Single Track Junkie

Riding, running and swimming. Oh my!

2012-01-22T23:12:00.000-08:00

The Bay Area has had a very unusual dry spell this winter. We have had perfectly beautiful weather for months. So beautiful that I still have a tan line on my legs from wearing shorts on my rides and runs!

This nice weather came to a complete halt, however, once my Cinderella training began yesterday. We had very gloomy skies when we started out at 8:00. The sun threatened to come out but never really made an appearance. It was cold and windy but not unbearable. Just a drastic change from what we've been having.

There were 12 girls and 3 ride leaders for our ride. We began at Club Sport and rode out to Alum Rock Park in San Jose. We had a couple of very good hills to climb and I am happy to report all my girls did awesome! I love their spirits. On one hill that I was afraid they would have trouble, Ewa was the first one up. I was thoroughly impressed with her. One girl had to stop half way up but I think that's because she was in a very low gear, spinning too fast, before she even started climbing. I talked to her about it on the return trip and I think she will be better next week. One girl ended up dropping from our group, saying it was too fast for her and she didn't want to hold us up. Unfortunately, we were almost half way through the ride so one of the other ride leaders stayed with her while the rest of us went ahead.

We stopped for coffee in Milpitas and had to make it short because as we were all standing around I could feel myself getting too cold. I was concerned for the other girls so made a 15-minute limit and gave them a warning when we had 5 minutes left. The way back was into a horrible headwind. We tried to stay as tight as we could though and everyone was pretty quiet as we just tried to hold on to the wheel in front of us. At one point, mile 26 of 35, the rain came. A hard, cold rain. We were getting pelted. We pulled off onto a side street under a tree and let the cloud pass over. After a few minutes we took off and finished our ride. It was slow going into the bad headwind though.

We all finished strong and I could tell they all felt good about themselves.

I am beginning to get into the triathlon training even more now. I make sure to do one of the three disciplines every single day. This past week I was able to complete 3 runs, 2 bike rides and 1 swim day. And to my credit, I tried to get a 2nd swim day in but one pool was closed for maintenance and the other one had a bad accident near it that closed the road in and out. So, that day I just ended up with a long walk with Boomer.

I'm mainly concerned about the swim for my upcoming triathlon. And actually, it's not "the swim" I'm concerned about. It's the open water part of it. So, my focus for training is really getting my confidence in the swim.
My swim work out consisted of 16 50's, 8 100's, and 4 200's. I rested 20 seconds between each set and did not let myself "push" off walls. My goal is to be able to swim 100 lenghts without stopping by March 1st. Swimming 3 days a week is what I'm shooting for. Since the pool I go to is indoor and available nearly 24 hours a day, I have no excuses.

One of my runs was a trail run with Kristi which was FUN! The other two were flat, on the road. It's nice to know I only have to "work up" to 6.2 miles on the run. I'm not going to train for anything more than that, what I am going to do is work on getting faster for the 6.2 miles.

On the baby front - now at 12 weeks, the baby is 2 inches long, about the size of a lime, and weighs half an ounce. I went to Sara's sonogram appointment Friday and saw the heart beating again and this time we were actually able to hear it. :)

Until later.............

Someone new, some things old....

2012-01-14T21:27:00.000-08:00

How often do you say to someone, "Let's get together soon, okay?" And how long does it take, IF you ever get together? I seem to do it all the time. What happens when I do this is, I lose out on either meeting someone new or spending time with someone I enjoy. Not this time though! I wished Ewa a happy new year and said those exact words to her on Facebook. And I actually followed through with it and made plans to meet her for a hike less than a week later.

I took her to Garin and she even got to meet Boomer. Boomer loved her and so did I. What a great women she is. We hiked for a couple of hours and got to know each other well. We talked about her signing up for the Cinderella Challenge training and she ended up doing that and we started our training today.

I went on quite a few bike rides this week. Most of them around 20 miles. Of course, Soraya took me up Palomares one day. It was 34 degrees when we started. Luckily it's just a long climb for the first 5 miles so we warmed up rather quickly. Other than it being cold, I can't complain about how beautiful it is here right now.

Keith and I went on a couple of rides together. He's getting so good on hills. Well, he's complaining less and letting me take him on rides that have a lot of hills. That must mean he's liking them more, right? ;)
Two days ago we were on a ride and he had a "tip over". Of course he fell from an almost complete stand still but ended up hurting himself pretty badly. Yesterday he had no use of his left arm. Today he has a little mobility. He thinks he pulled a muscle and is hoping it will work itself out in a day or two. I hope so too.

I guess you could say I started my triathlon training this week. Let's just say it. I started my triathlon training this week. I went swimming!! Soraya got me a 5-day pass for Club Sport and I met her on Wednesday to swim. She presented me with my Christmas gift - a pair of Zoomers and took me out to the pool with a swim plan in hand. We spent a full hour doing 25's, 50's, and drills with buoys, my flippers and paddles. At first I thought I was going to lose a lung after each 25 yard lap I swam. By the end of the session, I was able to do a couple of 100's. Afterward, I was actually excited about our next swim session.

Today we started our Cinderella training rides through Fremont Freewheelers Bicycle Club. I am a leader for the Challenge 1 riders which is the 90-mile ride. Challenge 1 means we go at a slower pace to begin (14-18 mph). We have some awesome ladies in our group. They all seem like they are experienced on the road and not new to riding. I led the majority of the ride and kept it at 15 mph and didn't lose anybody so that was good. It was a 26.65 mile ride through Fremont. We had one 14% grade hill that everyone made their way up nicely. I'm very excited about this training series. I get to spend the next 12 Saturdays with these great ladies. After our ride, Ewa and I walked over to Starbuck's and had a drink while we talked about the ride. She certainly sounded like she had a great time.

On the baby front: At 11 weeks now, baby is just over 1-1/2 inches long and is about the size of a fig.

Until later.............

Knock, knock.......

2012-01-05T20:19:00.000-08:00

Still there?

Great!!! So am I.

Do you want the good news, or the bad news? I will let you off the hook and let you know right up front - there is no bad news!!! I have only great news.

Ready?

First off, I'm not in rehab now, nor have I been during these past few months that I have been MIA in Blogger-land. Things are great in that department. Thank God!

Beginning tomorrow, I will be carrying my camera again and doing posts on a regular basis. I have still been working out like a maniac and moving every single day (2 years straight now)! I love my new bike. My husband has started cycling and really likes it so we have been riding a lot together. I've been walking a lot more than running since my last good run on Thanksgiving morning. My other foot (the one that still has a bunion on it) is giving me some trouble but I'm thinking a stiffer running shoe might straighten that out. I have faith. I have, however, been hiking a fair amount which still gives me much enjoyment.

Do you remember last year when I participated in Cinderella Challenge training with the Fremont Freewheelers? Well, I'm participating again but in a different role. I will be a ride leader this year for the Challenge 1 group, which is the group I was in last year. Our training starts Saturday and the official training starts on January 14th. Every Saturday until the actual Cinderella ride on March 31st. If any of you local ladies are interested in signing up and don't know how, contact me.

I am signed up for the San Jose Metro Olympic Distance Triathlon in April. A cyclist friend of mine who does triathlons (and is an ANIMAL) has promised to help me with the open water swimming training part of it. I'm super excited about it. Nervous, but excited. I will definitely be depending on you guys for encouragement here.

And finally.................

Sara is pregnant!!! I found out the night before Thanksgiving but didn't announce it on Facebook until she had a sonogram and I was able to see the little heartbeat. She is due in August and everyone is so incredibly excited!

Happy 2012 everybody!

Mendocino Anniversary Ride & Run

2011-10-18T19:57:00.000-07:00

Keith and I went to Mendocino for three days to celebrate our 19th wedding anniversary. Here is a bunch of pictures with a few words to share with you, what a great time we had.

We drove up Hwy 101 and cut across to Hwy 1 on Hwy 128. Hwy 128 was a windy, two lane road with tons of these:

We stayed at this place:

Which is a "farm house" in Little River, across Hwy 1 from here:

Two miles up Hwy 1 is actually where Mendocino is. We drove up and took a long walk along the coast.

Watched the sun set.

We had dinner at a little pub and went back to our room where we burned a log in our little fireplace.

Pretty much called it an early night (in our HUGE comfy bed!)

The next morning was our anniversary, we went for a bike ride.

How appropriate that we found this bench. <3

We rode along the coastline for a lot of the ride.

We rode out to Point Cabrillo Lighthouse.

That night we went out for a wonderful dinner where we got all dressed up. I have no pictures of that though. You'll just have to believe me.

The final morning, I woke up extra early so I could go for a trail run. There was a forest right outside our window, I saw a trail, and I wanted to know what it looked like. Off I went!

Fifteen minutes later, I was looking at this.

I took a turn and ran along the coastline for a while.

45 minutes later, I was back on the trail to our room. I literally could have ran out there all day long. It was just beautiful. Breath taking. The sun had just come up and there was a chill in the air. Perfect conditions for a run.

We went to breakfast, packed up and took the long way home - driving down Hwy 1 all the way to Petaluma. That part of the coast is just gorgeous. We stopped a lot to take pictures. Most of them look like this.

It was a wonderful get away for the two of us. Another year of marriage celebrated. 20 years next year - Jamaica!

Until later.............

Goodbye Ellen.....

2011-10-05T20:54:00.000-07:00

You and I had some great times together. This day in particular, was the first "event" we trained for and did together - The Cinderella Challenge.

You brought me back to life after my bunion surgery took me away from running for longer than I had anticipated. You took me up mountains in the Bay Area that I had only seen while driving by on a freeway far, far below. You and I completed my first full century (100-mile) ride. Because of you I met a lot of friends that I enjoy riding with, still to this day. I brought you out in freezing temperatures and some scorchers too. You taught me how to climb hills efficiently, because you have so many gears to use. I tipped over more than a few times on you but you never cracked and you always wiped yourself off and kept on rolling, even though it probably hurt a little bit. You were more than patient with me when I learned to change your tire - two in one day, one time. You held strong while I took you down roads FAST, one time at 55 mph. Yeah, I never did that again. Although, I knew with you, I could. I loved buying clothes to match you and everyone recognized me, mainly because of you.

Today I sold you to a very good friend of mine. She's mainly a trail runner/hiker and world traveler but she wants to use you for commuting to work. I watched her ride you around my neighborhood one day and I must say, she knows how to ride. Please be good to her and show her the ~~ropes~~ roads. Make her fall in love with you as much as I did.

So, why did I get rid of a bike that I loved so much? It was just time, that's all.

Meet Candee, my new full carbon 2012 Cannondale Synapse.

With all the riding I'm doing these days, I felt it was time for an upgrade. So far, I like her a lot. I have the Shimano 105, which is the same as I had on Ellen so I didn't have to learn a new way to shift. It is a compact double which is a little scary. I have gone on two rides in the past week and I can tell, I'm going to like her a lot!

I hope to have plenty of stories to tell that include her.

Until later.............

Same time last year

2011-09-30T22:36:00.000-07:00

A year ago today

Then this, two days later

Do I feel blessed every day that I get to do what I am doing, without that horrible pain that was in my foot?

You betcha!!

I can't believe it's been a year already.

Mt. Diablo Half Marathon, 09/17/2011

2011-09-19T22:27:00.000-07:00

A.K.A. My 2nd Runniversary with Theresa.
And since this was the 3rd Runniversary with Theresa and Toni, I made cupcakes!

We had them for breakfast. :)

Theresa, Me, Toni

Then it was off to tackle Mt. Diablo for 13.1 miles. We were able to run the first 2 miles, because right at the 2 mile mark the trail becomes steeper and does not flatten out until the summit. So, I took the opportunity to ~~stop for a breather every~~ ~~chance I could~~ take plenty of pictures to share.

And I encouraged Theresa to perfect her high-side-kicking skills.

After the one and only aid station, the final climb to the summit begins and more beauty is seen.

We made it to the top and were happy to know all we had to do now was run 6.65 miles down.

We were so happy in fact, Theresa was doing cartwheels in the parking lot!

We were making great time running down. My goal was to finish under 4 hours. We were on a great pace to do that. Suddenly, with 3.5-4 miles to go, the arthritis in my right knee made itself known. I immediately had to slow down and within a very short time I was walking more than running. It was kind of a bummer but at least I was able to walk. I can definitely walk pretty fast. But I wasn't fast enough to meet my 4 hour goal. We crossed the finish line in 4:14. Oh well. That mountain always wins. Every time!

After a little chit chat at the start/finish area, Theresa and I went into town and shared a pizza and caught up on our lives even more.

My love/hate relationship with Mt. Diablo continues.

Until later.............

8000 Meter Challenge - Mt. Baldy (11 miles)

2011-09-15T22:35:00.000-07:00

After a pretty good night's sleep, we woke up at 4:00 a.m. and immediately began breaking down our tents. I had someone heat up some water for me so I could have a cup of coffee. I don't often have to function without a cup of coffee and I figured today wasn't the day to give it a try. Two packets of instant coffee in a cup and a little hot water. It wasn't great but it did the trick. I brushed my teeth and was ready to roll. I actually slept in the clothes I wanted to hike in, to save precious time in the morning. We were less than 1/2 a mile from the start but had to drive so our car would be ready for us when we made it back down the first mountain.

At exactly 4:38, the campground literally cleared out!

All the cars heading out

We got to the start with our headlamps on and I noticed how quiet it was. I'm not sure if it's because it was so stinking early or if everyone was as scared as I was. I was petrified! I told my team mate I thought I was going to throw up.

Me and Joshua

Kazu, Ryan, Haddie, Leanne

5:00 comes and we're off! We're not moving fast but we're moving quick for this early in the morning. Did you read my previous post and that I thought this hike was going to be up a fire road for 5.5 miles and back? I found out early this morning that we were cutting off the fire road, just less than a mile in and would be climbing up some single track. While the single track was exciting to me, the climbing was a lot different than my hike the day before.

As we turned off to the single track trail I was trying hard to stay in the front part of my team. I wanted to be in the first car to the second mountain so it would give me more time for the longer hike. I got stuck behind a slow group and didn't ask to pass for about 10 minutes. Nobody was talking. Everybody was just breathing hard and trekking as best as they could. When it flattened out a bit, I passed. It was too late though. I could not see the faster hikers from my team. There were three of them. I was alone now, there were three hikers from my team behind me somewhere.

The terrain was very rocky and a lot of loose gravel. As I was hiking up, I knew it was not going to be easy to run down. Part of my plan was to run down so I could make up some time that way. The further up I went, the worse the trail got.

About 90 minutes into the hike, the sun started to come up and the views were spectacular. I had to take some pictures.

Kazu caught up with me and was cheering me along. I was definitely moving much slower than I thought I would. Since I passed those hikers earlier, there really wasn't any more flat sections. My heart rate was staying between 146 and 150 but it FELT like it was about 180. I was having trouble breathing and my head began to pound. Roughly a mile before the summit, I got tunnel vision. I've never had that before and it was pretty scary for me.

Pretty darn steep, eh?

Please tell me I'm almost there!

Atop Mt. Baldy. Does it look like I want to die? I do!

Kazu and I made it to the top in 2.5 hours. 20 minutes after the first three hikers on our team. I had no time to waste. I grabbed a Clif bar out of my pack and ate it as I made my way down the mountain. Kazu seemed to have no trouble bouncing around the rocks but I was not comfortable on my feet at all. This was probably due to the fact that I rolled my ankle on Mission Peak the Saturday before this hike. I was running down with Theresa and heard it pop as it rolled. I was even on the fence about attempting this hike. When I figured out I couldn't run down, I knew I might be in trouble. I had a lot of miles to cover by 5:00 a.m. Friday morning.

Kazu, my "fearless" leader

We took one wrong turn on the way down that led us down into some big rocks. I had to climb out of it to get back onto the trail. This just about killed me. We lost time here and it completely took the wind out of my sails. Once we got back to the fire road though, I was able to run the rest of the way down to the car and feel like I made up some good time there.

We were back to the car at 9:00. FOUR hours after starting. I was really hoping to be back before 8:30. The first car was gone so Kazu and I hopped in his car and Haddie and Leanne were right behind us in Leanne's car. I changed my socks and shoes and tried to eat something. Nothing sounded good at all. I had completely drained my 2 liter bladder on the first hike and I felt bloated. I grabbed some mini powdered donuts and a few chocolate ones. They tasted good at the time but a few minutes later, while Kazu was quickly trying to drive us to San Gorgonio through windy one-lane roads, I was starting to feel sick to my stomach. Four separate times, I considered having him pull over so I could throw up. I talked myself out of it. Somehow.

We pulled into the San Gorgonio parking lot at 10:20. It was 91 degrees. We had 18 miles to hike.

That hike will be my next post.

Until later.............

The day before "The Challenge"

2011-09-10T21:05:00.000-07:00

We all drove down to southern California late Tuesday afternoon. Three cars, seven people. We arrived at the campground at Mt. Baldy just after midnight.

Needless to say, the night was uneventful.

I was able to sleep until 8:00 Wednesday morning. Everybody got out their little backpacking stoves and started heating up water. All I really cared about was my first cup of coffee. I poured my instant coffee packets into my cup and waited for my water to boil. Aaaah, boiling water to my rescue. Someone brought a camp stove also and the others were making eggs, potatoes and bacon. I brought a freeze-dried meal so once again waited moments for some boiling water. I was slightly disappointed in this meal so I ended up eating some fruit and a few mini powdered donuts. I was good to go.

I went ahead and changed into some light clothes and my trail running shoes. Everyone looked at me like I was crazy and asked what I was doing. I was dying to check out the trails and see what Mt. Baldy had to offer. So off I went.

I started my hike at +6,000 feet and I tell ya, I could feel it as soon as I started moving. It was warm too, already about 80 degrees.

I walked up the fire road for close to 2.5 hours. This is some of what I saw.

I had no idea the route for the challenge didn't stay on the fire road. In my mind I was thinking this was going to be a piece of cake tomorrow morning - 5.5 miles up and 5.5 mile down. You will soon find out how wrong I was!

