I hope when I go, I am doing something that I love, and if I die because of it, I hope I will feel it was worth it.
-----------------------------------------------

"If I were to be remembered for anything at all, I would want that to be that I am/was authentic. No Mas. Run Free!"
-Micah True, Caballo Blanco-

Where is White Horse??

I was surprised and saddened to hear of this tonight.One of the first "running" books I read was Born to Run. I found it fascinating. It did not convince me to try barefoot running, but it did fuel my "strong dislike" of Nike, and did cause me to think about how over engineered most running shoes have become, and what a "business" making and marketing running shoes is.But really, that is only the surface story. It made me think about running. What a basic, natural, stripped down thing it is. It made me ponder what potential there is if we were to get rid of the common limits we put on how far and for how long we "can" run. If running was a daily part of life, if we had no vehicles....would we all be running 50 miles a day?? What would life be like if that was our "normal"? Then would we think, well, if I pushed myself today, maybe I could hit 150 miles?? What if, when on a run into town I got tired and just stopped at someones house and they took care of me and fed me like that was the normal thing to do, nothing out of the ordinary here. The Tarahumara people are such a unique, fascinating, colorful, hospitable, private people......and they are amazing runners. (It also made me want to conquer Leadville before I die)

I have enjoyed reading the race recaps that came out of Copper Canyon Ultra Marathon this year, March 4th (which Caballo is the race director of). The pictures have been amazing, the stories of meeting Tarahumara and what a amazing people they are confirming what we all learned from the book.

Brian, the kids, and I had the opportunity to meet Caballo a few years back at Brazen's Rocky Ridge. If you know me at all, you know how start struck I get while in the midst of any famous runner. I didn't say much, neither did he.....he is a bit of a quiet, tan, bald, giant of a man, and I'm sure would not enjoy being referenced as a famous runner. It would seem that was never his intention, if you read the book you know he has a tendency to disappear for long periods of time.
I would like to think that is what happened. Maybe the publicity, the RD'ing, the "fame"....maybe he was feeling like it was time to disappear for a bit. Maybe he just headed out on a run and didn't feel like stopping.....maybe. But....he left his dog behind.....and that makes me a bit more realistic that something else may have happened.

We, like many, are hoping he is on the adventure of a lifetime and will run home soon!

A Few Pictures......

One of the things that we did last week......Sophie and I had been looking at Victorian and tea hats online so that I would have an idea of what she was picturing for me to make her. I realized quickly looking online that these hats tend to be very spendy, and I would be making her one.
Her tea party is this weekend.

I used the 3 things that she had specifically been liking on the hats that we looked at : feathers, flowers, and those hat feathers that are usually on the front and stick up and out to the side.

I found this sun hat at Ross, and a white/lace scarf at The Dollar Store, slit the hat to push the ends of the scarf through to make ties for her.

Here is the end product!! She loves it, and I have to admit I love it, too! I may or may not have worn it around the house while she was at school : )

Special Assembly Day
We did not get a family picture this year as Brian was pretty busy before and at lunch, and when he was around, the kids were not.

Does it get cuter than that??

Moving Along

I am guessing we've all seen enough of that last post.....

So yesterday finally started Jillian's Body Revolution. I ordered it last month and it got lost on it's way to our house. We finally tracked it down and got it a week or so ago. As I mentioned, my workouts have taken a hit the past few weeks. When you add rain, stress, and missing workouts for so long....I have not been a happy camper.....yet I also had the Jillian box sitting here for a week w/no desire to get started. This would normally be a huge red flag that something is off....but considering what has been going on this month, I am chalking it up to the fact that my priorities, and my mind, have rightly been elsewhere.

Yesterday finally felt like the right time to get going again. Not to say that I had a burning desire to workout and kick butt....more like "I think I can try to get through a workout today." Jillian's Body Revolution is another one of the many 90 day workout programs....but it's Jillian, so that makes it better than the rest :) It is no secret that I did her online program for nearly 3 years. I did her level 3 workouts for the last 2 of the 3 years and loved it!! I was definitely in the best shape I have ever been in. I would still be doing that program were it not for some issues w/their payment system unexplainably rejecting payments from paypal. It is the only time ever that I have begged and begged to let me pay someone, but it's one of those "it's Paypals system that's not working" while paypal was saying "Its Jillian's payment processing that's not working" games that went back and forth while I was just saying "will someone please just take my money so I can workout??"....to no avail. Why was I telling you this....oh, yeah.....so I love love love Jillian's workouts. I have seen how my body responds to the way she sets up her workouts, she science behind how she works you out, what parts of the body get worked on what days in what order, etc.

