Winter Solstice 2014

It's a reindeer bunny? Whatever it is, she has awesome running friends. 

Lost my running group somewhere out there, but I saw lots of deerz. No swimming.

A dark day, but I choose to remember the beauty.

 

 A dark day, but I choose to remember the beauty.

"Take as a gift whatever the day brings forth". One of my favorite gifts from yesterday... the shortest day of the year 2014. Sometimes being alone isn't all bad. It gives us time to get a true picture of ourselves... not always a pretty one, but that's how we grow and change, right? Happy Winter Solstice, everyone!

Everybody Wins

Running's my favorite. Jingle Bell time.

I heard there's a Jingle Bell run in town.

Shadow selfie.  Kind of has a Cindy Lou Who feel to it.

Today's Jingle Bell Run for juvenile arthritis was a total blast. Ran as part of Team Middle Kid.  5k morning run with a good friend, pancakes, winning costume contests, tying for the bronze medal, winning super hero glasses in the raffle. Great way to start my day.

Team Middle Kid

 

Thems pancakes right there... hungry!

And more Elfie Selfie photo ops.

 Selfie with Sully... inspiration for Team Middle Kid. He finished in 29 something. Amazing!

Winning again.  Costume contest wins are where it's at, apparently.  Won tickets to seek The Peking Acrobats.  Awesome?  I think so.  Tickets for four.  Looks like it's going to be a double date.

But most of all, I came away from today with this.  "I am thankful that in God's design, He planned it so your path crossed mine." Nicole.  New friend.  Feels like old friend.  One of the best things that happened to me this year.  Now put that in your pipe and smoke it.  (It's really a candy cane.  I don't smoke.)

Raffle winner of super hero glasses? I think so.  We tied for the bronze. Good thing they had extra medals.  Boston qualified!  Only serious businesses races for us.

Run, Run Rudolph... uphill... making a break for the finish line.  Focused.  But most of all.  Happy I'm running with my friend.  In a race such as this?  Everybody wins.

Not Rushing It

#82 of #100gratefuldays: Thankful for an enjoyable, pony tail swingin' 6.2 mile run on a beautiful evening. And for modern phones that help translate schweaty into artsy. Heh. And for calenders made out of little boy handprints, bats on the wall, and for the stuffed animal wolf sitting on my countertop. Not rushing it. They could stay this age forever, if they want to.

The Secret Recipe

#67 of #100gratefuldays:  Thankful for Sunday night with the family. Mommy's run is done. Gavyn ' s getting ready to practice his guitar. Gonna watch Ratatouille soon. And dad? Well. He's retired.

This after I ran. I wasn't breaking any sound barriers.  And I felt like I had lead in my butt.  Even though it never felt amazing, do I regret it?  Never do.

But the highlight of the evening?   Kekoa's secret recipe for chocolate milk. I'm not sure but I think by secret he means add lots and lots of whipped cream. Delicious.

Takes the Edge Off

#54 of #100gratefuldays: Thankful for a not a cloud in the sky, beautiful first day of fall sort of lunch break. Kind of takes the edge off the whole summer's over thing. Try to ignore my runners toe.

And even managed to get a 3.2 mile run in after work.  The weather today was definitely a 10.

You're Pretty Amazing

#46 of #100gratefuldays:  I have not felt so emotional and inspired about a running experience in a long time... running through the Mark Twain woods in the wee dark hours (as pacer for my ultra running friend) and then to run out onto the road and see daylight and the dawn of a new day and to know that this was the day, the beautiful, beautiful day, that my friend, Adam, would INDEED finish his 100 mile run... I can NOT describe in words. Thankful you allowed me to play a small part in this incredible experience. Dig deep, you did, my friend. So proud of what you accomplished this weekend! And pretty awesome you even humored me with baby sloth sounds in some of your hardest hours. You're pretty amazing. Just thought you might want to know that.

Wasabi Ginger Kettle Cooked Lays

#44 of #100gratefuldays:  As you may have caught wind of, I'm headed out soon for the weekend to "crew" for a friend running the Mark Twain 100. Yep. You read that right. He's running 100 miles! I am potentially running at least nine of those miles. Can't wait to see what this ultra running thing is all about. Feeling fortunate to have friends who aspire to do awesome things. 

“There are basically two types of people. People who accomplish things and people who claim to have accomplished things. The first group is less crowded.”  - Mark Twain

I am prepared to be inspired. I am prepared to take lots of pictures. I am prepared for rustic camping. And I'm prepared to eat a whole lot of Wasabi Ginger Kettle Cooked chips. Go get 'em, Adam!  See you soon.

I Have a Feeling

#36 of #100gratefuldays: Thankful for unexpected overnight guests. What a treat! I have a feeling we'll be running together soon.  Thankful for new friends.

Yes, we CAN!

I Heart Summertime Silliness

Our friend, John, wins the Yellow Tail tri on his first try last night... a pretty amazing feat considering he didn't even run. Me? I'm apparently pointing at the amazing almost full moon rising in the eastern sky. What? You can't see it?

Here... Eric stopped and took a picture of it reflecting on the lake during the bike portion of the Yellow Tail tri. Not bad for a smartphone camera at night. This might have ruined his chances for the win. He'll just have to tri harder next time.