On the way down, probably dropping 1,000 vertical feet per hour, the temperature was rising again. There was a waterfall off the beaten path but I found a little trail that took me over to it and what a treat that was. I stood at the bottom of the fall and let the water splash my legs. It was just beautiful.

I got back to the campsite early afternoon and we decided to drive to Rancho Cucamonga to visit the REI store there. It was close to 100 degrees by this time and I knew the air conditioning would feel amazing. After visiting REI, a small group of us went to the Bass Pro Shop (for some more air conditioning time). By the time we were done walking around there, it was time to head back to the lodge for our spaghetti dinner and registration.

Jansport puts this event together for employees of the outdoor industry to participate in. FREE OF CHARGE to us. They want you to raise funds for Big City Mountaineers but there is no requirement to do so. They have donations from vendors for a silent auction which brings in money as well. I will explain more about that when I recap the actual event and awards ceremony. The dinner was very good and there was plenty of food to fill up on. After dinner they had a slide presentation of last year's event and filled us in on what to expect. By 7:30, we were ready to drive back to camp and get our bags ready for the next day. I was in my sleeping bag by 9:30 and anxious for my 4:00 a.m. wake up call Thursday morning.

My next post will be all about the event itself and contain some beautiful pictures of the very long day.

Until later.............

Catching up

2011-08-30T22:13:00.000-07:00

I uploaded the photos that were on my phone and realized I have been doing so much, but sharing so little.

Physically and mentally I am doing great. Loving my job, running, hiking, cycling, walking, etc. Enjoying time with my family and Boomer.

I finally tackled Morrison Canyon Road. It's not a very long road but it's one lane and prone to slides so the center of the road has a solid stripe of gravel. There's no shoulder but there are "turn outs" along the way. It's really steep so if a car does come, it's hard to hurry up and get to one of the "turn outs". But, I did it!

I took Sara and the pups to Joaquin Miller Park in Oakland for a hike. This was Sara's first time there and she liked it a lot. It is a park that never disappoints anyone I've taken there.

Soraya and I did the Holstein 100 60-miler out of Petaluma. The route took us along country roads that weren't heavily traveled at all. We went along Hwy. 1 to Tomales Bay, in and out of Marin County. Lots of fields full of Holsteins feeding freely. There was a lot more climbing than I remember from last year but I guess that's because I missed a turn and cut out a 7 mile chunk last year. I think that entire 7 mile chunk was hills. Beautiful ride though, and excellent food at the rest stops and the finish. I'll more than likely go back again next year.

REI Fremont has put together a team to participate in the Jansport 8000 meter challenge taking place September 8th. Guess who ~~got suckered into~~ volunteered to be on this team? Yep, you guessed it. ME! This is a 38-mile hike with 11,000 feet of elevation gain to be completed within 24 hours. There are 3 peaks to summit - Baldy (10,064 ft), San Gorgonio (11,502 ft) and San Jacinto (10,804 ft). The event starts Thursday at 5:00 a.m. You drive between mountains, each being about an hour from each other. We have to be at the final mountain by 8:00 p.m. to take a tram up part way with our backpacks full of gear to spend the night up there after we summit and return to the base camp. We will drive down and camp Tuesday evening and have all day Wednesday to acclimate to the elevation. Sound crazy? I think so too.

So, needless to say, along with riding my bike up hills I've been hiking some. I took a group up and over Mission Peak last week for a 20-mile hike.

Kazu, our store manager - his first time up Mission Peak. Haddie on the right.

Trail approaching the backside of Mission Peak from Sunol Regional Wilderness Park

Backside of Mission Peak. Still a bit of a way to go but at least it's in sight.

The next day I had to work all day which was probably a good thing. It got me out of bed early and moving my legs. Two days after the 20-mile hike I took Boomer to Garin for a trail run. Poor guy has been neglected this past month. He was quite thrilled to be running through the hills again!

Finally, we are up to two days ago.

I took my store manager back to Mission Peak for some trail time. We started at 6:30 a.m. and it was cold, dark and foggy. By 7:15, we were here:

Simply beautiful. We were able to take our top layers off and were on the top of the peak a short while later and this was our view of the bay area. Pretty incredible.

We went over the peak and down toward Sunol but not the entire way this time. We both had commitments to get to. We ran every flat and downhill portion and were back to our cars 4 hours later. Great way to start a Sunday!

This morning I joined the Fremont Freewheelers for the weekly hill climb ride. Today was a different route that took us through Niles Canyon, over Palomares, Dublin Canyon and Foothill. This group bills themselves as a moderate pace (14-16 mph) ride but they are much more comfortable at 18-20 mph. I don't mind too much on the flats but I'm the slowest on the hills. :( I get there but I'm usually last. I get pretty frustrated and talk bad to myself during every climb but for some reason I keep going back, week after week. I'm not exactly sure what that says about me.

I guess that's probably enough for now, huh?

Thanks for reading!

Until later.............

Blogging?

2011-08-28T21:59:00.000-07:00

I need to start blogging again.

I've been doing so much, so many different things. Hiking, running, riding. In some beautiful places too.

I seem to have lost my blogging mojo.

What to do, what to do.............

Trail running and tea tasting

2011-08-03T15:16:00.000-07:00

Kathryn, one of my cycling friends,

is trying to train for the Nike Women's Marathon coming up in October. She has a problem though. She hates running!

Last week, she sent me an invitation to go tea tasting in Berkeley with her (she had a Groupon that was expiring soon). I agreed, asking if we could incorporate a bike ride into the day. As the day approached, I had a better idea. I asked her if she would like to try out trail running. She looked at her schedule and found out she had a "8-mile run on a hilly course with run/walk combined". That sounds exactly like trail running to me!

I came up with a plan and told her where we'd meet. She was a little nervous about trail running. I brought Boomer along to help show her the ropes.

The trail starts off with some uphill so we hiked and ran until we came upon these beautiful single track trails.

At the 4-mile mark we turned around and went back the way we came. Another thing that's so nice about trail running. When you do an out-and-back, the way back is always a totally different course.

As you can see, the weather was cold and foggy. Perfect running weather. None of us (I'm including Boomer) complained about it.

She said it was the most fun she has ever had running! I didn't have a doubt in my mind.

Then it was off to tea tasting. We went to Teance in downtown Berkeley.

We got there early enough so we were the only ones at the bar. We got to choose three different teas to try. Picture wine tasting, but tea instead. The host was educating us on how the tea is made, how to prepare it properly and how to serve it. We also enjoyed a piece of Mochi, a Japanese treat.

We tasted tea for a little over an hour and I will say, it was quite a bit of fun.

It was a great way to start a Saturday morning and I enjoyed introducing my passion to Kathryn. There's many more trails for her to see, whenever she's ready.

Until later.............

I have a confession

2011-07-29T21:58:00.000-07:00

Remember this post?

Well.

I'm not doing so good with it.

I think I was just done with being so strict for such a long time, preparing for my Jamaica vacation (aka Sara's wedding). Little did I know, I go more berserk when I'm not obsessing about *something*.

I downloaded an app on my iPhone called MyFitnessPal. Oh Lord. That was all I needed. It's perfect in every way. I can track EVERYTHING on this. Everything I eat, drink or do can be recorded on this app. I have been using it for 5 days and can honestly say I am addicted and obsessed.

So, sorry to disappoint anyone but I am, once again, obsessing.

I had a very challenging 53-mile ride yesterday with two friends. We started (45 minutes late) in San Ramon and rode all the way to "the wall" at the top of Calaveras and back. We stopped in Sunol on the way back and I had a delicious vanilla milkshake. When I got back to my car it was 89 degrees. This was my first hot ride of the year. It's not too bad as long as you keep rolling.

Today I took a friend for a bike ride to Alum Rock Park for her first time. We started at REI and the ride was 30 miles round trip. It was a terrific recovery ride after yesterday. We took it nice and slow and chatted it up. She did great and we were rewarded with this beauty at the top of the park.

Tomorrow I have a fun day planned with a cycling buddy of mine. We are going for a fun 8-mile trail run at Tilden and then tea tasting in Berkeley. I'm looking forward to it. Three days off = three days of fun!

Until later.............

Bike 4 Breath, 2011

2011-07-27T22:43:00.000-07:00

This 62-mile ride was absolutely AWESOME! The weather was perfect and the company was even better.

Jennie, Karen #2, Soraya, Erin, Karen #1, Kathryn, Me

I did this ride last year as a way to make amends to my mother-in-law who passed away from lung cancer in 2004.

This year I did the ride in her memory and had six other friends sign up with me. These were mostly women I have been riding with since January when I signed up for the Cinderella Classic training. We even wore our Cinderella Classic jerseys. Oh, and I painted my nails to match my bike (and one of the sleeves on the jersey).

We met up in the parking lot in Foster City at 7:00. We all got checked in and were ready to roll right at 7:30. Just as we had planned. We rolled out together, as a group. I started off with arm warmers under a wind breaker. The beginning of the ride was right along the water for about five miles. It was a bit chilly for that time. After about an hour, we had our first climb. We all pulled over and stripped off our necessary layers so we wouldn't overheat.

Soraya and I. First to arrive at the rest stop.

Our first rest stop was on Canada Road, we got there at 9:00. The girls were thrilled to see PB&J sandwiches - real food, they said. From there we went north on Canada Road past Crystal Springs Reservoir where there was a pretty good cross wind. I really wished I had my windbreaker but I managed. We did a loop with some pretty good hills. I remembered the course from last year and was quite happy that I wasn't struggling as much as last year.

Crystal Springs Reservoir

We dropped back onto Canada Road and headed south to the same rest stop. We all enjoyed more PB&J sandwiches.

Karen #2 and I

From there we rode into Woodside and Portola Valley. We were starting to separate into two groups about this time. We would always meet up at rest stops though.

Jennie and I

We pulled into the rest stop at mile 41 with cowbells and bullhorns and cheering volunteers. Actually, all of the rest stops had extremely enthusiastic volunteers. They made us feel like we were coming in first in a race or something. I had a huge smile when I pulled into each rest stop.

Somehow, after that last rest stop, Soraya and I got separated from the rest of the group. I'm thinking they didn't make it through a green light. Soraya and I chugged along and made pretty good time back to Foster City. The stretch along the water had a terrible headwind. Soraya was behind me for a bit and I kept us at 17 or 18 mph. I finally got worn out and she was kind enough to get in front and pull me for a bit. I was pushing as hard as I could and my legs were hurting. But, I felt GREAT when I pulled in at the end.

The rest of the group pulled in within five minutes of us. We all enjoyed a very yummy lunch and talked about our ride. I could tell they all had a great time. Soraya had to get home to her kids so she isn't in the final group photo.

Karen #1, Jennie, Karen #2, Erin, Me, Kathryn

I can definitely tell an improvement in my strength, now that I actually have a ride to compare to. I didn't feel destroyed afterwards. I even went to Body Pump the following morning.

I am so thankful to these friends that signed up and did this ride with me. It was so fun riding in a group again. I like seeing different women riding together and chatting, getting to know each other or just catching up. It warmed my heart. I had a marvelous time with everyone.

I have a ride planned with two of these girls tomorrow - a ~55-miler through the Oakland/Moraga/Orinda hills. Soraya and I have signed up for a 100k in August. Of course I will continue to see a few of them a week during club rides.

Because you have read this far, I will reward you with a photo of Boomer. I know most of you are used to seeing photos of him on my blog. So, here you are:

Thanks for reading.

Until later.............

The fun just doesn't stop!

2011-07-14T21:52:00.000-07:00

I have been having the time of my life lately! And I wouldn't have it any other way.

Last week we took Boomer and Bella to the beach. It was hotter than heck here so we went there to cool off.

The 4th of July is not one of Boomer's favorite holidays. The illegal fireworks started two days prior to the 4th but the 4th was horrible for him. I had to give him tranquilizers because he just shakes and pants so bad, it's no fun at all. This year I tried something different (at Keith's request), I put cotton balls in his ears. It seemed to help a little bit.

Keith and I went to the county fair one day. It was 94 degrees and I was very thankful I had my big hat to keep me shaded.

The last day before a 5-day stretch of work, I was able to get in a fun trail run with a dear friend of mine (and Boomer of course).

Below is Stacey and I at Garin. Could Boomer be any happier? I got the best compliment that day. Someone asked if Stacey and I were twins. :)

Knowing that I had 4.5 days off of work coming up, I set up lots of fun things to do with friends. Tuesday started with a Fremont Freewheelers group ride through the Fremont hills. This ride is always full of fun people that are fast and love to climb hills. I'm neither but I enjoy their company anyway. I rode to the start so the ride was a total of 35 miles for me.

Wednesday I went to Livermore to ride with Kathryn, a friend from my Cinderella training group. We toured the wineries without stopping to taste any wine. For one, I don't drink and two, it was 8:30 in the morning. It was COLD and windy. But the ride was fun, we completed 21 miles.

After riding, Sara and I went to a movie. We saw Larry Crowne with Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts. It was a very good "feel good" movie and I highly recommend it.

This morning I had plans to ride Calaveras with Soraya and another princess from our training. Much to my surprise, two other gals showed up too. Here they are at the false summit.

Jennie, Karen, Karen, & Soraya

We met at the Sunol train station. Round trip is 30 miles. When we got to what is normally our turn around point, Soraya had different plans. Evidently, you don't ride Calaveras without going down "the wall" and back up. Soraya wasn't taking no for an answer. Down (and back up) the wall we all went.

Here is Karen as she crested the top of the wall. All smiles.

Here is Soraya, making light of the fact that Karen flipped her off for making her climb the wall. Soraya means well, she really does.

After turning around, it's a pretty fun ride for a while - 10 miles of rolling hills with sweeping downhill turns. Jennie and I felt like 12-year-olds while flying down. We were the first to make it back to the false summit.

It was such an awesome ride. We all had a blast. I love riding with friends. We can all be different levels of riding but for some reason, it all works out in the end. Some are stronger on the hills, some on the flat stretches and some on the downhill parts. We always seem to meet up for regroup within minutes of each other though. It's so fun.

I still have two full days off. I hope I don't kill myself.

Until later.............

I'm done obsessing

2011-07-05T23:07:00.000-07:00

About everything!

How many calories I consume.

How many calories I burn.

How much I weigh every morning.

How much I weigh every night.

How many fat grams I ate today.

How many grams of fiber have I had.

How much water have I drank.

Shall I go on????

I'm sick of all of it!

I am way too active to ever become what I consider overweight. Yes, I love my sweets but I'm also smart enough to exercise a little harder when I over indulge. I have a certain number on the scale that I refuse to get over, I think we all do. I think weighing myself every morning is reasonable but I don't need to see how much food or liquid is sitting in my body every night prior to going to bed. I haven't had to "diet" in four years. I pretty much have the balancing act figured out.

I am still very diligent about my "Move Every Day" commitment but I don't feel the need to put it on the bottom of every blog post any longer. I have it on my calendar where I can see it and I am happy with that.

I'm not "training" for anything right now and don't see anything in the near future that I will *need* to train for. I basically go for a ride when I want to and get out for a run as often as I can. Both activities make me very happy and work my entire body and give my heart a workout as well. I will admit I enjoy cycling with friends better than alone but running with Boomer is really all I need. Sure I record how far I ride or run but I don't stress anymore about how long it takes me. I'm thrilled that I am able to get out and cycle or run and that's all there is to it. And then there's hiking too. I like hiking, always have. If a non-running friend asks if I want to go for a hike, I can and will say yes. I don't need to always run when I'm on a trail!

I don't want to throw the "age" card in here but it looks like I'm going to anyway. I'm 47 years old and I'm pretty sure I do a lot more than the average 47 year old does. I am learning to embrace that (my being 47 years old) and appreciate myself and the awesome body I have. No, not awesome in *that* way. I mean the fact that my body is so awesome, it still allows me to be as active as I want to be. And it does it with minimal discomfort. Very minimal discomfort. For that I am grateful.

Instead of constantly staring at the flaws on my body, I am trying to look at positive things. Why obsess about one little thing and have that be my focus every time I look in the mirror? It seems almost cruel to do that. I feel much better when I point out the positives. I'm far from perfect but I'm as perfect as I'm supposed to be right now.

I'm ready to let go of these chains that limit me in so many different ways. I'm ready to live life the way it's supposed to be lived - Happy, joyous and free.

I just hope I can.

Until later.............

A few kids, walking a little taller

2011-06-26T23:20:00.000-07:00

Mission Peak.

You can see it from Hwy 880 and Hwy 680 when you are driving between San Jose and Oakland or Dublin. A lot of people "want" to hike it some day. A lot of people "do" hike it often.

My daughter has three siblings. How, you ask? Her father and I divorced when she was five years old. He went on to re-marry and have three more children. That marriage broke up quite a few years ago and these three children live in Illinois. They went to Jamaica to be in Sara's wedding and are now here, visiting their father for the summer. Sara adores her siblings and spends almost every waking moment with them when she's not working.

These kids, like many people, have always seen Mission Peak and said they would like to "climb" it some day. I told them I would take them up whenever they were ready.

That day came last week. They were ready to go. I picked them up at Sara's house and we were at the trail head at 7:10 a.m. The Bay Area was having a heatwave the few days before so I wanted to make sure we started early enough to beat the major heat. Here, the first rest stop 40 minutes in. Sara and Kasey were threatening to turn around already.

Jacob (16), Kasey (14), Sara, Skyler (10)

I had picked up a variety of energy foods the day before and gave them their choice of two or three to take up the mountain. I told them if they started feeling weak, pop a couple of blocks, beans, chomps, etc.

We hit the nice shaded single track area and we stopped again so I could take some pictures of them in the octopus tree.

I took them around the back of the peak and approached the top from the southern side. It's a more gradual climb up that way. The boys were champs. Skyler, the youngest one, was on my heels the entire way. The girls however, were a different story. Evidently it was pure torture for them. Such drama. At least Sara had someone to bitch and moan with. I usually just ignore her.