Here is a mention of "the science" behind the workouts -

A Revolutionary Technique Called Metabolic Training. Metabolic Training is the accumulation of Jillian’s 20 years of expertise in the fitness industry. It integrates all of the most progressive exercise science techniques used by world-class athletes into one program. Elite workout methods like Plyometrics, optimized muscle splits, super setting, hybrid lifts, peripheral heart action, HIIT and functional body weight training come together in one powerful method that offers you the most effective way to get lean and shredded fast. Jillian’s Metabolic training technique not only burns more calories while you are training, but it literally ACCELERATES your metabolism long after the workout is finished so you keep burning fat and calories at a higher rate - for up to 16 hours after you work out.
(source)

There is a book that came w/the dvd's that takes each of the above mentioned components and breaks them down with more detailed explanations. Her online workouts use all the same methods.

Anyhow, so yesterday I started w/phase 1, workout #1. While it felt good to be working out and doing something....it was pretty basic, very low key, low impact beginner stuff. Each workout is only 30 minutes, which is way short for me. I need at least an hour to feel like I can call it a workout. Lots of the same moves from her online program, but only 2 sets, and only 3 different circuits. The cardio intervals....in my opinion were not really even cardio. She said she is starting off w/low impact to build strength for later workouts, and that is fine, i can easily do whatever cardio I want (like jumping jacks, jumping rope, etc...) while they do their thing. You can also add weights to most of the moves, or alter things to make them more difficult than what is shown. I will be following each workout w/the Cardio workout to get my hour workout in each day. There are 4 different cardio workouts that progressively get harder.

I will admit though, as extremely basic of a workout as it was, I am a bit sore today....which is a good reminder of how fleeting fitness is!! I think I have been waiting for that drive and desire to come back for a while now and have decided that I need to just push myself back into a solid routine. Get myself through the workouts, and back into the habit...and eventually my mind will follow! Getting some runs in may be a good idea, too : )

This month has been a good reminder that no matter what life throws at us, we control how we respond. We are always in control of our actions and our reactions, choices, and priorities. I definitely took myself off the list this month. The truth is no matter what "life stuff" is going on, I need to take care of myself. To be the best wife, mom, friend, and "me".....I have to keep myself on the list of priorities.

Tomorrow.....some pictures of my super cute kids : )

Life Since Napa

(my left shift key is sticking, so i apologize for things not being capitalized that should be)

I know i have been not posting. It's been a combination of not wanting to do this post and just having a lot of real life stuff going on to deal with.

Monday morning after NVM bubba got the flu. He has never had the stomach flu, and after about 6 times, he remembered to not let go of his 'puke bucket"...it followed him everywhere, including the car. Over the next 2 weeks it went through all the kids. Brian and I also got sick, but not the stomach flu, just very weak, headaches, and fevers.

Last week on Tuesday Brian had a tire blow out on the freeway on the way to work. He was fine, the tire was not. On Wednesday he was home at noon with the news that he no longer had a job. By the weekend we had sold his car (that he just bought) and my Xterra is also for sale.

Needless to say, it has been a doosy of a month. My bum hip and his bum achilles, working out, and training runs are not even on my list of worries or concerns at the moment.....and thus the lack of posts. it is funny how focused we have been on Diablo 50k, and now its exactly one month away and not even in the back of my mind.

This, too, shall pass.

I'm aux pioneering this month, and we have our special assembly day this weekend, so I am trying to stay focused on that, and put my trust where it should be. I know we will move through this one day at a time, and we will be ok.

So there you have it, that is how the month has been going : )

NVM - Marathonfoto Pictures

Not too much to say about these....they are in order from start of race to the end.
I love that Brian looks so happy in all of his!!
I was not nearly as unhappy as I may appear to be (in general I tend to look po'd when I'm not), i was squinting a lot cuz the sun.

These first few I'm on my own as B is in a bush.
This first one is pretty bad, but it did show how stressed my left leg was, it was working really hard to ease up my right hip.
I've never seen that tendon sticking out like that before.

Those 2 behind me look super happy!

That's us on the stone bridge at mile 23 just after the first turn.

One thing I have learned about those marathon signs on the road....they are generally no where near the finish. In watching races and seeing pictures of marathoners, I always assumed that was at the finish, but nope. Both at San Fran and Napa they are a few miles from the finish. Just thought I'd share.

Brian looks sooo happy!!

Although I paid (heavily) for these, I still feel compelled to link to the source, which I'm trying to do better at.

Pink Juice, Anyone??

