a black bear. I guess I could have squirted him with my squirt bottle like one does to cats. 

I kept walking backwards, and waited to run, as I did see him cross the road, and into the bushes. I ran a little, turning around, making sure he wasn't chasing me. 

I wasn't wearing my heart rate monitor this afternoon. I would have loved to see my heart rate as I saw the bear, but like I said, I remained rather calm.

 OK, I was somewhat motivated to get down the butte, but wished that I had a little more adrenaline for someone who just saw a bear. 

I had at least a three miles run to return to the pool, and was becoming somewhat dehydrated, as I had drank all of my half-bottle of water. Fortunately, I had a dollar bill in my pack earmarked for just a time. I knew that a Dari Mart sits at the bottom of the hill, hence, I took my hot body and face in to buy some sort of sports drink to make it the last half mile or so to the pool. 

On returning to the pool I immediately told the bear story to those who'd listen. It's too bad I took a picture of myself, and not the bear. It's a good thing I was so calm. 

Oh, did I mention this event happened today at Amazon?

Teddy Bear Picnic
Saturday, July 26, 11:00 - noon, Amazon Center, 2700 Hilyard
Bring snacks or a picnic lunch and enjoy live music and fun with the McCornack’s Garden Variety Band. Bring your teddy bear or favorite stuffed friend!

Dog Days of Summer

This little puppy of mine was so proud of his Army make-up he put on all by himself at Cub Scout camp that we decided to take a picture outside, in no better location that our dog kennel. You may ask, "Why do you have a dog kennel when you do not have a dog?" 

First, it was in our yard when we bought our house. I can vaguely reccolect a dog we had for a year or so, but PTSD, (Post Traumatic Stress induced by Dog Syndrome) keeps my memory a little fuzzy. Mostly, it's used as a trellis, or kid jail. 

Kids love to corral each other and call the kennel a jail. I've tried to whole "Please don't use that as a jail.  Just can't you all just get along?" approach. Nope. It's a jail. Sometimes it's a home, or a kitchen, maybe even a zoo, but mostly, it ends up being a jail.

Speaking of dogs...

My good friend EK obliged to go running with me in the blazing, stinking hot, hot, overcast heat this afternoon. This is all in preparation for the Cascade Lakes Relay that she and I are participating in. OK, we're crazy enough to try to run something like- two hundred miles through Central Oregon. That's with a team of six men and six women, and I may be the oldest woman. They don't call me Crazy Aunt Nan for nothin'.

So, as we started our run today,  I was about three steps into the run when I noticed it was hot. The temperature registered on the car's thermometer as 98, in the sun.  I then recalled that I drank about half of a sixteen ounce mocha, and about a cup of milk for the whole day, and it was about 3:30P. I must have been a titch dehydrated. But before we could drag our hot little selves for a short run, a dog bounded in front of us...

OK, I'm falling asleep, so if you read this blog before I get to finish posting, you will be kept in suspense...

Over the Hill

Remember the hill I talked about conquering? Well, a week has passed since the Butte to Butte, and I have not mentioned the end result... 

I probably should use the word "conquer" loosely. If it's definition is limited to "climb (a mountain) successfully :  as in the second American to conquer Everest. " I'm good with that. If it's regarding making a personal goal, I could still use some more work on that. 

My, shall I say "loose goal" was to beat my surgeon and my gynecologist. They had finished about twenty minutes before me the year before, however, my goal was shattered when I saw my gynecologist at the base of the pedestrian bridge near South Eugene. I was just about to do a little walking, when I noticed her there cheering on other runners. As I ran by, I shouted something like, "Hey, why aren't you running?" I couldn't really wait for a response, as I was running the race, but her reply was something in regards to a sort of orthopedic "boot" she pointed to on her leg.

I certainly didn't want to meet half my goal that way. 

As for the surgeon, well, as a lady I can't say how badly she beat me, but I'm sure she'd say I won't have much of a scar. 

There is more to the story of the gynecologist/surgeon, healthy competition, but HIPA rules don't allow me to divulge any further information...

Oh, I did beat last year's time by four minutes. As far as conquering-there's always next year.