Everyone was happy though, when we made it to the top. They were all admiring the view and were thrilled the climbing part was over.

Then it was the fun part. DOWNHILL!!! Everyone was breathing a little easier and talking a lot more. After we got off the steep part, the kids even ran a bit with me. Again, Skyler stayed right with me. We would stop in the shade and wait for the others to catch up. I listened to them as much as I could. I heard them all bragging about conquering the peak. Of course Jacob said "it wasn't that hard" and he was wondering why I didn't take them up the front (the harder way). Inside though, I could tell he was pretty stoked about what he had just done.

There's a little cave on the side of the trail near the bottom. On the way up, I told the kids it was a mountain lion den. Skyler got a little scared but on the way down I told him I was just kidding. I had a bright idea for Skyler and I to hide in the cave and scare the other kids as they came down.

Shhhhhhhh!

Sara was the first one down. We scared her. Kasey was the second one down. We REALLY scared her. Skyler and I laughed and laughed at Kasey. We tried to scare Jacob but he was cool as a cucumber when he came waltzing by.

After the hike I took them to my favorite deli, Cheese Taster for much deserved sandwiches. They were all very hungry and I listened to them talking to each other about the hike. The boys thought it was really cool. Kasey thought it was torture and Sara could not believe I actually got her to go up that mountain a second time!

I remember the first time I hiked Mission Peak. Once you go to the top, you look at it a little differently when you drive up or down the highway. It's nice to be able to take three people up for their first time and know they will always remember it too.

Until later.............

Gotta love California!

2011-06-21T08:53:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I bitch and moan when it's unseasonably "cold" here in the SF Bay Area but quickly forgive and forget when the weather decides to shape up!

Saturday I took Erin up Mt. Diablo for her first time. Our ride got interrupted by emergency vehicles and a helicopter landing on the road. A cyclist coming down the road hit a vehicle going up. Smashed into the driver side door and then the hillside. They took him away in the helicopter.

Soon after we saw a guy off his bike, taking a photo of something in the road. Before I reached him, I could hear it - a rattlesnake coiled up and ready to strike. Evidently he had run over the snake. GAH!

The temperature started to rise and we ended up stopping a few more times before finally making it to the top. Great views along the way and from the top.

Yesterday the forecast was for 95 in Fremont. I took Boomer up to the Oakland hills where I knew the trails would be nicely covered by huge Redwood trees. We ran for close to two hours and were able to stay nice and cool.

When I got back into Fremont it was 91 degrees. Keith suggested we head down to Santa Cruz for the afternoon. We took five minutes to pack the necessities and we were at the beach in an hour. We spent 3.5 hours relaxing in the sun, listening to the waves. Pure bliss I tell ya!

Some people say this is why we pay the big bucks to live in California. I say it's worth it!

Until later.............

Jamaica wedding

2011-06-16T18:50:00.000-07:00

My daughter's wedding went off without ~~many problems~~ a hitch! Seriously, it turned out perfect! Everybody had a great time and most importantly, the bride was happy.

*Oopsie #1* - The day before the wedding, she had to get cortisone shots in her behind because she was swelling up so bad due to mosquito bites. She couldn't even walk during the rehearsal that morning.

*Oopsie #2* - As soon as we started walking from the bridal suite to the wedding site, it began to POUR! It poured for an hour. She even took her wedding gown off. LOL But, once the rain stopped we had beautiful weather for the ceremony and most of the reception. The reception was under cover so that was just fine. I'm sure a lot of people appreciated that it wasn't as hot as it could have been.

Now, what you really came here for was photos, right? Well, here you go! Enjoy.

These are a very small percentage of what I actually have. If you want to see more, find me on Facebook and there you can view an album.

I will put up some from our vacation. We had a great trip. I hate to be back (well, Boomer is here so that makes it alright) and I can't wait until we go again. We plan on taking another trip October, 2012 for our 20th wedding anniversary.

Until later.............

Dear Blog,

2011-05-20T08:31:00.000-07:00

Dear Blog (aka Single Track Junkie),

     I have neglected you for quite a while now. Please know this is not intentional and most importantly, it's not your fault. Yes, it's me, not you. You are not the only thing I have neglected lately. Laundry, cleaning has also been ignored. If you asked him, my husband would probably say he's on that list too. :-/

     I have not really done anything exciting in the past few months. Sure, I trained for and completed my first big cycling event in April and my first century two weeks later. The training rides were great and I have made a lot of new friends, which I'm grateful for.

     I've been running, but not a ton and they're usually uneventful so I don't do a blog post about them. I've been cycling more but it's very hard to take pictures while I'm riding so end up not doing a blog post about the rides.

     The biggest reason I am neglecting you is because I am preparing for my only daughter to wed in a little over two weeks - in another country! I've been to numerous dress fittings, spent many free days shopping for clothes and shoes and anything else we MUST have for our vacation. We had her bridal shower and this weekend is her "Girls Day Out". We also need to get supplies to finish up her wedding favors. Since this is my only baby, I want to be there for every little thing that involves her wedding. This is it for me.

     Next week will be filled with packing, hair appointments, dry cleaning pickup, nail appointments, and more shopping, no doubt. I've been ~~obsessed~~ focusing most of my time and energy on getting/staying fit for what I call "forever photos" and of course my week long vacation in Jamaica! My last day of work will be May 26th, we leave on May 29th.

     What I can promise you, my dear blog, is my life will go back to some sort of normalcy when I return on June 6th. I will slow down, enjoy my trail runs and long hikes and take those beautiful photos that made people fall in love with you when I first introduced you to them. You just have to hang tight for a little bit longer. Deal? Deal!

Until later then.............

MED2011 Accountability:
05/03 - 1.65 mile walk, 17 mile bike ride, 2 mile walk
05/04 - 18 mile bike ride, Body Pump, 2 mile walk
05/05 - 1 mile walk, 15 mile bike ride
05/06 - 1.25 mile walk, Bowling!
05/07 - 2 mile walk, 35 mile bike ride
05/08 - 1.5 mile walk
05/09 - 2 mile walk
05/10 - 40 mile bike ride
05/11 - 1.65 mile walk
05/12 - 1.5 mile walk, 2 mile walk
05/13 - 3.25 mile trail run, 1.75 mile walk
05/14 - 2 mile walk
05/15 - 30 mile bike ride
05/16 - 2.5 mile run, Body Pump, 1.75 mile walk
05/17 - 1 mile walk
05/18 - 1.65 mile walk, Body Pump
05/19 - 1.5 mile walk

Spike's Hike

2011-05-02T12:13:00.000-07:00

Remember this? Miracles DO happen!

Well, he's back and as strong as he ever was. I still can't believe he's alive.

Jana is living in the area for a few months which means I get to see her and the big black dogs again.

Here's a quick recap of our hike a few days ago.

Oh yay, a stick

Get it good and balanced

Oh no, I can't make it over this tiny bridge

Phew, went under it!

C'mon, there's another obstacle up there

Open, please

Up the hill we go

Still got it!

He continued to carry that darn branch until we got to the final gate.

I laughed and laughed so hard during our hike. It was awesome.

Welcome back, SPIKE!!!

"MED2011" Accountability:
04/27 - 1.65 mile walk, Body Pump
04/28 - 2.75 mile hike
04/29 - 2 mile walk
04/30 - 2.5 mile walk
05/01 - 90 minute bike ride
05/02 - 4 mile trail run

Until later.............

Running no more?

2011-04-26T22:34:00.000-07:00

I have been asked a lot lately,

"Are you not running anymore?"

"Are you done with running?"

"Are you just cycling now?"

"Why don't you run anymore?"

"Do you still run?"

I think about this all the time. What exactly *is* going on here? Why don't I have a huge desire to run every day like I used to? I walk a ton, I hike a lot. I hardly run at all.

I will say that when I do run, I feel better than when I do anything else. I have said many times, "Hands down, running is still my favorite!" So, why don't I do it more?

When I had my foot surgery I was told I could run after eight weeks. I could, but I couldn't do it for very far. It was taking forever to build up my mileage and not running for the eight weeks was definitely showing up in my (lack of) cardio fitness level. Sure, I got up to six miles on the flat creek trail within a month or so and then I was doing eight at Garin a month or so after that. I even did an organized 10k event and a 9k event as well. But, I was a lot slower and it was a lot harder.

I got my bike checked out and tuned up and went for a ride. What I discovered was that I could go longer on my bike right away. Pedalling a bike was much easier on my foot than running was. SO, naturally I decided to pick an event and train for it. In the weeks of training I met some great women and it was fun to go further each week and see myself improve. It was exciting to share this with my new friends too. I found spin classes and got hooked on those too. Basically, I could now cycle to keep myself in shape since I wasn't able to run as much as I used to. Before I knew it, running was becoming more and more extinct in my life.

Until now.

I have a 10k run this Saturday and a little 5-miler in two weeks. I'm looking forward to both. Have I trained? I think I can handle both of these without a problem. I know my heart belongs to running and I'm not willing to give it up. I may have to accept I won't be able to do as much as I used to when it comes to running. Or maybe I will surprise myself and realize the break did my body some good and I will be better than ever. One can hope, right?

I don't plan on giving up cycling yet though. I have registered for another century in May and am looking at a 100k in July and will probably be doing the Marin Century in August.

Thanks for listening.

"MED2011" Accountability:
04/19 - 1.25 mile walk, 2.75 mile walk
04/20 - 3 mile hike, Body Pump
04/21 - 60 minute bike ride, 1.25 mile walk
04/22 - 2.5 mile walk
04/23 - 3.25 mile hike
04/24 - 2 mile walk
04/25 - 1 mile walk, 2.5 mile walk
04/26 - 2.5 mile walk

Until later.............

Diablo Century - April 17, 2011

2011-04-18T23:04:00.000-07:00

Erin and I signed up to do this century after finding out the Cinderella Challenge we were training for was not a century. We considered the Cinderella Challenge a training ride for this century.

We left my house at 5:15 to arrive at the start by 6:00 so we could be ready to check in at 6:30 and ready to roll. We arrived right on time at 5:58 and were "mostly ready" by 6:30. Long story short, we rolled out of the parking lot at 6:47, the sun was just coming up. 100 mile riders left between 6:30 and 7:30, the 100k riders were to leave between 7:30 and 8:30.

first rest stop

I started off with three layers on my top. I decided not to wear leg warmers so my legs were a little chilly but after a few miles, I didn't even notice and was glad I didn't have to carry them. The first rest stop was at 17 miles. On the way there, I came upon three guys that were going at a pretty good pace and showing good riding etiquette (pointing out hazards, announcing moves, etc.) so Erin and I got behind them for the majority of the way to the rest stop. The way there was very nice rolling hills through beautiful residential areas. At the rest stop I ate a miniature bagel with cream cheese, stripped off a layer and off we went to climb up Mount Diablo.

I was unfamiliar with this route to Mt. Diablo. As a matter of fact, I was unfamiliar with this entire 100 mile route I was doing. We had no ride leader to tell us what was coming up either. About this time we were really missing our other princesses we have been training and riding with since January.

Now it was time for the big climb of the ride - Morgan Territory. I took off my wind breaker in preparation for the climb. The only time I have ridden up to Mt. Diablo, I went up on the western side. That road was two lanes and a mellow, steady climb with nothing *too* steep. This was the eastern side of the mountain. The road got narrow and it got very steep. It was beautiful and tree covered though. I was continually being passed by people that looked like very accomplished cyclists. This was becoming much different than the fun, casual, all female Cinderella ride we did two weeks ago. I was getting more and more discouraged by the minute. As the road got steeper, the further behind I felt like I was getting, even though this wasn't a race. I kept wanting to stop and I couldn't figure out why I had signed up to do something like this. Since it was just Erin and I, I was trying to make sure we stayed together. I would pull over and wait for her every once in a while, during the climb. She was never ~~far enough behind me so I could catch my breath~~ very far behind me and when she saw me she would just wave and keep rolling on by.

Mt. Diablo, here we come

We finally made it to the second rest stop, the top of Morgan Territory at mile 33. How it could only be mile 33 was beyond me. I was BEAT! I had absolutely no clue how I was going to continue another 67 miles. I ate some peanut butter and pretzel sticks, put my wind breaker back on because of the very steep descent that was coming up. As soon as we left the rest stop we climbed up a little more and went smack into the thick, cold fog. Very thick. It was a long descent and I took it very fast, enjoying every second of it. Suddenly, I was feeling a lot better.

At the bottom of the hill, the course split off - 100 mile riders to the left, 100k riders to the right. Erin doesn't enjoy downhill portions as much as I do so I waited for her for a little while. Believe me, if she would have even hinted to me that she wanted to go to the right, I would have gone, no questions asked.

view from the top

The next rest stop was in Sunol at mile 55. This was the best rest stop EVER! They were making turkey and cheese sandwiches. OMG, they were delicious. I had three quarter pieces, a bag of corn chips and some boiled potatoes. I was finally starting to feel like I could do this thing. I was coming to life again and it was a good feeling. I was over half way there.

From there we got onto Foothill, taking it to Dublin Canyon Road. I was feeling good and ended up pulling far ahead of Erin, knowing she had someone back there keeping her company. I passed up a couple of guys on a hill and they rolled up next to me at a light. One of them commented on my bike, saying it was pretty cool the bar tape and cable housing matched the colors in the bike. He asked me my name and introduced himself as Bart. When we turned onto Dublin Canyon he told me to "feel free to draft". As soon as we turned east and I felt the headwind, I had no problem tucking in behind him. Sadly though, the climb and the wind kept me from sticking with him very long. But, his friend was slower than me on climbs so he did keep turning around and going back for him so I did get to use him a few more times. He was more than willing to help me out, a very nice guy (as you will see later).

We entered Castro Valley and went onto Redwood Road, another tough climb. Nothing like Morgan Territory but it was L-O-N-GGGG. I tried not to look up the road too often but it seemed like every time I did, it just kept climbing and there was no end in sight. Matter of fact, this is when I thought up this nice little poem and I kept repeating it over and over and over as I climbed up Redwood Road.

I do not like this Redwood Road

This Redwood Road I do not like

I do not like this Redwood Road

Especially riding up it on a bike!

Maybe half way up, I got a flat. My first flat ever and I was riding alone. Perfect!! I turned my bike upside down and took the tire off. Oh, who's this I see coming around the corner? Bart! He jokingly asked if I was pulled over waiting for him to catch up. I told him the obvious, I had a flat. He got off his bike and immediately went to work with my tire irons. Since I've never changed a flat, I watched intently and thanked him and his friend Dwight immensely for their help. Every rider that went by asked if we were alright and one SAG vehicle pulled over to make sure we had everything we needed. Erin came flying by and said she would wait for me at the rest stop just a few miles ahead.

Bart and Dwight

the final rest stop

This was the final rest stop and left us 22.5 miles to the finish of our first century. They had candy here. I think I heard angels singing.

I had some more peanut butter. This time it was covered in chocolate and called itself Reese's. We asked how the rest of the ride was. I was not in the mood for any more climbing. Lord have mercy, tell me we have no more climbing. One of the SAG vehicle drivers asked us if we were "feeling strong". I asked her why she wanted to know? Was there something she needed to tell us? She explained the roads and said there *was* more climbing but nothing like we had just done on Redwood Road. Then, my answer was yes, we felt strong.

Pinehurst Road

Pinehurst Road was our next and final climb. Knowing this did make it much easier. I was playing leap frog with a guy until finally at a light we linked up and rode the final 17 miles together. At least it was company and he was great at pointing out hazards in the road. We came up on Bart and Dwight in the final seven miles so all four of us rode to the finish together. They all knew this was my first century and cheered loudly for me when we pulled into the parking lot. I was at the back of my car, just letting Keith and Sara know I had made it when I see Erin pull in. She had the biggest smile on her face. We hugged, high-fived and took a photo to remember the moment.

We changed our shoes and put our bikes in the car before checking in and enjoying the barbecue that was prepared and waiting for us. Chicken, salad, vegetarian pasta and fruit. We sat at a table with four people we had seen throughout the final 45 miles of the ride and talked about the ups and downs (literally) of the ride. We were all punch-drunk-happy. I think all but one of them were first time century riders.

Erin and I were having trouble believing we actually completed a century. I'm very proud of Erin and I'm even proud of myself. I'm still soaking it all in. It was quite an accomplishment. It wasn't easy. At several points in the ride, I was convinced I would not make it the entire way.

But, I did make it the entire way. I couldn't be happier about it.

Thanks for reading.

"MED2011 Accountability:
04/08 - 1.5 mile walk
04/09 - 1 mile walk, 40 mile bike ride, 1.5 mile walk
04/10 - 1 mile walk, Body Pump, 1.25 mile walk
04/11 - 1 mile walk, Body Pump, 2 mile walk
04/12 - "Camp24" class
04/13 - 1.65 mile walk, Body Pump, 2 mile run
04/14 - 2 mile walk
04/15 - 4 mile hike, 1 mile walk
04/16 - 3 mile run
04/17 - 100 mile bike ride!
04/18 - 2 mile walk

Until later.............

Cinderella Challenge Ride - April 2, 2011

2011-04-07T20:33:00.000-07:00

As you know, I began training for this ride with Fremont Freewhelers back in January. Each Saturday our rides were longer and more challenging. This training series was absolutely perfect because when Saturday came and the ride was done, I easily could have kept on riding.

The ride started and ended at the Pleasanton Fairgrounds. We were all meeting across the street at a business complex. One of the women in our group works there and was kind enough to open up the parking lot to us and the building too, so we could use the bathrooms prior to riding over to check-in. We met at 6:30 a.m. hoping for a 7:00 roll time. It was still dark and a bit chilly.

After getting our gear together and taking some pre-ride photos, we made our way to check-in. Since we didn't park in the event parking lot, I didn't realize how many women were there already. The place was packed! Check-in was pretty painless. We got a number to put on our bike and I picked up the jersey I had pre-purchased. I am so glad I had that jersey to put on because I was only wearing a sleeveless jersey with arm warmers and a vest. I wore both jerseys all day. By the time we all got checked in, went to the bathroom again and put our numbers on our bike, it was 7:30 already. Finally, we are rolling.