Warning -** This is a gross post, read at your own discretion**

I had something happen 4 days post marathon that was as gross as it was cool!! If you know me, you know I think it is totally cool to lose a toenail due to running. i don't know why i find it to be so awesome, but i do. This topped that!!

So my middle toe on my right foot felt like it was getting cut from about mile 21 to the end. I kept looking down at my shoe expecting to see red, but never did. Once we finished, we kept moving right into the gym (we finished at a high school, bag retrieval was in the gym), got our bags, and sat in the bleachers for a bit. Took off shoes and socks and changed into my red and pink knee high slippers. I did a quick check of my toes to see what was going on, and other then the fact that they hurt (like they should after 26.2), I wasn't overly concerned or interested, nothing seemed out of the ordinary, and i was mostly worried about the hip.

By Sunday night that toe was killing me, and it was huge!! From the last joint to the tip of my nail it was huge, like super swollen, squishy, huge, deformed looking. I took the polish off to see what was going on and it looked dark purple (again, normal after 26.2 for that toe). By Wednesday it had started to go down...since it was the only thing that was hurting, and now it was getting better, i took that as a green light to go for a run. (I have been on a bit of an extended running high this week in disbelief of how great i feel)

So I ran, and it felt like running over a rainbow and shooting glitter out my.....ears. : ) I was in disbelief that 3 days out from Napa i was running. i came home and weeded the garden and did some raking. The toe swelled up huge again, like pushing the nail up and off at the bottom where the cuticle should be.

So.....today i took matters into my own hands...with a kitchen knife. Get ready........

i was standing w/ my right foot up on the kitchen table, a wall behind me, kitchen knife in hand. The toe was so swollen it was numb, so i wasn't afraid that it would hurt. i pushed the tip of the knife into the toe below the nail, just below where the nail and toe join. A bead of clear, slightly pink liquid appeared. i put the knife down.....and pushed down on the nail.................and screamed.

(reenacting what i did, this is after the main event and the toe looks normal already)

(this is showing you where it all squirted out of)

I was covered in pink juice - arms, neck, face, and sprayed all over the wall behind me.

It was so cool!! There was such a release of pressure, it feels so much better. And now i get the additional pleasure of waiting for it to fall off!! It was just too awesome not to share with you all. Hopefully you already ate dinner.

(told ya I'm not a girly girl!)

My left shift key is sticking...not gonna go back through and fix all the lower case i's....sorry about that.

Napa Valley Marathon Picture Post

Above is the loot. Below are the speakers from the dinner the night before the run.

Mary Coordt

Amby Burfoot
Amby said he was slightly injured and therefore not running the marathon. I looked up during the race and saw a wild and crazy looking dude running towards runners yelling out encouragement. I said "is that Amby??" and he said 'yeah, it's me!'.....one of those strange "is this real of fake" moments of a marathon.

We had the most awesome hotel room at La Residence. It had one of those beds that you lay down on and sink for a few minutes before you hit bottom. The best pre marathon night of sleep ever!

I was well prepared for the day ahead......

I think the top one was in the car after we got to the finish area to catch the bus...

and that ones on the bus....have to take lots of "before" cuz during and after is pretty crusty.

Above is the amazing view just next to the porta potties, lots of dudes just run out there and water the grapes.

The aboves are pretty self explanatory...we ran, it was sunny, Napa is beautiful, we ran some more.....Below was my view, notice I'm on gravel...it was hard to find but if it was there I was on it!

Did you know we have moss like that in CA?? There's a section of trees along a creek that parallels the Silverado Trail (which is actually the road we were running on and not a trail).

Mile 10 was a big deal for me, if you read the race recap post you will understand why.

We saw a few runners who chose to "not see" the Dumping Prohibited sign. It was perched atop one of the only banks to hide behind.

13, the actual real almost halfway point, although in my head we were already half way. The timing mat was up a hill at 13.1...yes, you can have a hill .1 from here : )

They don't show up here, but there were 6 hot air balloons at the end of the valley.

No shade to be found!

Lots of poppy's (poppies?? Neither one looks right to me)

20 was another big mile for me mentally.

Above, we just made our first turn of the race, if you look close you'll see the mile 23 marker on the rail of the bridge.

There was just a lot of running/walking/figuring out splits and what we were looking at for a finish time from mile 23 to 26. At 26 we make a right turn, go one block, then it 's a right turn into the finish shoot.

Finish shoot, not many people left around, but the announcer had a bit o fun trying to figure out if I was a princess or a ballerina...I am SO neither, just felt like running fancy today!

So then we were done! We look like we've been on a long tropical vacation!
I will dump the rest of the pictures on the photo site.