The Quest to Conquer the Butte to Butte Hill

On Saturday, a friend and I ran the "Butte to Butte" hill. This hill is about a one mile gradual climb to the top. After huffing and puffing my way up, I took a break before the downhill, and broke into Professor Pindell mode. My friend was kind enough to listen to my explanation of the technique I learned about running downhill. This technique is such that while going downhill, one puts their head forward slightly, while having a quick turnover of the legs. This turnover is much faster than the traditional long stride, where it seems you're actually trying to break, or slow your legs down. Well, I followed the technique, and I flew down the hill. Hence, I will call this technique The Roadrunner.

What I discovered in this run, is that if  I let gravity lead the way, and let go of the fear that I might fall, I truly enjoy the experience. 
That was Saturday, and today is Thursday. I ran up the "Spyglass" hill today, huffing and puffing to the top. I didn't take a break, still huffing and puffing on the downhill. I used The Roadrunner on this hill, and it seemed scary fast. It was clearly a steeper hill. Lesson learned: My experience is that every day is a different running day for me. I kinda like this, as I wouldn't want to get bored. 
Oh, and why would such a post be interesting to anyone but me? I guess I'm wanting to express how joyful running can be, not just that I'm crazy. It's not particularly easy for to get out there and "Just Do It".

 I also ask myself about the "God' connection to running. For me, it's mostly that I CAN do it. That I, for some reason have been given the legs, and lungs etc., that get me up and down the hill, and am grateful for that, even though it is not always easy. 

I also like the camaraderie I have with whomever I am running, as we often discuss ideas regarding Christianity and Christian community. I also take time to mull over "ideas" in my head, otherwise known as cogitating.   During a run I often talk to God, but not out loud- as if I want to live up to my Crazy Aunt Nan reputation.

Movement

Heidi and I ran the Butte to Butte today. We were the only ones doing so. Oh, that's right, it's not until July 4th! Well, we ran it because I suggested starting to practice for the downhill portion of the run. I must say when we arrived at the start of the course,  I had my own bit of fun knowing she did not know the route.  The beginning of the race appears to be a little stretch of road, then a little bump of a hill. In actuality, it keeps going up and up until there's such a steep part that one can walk more easily than run. Then it's down and down the hill. Mind you, it's not very steep, but I have to "pace" myself because I am someone who gets side aches on the downhill easily (Oh, I would love to practice my new technique of running like the roadrunner-quick turnovers barely touching the ground-it's fast. But my side aches remind me to be conservative). So I survived the hill, and now I want to know how fast(or should I say how much more than slower) I can go down the hill without keeling over. 

That was this morning, well, early morning. This Saturday, was the last day of Spring soccer for the Family Soccer Organization. Our friends came up with the idea of playing as "families" rather than individual family members playing on various teams, needing to practice more than once a week, all throughout the city. It's simple. A parent from each family plays soccer with the kids. Instead of just sitting on the sideline chatting, we join in. Now, sometimes I mix chatting and playing, but today I mostly played, and what fun!

{I'd love to show some photos from today's soccer game, but when I went to take some video of the event, I realized that I broke the video camera's battery at Disney World. It was a tight fit for the video cam and the digital cam to fit in our camera case, but if I took the battery off the video cam, it fit quite nicely. Well, we had pulled it out once to film, and when I was manipulating everything to fit, it kinda sorta fell on the ground. It was dinged, and looked OK, but it didn't work. I'd forgotten my faux pas, and only brought the video to soccer today}. 

So I just have to randomly describe what happens on the field...

The play looks a lot like swarm ball, especially if the adults get in the thick of the kids to try and get the ball away from them. It's not quite fair, but it is fun to get into the swarm, let them kick it back and forth between you and the kid, and then see who gets the ball. Mind you, 99% of the time, somehow the kid gets the ball. It wouldn't seem fair that the 40 year old always took the ball away from the little kids.

Then there's the comments from the kids, "Oh, you kicked that funny." 

 I said to one of the girls, "Hey, you're guarding me?" She replied, "Yes, I am" with a "Bring it On" attitude as she darted back and forth before our throw-in.

Tegan, as kids coach running down the sidelines, "That's it, that's it, that's it."