This ride has a Classic ride, as well as the Challenge ride and it's all about women. The Classic ride is a metric century and most of the women that day were doing that route. The Challenge ride is 87 miles. For the first ~30 miles, both groups share the same route. After ~30 miles, the Challenge riders take a turn where the ~~women separate themselves from the girls~~ our climbing for the day begins. Our first climb was Patterson Pass Road. At the top of this road was a great view of the windmills on the Altamont Pass and a lot of cold wind. Very cold wind. Luckily there was a SAG vehicle up there and I tucked in behind it to block myself from the wind. When I did this climb in training a month ago, I had to stop a couple of times and weave myself up the steepest part. Saturday? I went right up, without weaving. It was great to see this improvement.

We then got the fun ride down the other side of Patterson Pass and took Grant Line Road under I-580 to *our* first rest stop. (We elected to roll through the first rest stop at mile 15.) At this rest stop there was probably a lot of good food and drinks but the only two things I remember was a shiny little pin to commemorate completing the Cinderella Challenge and a great big tray of Mother's frosted circus animal cookies! I ate my fair share, let's just say that.

Kathryn & Soraya

Vanessa

Then it was time to tackle Altamont Pass Road. Lord, the wind was ridiculous! The nine of us got to take advantage of what we've been learning for the past three months. Pace lining at its best. We tucked in tightly behind each other and rode the hardest we could. It was quite tiring, to say the least. At one time I had to drop back, I just couldn't hold it any longer and I didn't want the girl behind me to suffer. I went to the back and held on for dear life while I caught my breath. After a few minutes I was able to get my strength back and got myself back to the front part of the pack. Near the end of the pass the group had separated into three different groups and it was just me and Erin for a while, helping each other through.

We headed back over I-580 on Flynn Road for another nasty climb. The wind was only getting worse. There was no pace line happening here. We were pretty much all on our own (I don't know why). I kept my head, shoulders and elbows down and only lifted my eyes once in a while to make sure there was no hazard in the road ahead. The final turn of the climb came upon me and suddenly the wind was stronger than ever. I was moving so slowly, pushing and pulling the pedals up and breathing hard with each one. It started to feel a little bit easier so I lifted my head up and realized I was beginning my descent. Hallelujah. I lifted my shoulders up and stopped pedaling, thinking I could coast down the hill. Nope! The wind was too strong and I almost came to a complete stop, going downhill. After a short time I was down low enough so the wind was blocked by the hills and I could enjoy flying down to the next regroup.

At the bottom of Flynn Road we were once again put back on course with the Classic riders. I was so happy to know the climbing was behind me. It was only going to get easier from there.

We all pulled into the lunch stop together where we made ourselves HUGE sandwiches and scarfed them down. I think I can speak for the whole group when I say we were elated to be at this point of the ride.

Lunch time!

After lunch we had about 30 miles left. It was beautiful back roads with rolling green hills. Speculation was the wind was going to beat us up but it was not as terrible as it could have been. We made a group decision to skip the final rest stop that was 15 miles from the finish. We stayed pretty close together and made excellent time back. We were in extremely high spirits as we rolled into the fairgrounds together. We were hollering at the other women that were walking or riding by us, already accomplishing their goals for the day.

Rolling in to the finish

We checked out, got our goody bags and sat down for our final meal together. We chatted like a bunch of little girls on their last day of school before summer vacation. We were happy we finished the ride in one piece but sad that we wouldn't be seeing each other on a regular basis now.

I'm extremely happy I took a chance and signed up for this training and this ride. I'm also happy I got Erin to sign up with me. To see her improvement and dedication week after week was so refreshing. I got to see her achieve things she was so nervous about even attempting.

Jean, Jennie, Me, Soraya, Kathryn, Vanessa, Karen, Erin

We did it!!!

Ten more days until my next big ride - The Diablo Century. Erin and I are going solo this time. We'll have to find some people to draft off of. :)

"MED2011 Accountability"
04/01 - 1.25 mile walk, 2 mile walk
04/02 - 87 mile bike ride
04/03 - 1.25 mile walk
04/04 - 2 mile walk, Body Pump
04/05 - 32 mile bike ride, Body Pump, 2 mile walk
04/06 - 1.25 mile walk, Body Pump

Until later.............

Princesses are ready to roll!

2011-03-31T23:36:00.000-07:00

My Saturday Mount Hamilton ride got canceled (again) due to the road being closed because of snow. The weather was sucky too, so the group I've been training with didn't get to have a final ride together that day. Instead, we all went to our planned graduation party where we had pizza and cake.

Me and Erin

Sunday, Erin and I met up with two other girls for a nice 37-mile ride (with a lot of climbing) out of Sunol. Three of us first went up Kilkare then joined up with the fourth one and went up Calaveras to the wall and back. It was the first nice day we have had in a *long* time.

Karen, Me, Erin & Kathryn

Calaveras Reservoir

This morning I rode up and over Palomares and back again with two girls from my group. It was 20 miles but as locals know, it's a tough 20 miles.

Soraya, Me, Amy

What does this all mean?

Our main event is here! We have all trained hard over the past 11 weeks. We have hit milestones on some rides, climbed hills we'd never dreamed we could or would. We rode in very cold temperatures and it's safe to say we never over-heated. We learned how to ride in a pace line, how to draft and conserve our energy. We know to point out hazards and how to communicate everything from a car coming in either direction to if we're slowing, stopping or rolling. Many friendships have been formed and future rides together have already been planned and paid for.

Altamont/Patterson Pass ride, March 10

Cinderella Challenge, 2011 - here we come. Saturday morning we will be meeting at 6:30 so we can all be ready to roll at 7:00. Woohoo! Wish us luck.

"Med2011" Accountability:
03/23 - 45 minutes bike trainer, Body Pump class, 1.35 mile walk
03/24 - 60 minutes bike trainer
03/25 - 3 mile run
03/26 - 1 mile walk
03/27 - 1.25 mile walk, 37 mile bike ride, 1.5 mile walk
03/28 - 4 mile run, Body Pump class
03/29 - 1.65 mile walk, 1.5 mile walk
03/30 - 1 mile walk, Body Pump class, 2 mile run
03/31 - 20 mile bike ride

Until later.............

Yeah, so what?!

2011-03-22T23:07:00.000-07:00

I took a week off.

Sort of.

After my huge bike ride over a week ago, I did go hiking the next day with Boomer and on Monday I went to a Body Pump class.

Tuesday I had packed all my gear, totally prepared to go to a spin class right after work. Wednesday was already reserved for a free ski day at Sierra-At-Tahoe.

Well, for some reason, I started feeling overwhelmed.

I told Keith I just wanted to run away somewhere for the night and play all day Wednesday. We did just that! I got home about 5:20 and we were on the road to Capitola by 5:30. We arrived at The Venetian and were given a room with an ocean view. We walked over to Margaritaville where we were the last guests to be served dinner. That's what happens to coastal towns in the winter, when it's raining. After dinner we lounged around the room and were able to hear the waves crashing as we fell asleep. Absolutely perfect!

When we woke up in the morning the sky was as clear as could be. Just a beautiful morning. We walked out on the wharf and had a yummy breakfast at The Wharf Restaurant. After breakfast we walked around and took some photos before taking the long way home through Watsonville (checked out the course for a century ride I'm doing in May) and Gilroy (yes, there is an outlet mall there). And it was just too bad, we got home too late to go to Body Pump that night.

By Thursday morning I was ready for some time with Ellen. I sent a text to one of the Cinderella Challenge ride leaders, asking if she was riding Thursday. She told me she was and she told me what ride she was doing. I knew Sierra Road (scroll to the bottom of the link for the elevation profile) was a tough one but I said I would give it a try. Wow!! I thought Mines Road was tough last week? HA HA HA! I stopped "a few" times and even got off my bike at one point, sat on the ground and told the ladies I was "going to wait right here." I am very proud to say I didn't "wait" anywhere and I made it up to the summit and enjoyed flying down the other side A LOT. Gotta love patient people that motivate others not to give up and even teach them a thing or two along the way. Many thanks for Soraya, Cyndi and Amy that day.

My ride up Mt. Hamilton this past Saturday got rained/snowed out. Hopefully we will do a make-up ride this Saturday.

Other than that, I did not go to any classes at the gym the entire week. Yup, you read that right. I did however, walk daily and spent some time with Ellen on my trainer. Today it was back to normal for me. I went to a "Camp24" class tonight and a 1.5 mile walk this morning. As far as my "MED2011" Accountability goes, I'm not going to detail every walk I did last week. I will start up again with today, and I just wrote what I did.

How about some pictures from Capitola instead? Here ya go............

The Venetian

Until later.............

80 mile Cinderella Challenge training ride - Mines Road, Livermore

2011-03-13T10:30:00.000-07:00

Wow. What a ride. The most challenging ride I have ever done.

Yesterday, nine other princesses in training and I rode 80 miles, 60 of it was Mines Road to The Junction Cafe. Please, click on the link and check out the elevation profile. Tell me if you think it looks crazy or what! This profile may be just beyond the Cafe, but you get the point.

I was nervous about this ride. I've never ridden 80 miles before!

The ride started off fine, until 1.5 miles in. We were driving on a residential street in Pleasanton, in a pretty tight line. A man in a little SUV pulled up to the curb ahead of us and opened his door, right into one of our front riders. She went flying off her bike, into the street. It was a terrible sounding crash and was followed by screams from the other riders. He said he didn't even look before he opened his door to get out. She landed in the middle of the street, thank God there wasn't another car coming up the street that could have hit her. The impact cracked her helmet. Erin was right behind her and actually ran over her bike. We called 911 and her husband. The fire department came, as well as the police. A police report was filed and everyone was interviewed. She denied transportation to the hospital but promised to have her husband take her to the ER right away. The good news is she was able to walk and talk. After that, we were all a little on edge, to say the least.

It took a while for all of us to get to The Junction Cafe. I couldn't have been happier to get off that saddle. That was a TON of non-stop pedaling to get that 40 miles done. I grabbed a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a bag of corn chips. It wasn't a lot but I think it was just what I needed to get me through the rest of the ride. After the first HUGE climb coming back, there was a bit more down hill portions this direction so it was a *little* easier. We took turns pulling each other on the hills and some of the flat parts. Teamwork at its best. We are such a great group of ladies!

Erin and I after refueling at The Junction Cafe

After driving home, I took a hot lavender scented bath and ate an entire black bean and cheese burrito from Chipotle. Both things were much deserved.

Erin feeling so good at the finish!

Next week? Mount Hamilton - all the way to the top. Bring it on!

Lack of sugar

2011-03-10T22:55:00.000-08:00

I survived my 70 mile training ride Saturday. I knew there was going to be a ton of climbing so I elected to hike on Friday, instead of run. I called my neighbor, Martha, and invited her along. We picked up Bella and went to Garin for a beautiful 3.5 mile hike.

The ride on Saturday was awesome! There was over 3,800 feet of elevation gain and quite a few towns passed through. The weather was very cooperative and the wind was nowhere to be found. We left Pleasanton at 7:45 a.m. and rode all the way to Tracy, via Patterson Pass Road. It was so cool to be up close to the windmills. I've only seen them from Hwy 580 while driving by. They're actually quite big when you're up close. After leaving Tracy we rode back to Pleasanton on Altamont Pass Road. We had to go right by our cars to do a +/- 15 mile loop into Sunol to complete the 70 miles. After all the climbing we had done, it was hard to not just pull into the parking lot at that point. But, we are all dedicated to our training and knew we have to build our miles up to our final ride on April 2nd.

Soraya, Wendy, Joan, Vanessa, Me, Karen, Kathryn, Erin, Debbie, Terri, Marie

Tuesday I went back to Garin with Boomer and we ran 5.5 miles. It was one of those days/runs where I could have ran all day long. My legs felt amazingly light. I knew I was going to a spin class that night though, so I kept it at the 5.5 miles. Garin is just beautiful right now and there are cows everywhere. I adore seeing the cows there. I don't like it when they ~~get taken to slaughter~~ leave to greener pastures.

The entrance to my little slice of heaven!

Today is my third day without eating sweets. No candy, cookies, cake, donuts, cupcakes. Oh my!! No, it's not for lent. I'm also limiting my carbs. I work out way too hard to not be dropping pounds. Yes, my body is trimming/firming up but like most of you out there - I want that scale to read a few pounds less. I am pretty sure I eat a lot more candy than I was aware of. I filled almost every void with candy. It's very hard, I won't lie. I love my sweets and they make me very happy. BUT, the scale has already moved in a favorable direction. That makes it a tiny bit easier to not eat sugar. Right now though, I am craving a piece of chocolate. :(

I want my hard work to show and am confident that eliminating the added sugar and limiting carbs will help me with that. I hope I can do it. I want to do it.

"MED2011" Accountability:

03/03 - 1.65 mile walk, Spin

03/04 - 3.5 mile hike

03/05 - 70 mile bike ride

03/06 - 2 mile walk

03/07 - Spin, 3 mile walk

03/08 - 5.5 mile trail run, Spin

03/09 - 1 mile walk, BodyPump

03/10 - 1.35 mile walk, Spin

Until later.............

Really? February's gone?

2011-03-02T22:56:00.000-08:00

Thank God I keep a record of everything I do because I seriously am having trouble remembering what I did yesterday. Sheesh! I know I like to keep busy, no doubt about it but lately I have just been crazy busy.

Yes, I'm training for a 100-mile bike ride happening in a month. Yes, I'm trying hard to get in great shape for Sara's wedding in three months. I'm also trying to keep a high-energy Catahoula happy along with my loving, patient husband. Oh, throw my job at REI and the business we run from our home in there too. Every night I try to fall asleep, I lay awake thinking about what the next day entails. In the evenings I feel completely brain dead at times.

A week ago Monday I was able to get out with Boomer for a much needed run. I didn't go out to the mountains because of the recent rains, I didn't feel like running through a bunch of mud. I had been sick all weekend, remember. We went to the Alameda Creek Trail and ran 6.5 miles along the creek and into Quarry Lakes. It was so good for my soul to be out there running with my boy.

Tell me Boomer's *not* part Rat Terrier!

Saturday I went on a 65 mile training ride. We met half an hour earlier this time because of the longer distance. There was talk of snow here in the SF Bay Area and believe it or not, it DID snow in San Francisco Friday night. I was watching the news and they showed it coming down in the city at 10:45 p.m. That hasn't happened since 1976! Well, when it came time to get packing for the ride, I pretty much knew I had enough cold weather gear to keep me warm. I was just hoping I wouldn't have to use it all. Unfortunately, I did. All FOUR layers on top, shoe covers, a Buff, headband, full finger wind/water proof gloves, headwind pants. About half of the girls showed up to brave the weather. It was 36 degrees when we started the ride. Yeah, brrrrrrrr! I kept thinking if this doesn't kill me, it will definitely make me a stronger rider. We made it, and we all did great. This Saturday will be a 70 mile ride and I'm happy to say it should be warmer!!

Monday morning I got up early and was out of the house before 7:00 a.m. so I could get a run in before work. Boomer and I went to the Alameda Creek Trail again, and watched the sun rise up above Mission Peak. It was a beautiful morning but it was still quite cold. My car said it was 38 degrees when we got there. At least with running, it doesn't take too long to warm up. We ran around for 45 minutes and I loved the peacefulness I found being beside the water.

How did my February turn out?
I ran 34.2 miles
I walked 26.25 miles
I went to 19 classes at the gym
I rode 191 miles
Calories burned (not including walking): 18,318. No wonder I'm always hungry!

I want to run more. In March, I will run more!!

"MED2011" Accountability:
02/21 - 6.5 mile run, BodyPump
02/22 - 1 mile walk, Spin class
02/23 - BodyPump
02/24 - 2 mile walk, Spin class
02/25 - 1.5 mile walk
02/26 - 65 mile bike ride
02/27 - 2 mile walk
02/28 - 3.75 mile run, BodyPump
03/01 - 1.25 mile walk, Spin class
03/02 - 1.65 mile walk, BodyPump class

Xena update: She had a follow-up appointment Sunday. Her blood was drawn and the glucose level was checked. Much to the doctor's surprise, her level was in the "normal" range. He was completely dumbfounded! We will continue to give her the very small dose of insulin twice a day, along with her wet food. She goes back Sunday for another blood test. If we're lucky, we have found the right combination of insulin and food on the first try. We are keeping our fingers crossed.

Until later.............

ABC's of me!

2011-02-27T10:57:00.000-08:00

I love stuff like this! I can't resist when I see it floating around Blogger Land, I just have to participate.

Age: 46
Bed size: Queen
Chore you hate: Name it
Dogs: Boomer
Essential start of your day: Coffee
Favorite color: Pink
Gold or silver: Platinum please
Height: 5'4"
Instruments I play: Clarinet through 6th grade
Job title: Sales Specialist
Kids: Sara and Loren
Live: Fremont, CA
Mom's name: Alice
Nicknames: Jo, JoJo, Mommy, Honey
Overnight hospital stays: Unfortunately, yes
Pet peeve: Rude people
Quote from a movie: "Nobody puts Baby in a corner!"
Right or left handed: Dominantly right but I eat left handed
Siblings: 3 very big brothers (6'0" to 6'6")
Time you wake up: Anywhere from 5:15 to 9:00 (this morning) :)
Underwear: Always matches outerwear
Vegetable you dislike: Cooked carrots
What makes you run late: Hair not cooperating
X-rays you have had done: Now that I think about it, probably every single part of my body
Yummy food you make: Cake!
Zoo animal: Apes. I can *so* relate to them.

Share your ABC's with me. Or, do we have any that are the same?

Sickies all around

2011-02-20T21:51:00.000-08:00

What a weekend! And I don't mean that in a good way. Unfortunately.