I heart summertime silliness with friends.  I saw a total of seven falling stars during the duration of the event.  Not even joking.  *happy sigh*

Not Much Has Changed

#4 of #100grateful days: Thankful for running. You are my sunshine... my only sunshine... Momma's got a new pair of shoes!

I have a hard time keeping track of how old my shoes are and how many miles I put on them.  My others were looking pretty raggedy.  And I was starting to feel pains in my left heel.  Trying to avoid the horrors of plantar fasciitis.  Perfect reason to get new shoes.  Now... to heal up this blister...  someone gave me a helpful hint... gonna start writing the date I bought the new shoes somewhere on them so I avoid future running injury hazards.

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

If you haven't tried out relay running, you might want to give it a try. This is my second year and I haven't had a bad experience yet... it's usually a pretty good time. Ran 75 miles this weekend (each person runs at least two legs, some three, and at least a total of 9 miles) with a bunch of streakers. Our team average pace was 8:37. Here's the recap I wrote from the experience and our team picture at the start. And yes... I did run 9 miles in a giant tutu. Trying to live up my name. Starts with Wonder. Ends with Woman. We can talk about chafing issues later...

So here's the deal. I'm feeling a bit of love today for my Market to Market Relay Team, the Speedy Streakers. And yes... there is a bit of ownership in that statement. I own them. Always nice to spend a day with people who enjoy running but at the same time don't take themselves too seriously. I mean that as a compliment. In case there was some confusion. Had some much needed laughs, but also some awww moments... such as when Adam generously ran alongside several of us to log a total of 31 miles for the day (what's not to love about having an ultra runner on the team?). Adam truly mentally helped me pull through the last few miles of that first run. That was a tough one for me. Superman, indeed. And Tracy, well, her smile lights up the night. Seriously... she is the cutest. She took that Green Lantern costume by storm performing all her heroic duties with a megawatt smile and handled her last four mile run in torrential downpour like a champ. Just like we knew she would. A true Team Captain. We salute her. Or when Eric appeared and we discovered that not only had he ran his second leg of the relay quickly, but he'd also stopped on the trail to help a girl change her flat tire. I like the kind of karma that kind of stuff brings. He's a good egg. That Punisher gig is a total cover up. And brave girl, Carla, joining our team of superheroes at the last minute. Welcome to the team. Every team needs a Flash, for sure. Loved seeing her run that last leg of the relay along Grays Lake with the rainbow as her back drop. Couldn't think of a better person to bring us all back home. Bill, just wow. From being in the hospital only just a few weeks ago to running. Unbelievable. I don't know what trick arrows the archer had in his quiver to pull that off, but it was super impressive to say the least. I'll forgive him for stealing my fireside chair and the team will try to make sure he gets to run a different running route next year. Yes, I just said... next year. Nicole, what more is there to say. Only one word. Awesome. She made Batgirl look good. She was our glue... taking care of logistics and making sure we kept organized... so many details, and she made it look easy. How does she do that? Oh that's right. She's awesome. From the fireside hangout with the Rum Runners on Friday evening to the power walking demonstration from the Punisher to the rainbow finish to the bacon wrapped tator tots at El Bait Shop to the baby sloth sounds tutorial on our way home from Adam. It. Was. So. Much. Fun. Thank you. I needed that. "Hey, do you have the estimated time of arrival for the next runner?" I think Bill knows. Go Team Speedy Streakers! Until next year...

Tapering Is Hard

71 degrees at 7 a.m. I can't help myself. I know I'm supposed to be "tapering", but a run in this weather is a MUST. Looking forward to spending some quality time with Batgirl this weekend. One more sleep! Eeeeee!  2014 Iowa Market to Market Relay, here we come! Go Team Speedy Streakers!

This Happened

"I used to say, ‘I sure hope things will change.’ Then I learned that the only way things are going to change for me is when I change." - Jim Rohn

This happened last night.  Night time stair running with friends. Way better than sleeping. So happy for warmer night weather.

Remembering Our "First Date"

I went back up to my old stomping grounds... Pilot Knob State Park for a 15K trail run this morning. I was supposed to do a 10k today, but there wasn't anything local, so why not just jump in and do a 15k?  Piece of cake, right?  It was absolutely gorgeous. Beautiful. Still not a lot of green up there, but it's coming along. There was this amazing chorus of frogs, though, in a couple of places we ran... and some geese flying off the lake, honking to their hearts content. The temperatures were absolute perfection. There was a lot to love about this race and this day. I ran to the top of the lookout tower on our first climb to the top of the hill (second highest point in Iowa). I had not been up there, that I recall, since Craig and my "first date" (that he said was not a date) back in the fall of 1993. It's still an amazing place.

Sprint to the finish.  I beat that guy by a second.  Not kidding.

These pictures crack me up. This is after a really steep hill in the middle of the race. My eyelashes are still intact, but I'm definitely looking for water. Luckily, someone was there to point the way...

And? I won a rock! Even after detouring and running to the top of the tower. I  running stairs! Tim cheated and did not. Pretty sure if he did, he would have won a rock. Karma. Thanks for driving, though, Tim.

Here is my driver.  I think he's dead. Must have been that 7th overall finish that did him in. I can't believe he didn't win a rock. Stupid age brackets.  There's always next year.