Then there were the random plays of the adults trying not to squish the kids. That's interesting trying not to run over a child, especially when you start running from behind them, and they come to a sudden, unpredictable stop. I had some near misses during the season, as one of the boys liked to slide tackle. Today, I tried to actually kick the ball with some umph, for the goal, but kicked it straight on into one of the smaller, say five year old's, chest. He didn't cry though.

Neither did I.

What's also fun is watching the adults try and hold back when they have a clear shot of goal. We have a three touch rule, as the adults team has to kick it three times to each other before they can shoot the goal, and they have to start the count over if a kid kicks the ball. Well, it takes some effort for the adults to do so, as the kid's team had twelve today, and we had about six. 

With this being our third year(?) at this, I encourage all families to forgo paying all those sports fees, and give their own FSO a go.

Waiting

≈ This week I spent sleeping. I suppose I needed it for my recovery after the half marathon. My running partner has been awake. She's ready to take on another challenge, while I try and nap...
I am waiting for the beginning of the big garden clean-up tomorrow. Today, I was in the house, as I haven't really tackled chore duties since the "Mountain of Laundry," so one can imagine the time it's taken just to clean the first layer. The first layer is good enough, so I'm hoping the gorgeous weather will hold out for a couple more days in order for me to get started on the garden. Tomorrow, we have the end of FSO (have I written about FSO?), onto the garden store for the kids to help pick-out my Mother's Day plants, then hopefully, I'll have time to plant them.
While I was waiting for my garden to be planted, I thought I'd show some pictures of what was happening in my yard, that perhaps, I was taking for granted.

Love Is What Matters

Today, I am lying in the hammock and reflecting on the past two days...

Emma and I just spent some time reading outside in gorgeous weather. This school year, she and I have been reading, "Anne Frank The Diary of a Young Girl". There is so, so much life in this book. I am moved by this life. The "realness" of her writing puts me, as the reader, right next to her in the annex.

I wish I could say I have put all my thoughts together after reading this book, but there is so much that comes to mind when reading an entry to her diary, so I will only share some of my scattered thoughts. Like today, one of the passages we read reflected a day, weather wise, that was probably similar to this day, however Anne didn't have the frivolity of such leisure time. She was not free.

Also, reading this book, I am presented with the dichotomy of  Anne's angst/imprisonment, and the freedom that we experience as modern Americans.
One of the more remarkable things about Anne was at her age, she is more educated than I will ever be.
There is so much richness to this story she tells, yet she did not live to tell her story. Her story is a short story, on which I have spent some time cogitating and having an ongoing "discussion" with God.
...................................

Yesterday, after the half marathon, my husband graciously made the "Breakfast of Champions" with the help of my sister-in-law Patty, and my mother-in-law Judie.

Fellow half-marathoners Heidi and Maricel joined me and our respective fan clubs for breakfast.

 I'm hoping the pictures of folks spread throughout the house will tell the story, but what they won't say is that this race is a reminder of my pre-forty experience of self evaluation and self reflection that lead me to the conclusion that my life is to be about gratitude, foremost, to God and to all the magnificent gifts He gives me each and every day.

At one moment as I sat amongst my friends chatting about this and that, I had an overwhelming feeling of gratitude for these friends being the love and support that is here for me, big race or not. My eyes got a bit teary, and I noticed the song that was playing the the background. It was a Carrie Underwood song (Yes, sounds so "pop" of me) entitled, "So Small". The lyrics of the chorus are so true,

"Sometimes that mountain you've been climbing
Is just a grain of sand
What you've been out there searchin for forever
Is in your hands
Oh, When you figure out love is all that matters after all
It sure makes everything else
Oh it sure makes everything else
Seem so small"

Lag

I made it through post vacation mode, only to set myself up for pre-party mode. I've given myself a couple of days of rest that don't seem very restful. I'm beginning to get over jet lag, and beginning to have cleaning lag. Tomorrow is the Eugene Half Marathon, which I'm running at 7:00AM. I guess everyone else is running at 7:00AM also.
The men connected to the ladies that are running are cooking a "Husband Breakfast" for their lady champions. I am looking forward to breakfast as much as the race. So, I expect I won't be walking much tomorrow so expect the play by play tomorrow...

Where Was I?

Back to Thursday...