I went to my 6:00 a.m. spin class Friday and suffered through it. Do you ever have workouts when it's just more difficult than you know it should be? This was one of those. I came home and ate breakfast and felt like I was ready to go back to bed. Instead, I took Boomer for a two-mile walk in the rain. After that, I ended up falling asleep on the couch by 10:00 and taking a two hour nap. I could not wake up all day. I had to work at 5:30 and once I started getting ready for that I seemed okay.

Saturday morning was supposed to be a 50-mile bike ride with my Cinderella Challenge training group but I received an email at 9:30 p.m. Friday night saying it was canceled due to rain. I woke up Saturday morning with a sore throat and headache. I wasn't surprised by this considering Sara was sick two weeks ago, Keith was sick last week, and it's been going around at work. At this moment, I was happy the bike ride was canceled.

Then something else happened and I was quite happy I wasn't out riding. My 10 year old black/white cat, Xena (Warrior Princess) was showing some very strange symptoms that she wasn't doing very well. We noticed a few months ago, she started walking flat footed on her front legs. Then very rapidly, she was doing it on all four legs. She has always been an indoor cat so we just figured she was not aging as well as my almost 20 year old black cat.

Well, Saturday morning she pooped in one of the bathrooms, which she has never done. After that she kept going into corners, squatting and leaving little pools of light red colored urine. Then she was hiding under the bed. It scared me enough to call the vet and take her in immediately.

When we adopted her from the local shelter, she was a tiny baby and very, very sick. I stayed up the entire first night we had her, praying she would live through the night. The next day she had to be hospitalized for three nights because she had pneumonia. Shortly (like a week) after that, she fell off the kitchen counter and fractured her back leg! She had to have screws put in and she was in a cast for six weeks. So, as I held her Saturday morning I was very scared that this was the end for her and I was sad having to take her to the vet.

After talking to the doctor, he indicated she had symptoms of diabetes. Suddenly a lot of other symptoms came to mind for Keith and I. She had been drinking a lot more water and we had been going through litter like it was going out of style! We were constantly needing more litter. We left her at the vet so they could draw blood and urine. I left feeling *much* better then when I got there. I even took a photo (not shown here) of her, in case we were going to have to put her to sleep.

As soon as we got home I jumped on the Internet and read everything I could about Feline Diabetes. It is more common than one would think. After a long four hours, we heard from the vet. Xena's blood sugar levels were 541. It should be between 70-170. Bottom line? She has to receive insulin injections twice a day and her diet needs to be changed from dry food to a prescription wet food (or canned protein-rich food). He showed me how to give the injection yesterday and this morning I did it all by myself. It isn't that bad, considering. The hardest part was taking her bowl of dry food away from her. She's used to being free fed. She pretty much tried to trip me every time I walked into the kitchen today. In time she will adjust to it. I am feeling very positive about Xena's treatment plan and happy her disease is treatable so we won't lose her at an early age.

I had a 20k trail run scheduled for today and sadly was too sick to participate. Pretty much sucks! No bike ride, no trail run. What a waste of two days off, huh? I've stayed in my pajamas ALL DAY, hoping the rest will do me good and I can get out and do something tomorrow.

"MED2011" Accountability:
02/14 - 2 mile walk, Body Pump, 25 minutes on Stair Master
02/15 - 1.65 mile walk, Spin
02/16 - 1 mile walk, Body Pump, 20 minutes on Stair Master
02/17 - Turbo Kick Box
02/18 - Spin, 2 mile walk
02/19 - 1.65 mile walk
02/20 - sick :(

Stay well, my friends!

Until later.............

Another lucky dog

2011-02-13T22:02:00.000-08:00

*Last* Saturday I went on a 45-mile training ride with my fellow princesses in training. We went across the Dumbarton Bridge and rode into Woodside, Portola Valley and Palo Alto. The weather was perfect, in the mid-60's. It was a beautiful ride with a couple of hard climbs.

Taking a break at Roberts Market

Me and Erin

Sunday, Stacey came up and we went to Garin for an eight mile trail run. I had to work a few hours so we didn't get started until after 2:00. It was already ~70 degrees. I planned a route that would take us into mostly covered single track trails for the majority of the run so we didn't overheat. Considering I had just ridden the day before, I held up pretty well. We had a marvelous time (as always) which makes the run that much easier.

On our way back to my house, we saw a little dog on the side of Mission Boulevard. We pulled over, Stacey said she had a leash in the car. I jumped out and ran down the sidewalk toward the dog. It was an old Jack Russell Terrier. He was covered in fleas, grease and dirt. His fur was missing on his back, by his tail and he could only see out of one eye. He had a collar on but no tags. Stacey put the leash over his head and we got him back to the car. We drove through a neighborhood that was nearby, asking people out walking if they knew the dog. No luck. We took him to a Pet Food Express to get him cleaned up because Stacey figured she would just take him home and we could notify the local shelter when they opened up Tuesday morning. Pet Food Express gave us free tokens for his bath and he was very cooperative while Stacey bathed him. Afterwards they even gave us some treats and beef sticks for him. We asked if they knew of any place we could get him checked for a microchip at this time on a Sunday night. They suggested a place so we drove over to get him checked. To our complete amazement, he was chipped! The receptionist called the provider of the microchip (Avid?) and they were going to contact the owner and then call Stacey back. We left the vet and came to my house. After 30 minutes, we had still not heard from anyone. Stacey called Avid directly and after a bit of a run around, she was finally able to talk to the child of the dog owner. She got the address and drove the doggie home. "Harley", the 12-year old pup was back home safe. Another happy ending for a dog. We love those, don't we?

I worked a lot of hours this past week. Well, 30 hours but that's a lot for me! I went to a spin class Mon-Wed, with a BodyPump class thrown in there. On Thursday I went for a 35-mile ride with a guy from work. We did the Niles Canyon, Palomares Canyon, Foothill loop with Happy Valley thrown in there. For the first time ever, I was able to make it all the way up Palomares without a break. There's one turn-out I *always* pull over to and ~~pick up a lung~~ catch my breath. That my friends, is progress!

Yesterday I had another Cinderella training ride, a 45-miler. We went out to Alum Rock Park and then headed up Mount Hamilton Road to Grant Park. I have no idea how many miles we went up but I know it was at least half way. It was a LONG climb at a very steady grade. It was never too steep in any one spot and it was much easier than I had feared it was going to be. I was quite relieved.

This morning Stacey made her way up for another trail run at Garin. It was cool and foggy but we warmed up quickly as we climbed up one of the steepest trails in the park. My legs were pretty darn sore from the ride yesterday, that's for sure. We completed five miles but both agreed it felt like 10! After a little lunch and some shopping, I crashed hard for a two hour nap. Much deserved, I would say.

"Where's Boomer?"

"MED2011" Accountability:
02/04 - Spin, 2 mile walk
02/05 - 45 mile bike ride
02/06 - 2 mile walk, 8 mile trail run
02/07 - Spin, 1 mile walk, BodyPump
02/08 - 2 mile walk, Spin
02/09 - Spin, 1.5 mile walk
02/10 - 36 mile bike ride, 3 mile walk
02/11 - 2.5 mile run, "24SET" class
02/12 - 45 mile bike ride
02/13 - 5 mile trail run

Until later.............

My thinking cap is on

2011-02-04T11:23:00.000-08:00

I wasn't in the mood to talk last night but this morning on my walk, I had a lot of thoughts pop in my head.

1. I *may* be addicted to exercise. If I am, I can accept it because it's better than some other stuff I ~~have been~~ could be addicted to.

2. I am now officially one of those people. What people, you ask? The crazy ones that are at the gym at 6:00 a.m. to take a spin class three days a week.

3. I have the kindest, most considerate dog in the entire world!

4. I lost three pounds last month. I would like to lose five more.

5. Since (January 6) I've been tracking the calories I'm burning during my running, cycling and gym classes, I am averaging 4,800/week. Yes, I know a pound is 3,500 calories.

6. I'm putting my clipless pedals back on my bike today. I have a 50-mile ride tomorrow with the Cinderella Challenge training group. I want to be able to push and pull when I pedal. Save my quads a little.

7. I only have three pieces of candy left in my pound box of See's. I only have one coupon for a pound left. Valentine's Day is still 10 days away. Gulp!

8. I'm probably addicted to chocolate too.

9. Sara's wedding is four months from today. FOUR months! I can't believe it. It will be here so fast.

Until later.............

January and today

2011-02-03T21:41:00.000-08:00

Before February ends as quickly as January did, I decided to total up my activities for January.

I walked 26.7 miles
I ran 35.8 miles
Ellen and I are getting reacquainted and rode 82 miles together
I went to 25 classes at the gym
I went on one 3 mile hike
I spent 2 days on the slopes

Phew! I am getting back into it, aren't I?

I met HSE Lori for a "run" Tuesday afternoon. It was (I'm sorry to everyone else in the country) quite warm, my lower back was hurting and I was carrying a water bottle and two leashes. We completed a very piss poor three miles but the best thing about it was the awesome conversation and laughs we always share. Oh, and these two pictures.

Today I took the doggies to Garin for a glorious little four mile run. Other than the fact that the day was beautiful, I loved being out running on my favorite trails, there's not really a lot to say about the run so I will let you look at pictures instead.

I guess I'm not really in a talkative mood tonight. :-~

MED2011 Accountability:
02/01 - 3 mile run, "Camp24" class
02/02 - Body Pump class, 1.35 mile run
02/03 - 4 mile trail run, Spin class

Until later.............

Brazen's Coyote Hills 10k - January 29, 2011

2011-01-31T11:38:00.000-08:00

I absolutely *love* Brazen events!! My first experience with them was exactly a year ago. They are in constant contact with you once you sign up for an event, letting you know any and all updates, parking arrangements or changes to the course. This event had very limited parking so most of us had to park about a mile from the start. No worries though. They had shuttle service for us. And GOOD shuttle service. I think we waited less than five minutes for a shuttle on each trip. Their tech shirts are very cute and being tech shirts, I will wear them again. Every finisher, regardless of the distance gets a medal. They give out "goody bags" filled with stuff you will actually use. All for a very reasonable price. Even though their races are considered small, the race directors make you feel like you are at a big event with their arch at the start/finish, music playing loudly and your name being called out when you cross the finish line. They even use timing chips.

If you are ever considering doing a Brazen event, sign up - you will not be disappointed!

Now, onto my day.

I had to miss my group training ride for the Cinderella Challenge to do this run but I ended up doing a portion of the ride with one of the ride leaders on Friday. The climbing portion! Whatever, I don't think it hurt me in the run.

Stacey was my running partner this time. I know, right now you're thinking how jealous you are. You should be! She is so fun to hang out with. Since I haven't gotten up to "speed" yet with my running, I know she's one person that will never complain that I'm running too slow or argue when I want to walk. Even though she could go faster, that's never her plan when she runs with me. We always know it's going to be a fun time no matter how long it takes us. Actually, we both agree that the longer it takes us the more fun we get to have together. Awesome, right?

Staying warm before the start

In front of the big hole in the ground

We had two aid stations which we had to stop and look at. I didn't carry my own water this time, so I had to get a cup of water at each one anyway. Even though I wanted to shove a few bags of cookies or chips into my vest, I didn't.

Did I mention this run was in Fremont? Oh, I guess I didn't. Needless to say, I knew a bunch of people that were running it. Probably every woman there in her mid-30's to mid-40's from Fremont, I knew. Well maybe not, but almost. When I finished, a girl walked up to me and told me she reads my blog but never comments. I was so touched that she introduced herself to me, it was so sweet. HI KATE!!!

HSE Lori loves me. The feeling is mutual.

Christy, RBR, Me & Lori

RBR, Punk Rock Runner, Me and Katie

The course was alright. Just one little bit of single track for us 10k runners and quite a bit of pavement. For a 10k I won't complain.

I was very happy to know I am able to run 6.2 miles again, at a steady (yet slow) pace. I was never a fast runner anyway so the 12:something/mile pace we kept is okay for today. I normally run ~10 minute miles. It will come, I'm sure of it. I just have to work up to it again. I have faith, at least, that I will get there again. I was feeling so good after the run that Stacey and I have already signed up for this 20k in a few weeks. Exciting!!

So remember, you see a Brazen run that interests you - SIGN UP. You will love it, and them!

Until later.............

Once upon a weekend.......

2011-01-25T21:13:00.000-08:00

My elation about Spike spilled over into my fun-filled weekend I already had planned. The good news just made everything so much easier!

Saturday morning started early with my Cinderella Challenge training. We met, ready to roll at 8:00 a.m. This week's ride was 35 miles but included a couple of good climbs. The first was out to Alum Rock Park in San Jose. The second climb was a road connecting to Mt. Hamilton Road which was a fun descent. I remember doing the Alum Rock ride with the Fremont Freewheelers last year and it was hard. I felt much stronger this time doing it. That made me very happy. The weather was absolutely perfect for riding!

On the way home from the ride, Sara called me and said she and Sterling were going to Garin with Bella for a hike. Okay! I drove home, changed clothes real quick, grabbed Boomer and went over to Garin for a three mile hike. Unfortunately I forgot my camera. The cows are back and that's always a happy sight for me. They are still fuzzy. It always makes my time out there more enjoyable when I can see the cows happily grazing.

Sunday I took Theresa and Kristi to Pacifica with me to run a PCTR event.

Theresa, Me, Kristi

I only signed up for the 9k this time. I have done both the 21k and 30k here but being my first event since my surgery, I certainly need to ease my way back into it. I wasn't sorry at all that I was doing the 9k. It's a tough course, no matter if you're doing it alone or as a second or third loop in your 21k, 30k, or 50k. There's *maybe* half a mile of flat in the entire 5.6 miles. A ton of uphill with just as much fun downhill. It felt so good to be running like that again.

The weather God's are being very generous to us this month as the temps were high 50's to low 60's in Pacifica on Sunday morning. It was just beautiful. I was happy to be at a PCTR event again. I miss seeing all those people in that little trail running community.

After a quick lunch and nap that afternoon, Sara and I drove up to UC Davis to see Toby Mac and Brandon Heath perform. I enjoy these concerts a lot more than Sara does but she goes with me because she doesn't want me to go by myself. I would have no problem going alone but she insists I shouldn't do that. I love spending time with her, no matter what we're doing anyway so I'm kind of glad she is so insistent. Afterwards, she admitted she actually liked Toby Mac and his songs.

We got home after 11:00 Sunday night so I was too tired to get up Monday morning at 5:15 for the 6:00 spin class. I know, shame on me. I had to work all day though and the extra two hours of sleep did me good.

"MED2011" Accountability:
01/19 - Spin class, 2 mile walk, Body Pump class
01/20 - 1.65 mile walk, "24LIFT" class
01/21 - Spin class, 1.65 mile walk (x2)
01/22 - 35 mile bike ride, 3 mile hike
01/23 - 5.6 mile trail run
01/24 - 1 mile walk, Body Pump class, 1.5 mile walk

Until later.............

Miracles do happen!

2011-01-21T22:00:00.000-08:00

Izzy, Boomer, Jana, Spike, Me. The good ol' days when they lived across the street from me.

Thirteen days ago I got a message from my friend Jana. It said, "We need your prayers, we have been in a rollover accident. Sergio and I are fine but both dogs were ejected from the truck. We found Izzy but Spike got spooked and ran off into the woods." I immediately began praying night and day for them.

I found out the next day that the accident happened on a two lane highway in a very small town on the border of Idaho and Montana. They were on their way home to Seattle from her parents house in Billings, Montana.

Jana said she saw Spike running away and actually tried to catch him. There was snow on the ground and she was barefoot and had no jacket. She ran as long as she could and he finally disappeared into the very dense wilderness that was covered in extremely deep snow. The paramedics took her and Sergio and Izzy to a motel nearby. Jana's brother got there two hours later and they all went out and searched until it got too dark. They went out first thing the next morning and hiked while calling his name all day long.

Two days later they had to made the dreadful drive seven hours away, home to Seattle. Before they left they posted fliers everywhere, contacted all the shelters within a 200 mile radius and got everyone in the small town involved in searching for Spike.

Day after day went by and before we knew it, a week had gone by. She told me a shelter thought they had him but it turned out to be a different Lab. Damn!

Tuesday afternoon I got a phone call from Jana. She told me there had been two sightings of Spike, under an overpass right by the crash sight. Tuesday night they loaded up Izzy and made the seven hour drive to see if they could get him. Nobody could get near him without him running away. I told her to go get him and bring him home where he belongs.

First thing Wednesday morning Jana, Sergio and Izzy started their search. She hung around the overpass for hours and hiked for miles. She put out steak, treats, dog food. The food kept disappearing but naturally she couldn't guarantee it was Spike that was eating it.

Thursday morning I was walking Boomer around the neighborhood and was praying so hard for Spike to be found safe. I felt so good. I figured for sure, this was going to be the day Jana found him. Late Thursday evening she sent me a text saying they left the area, drove two hours away to a cabin her parents own. She said the weather had gotten so bad it was dangerous for anyone to be out in it. She was convinced at this point that the sightings were not Spike after all.

This afternoon she got a call from a guy riding a snowmobile. He said he can see Spike and he is sitting under the overpass again. It is freezing cold and blizzard conditions. He brought down some sausage and Spike ate it and stayed under the bridge. Jana, Sergio and Izzy got in the car and drove as fast as they could to the small town again. When they got there they parked a little ways away from the bridge. Jana had some ham and a leash and walked under the bridge. She sat down and began calling softly for Spike, once again. Finally, she said, he came toward her, crouching down and gently wagging his tail. His collar was no longer on him and he is "skin and bones". She picked him up and wrapped him in a blanket. To say she was happy would be an understatement!! She sat with him in the back seat (with a harness on) for the two hour drive back to the cabin. He cuddled next to her with his head on her arm the entire way.