In the evening, Grandma Judie offered to take the kids as it was a Samfest over at her place. I was itching to go enjoy the sunshine outdoors with my husband for the evening. We settled with dinner at the North Bank, since we haven't had a hankerin' for their food and beverage for quite a while. I run on the path next to the restaurant frequently, and I wanted a good seat by the river to actually enjoy the view, instead of just huffing and puffing my way by the Blue Herons. 

It turned out to be a lovely evening, actually a bit romantic even. We sat outside at a table next to an outdoor fireplace. This was reminiscent of those college days at High Street visiting with Charley Dewberry and chatting up about philosophy and such. We were seated near a group of those younger 20/30 somethings who didn't have any kids with them. They reminded us of those ancient days with friends-carefree, outdoorsy types imbibing, when friendships were golden.

Friday, we began the grand clean-up at our place. I was able to accomplish much in the yard, continuing to move the gigantamous lavender to the backyard. Emma did a great job of cleaning the inside of the house, once she realized she had accidentally lost a recent gift from Auntie Patty. A special ring was missing from her finger which Patty had given to her on her 13th birthday. Well, Emma was distraught, but motivated to clean in order to find the ring. After a couple of hours, I began cleaning my room, when Paul noticed the ring on my floor. It was a great find.

Saturday, was the most georgous day of the year yet, and was the day I signed up for the Eugene Half Marathon. I was put to ease by the director of the race, that I wouldn't need to run 10 miles in Florida (I don't think I've mentioned that "travelin' nan" is headed to FL). He seemed to think if I get that long run done before I go, I'd be good to go before the race. O' Happy Day.

Emma and I shared some "Love Casserole" by attending a baby shower down the street at a dear friend's house. A fabulous idea was implemented, in that, one of the gal's gifts was some cloth diapers which the shower guests then embroidered. Remember my mention of my  mechanical skills? This applies to the Domestic Arts as well. With much focus, I was able to "stitch" out a heart on one of the diapers. 

 I had walked home to retrieve my camera to take pics for the shower, when Paul asked about the whereabouts of the dog which we were sitting. We then came to the conclusion that in the midst of the transitions, the dog had sought her freedom. The boys took to the streets in search of the dog, while I returned to the shower, with thoughts of the lost dog looming over me. I didn't stay much longer, (long enough for cake) then began to search the neighborhood  for the little black lab. While I was near the end of my search loop, a call to Paul revealed that Van said that the dog's tag had the owner's number on it. We concluded that if found, someone would call this number. Minutes later, Paul called to say that our next door neighbor had the dog. Lost ring, lost dog, oh the drama, in these the days of our lives...

Sunday, we went to church, came home long enough to make a sandwich, then Van and I were off to cheer on my favorite godson, Evander's best friend, at his baseball game. Not only was he so handsome in his uniform, he made some great plays that made me quite proud to know the kid. Evander chatted up the bench, and seemed to enjoy encouraging the players. At the end of the game, he somehow finagled a Butterfinger candy bar from the Snack Mom.  I was privileged to enjoy Erin's yumolicious Rice Krispie treats.

We made it through the rest of the day, without losing anything. I think.

Self-control

The chicken are speaking to me...are they hungry? Do they want us to gather the eggs? Do they want their coop cleaned out? Do they want it to stop raining?
I'm not sure how often I actually hear them, as I have developed a great ability to ignore them in their chatter...
It's Sunday, and we don't have much planned today. My house has returned to disorder, due mostly to the fact that on Thursday we had glorious weather here, and I opted to return to my gardening duties. I have begun the process of moving my gigantomous Hidcote lavender from the front of the house, to the backyard, where, I can overlook it's needs as I do my chatty chickens. I love that our guests are greeted by their wonderful smells(the lavender, not the chickens), but the lavender has grown woody and I don't prune them as often as needed, hence, not so pretty. I like plants that need pruning, but I am a slow pruner. I am in need of a pruning tutor, mentor perhaps. OK, maybe someone sitting close by to supervise me while I prune. Seems as though my mother did that on her last visit...
So I spent the afternoon on Thursday in the garden. It felt so good to be outside working, as I am, sad to say, a fair weather gardener. Evander mowed the front lawn, and I mowed the back. Things progressed so well that I even pulled out my seed box. I was prepared to throw caution to the wind, and plant some seeds in the garden, when Emma informed me, it was time to go to the Cub Scout's Roundtable meeting. I stopped just as I was about to open the package. Alas, the rain has since returned, the seed packets are all over the kitchen table, and the lavender plant that I moved, isn't really in the ground.
Saturday's run notables...
I didn't see the moon on Saturday morning, but the sun seemed to be rising as we began our run. Heidi and I ran the first part of the Eugene Half Marathon course. About four miles into the course is South Eugene High School. Well, Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton just happened to be scheduled to show up at the school a few hours after our run. People had already begun to line up outside the school to get into the event. As Heidi and I ran by it was really, really, really hard not to taunt or heckle the crowd, as I am not a fan of Hillary. I joked with Heidi about what great self-control I had in not yelling, “Go John!” (Granted I don't know much about John McCain, and don't know if I will vote for him, but know I don't like Hillary). As I write this, I think that it probably was a good idea that I didn't taunt these Hillary supporters. Political supporters can be quite rabid, and now I envision their response to my teasing with Heidi and I running for our lives up East 19th street. Our safe half marathon pace would be pressed to an all out sprint to avoid the clutches of those I had offended.
It's a good thing I have self-control.

Spring Break?

Yes, that was the moon this morning when I went to go meet Heidi for a seven mile run... 

It was all part of the strategy to get the running out of the way and meet with friends rather than putting off a long run later in the day. Now it seems so long ago. 

So this Saturday evening, I sit and eat Jelly Bellies, and try to reaccount the week...

Last Saturday, the morning of Emma's first party, my nephew and his wife came down from Vancouver to join us for Easter and Emma's birthday. We had a great time over the weekend, and Bud and Kes withstood my midday disappearance to go running. My evening disappearance was to Fred Meyer's in search of some Easter Bunny treats. My schedule during the week was crazy busy, and the Easter Bunny was never without children at the grocery. 

The highlight of Easter morning was that Bud and I joined the group on the church's annual Spencer's Butte sunrise hike. The low light was was Bud and I were the only ones to go on the hike. It seems that over all the years I've attended Reformation Fellowship, every year someone announces the hike and that there will  be hot chocolate, and sometimes Debbie's Blanchard's brownies. It's legend that some hikers may even get sick from overexertion. But somehow, I missed the unannouncement that no one had organized the event this year.  I had spoken with some friends the day before, and they were almost committed to the hike, but opted for sleeping instead.

So Bud and I donned our hiking gear, drove across town and made it to the parking lot by 6:10AM, otherwise know as the crack of dawn. Bud is quite the spry hiker, and as we were almost to the top of the mountain I had to tell myself, "I can run a half marathon. I can keep up with Buddy!" At we climbed to the top, it was sprinkling and windy, without an exciting sunrise, but it was one of those great bonding times for Bud and myself. The highlight of this early morning foray was watching a hawk sail in the wind above the butte. Although it was cold, we stayed  just a little longer to watch this awesome bird.  

Our visitors went to church with us, and listened to Jack Crabtree teach. It wasn't the usual Easter message, but I can't say we do anything too usual at our church.  We ended the afternoon home, with our Easter meal of roast and veggies. Kes was my kitchen coordinator/cook, while I dorkedly watched her work cuisine magic. 

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So my last post was late Tuesday, as I slowed down, having survived my first teenage party. 

This meant that Wednesday, Spring Break was in full swing. The kids went to karate, and we met up with the our Bella friends at the Eugene Public Library. We'll it was sort of after karate. I had gone on a run with Heidi, and was absolutely soaked to the bone.  Although I don't normally dress to impress, I thought it best to go home and change, since my pants alone probably weighed five pounds! 

Our library visit was short lived, as the timing of our lateness was also the time limit of our wee little one year old friend. We were kindly invited for lunch post library, that turned out to be dinner as well. It's those friends that have put up with me for so long, that are those who are the precious gold in my life. 

Thursday, the birthday girl was in the midst of a full fledged sickness. Wednesday night she said she was cold, and Thursday awoke with a nice fever. So it's Saturday, and she's still sick. Maybe she'll be well just in time to go back to classes on Tuesday. Thanks to G-ma, on Thursday, Evander was able to get away from the Typhoid Pindell's. 