I never gave up hope for Spike. I'd go to bed each night and fall asleep praying for him. I'd wake up every morning and lay in bed praying. I just had faith he would be found alive. He is one of the toughest dogs I have ever met. I have been on many hikes with him and to see him rip through the trails and brush is amazing. If any dog would make it out of this situation, it was going to be Spike.

Thirteen nights of below freezing temperatures, in steep terrain with deep snow and blizzard conditions where wolves and bears live - this dog survived. They don't know where he slept at night or where he hid during the day. They have no idea if or what he ate. What they do know now - miracles can happen!!

This proves even more how important it is to always keep hope alive. As long as there's hope, a lot can happen.

Thanks to everyone on Facebook that followed along and prayed like crazy for Spike and his family.

Take the good with the bad

2011-01-19T08:13:00.000-08:00

Our computer took a dump late last week. For those that don't know, Keith and I own a business and run it out of our home. We've had this business for 20 years now. We use Quickbooks and Lotus Smart Suite Organizer to help us. Well, the mother board died so we decided it wasn't worth saving. We had to buy a new desk top computer, which was quick and easy. Unfortunately our version of Quickbooks doesn't jive with Windows 7 which is on our new computer. So we had to go buy a new version of Quickbooks. It is TOTALLY different than our old version. We don't have a calendar/schedule on the new computer now and are having a hell of a time finding a simple little calendar to put on this computer. Once again I need to input all of our customer information. At least this time we have the external hard drive so I can get the information easily. It's just very time consuming to enter it all. Fun times!

I got out for a marvelous run with Boomer Sunday morning. It was early, it was cold, and it was foggy. We ran for about 45 minutes, completing 3.75 miles. It was a perfect run with no IT pain and no foot pain.

Monday morning Erin and I planned on meeting for the 9:15 a.m. spin class. Last time I went to a 9:15 class, the instructor was five minutes late and I was told this was normal because she drops her kids off at school and then has to drive in. I wasn't worried about getting there any earlier than 8:55. As I was walking toward the door, Erin was walking out. She told me the class was full. GAH! I was so irritated with myself. I forgot it was a holiday! Instead of just going home though, Erin and I got on a couple of stationary bikes and set it on a hill climbing program for 50 minutes. Yay us!

Tuesday morning I ran around the neighborhood with Boomer before work. I do love my early morning runs with him. I'm learning I don't care where or how far they are. I enjoy each and every one and will probably never take a single one for granted.

All in all, the bad really isn't *that* bad but the good, I find, is exceptional.

MED2011 Accountability:
01/16 - 3.75 mile run
01/17 - 50 minute stationary bike, 2 mile walk, Body Pump class
01/18 - 2.25 mile run, "CAMP24" class

Until later.............

I am now a Princess in training

2011-01-15T21:20:00.000-08:00

This morning I attended my first training ride for the Cinderella Challenge, an all women cycling event taking place in April. Fremont Freewheelers sponsors this training for women and have been doing it for the past 19 years. Yes, there was a small fee for the training but if today is any indication of how the next 10 weeks are going to go, then I think I have invested the best $75 of my life.

It started off with an hour of education. I learned about nutrition on the bike, proper clothing, and road safety. Sure I know most of this but I heard a few things I actually didn't know, or just haven't thought about for some time. The amazing thing is that these women leading the event are all volunteers, just there to help us learn! They are committed to being there every Saturday to lead us on rides and answer questions for us. There are a few different groups of riders. Majority of the women are training for the 100k, while about 30 of us are training for the 100-mile option. Women of all shapes, sizes and riding abilities showed up today. I witnessed the ride leaders offering loads of encouragement to the women that are just starting out. I was so impressed by this.

I talked a friend into doing this training with me. I never like doing stuff by myself. Who does, really? Why I always find these girls that are 20 years younger than me, I have no clue! Erin is the girlfriend of my store's master shop tech. And when I say "talked into", it really didn't take that much to do it. She was very positive about it from the very beginning. She's a little worried about some of the rides in the future, but I know she will be absolutely fine. Each week the rides will get longer and have more climbing. They're not taking us out for 80 miles of sustained climbing next week or anything crazy like that. We will build up to it.

Today's ride was 25 miles - a huge loop around Fremont. Besides going over freeway over-passes, there was maybe one big hill to climb. I *almost* made it up without stopping. I took off my clipless pedals recently, due to my foot surgery. Having to twist out of a pedal in a hurry might be difficult and/or painful. So, I have my old pedals with cages on and I do notice it was more difficult climbing. But, no big deal. I'm not complaining. Spin classes have helped me out, I could tell that. Especially since I hadn't been on my bike since June of last year! For the first ride, I am pleased with how I did and how I feel now.

I ran three times this past week. I'm taking it slow and easy but *loving* it none-the-less. Last weekend I ran at Garin with HSE Lori, her friend, and our dogs for about an hour. Then, twice this week I ran for 30 minutes in the neighborhood with Boomer. After each run I walked through the front door with a huge smile on my face. Running is, and always will be, my passion.

Wednesday I went skiing again. Keith and I went to Sierra-At-Tahoe for another free day (for me) of fun. This time there were 14 of us from my store. The snow was beyond amazing and I had the best day EVER! As I was skiing I found myself giggling at times and thinking, "what surgery?" My foot wasn't hurting me at all. Last week when we went to Alpine I had to quit after lunch but this time I just kept on going. We stayed on the mountain until 3:00. I'm still amazed and so happy with my recovery.

I've been moving every day, as I promised to do. How about you? How are you doing?

"MED2011" Accountability:
01/08 - Body Pump class, 1.25 mile walk, 2 mile walk
01/09 - 4.25 mile trail run
01/10 - Spin class, 2 mile walk, Body Pump class
01/11 - 2.80 mile run
01/12 - Ski 5 hours
01/13 - Body Pump class, 1 mile walk, "24SET" class
01/14 - 2.25 mile run
01/15 - 27 mile bike ride, 1.5 mile walk

Until later..............

"Moving" right along

2011-01-07T21:25:00.000-08:00

One of the great perks of working at REI is coming across some awesome deals. Because of the very liberal return policy we have, people sometimes return items they've had for a while. When this happens, the current cost of the product can be very low. Yesterday I was lucky enough to find a heart rate monitor, brand new, for $19.93. I needed a new watch anyway, so I snagged it, had Keith help me get it set up and wore it last night to a "24SET" class. I have always wondered how many calories I burn in one of those classes. 320 calories in a 52 minute class. I wore it to my spin class this morning and found that I burned 480 calories in 65 minutes. It's super light on my wrist and I can't even feel the heart rate monitor strap.

Speaking of spinning - I attended my first spin class Monday morning at 6:00 a.m. I upgraded my gym membership so I can attend all of the clubs, instead of just the one. Because of my work schedule, attending classes five days a week was becoming quite a challenge. Being able to attend the different clubs (three within a three or four mile radius) I am now able to choose different class schedules. So, one of the clubs offers spin classes. Even though there are three classes (6:00 & 9:15 a.m., 6:00 p.m.) every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, I am choosing to do the early one. Why? Because I figure it will never interfere with my work schedule. The *only* reason I wouldn't go to this class is because I'm too lazy to drag my butt out of bed. Also, I still have enough time to walk Boomer even if I have to go to work at 9:45. I went all three days this week. I like it a lot! It is an EXCELLENT workout, and it's TOUGH!! It should really help out with my 100-mile bike ride training, which starts in one week too.

Tuesday Keith and I went skiing at Alpine Meadows in Tahoe with a few other people from my store. The ski resorts offer free ski days to people that work in the industry, about four days a month.

Do you see that smile on my face? Yeah, it pretty much stayed there ALL DAY. I was so stinkin' happy to actually be able to ski, just a little over three months since my foot surgery. I could not believe it. Yes, I had tried on my boot and put it on a ski and did movements like I was skiing, here at home and felt pretty much fine. But, to actually be moving down the mountain on skis without ~~too much~~ pain was wonderful. Making left hand turns was a little bit scary at first, because you have to use the inside of your right foot. But, I was able to make quite a few trips down the intermediate runs for over half a day. My foot was a little sore the following day but not unbearable. I'm going again on Wednesday. :)

I am very happy to know that a few of you have decided to commit to moving every day for at least 30 minutes. That's so exciting!! Good luck to each of you. As I did prior to my surgery on October 1st, I will again be reporting my "Move Every Day 2011" activity. I'd love to hear about how you are doing too.

"MED2011" Accountability:
01/03 - Spin class, upper body work out
01/04 - Ski
01/05 - Spin class
01/06 - 1.5 mile walk/run, Body Pump class, "24SET" class
01/07 - Spin class, 1.5 mile walk

Until later.............

Here I go again

2011-01-02T12:45:00.000-08:00

I am not one for "resolutions". I don't believe you have to wait for the calendar to change to make changes in your life.

With that being said, I am picking up where I (sort of) left off a few months ago.

I am continuing my commitment to MOVE EVERY DAY in 2011. For those of you that don't know, it means I vow to move every day for at least 30 minutes.

It can be walking, running, a class at the gym, a machine at the gym, cycling, a Crossfit WOD, a hike, skiing, backpacking, golf, bowling. I think you get it. Anything that gets me up and moving for at least 30 minutes every single day.

I was able to do this last year, up to (and including) the day of my surgery - October 1st. The first few days after my surgery, naturally, it was a bit more difficult. But you know what? Eight days later, I walked around the block. Three days after my surgery, I was using a friend's Total Gym in my garage to do upper body workouts. I was doing push-ups, sit-ups and planks on my living room floor. I got creative and did whatever I could to move my body.

All the while, knowing I had an excellent excuse not to.

I'm not sure if I'm going to have my other foot operated on this year or not but I'm not going to let that stop me now. I can only take one day at a time.

Do any of you think this is something you can do? Can you commit to doing something, ANYTHING for 30 minutes a day this year? I will do it alone if I have to, but it would sure be nice to have some company this year. Come on and join me, you won't regret it. ;)

"MED2011" Accountability:
01/01 - 2 mile walk, 1.65 mile walk
01/02 - 1 mile run, "Boot Camp" class at the gym, 1 mile walk

Until later.............

How did you spend the last day of 2010?

2010-12-31T21:27:00.000-08:00

This is where I spent my last morning of 2010. Baker Beach in San Francisco was part of my six mile trail run with Rene' and Boomer. Last year we met for a run along this same trail, just a few days earlier. I think we're going to make it an annual thing. My foot was a bit sore for a lot of the run. Luckily, it's mostly downhill (except a few steep stair climbs) on the way to the Sutro Baths and we did a lot of hiking on the way back.

In the picture below, way over to the left side is where we are heading back to.

While we were out today, Rene' was able to hit her 1,000th mile of running for the year. Just in the nick of time, eh? We were counting down and as soon as she hit the 1,000th mile I congratulated her and snapped a photo to commemorate it. Good job girl.

I have been rolling my IT band since Tuesday and today it didn't bother me at all. However, I'm sure the varied terrain is what really made a difference. I am looking forward to trying a run again on flat ground to see if it acts up. I will continue to roll it though, no doubt.

I am excited for 2011. I have already signed up for a PCTR event, a Brazen Racing event and on January 15th I'll start a 10-week training program for a 100-mile bike ride taking place April 2nd. AND, Sara's getting married in Jamaica.

Thanks to each and every one of you that have stuck with me this year. It was one hell of a year for me and I just can't say enough, how difficult it would have been without all of you and your support. I'm serious!

Happy New Year everyone. May 2011 be a year filled with nothing but greatness for you.

Until next year.............

Everything takes time, right?

2010-12-28T10:31:00.000-08:00

One thing I have not mastered is patience. I used to wake up and pray for it each day and somewhere along the way, I have stopped. I need to start doing that again.

I'm coming up on three months post-op. I know, I can hardly believe it either. I have never, ever taken this much time off from running. NEVER! Yes, I have run a handful of times in the past few weeks but I want to be running more. I want to be able to run as long as I want to! I guess that's a lot to ask for.

This morning I took Boomer and Bella over to the Alameda Creek Trail with a plan to run 4-5 miles. Right about a mile in, my left IT band started yelling at me. I tried to run it off but ended up having to stop and massage it a little bit. That did help but I ended up only being able to complete three miles.

Oh, and I wore my Garmin - just because. I thought I was slow before? Ha! My comfortable pace this morning was 12:07/mile. Smokin', eh?

Yes. Everything takes time.

Until later.............

Such a busy time of year

2010-12-24T07:13:00.000-08:00

Today is Christmas Eve and I'm up having my first cup of coffee before work. I get to work 9-5:30. I'm okay with it because I'm all done with my shopping and now I can help out some manic last minute shoppers get their lists completed. At least the day should go by quickly.

My friend Andrea had her baby last week, after 14 hours of labor. Little Kathryn Diana entered the world on Thursday at 9:01 a.m., weighing in at 6.2 pounds. Yesterday Sara and I were lucky enough to meet and hold her. I had truly forgotten how tiny a newborn is.

Saturday my husband woke me up with a cup of coffee and asked me if I wanted to take Boomer to Garin for a hike early before we went to the Dickens Fair in South San Francisco. I gladly hopped out of bed when I saw the rain had let up and we took the boy out for a (muddy) 3.5 mile hike.

While we were there, my dear friend Jana that used to live across the street with the two big black dogs showed up. She was in town for one night, emptying out her storage shed. She took the doggies out for some exercise before driving home to Seattle. She walked with us back to the parking lot to say goodbye. Naturally, Spike jumped right into my car as soon as it was opened. Remember when he used to run across the street and dive into my car before we'd go hiking? I miss those dogs a lot!

I'm back to moving every day and it makes me happy. I am able to walk two miles without any problem. I attend "Body Pump" classes twice a week at the gym. I do the Elliptical instead of "Camp24" or "24SET" classes though because I just can't jump around that much. I have not run since last Thursday but that is only a timing (working tons of hours) and weather issue. Believe me, I am dying to run again. Work should slow down after next week and life will be more back to normal. I already have one running date planned with Rene' on New Year's Day. I will start off the year right!

I'm off to get ready for work but not before I wish each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas tomorrow.

Until later.............

I am a freak for Fall colors

2010-12-16T08:00:00.000-08:00

I go absolutely ga-ga over the colors that Fall produces. Ask anyone. As soon as I see the first yellow leaf on a tree, I'm pointing to every new one I see.

I went to Garin last week to try a run again. I am happy to say it was a success!! I was able to run ~3 miles with Boomer. It was absolutely gorgeous there. With the overcast skies, the golden colored trees really stuck out.

I've been walking with a very pregnant friend of mine for the past week. We went twice last week and once on Tuesday. Each walk was close to TWO hours. We walked around Lake Elizabeth and noticed this guy:

Check him out! Is he the strangest thing you have ever seen? He's not really a duck, but he's not a goose either. He waddles horribly when he walks and the strangest thing is, when he is in the water, his tail feathers NEVER stop moving. All the ducks moving along side him, they're tail feathers don't move. When we saw him again on Tuesday, we were able to spot him in the water because he was the only one with his rear end going non-stop.

Lake Elizabeth is a very popular area for locals to walk. Every year this tree gets more and more decorations.

After we walked, Boomer and I went to a pet store and he picked this pig ear right off the shelf. He carried it all the way to the car. He was NOT going to let it go. LOL

So, anyway. The walking with my very pregnant friend worked!! Her due date is tomorrow. She phoned me at work Tuesday to tell me her water broke. Yippee. Unfortunately, she is still in the hospital with her labor progressing very, very slowly. Looks like little Katie wants to be right on time and wait until the 16th to take her first breath. I'm anxiously waiting to hear.

I ran again yesterday. Boomer and I went over to the Alameda Creek Trail and ran ~3 miles. My toe felt very good. My left IT band was making itself known though. Probably because I'm doing more of a heal strike instead of a soft, ball of my foot landing. I adjusted my stride on the way back and the pain subsided. It will take my legs a while to get back to where they were prior to my surgery. That's okay, I've got nothing but time.

Until later.............

Life Is Good winner.......

2010-12-14T21:14:00.000-08:00

I took the names from my last post and the few that commented on Facebook, threw them in the big ol' tote bag and drew one out.

The winner is:

Congratulations Miki! Send me an email or contact me on Facebook and give me your mailing address. I will send out your new Life Is Good tote bag by Thursday.

I am working on a new post right now, with lots of good updates from the past week. Look for it soon. ;)

Until later.............

"Life Is Good" Giveaway!

2010-12-08T17:58:00.000-08:00

Would you like this HUGE Life Is Good tote bag?

I have had one heck of a year! I have shared with you, very openly, about the good and bad happenings in my life. You all have helped me through some pretty tough stuff and for this I will be forever grateful.

As the year comes to a close, I am in a pretty good place in my life. I wake up every day feeling blessed to have my family, my friends, and my health. As corny as that sounds, it's true. Today I feel my Life Is Good!

Now, back to the giveaway. How much use could you get out of a tote this big? Think of how much stuff it could hold for you. Probably an entire weekend of clothes for a little getaway or camping trip. It would be a great bag for the beach or to serve as a "drop bag" at your next ultra! It's the perfect "carry on" size for your next plane trip too.

It's very simple. I have learned A LOT about myself this year. All you have to do is leave me a comment and tell me one thing you learned about me this year by reading my blog.

That's it. Pretty easy, eh? I will accept entries through midnight on December 13th and will pull a number out of the bag on the 14th. Thank you and good luck!

Until later.............

The wait is over!

2010-12-02T22:43:00.000-08:00

Things are happening and they're happening FAST! I'm so excited!!

Yesterday before dinner, Keith asked me to try on my ski boot. He's been asking about skiing this year. Inside I felt like I would probably have to sit out this season but I never expressed this to him. Seeing as I was just able to put on a closed toe shoe about a week ago, I figured there was no way I could get my foot in a ski boot. To my surprise, I got my foot in the boot and it felt pretty comfortable. Yes, I felt just like Cinderella! Now it looks like I will be able to ski very soon.