So Friday came, and I was so giddy waiting for a birthday luncheon at Marche for my good friend Linda. She's older than me, but allows youngsters to hang out with her. What also contributed to my giddiness was spending time with most of my very close friends throughout the week. I didn't even leave town!  This week felt like my birthday week!
Friday evening, Fiona and her family met us for dinner at Three Forks. My friend Erin was back from sunny California and joined up with us as well. Saturday, the De laMottes came to the house, and we chatted in up with Fiona and the fam while Fiona's very good friend, Sara Groves, played the background music. 

 

 

OK, the silly, saddest part of the week is that I missed the birthday celebration at the Poet's Garden.

Since my last visit to Poet's Garden, I feel as though I have proselytized the merits of this fine establishment to all my lady friends. It's not just the amazing gardens these women have established that draw me to this place, it's their demeanor and grace that they share with their customers.  I also appreciate that Poet's Garden is a bit off the beaten path. I love that it gives me a moment's break in my role as a wife and mother, just to peruse through the gift items and admire the garden. 

I Have Been to the Mountaintop and Back Down, and then Up, and Down

My quandary began with the realization that I was to spend some time before twelve noon on Saturday running six miles. I completed my scheduled forty minute cross training by finishing the laundry and cleaning the house most of the day (I'm not sure if that's cross training or some sort of penitence). At approximately, 6:40P on Friday, I decided to check an e-mail regarding a local run calendar. I looked up a run scheduled for Saturday, and saw that I had less than twenty minutes to drive to the Eugene Running Company to sign-up for the run. I made it, twenty seven dollars later, I owned a black, long sleeved t-shirt with a very “different” representation of an Irish icon and a chance to run 6.2 miles in the Lucky Clover race.

For some reason last night, I decided that 3:30A was a good time to wake up for this event. I tried and tried to go back to sleep, but my busy brain thought it was important to dwell on such things as when I would go pick-up the litter at the end of my street. The train whistles, the airplanes, the constant rain, and the paper person all conspired to keep me from being ready for that race. Hours went by, and I finally fell asleep about the same time the alarm went off.
Fortunately, I had set “all” of my running clothes out the night before. Normally, this can take some serious time in the morning. I have to decide which really bright shirt to wear, choose which non 80's shorts to wear, and find which pair of socks doesn't have a hole them. The list goes on, and sometimes it can take a half-an-hour to get dressed in my running clothes.
The race took place at Dorris Ranch in Springfield, a little drive from my house. But I made sure I was on time. I arrived over 45 minutes early. I sat in the van staring at the moss on the tree. This forest looked as though it was capable of eating me.
I then called my running friend to apologize and confess I'd signed-up for the 10K without her. I thought of calling some other friends that might be able to sign-up fifteen minutes before the start. Not likely. I was on my own.
So I left the van, then went back into the van. It was too early and too cold to go to the start. The bagpipers had begun pipping. All good St. Patrick Day runs have bagpipers piping. I stayed in my car until fifteen minutes before the start.
I had the sorriest looking warm-up. I never really ran. I only walked about a hundred yards, and moved my arms around to look as though I was stretching. I had to work exceptionally hard at smiling, as the rain (did I mention it was raining) kept-up a steady cadence.
I hadn't entered a 10K since my very sorry time last July at the Butte to Butte. In the Eugene area, everyone who's ever donned running attire runs the Butte to Butte. 