Last night I went to a "Body Pump" class at the gym. In this class you lift a barbell the entire time, there's no cardio. I did this class a couple weeks ago and tried to use the same weight I used prior to my surgery. Not a great idea. I couldn't walk very good for about five days and going down stairs was impossible! Last night I used a lighter weight and felt good this morning.

So well in fact, I went for a run at Garin! A 4.25 mile run. Yeehaw! I'm not sure who was having more fun, me or Boomer. I was SO happy to be running on my favorite trails again. I wonder if you can imagine the joy I felt while running through those hills with Boomer bouncing happily nearby. Aaaah, this is what I've been waiting for. What a feeling!!!

I promise, Boomer wasn't as bored as he looks here

My friend HSE Lori came by for a visit yesterday and as we were chatting she told me I have handled my recovery since my surgery a lot better than the month before my surgery. I was pretty manic during that time. I was so worried about never being able to run again, putting on 100 pounds, losing motivation and never wanting to run again, etc. Sometimes I was so consumed with the unknown that I couldn't do anything else. I struggled with headaches, lack of sleep, mood swings. Gah!

All I can say is I'm glad it's over and I'm super happy to be slipping back into my active lifestyle!!

Until later.............

Quality time

2010-11-30T22:23:00.000-08:00

After I posted last week about trying to eat right so I could get down to my comfy weight, a friend gave me an entire month's supply of Nutrisystem food. This food had been in storage for "a while" but seeing as it is freeze dried I figured the shelf life would be pretty much indefinite. I was wrong! I spent all night Tuesday puking my guts out and Wednesday in bed recovering. This scared me because I was hosting Thanksgiving. I woke up Thursday feeling well enough to do what needed to be done. Thank God!

I walked Boomer over to the junior high school in my neighborhood that morning and let him off leash in the field. There is a track in the back and I decided I would try to run a lap. I ended up running (I use that word very loosely, by the way) three laps and felt pretty good about it.

Sara came over early in the afternoon and we spent time together, preparing the Thanksgiving meal for my little family. I try to show her something new to make every year so maybe when it's her turn to host a holiday meal, she will remember what to do.

Friday night Keith and I went to a movie. We watched "Burlesque" with Christina and Cher. Very entertaining movie!

Saturday night Keith took Sara and I out to dinner. After dinner, Sara had me hand address her wedding invitations. She needs to get them out early because the wedding is in another country. People need to plan. I loved the time we had together, sitting at the table talking while I was doing this favor for her. It brought back memories of she and I sitting at that same table, every afternoon together, working on her homework and talking about her day in school. After the invitations were addressed, stuffed and stamped, I asked her to tell me about her engagement night. I wanted to hear all about the moment Sterling proposed to her, how she reacted, what she felt, etc. It was awesome to listen to her relive the evening and how excited she was to get home to tell me. It also occurred to me how happy I am to "be present" during this very important time of her life. For many years I was "absent" so to be able to experience everything right now, with a clear head, is a true blessing.

Sunday I got to spend some quality time with this awesome chick again. She picked Boomer and I up at our house and drove us up to Oakland where we had a great time hiking. I knew it was going to be wet so I decided to wear my waterproof hiking boots instead of my trail running shoes. Probably not my best decision. Right off the bat, my foot was hurting because my boots were too tight. It was a fun time anyway! Boomer had a blast in the cool weather and wet dirt. He played with a few runners until I called him back and he came sprinting as fast as he could. RBR was very patient and didn't rush me up or down the trails. She just followed nicely behind me and made me laugh enough to forget about my uncomfortable shoes. It's nice to know that even though I can't run right now, someone still enjoys my company enough to drive a total of 50+ miles to hike with me. Although, as you can see, the park itself is well worth it.

Boomer with RBR

Yesterday morning I went for a nice long walk with a friend that moved away in March. Bill was a Supervisor at REI in Fremont but moved to Montana to help open a new REI there. This was his first trip out to the Bay Area since his move. We spent about 90 minutes walking along the Alameda Creek Trail, catching up on our lives. At one point, Boomer got out of our sight. I *think* he followed a female runner down the trail. This caused a little bit of anxiety for a few minutes as we each went separate directions calling out for him. Eventually, he appeared on the trail, walking toward me with a "what are you yelling about?" kind of look. Even though Bill and I have kept in touch via emails and texts often, it was great to have some time to visit.

Tonight I headed out in the cold to take Boomer and Bella for a walk. I decided I was going to do the two mile loop around the neighborhood. They were so excited to be out, they started pulling me right away. I ran a little bit, just to keep up. It felt pretty good so I KEPT ON RUNNING!! I ran the entire two miles with the two dogs. You all *have* to know how great that felt, right? Tomorrow is two months since my surgery. Two months! And I ran two miles. Yeah, I'm thrilled!

Until later.............

Change is coming

2010-11-22T23:29:00.000-08:00

I feel frumpy. I feel sluggish. I feel like I look old. Why? Because I have continued to eat my candy and desserts while stopping any and all cardiovascular exercise over the last seven weeks. Even though the scale only admits a two pound gain, my body feels like a ten pound gain.

What am I doing about it?

Last Monday I cleared out my pantry of all things bad for me. Yes, the 90% off Halloween candy I had just purchased went to the break room at work. The Girl Scout candies and nuts? To the break room they went! I started eating the way I'm supposed to eat, cooking my healthy meals, and saying no to sweets and "extras." As many of you know, when I say I'm going to do something I do it. I would like to lose a total of ten pounds. In 2007 I lost 25 pounds on Nutrisystem and kept within five pounds of that weight for at least two years. Over the last year I have slowly added a pound here and there. Some have left, and some have remained. I want to get back to that "net 25" pound loss. So that's what I'm going to do. It will get much easier when I can start doing classes at the gym and running also.

I'm sure my "feeling frumpy" is mainly due to my limited footwear choices. Some of you may think it would be fun to wear sandals everywhere you go but I'm not talking about sexy, strappy sandals. I'm talking about these chunky Chaco sandals:

I miss wearing my cute shoes and being able to choose which ones would match the outfit I put on. I just have to be patient and hang on a few more weeks until a regular shoe fits comfortably and doesn't irritate my incision.

Alright. Enough complaining. Onto some good stuff.

Last week I got to meet a Blogger friend face-to-face. Lauren was in the Bay Area for business and asked if I could meet up with her for an early morning hike. She was staying in Walnut Creek so I picked a park near her hotel. Boomer and I hit the road at 5:30 a.m. for the hour drive north to meet Lauren at 6:30. I had originally said to meet at Diablo Foothills Park but when I got there the gates were closed. I went back down the road and saw a sign for Borges Ranch - 3/4 mile off the main road. I sent Lauren a text and she found me. We hiked around for a little over an hour. I had never been to this park. I thought it was beautiful and the views were awesome.

She had to head up north for work so she didn't have a ton of time. It was fun chatting with her and getting to know more about her. My list of 20-something-year-old friends just keeps growing. I love it! Keeps me young, I think. Lauren said she will be up in the Bay Area more often so hopefully next time I can take her running on the trails.

I was able to go for a 3.5 mile walk this morning along the Alameda Creek Trail. But then I worked an eight hour shift and tonight my foot is swollen. I probably should spread the time of my feet out a little bit more than that. Live and learn.

Until later.............

So much stuff

2010-11-15T21:28:00.000-08:00

Last week my work schedule had me all tied up. It is lightening up now that I can work full days. That doesn't quite make sense, does it. I am now working less days, but longer hours. I have a little more time to breathe. I spent two days cross training in the winter sports and cycling departments at work. One day I learned all about skis and snowboards and the next day I learned everything I need to know about bikes. I got to test ride a few nice bikes too. This really got me in the mood to ride! I will be taking my bike in this week to change out the pedals (go back to my clips) and should be riding soon.

I received an email from Stacey Thursday asking me if I was free any time over the weekend. We made arrangements for a "walk" and coffee Saturday morning. She drove up to Fremont and I took her to Sunol where we hiked and talked for a little over two hours. The weather was absolutely beautiful, the conversation was nothing but stimulating, and the park did not disappoint.

After our hike I took her to my favorite deli in the Mission district of Fremont. We had to end our visit shortly after lunch so I could go home and get ready for work. Otherwise we probably would have ended up at a coffee shop where we'd *still* be sitting and chatting away.

Sunday was spent with my daughter Sara, shopping for her wedding dress. Believe it or not, she found THE ONE she saw on the designer's website six months ago that she really wanted. She made an appointment at the only dress shop in the Bay Area that carried that particular one. Prior to that appointment though, we went to a dress shop in Pleasanton that carried dresses by her designer and she tried on at least a dozen dresses, just in case THE ONE wasn't what she had been hoping. It was a ton of fun and I took a bunch of pictures. We ended up ordering her the dress from the cute little shop in Pleasanton. Now she gets to wait until March to try it on in her size.

Sara has been engaged 10 days and she already has her wedding date/time booked, the announcements ordered and shipped, the invitations ordered, her bridesmaids dresses bought, my dress bought, and now her dress ordered. I guess it pays to be a planner, eh?

Today I received a message from an out-of-state blogger friend. She's in the area for one night and wants to meet up with me in the morning. I'm thrilled I have the day off and Boomer and I get to meet her. I'm going to a park I've never been to also. I'll be sure to share photos afterwards.

Oh! I went in for my final post-op appointment this morning. I had x-rays taken and the doctor tells me my fracture is 90% healed. Yippee! He said I can start going for longer walks. (He never asked how much I'm walking now so I didn't tell him.) He also said I shouldn't "jump or run" for another four weeks. I don't know about that. We (I) will have to see how I'm feeling in two weeks.

Until later.............

Good news all around

2010-11-06T21:33:00.000-07:00

I couldn't stand it any longer. It had been five weeks without any single track under my feet. Friday, the dry spell came to an end. I took Boomer to Garin to tackle my favorite 3.25 mile loop. I originally thought I would stay on the fire road, just do an out and back to Jordan Pond. Once I got to the pond however, the single track was right there, tempting me.......

We went onto Dry Creek Trail and completed the loop. I just couldn't help myself. Here is some of the beauty I've been missing so much.

You understand completely, don't you?

Last week was such a busy week. It started with Halloween, then the Giants winning the World Series. Tuesday was election day and Wednesday was Sara's birthday.

My little girl is now 24. So hard to believe!

We spent the day together in Danville. We had lunch outside on the patio at a very nice little restaurant and then went to Pinky's where Sara got a pedicure and I got a manicure. In the evening we got together with my family for dinner.

Sterling and Sara

Friday night, Sterling took Sara to her favorite restaurant in Capitola to celebrate her birthday. While they were there, he offered her THIS:

She said YES!

I worked that night and didn't get home until 10:00 but they were waiting for me to get home so they could share the good news. I'm so happy for her and to have Sterling join our little family. They have been together over five years so we all figured they were going to get married. It's so exciting to know they ARE now! They're planning on June in Jamaica. She has spent all weekend visiting family members and telling them. When she and I went to church this morning, she barely had a voice left. It's great to see her so happy.

So, that's my good news - I'm back on single track trails and Sara is engaged. Woohoo!

Until later.............

One month later

2010-11-02T14:44:00.000-07:00

I know, must I ALWAYS start my blog postings off with a picture of my foot post-op? This will probably be the last one for a while, so enjoy! Here it is, one month after surgery:

As of today, I am quite happy with my results. In my opinion, I'm walking pretty normal. I don't think a stranger on the street would think I have anything going on at all.

Friday I went to Garin and walked for 90 minutes. There is a portion that is mostly flat and is close to 3 miles round trip. It was awesome to be back in my park with my boy! I think he felt the same way.

Sunday, Keith and I went to Sunol Regional Wilderness Park. The hike up to Little Yosemite is gravel, but some people would consider it a little bit of a climb. If I was out there trail running, I would consider it runnable. A friend posted some pictures from Sunol on Facebook and it really made me miss it. I thought about it for a night and by Sunday I had made up my mind that I was going to try to do this walk. I'm happy to say I made it. I used to know how far it was up and back but I forget exactly what it is now. I believe it's right over 3 miles. Whatever, it doesn't matter that much. All I know is I was out on a gorgeous day, in a wonderful park, with two of my favorite boys. I was happy. Elated, even!

Little Yosemite

October 31 - shorts and a tank top!

All of this, FOUR WEEKS after surgery. I am in shock. The day before I was supposed to put weight on my foot, I thought there was no way in hell that was going to happen. It did! The day before I was supposed to take off my surgical shoe and put on a regular shoe, I thought there was no way I was going to be able to do that. I did! And now I am walking 3 miles, working 4 hour shifts, swimming (if I want to), doing Pilates. Even as I type this, I shake my head. It's just unbelievable to me.

I have learned over the last month just how much of a fighter I am. And how determined I was to get up and move as soon as I could. I took every little improvement and built on it. I looked at every accomplishment as a big one. It wasn't always easy and sometimes it was painful. But I did it, and I'm walking well, ONE MONTH LATER!!

I'm thinking I can see some single track trails in my not-too-distant future! That my friends, is an awesome sight.

Until later.............

Moving right along

2010-10-27T12:20:00.000-07:00

Boy oh boy, where do I start?

How about a photo of how my foot looks this morning!! I'm not a "feet person" at all, so if you get offended by pictures of feet, I understand and apologize.

Hard to believe, during recovery from surgery, that I've been so busy.

I went back to work yesterday. I was very excited about that. I worked a four hour shift, which was just enough. I will continue to work shifts no longer than 4.5 hours for the next couple of weeks. It was great to see some co-workers and help customers out. I'm glad I talked the doctor out of staying out for SIX weeks.

I've been going to Pilates twice a week since my second week of recovery. Yesterday I was finally able to do 100% of the class. I've also been working my upper body and abs a couple times a week, in the evening. I would like to go to yoga but I think that would be difficult considering I can't bend my big toe yet.

Early last week I took Boomer to our new dog park a few days. The 25 or 30 minute walks around the neighborhood were okay for a little bit but what the boy really needed was some off leash time. He's doesn't really play with other dogs that much so we mainly walked laps around the park. What he really likes is to play kickball with tennis balls. He lays (or crouches) next to it, I kick it, and he runs as fast as he can to where it stops. I walk over and do it all over again. He can do that all day, and all the sprinting wears him out.

Friday I met Leanne and her two doggies at the Alameda Creek Trail for a walk. That was the first day I could wear a regular shoe. We walked for about an hour and got rained on toward the end. I know we didn't get very far because I had to walk so slow but I was SO happy to be outside, walking freely, chatting with a friend and watching the dogs run around with each other.

Saturday I drove to San Francisco to volunteer at this PCTR event. I have worked it the past two years. I always help with check-in and work the aid station for a few hours. Every year, I find it less and less crazy that these people run circles around Crissy Field for 12 or 24 hours. It almost seems normal to me now. This year it was cold, rainy and windy for most of the event. The winner of the 24-hour event completed 104 laps (each lap is 1.04 mi.).

Shirtless runners get a spot on my blog

So do adorable little girls, dressed appropriately

This Marine carried this flag the entire time. Her goal was 80 laps in 24 hours.

I took Boomer to the Alameda Creek Trail again on Monday for a 60-minute walk. We got further this time, probably between 1.5 and 1.75 mi. I'm not wearing running shoes, they're still too snug on my foot, so I'm wearing open toe sandals. The only other dog we saw on the trail happened to step on my right foot! Yes, it hurt! A lot. I put this picture only because I think Boomer looks hilarious.

Yesterday after Pilates I went swimming. I dug out my suit, cap, goggles, ear plugs and went over to the pool. I have not been in the water since my triathlon, which was September, 2009. Isn't that horrible? Last summer I was swimming quite a bit and I liked it. I sprained my ankle in July so was unable to run. I would go to the pool and swim a mile a few days a week. Then the triathlon came and I hated the swim portion, in open water. I was so discouraged at my performance that I never wanted to swim after that. Since I am not able to do any type of cardio right now, other than swimming, I took the plunge. Ha ha! I stayed in for 35 minutes or so, completing half a mile. It was nice to get my heart rate up a bit but I found it extremely boring. I have four more pre-paid passes so I will probably go once a week until I can start cycling and/or running.

Tonight Sara and Sterling will be coming over for dinner, to carve pumpkins, and roast pumpkin seeds. It's a tradition we do every year and I'm happy Sara looks forward to it as much as I do. The guys? Probably not so much. At least tonight we get to watch the Giants in the World Series while we cook and carve.

Do you have any Halloween traditions?

GO GIANTS!

Until later.............

Making progress

2010-10-19T23:26:00.000-07:00

Day by day, my foot gets better. Little improvements are noticeable every day. I am trying to stay optimistic about my recovery but it seems like time is just dragging. I feel pretty good about what I am able to do today and then I think how long I have to wait to run and I get frustrated. I don't see how I can wait another six to eight weeks. Seriously, I don't see that happening.

Sara and I went to the Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Festival Saturday. We left here at 7:00 a.m. to beat the traffic going over Hwy 92. We were able to get there and find a parking lot just two blocks away. We enjoyed a cup of coffee and some pumpkin bread while we waited for the booths to open up. We walked around for a couple of hours before driving to a pumpkin patch to get our pumpkins.

Yesterday I went for two 25-minute walks with Boomer. I had to take a tiny break half way through each walk. It might get easier once I can wear a different shoe. This surgical one SUCKS! It is hard and flat, not flexible at all. When I walk I can't go heal to toe very easily. I get to put on a sandal or running shoe Friday. That will be interesting. I also started driving yesterday. I drove to the grocery store (two blocks away) to do a little necessary shopping. I caught up on laundry and made dinner too.

This morning I went to Pilates. Then tonight, I went back to the gym and used the machines for an upper body and ab workout while Keith and the girls did a class. It is nice that I can still do some things for my body.

I am constantly trying to bend my toe, as I sit. Sometimes I think I'm really bending it a lot and I look down and see I'm not moving it at all. :( It's a very strange sensation. The incision feels tight and dry. I called and left a message for my doctor yesterday, asking him when I could put lotion on it and he said in a week. For some reason, I believe it will heal better if it stays soft. I could be wrong. I can remove the little piece of tape tomorrow.