Maybe two hundred Lucky Clover runners showed up today. I didn't recognize any of them, but some looked like the exceptionally well trained runner-super fit and ready to splatter me with mud.
This race, The Lucky Clover was unusual, in that you could pick the first 5K to run, either on a bark path, or a big hill and streets. Hmm.
I choose the hill last, because in the Eugene Half-Marathon, the hill is about half way through the course. I ran on the path first, and it has made all the difference.
While at the starting line, I had put my earplugs in and started my Nike+. I stood there stomping my left foot with the "pod" in it. This was to fool the Nike+ lady into thinking I was doing an activity. But soon, the race started with “Ready, Go!” Although, I couldn't hear the “Go!” with my earphones in. Everyone started going, so I followed. I quickly realized that the old cross country runner in me had to hold back. Running on the path with those people in front of me was a real temptation, as I had miles to go but wanted to dash past them. The path had patches of sloshy puddles, and I even sank down to my socks a couple of times. I only passed one woman, but I was smiling.
The second 5K proved, interesting. The hill wasn't actually that bad on the way up. I was able to put one foot in front of the other while Sheryl Crow sang “Every Day is a Winding Road”. I then began peeling off layer #2, the long sleeve race shirt. I did not realize that I was wasting the free ride on the downhill bumbling with my shirt. As soon as the hit the bottom of the hill, BAM! To the right, a short steep hill awaited me. I might have laughed out loud. I can't remember which song helped me through this hill, but it was a High School Musical song that was playing when two young things passed me on the return trip to the other side of the big hill. After that, I was all on my own. The gals stayed in front of me about a quarter mile away, but not close enough for me to feel an impending need to race past them.
I came around the last corner with “Anthem”, by Superchick, playing loud and strong. My finishing time wasn't necessarily remarkable, but I had a great morning during that wet, muddy and cold race.
At the finish, I guesstimated that I might have actually won something for my age group. I can't recall if that has ever been a possibility for me. I stood there in the rain waiting for them to list the age group winners. It took forever for them to get to my age category. I was very wet, and my muscles were shaking like never before. Then, the man called my name! I was the overall winner for my age group!
Ok, so I was giddy for myself. I cheered for myself and did a little shuffle-like jig. They gave me an interesting looking medallion which I promptly put on. I politely stood in the rain for all the other age group winners to be announced. Then I waited through the Irish trivia contest. Finally, they were done, and I ran off to the van so I could call Paul to tell him of my victory. But Paul was on the phone! I then made about five calls until I was able to get ahold of someone who would listen to my story, my mom.

Top Ten Notable Observations on Today's Run

1) The Communist flag is no longer hanging in the window at the City Bakery.
2)At the Amazon Community Center a “Tofu Adventures” class for 3/2 is being advertised on their sign. It also say, “Come Hungry.”
3)I didn't have to tell any dog owners on the Amazon trail to leash their dogs.
4)I saw a teenage smoker on a skateboard.
5)I gave a holler to some daffodils I helped plant at Gutenberg.
6)It seems college students wear their pajamas to class. In college, I wore lavender sweat pants, not pj's.
7)I'm wondering if I'm the only one not invited to be a contestant in the Miss Runner America pageant. It seems that the women who run at the same time I do around the university are all participants in the pageant.
8)Are they giggling at me when I run by?
9) Hayward field is looking way cool.

10)Six miles didn't use to be that long.

38 Minutes of Lead

Do you remember those days when you ran twice as fast as you do now? Or should one say, now they're twice as slow?

I took up running, again, January 2007 for many reasons. One being that the big 4-0 was approaching and I needed to prove something to myself. I did it because I was having terrible angst about my two sisters with very difficult health issues. I did it because I thought it was a positive way to "medicate" myself to help fight depression. I did it because I felt like I needed to get strong. I did it to thank God for the healthy enough body that's been given to me.

Running the Eugene Half Marathon was a glorious event. The memories made while running, training and laughing with my "niece" Elsa are priceless. Being in the event was like being the Rose Festival Princess that I never was (ask Elsa about the waving). I also won't forget my infamous saying to the Study Center crowd, "Thanks peeps!"

Last August, I made it through the rigors of the Hood to Coast Relay. My teammates won't forget all the kin I spoke of as we travelled through the hills of Portland. It's amazing how the mind forgets such things as twenty-four hours of numbness.

So now, I'm training for the next Eugene Half Marathon. Last year, most of the time, I trained by myself, or should I say, me and my IPod. This year, I have someone real I'm running with. I think she's related to Jamie Sommers. She runs with her dog, and the last time we ran, I asked if she was needing to buy a leash for me because I was so slow. I've had to learn how to run and talk, and sometimes ask her to talk, because I would hyperventilate if I tried.

I'm also set to run the Cascade Lakes Relay in August. Another crazy long relay. I don't really know what my running goals are of yet. I wouldn't mind finding a charity I could support while running. But I would have to do some research before committing to one specifically. I've already had ethical dilemmas with some of the charities which are beneficiaries of some races. I suppose I'll eventually blog about that. I just don't want to put my running shoes in my mouth...yet.

So for now, I'll just try to keep the leash off of me.