I got some good news from my doctor: I can swim in 5 days!!! I'm going crazy without getting my heart rate up and breaking a sweat. I thought a rowing machine would be a good idea but evidently that even uses the foot too much. I believe a punching bag would do the trick but I don't know anybody that has one. So, swimming will have to do for now.

I went to REI Sunday to do a little shopping and received warm hugs from everyone. I am back on the schedule starting Tuesday. I am looking forward to being back at work and seeing everyone on a regular basis again. We are like a little family there and I miss them.

So, maybe it's not a lot of progress. Or maybe it is and I don't realize it. But I do know it's the best I can do for now.

Until later.............

Bunion be gone!

2010-10-15T17:39:00.000-07:00

I finally had my post-surgery office appointment this morning. To my amazement, the doctor was running on time. As soon as I sat down in the waiting room, I was called into the examination room. The nurse shut the door and was immediately ready to remove my dressing. Yikes!

Let me back up by saying I slept absolutely horrible last night, anticipating my appointment this morning. I had no idea what my foot was going to look like - where the incision was, if I had stitches or glue, etc. I was also a little concerned that I may be over doing it and he would be able to tell by how my foot looked. This morning I had two cups of coffee before showering to get ready for my appointment. I inadvertently forgot to eat breakfast.

Well, the nurse took off my dressing and expressed how good my foot looked - no swelling, no bruising. She said I appear to be the perfect patient, I must have kept it elevated and iced like I was supposed to do. In reality, I did. For the first week I was in so much pain, that's all I did. Day and night, it was elevated with an ice pack on it. Yes, I'm the "perfect" patient!

The doctor came in and took a look at my foot. He too, was very happy with how the foot looked. He took the strip of tape off of the incision and was ready to remove my stitches. I wasn't quite ready but knew it had to be done. I held my breath and he looked me in the eyes while he slowly pulled the stitch out. It didn't feel bad, but it didn't feel good either. Suddenly, I felt very light-headed. I said so, and he immediately put my chair into a reclining position. That only lasted a minute or so and I was so happy when I looked at my foot and saw my bunion was GONE!

This was before:

My foot looks so different. Look at that space between my big toe and my second toe now. And my big toe is straight, instead of turned toward my second toe. I'm very excited about the final outcome. My pain has increased a little but I'm sure that won't last long. In one week, I can wear a sandal. Until then, I still have to wear the stupid, ugly, old-person-looking velcro surgical shoe.

I got to see my before and after x-rays, which was cool.  He zoomed in on the two titanium screws and the fracture in my toe. Not so cool!

We talked a little bit about the amount of pain I had experienced right after the surgery (having to go to ER that night) and at first he was acting surprised. Then, out of nowhere, he says, "Oh, I know why you were in so much pain. I broke your toe and inserted screws into it!"  Ha ha ha ha ha.  I guess he just has a "strange" sense of humor, huh?

I go back in four weeks for my final appointment.  He mumbled something about not running until TEN weeks post-op. Before, he said EIGHT. I forgot to ask about being able to swim in four weeks so I will have to make a phone call in the next week or so. I am supposed to do very small range of motion exercises three times a day. Just moving the big toe up and down, stopping before any kind of discomfort. I'm not sure how I feel about that.

Yesterday I went to Pilates in the morning and then went back to the gym in the evening and used a bunch of the machines for upper body work while Keith did a "24SET" class. The doctor said I can continue to do upper body work but no Elliptical. Yes, I asked. Well, I figured since I can do that while keeping my foot flat. Yeah, he gave me that same look.

Until later.............

What's the saying?

2010-10-13T11:26:00.000-07:00

Give me an inch, I will take a mile!

I am actually having to record my activities on a calendar again. I can hardly believe it. Today is 12 days since my surgery. Naturally, my "MED2010" is not perfect but I am definitely doing the very best I am able to do. I've been using the Home Gym almost every day. One night I did planks and used my Pilates bands for some upper body work. Once I started moving, I am having trouble stopping. Am I over-doing it? I don't think so. Sometimes my toe will hurt and when it does, I chill out.

Monday I took Boomer around the block by myself. He was so sweet. Usually he and I walk at a very fast pace. Monday he was walking at my pace, nice and slow. He is not one to "heal" when we walk but he was actually walking right next to my left leg a lot of the time. When he would get to the end of his leash, he would stop and wait for me to catch up, without pulling. I stepped on a rock and kind of lost my balance at one point. My reaction was, "ouch". He immediately turned and looked at me and then walked right back to my side. He amazes me, how in tune he is with me and my feelings.

After my walk, I was able to vacuum my house, make the bed, clean the bathroom, dust. I was so happy to be able to get some stuff done around here. I did an upper body work-out on the Home Gym. Then my step-daughter came over and gave me a haircut. It was really an awesome day!

Yesterday, my step-daughter picked me up and took me to the gym so I could go to a Pilates class. I was SO excited. The instructor was shocked to see me. I told her I would be out for about three weeks. Instead, I only missed one week. I was able to do 95% of the class. I was a little hesitant being on hands and knees because I didn't want to stub my toe on the ground. Other than that, I was good. Loren said she will take me back on Thursday. Yay!

Today is my 18th wedding anniversary. 18 years ago today, Keith and I were married in Jamaica!

Since this was a second wedding for both of us, we were more concerned about the honeymoon than a fancy wedding. We found Sandals in Jamaica, an all-inclusive, couples-only resort. We decided that was where we wanted to go on our honeymoon. After doing some more research, we saw they did weddings for a very reasonable cost and it included absolutely everything (even the best man and maid of honor!) How could we go wrong.

We arrived on Monday morning and they require you be on the island a minimum of 24 hours before you get married. We set up our wedding for 5:00 Tuesday evening, right before sunset.

The morning of our wedding, I was learning how to scuba dive. They let you do it for free but you have to be "certified". Keith has a certification from the States so he didn't have to go through the training. I did the textbook class and the swim test before putting a tank on my back and heading down to the ocean for that portion of the class. We (students) sat on the beach and the instructor would pull us out, under the water with our masks on and we were learning how to breathe. I didn't like this part so I kept kicking backwards out of the water. The third time I did this, I felt something sharp on my butt. I figured I just sat on some sea grass. I threw my tank off, stood up and wiped the sand off my behind. I felt no sea grass and it was still stinging. I couldn't believe it - I sat on a jelly fish!!! It's 1:00 and I'm getting married at 5:00. Gah!

I went to sick bay and they took care of me. I went on to get a manicure/pedicure (sitting on the edge of the chair the entire time) and by the time my wedding came along, I was fine. It still makes us laugh when we think about the whole ordeal. But really, how many people can say they sat on a jelly fish four hours before they got married?!

It was a pretty quick "ceremony" with my maid of honor and Keith's best man dressed in typical Jamaican party attire. We joke because we were the only white people in our wedding. We had a little reception with rum wedding cake and they provided us with a private dinner where they served us steak and lobster.

We probably wouldn't have picked Tuesday, the 13th to get married but I will tell you, 13 has been our lucky number ever since. It is surprising how often that number comes up for us. Even 1013 (October 13) does. As a matter of fact, I was born at 10:13 p.m. And, most recently, my papers from my bunion surgery have a discharge time of 10:13 a.m. I know, it's strange.

Keith surprised me with a new camera this morning. While he is off at work, I am baking a heart-shaped cake which I will decorate with red sprinkles and red hot candies. Tonight we are going to a nice seafood restaurant in San Jose.

We have beat the odds, this we know. We've lived together for almost 20 years. We raised two girls from our previous marriages, who have grown up to still be great friends and live together today. These girls still like to hang out with us too. We've had a successful business for almost 19 years. I was able to stay at home from the time the girls were in 3rd grade until after they graduated high school. We've both quit old habits and started new ones. We've learned to step up when the other can't quite do it. We give each other space, and provide love and affection not because we have to but because we want to. Has it always been easy? Heck no! Is it worth it? Oh yes!

Until later.............

One week post-op

2010-10-10T19:11:00.000-07:00

Thursday night I was watching television and noticing how people just "stood up and walked". UGH! I got so mad that I can't do that. I just wanted to stand up, move away from the chair and WALK. I saw no walking in my future. Ever! I was in such a funk.

I knew Friday was the day I was cleared for weight bearing on my foot. But I just couldn't imagine I would be able to put weight on it the next day.

Friday came and I kept trying to put my foot down on the floor. Nope. I'd try again and again. Each time, pulling it up as soon as it touched the floor because of the pain. By late afternoon, I was trying SO hard to just take one little step. Finally, holding both crutches, I took a step. It hurt, I'm not going to lie. I called it good for the day.

Yesterday morning I started trying again. After having a couple cups of coffee, I just started hobbling on my crutches, from one end of the house to the other and kind of placed my foot down with each step. Pretty soon, I was putting more weight on it. After a few trips back and forth, before I knew it, I was walking on it. I took a little break then got up and tried again. I was a bit stiff at first but just kept going back and forth. Finally, I felt comfortable enough to drop a crutch. Ta-da! One crutch down!

I did take two crutches when I left the house though, because I was going to be moving around a lot and wasn't sure how long I would hold up.

Sara picked me up at 3:00 and drove me up to Lake Chabot. I strongly suggested to Stacey, the last time I saw her, that she would probably LOVE running the Golden Hills Marathon. I have run this marathon twice, and I volunteered last year. Since I couldn't run it with her this year, I wanted to be at the finish to see her come in.

The course starts at Tilden Park in Berkeley and takes you through the gorgeous parks I love to run in Oakland and ends at Lake Chabot. There is always a wonderful crowd hanging out and TONS of food, drinks and desserts. There is a 50-mile race going on at the same time and ends at the same place. This year, there were 450 runners registered, between the two distances. Stacey did absolutely awesome, finishing the 26.2 grueling trail miles in a little over seven hours. She said she thought the course was beautiful and I did not mislead her in any way.

After we left Lake Chabot, Sara and I went to see a movie where I laughed a lot and ate popcorn and Junior Mints. I got home about 8:30 and was exhausted. I iced my foot and elevated it because it felt a tad swollen from letting it hang down at the movie. It was a great day though and felt wonderful to get outside.

I was feeling sorry for Boomer last week because the poor guy is not getting the kind of exercise he is used to. I called a friend of mine that we do dog-sitting back and forth with and told her about my surgery and limitations. She walks her dog around Lake Elizabeth twice a day. She came that afternoon (Wednesday) and both Thursday and Friday morning to take Boomer out with her and Hannah, the Portuguese Water Dog. When she dropped Boomer off Friday morning, she said she would call me after the weekend, which makes me believe she is going to keep doing this for a little while. That was a big load off of my shoulders.

Pain medication is not needed during the day anymore. I am taking one at night time and sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and need one. Sleeping is a challenge. I have been sleeping on top of the covers with a blanket over me and a pillow under my foot. Last night I tried to sleep under the covers but I was just too worried about my foot getting moved the wrong way. This caused me to have trouble falling asleep. I got back on top of the covers and ended up being woken up two or three times during the night from pain. I have faith that it will only get better.

This morning when I woke up, it looked so beautiful outside. I put on some shorts and stepped out onto the porch. I decided I wanted to go for a walk. Since Keith had to work, I sent Sara a text and told her I wanted to go around the block. She asked if I had a wheelchair. I told her I didn't, I wanted to walk! She said she'd be right over. She took Boomer on his leash and we all walked (VERY SLOWLY) around the block - without crutches!!! It took forever, but I did it. I was very excited.

So, all in all - a pretty good last couple of days. Wouldn't you say? I think it's only going to get better from here on out.

Until later.............

Post-op appointment

2010-10-05T13:20:00.000-07:00

I wrapped my foot in a plastic garbage bag yesterday and secured it with duct tape so I could shower. I used our small walk-in shower instead of mine which is in a bathtub. I had to use the three walls to balance myself because I can put no weight on my right foot yet. It is cooling off here so I slipped on some yoga pants and a tank top but by the time I got dressed I was over heated so changed back into shorts. I was going to blow dry my hair but the shower and getting dressed wore me out so I just pulled my hair into a ponytail. I did all this so I could get to my 5:00 p.m. post-op appointment. Keith dropped me off as close as he could and then he went and parked. I hobbled along on my crutches to the doctor's office and plopped down on a chair in the waiting room. Phew, we made it. Keith went up to the receptionist to check in for me. He told her I had a 5:00 appointment. "Oh, she has a 5:00 phone appointment. Dr. is going to call her." When I was leaving the surgery center, we (Keith, Sara and I) heard I had a post-op appointment and none of us heard "phone".

I get a call from a nurse a few minutes later telling me Dr. had to go to the hospital so he was unable to do his phone appointments last night, he would call me in the morning. He called this morning at 8:45.

Doctor: Are you doing okay?
Me: Depends on what you mean by "okay".
Doctor: Are you in any pain?
Me: Yes, actually! I've been in quite a bit of pain. I'm not what you would call a wimp either, I have a pretty strong pain threshold.
Doctor: Well, we may have to reclassify you then. Out of all the patients I have talked to, you're the only one complaining of pain. Many of the other surgeries were more extensive than yours.

Thanks Doc! I feel a whole lot better now. He already told me in my pre-op appointment that I wouldn't even need pain killers after the first night. I wonder if he's every had this particular surgery.

Doctor: Have you been elevating, icing?
Me: I have been doing everything I am supposed to do. I have been elevating with three pillows, day and night. Icing under my knee, right?
Doctor: Try icing your foot too, that may help. If it's not 50% better by this time tomorrow, call and make an appointment for me to see you Thursday or Friday.

I have been icing my FOOT since then and the pain is substantially better. Instead of two Vicodin every four hours, I am taking one Vicodin every six hours. This means of course, that I'm awake more which means I am already bored out of my mind. BORED, I tell ya.

I did ask Keith to get the Total Home Gym set up for me to use tonight. I guess I could read up on how to use it.

My next appointment is on October 15th. I did clarify - it is an office visit.

Until later.............

Day Two Post-op

2010-10-03T10:13:00.000-07:00

I got to the hospital at 8:00 Friday morning and went through the admitting process. They called me in a little afterwards to change into my surgery outfit. I was put into a bed and a nurse started asking me a bunch of questions, many of which I had already answered on paper twice and in person to two or three people. The worst question of all was "are you still having periods?" Seriously? Am I *that* old now? She replied, "I guess so. I also need to know if you have dentures or wear a hearing aid." Nice!

At 9:10 they wheeled me into the operating room where my doctor and the anesthesiologist were waiting for me. I scooted onto a tiny operating bed and before I knew it the doctor was putting a tourniquet on my ankle and a gas mask was on my mouth. The anesthesiologist asked me to take a couple of deep breaths. She asked me if I felt anything. I said I felt nothing yet. She asked me if I was nervous or excited. About that time I said I was sleepy. My next sentence was supposed to be "I'm very sleepy" but I'm not sure the entire sentence came out.

The next thing I knew, some lady was trying to wake me from a very restful sleep. I was in the recovery room and it was 10:15. I was home before noon and feeling pretty good. My ankle block had my foot completely numb but the doctor said to take a Vicodin anyway, every four hours so I took one as soon as I got home. By 5:00 the block had worn off and the pain was coming on. I took a pain pill at 4:00 but could tell it wasn't doing anything so I took another one. At about 6:30 the pain was still getting stronger and stronger. I took two more Vicodin. I waited as long as I could but finally took more at 9:30. I was expecting this to be painful, no doubt about it. I was also expecting my pain would be managed by the prescription I had been given. It was getting progressively worse and I was nowhere near being able to fall asleep. I had taken my maximum dosage of Vicodin already and still had over 12 hours to go. I was taking 800 mg of Ibuprofin too. My pain level was a 14 on a scale of 1-10. I was grinding my jaw and white knuckling the couch! I knew I wasn't going to make it through the night. Keith called the advice nurse twice and she recommended I go to the emergency room to get the pain under control. We decided this was probably the best thing to do.

When we got to the ER I was taken directly to a room. The nurse came in and evaluated me and then the doctor came in and said hi. After a short time, I had an IV in me and the nurse injected a very strong pain reliever which took affect quickly. Thank God. Half an hour later, he injected more since the first one wore off. I was feeling no pain and fell asleep quickly. Right about then they want me to go home. I was conscious but super drugged up. Sara got me into the wheelchair and the front seat of the car. I was on crutches from my garage to my room with Sara in front of me and Keith behind me. They sent Percoset (sp.) home with me and I took two and fell right to sleep, until 6:30 yesterday morning.

All day yesterday I took two Percoset every four hours and my pain level has been very manageable (a 3 or 4 vs 14!). I am getting sharp pains, twitches and uncontrollable spasms but they only last a few seconds. I have been keeping the foot elevated and ice under my knee (that's what they said) around the clock since I first got home.

I will continue to manage the pain with medication today. I have my follow-up appointment tomorrow at 5:00 with the doctor. I'm anxious to hear how the surgery went, if it was worse or better than he thought it would be.

Thank you everyone for your well wishes, prayers, and nice comments.

Until later.............

It's Showtime!

2010-09-30T21:17:00.000-07:00

September is over, which means tomorrow is October 1st and I get to have my bunion removed from my right foot.

I definitely took advantage of September, spending a lot of time on my feet - 116 miles, to be exact (plus walking 1.5 days at Disneyland).

It stacks up like this: Running: 75 miles
Walking: 41.7 miles
I also attended 11 classes at the gym.

How did I spend my last few days?

09/28 - 3.5 mile walk

Yesterday (09/29) I went to Garin and enjoyed a lovely 4.25 miles with Boomer. I took a few pictures of my favorite spots. I want to see how different it looks the next time I'm out there, in about six weeks.

Today (09/30) I drove up to Oakland to run at Joaquin Miller Park. I took my time, hiked when I felt like it and took in all the sights I could. I took a ton of pictures to upload on my computer and will look at them whenever I need a sense of serenity. Here's a few of my favorites from today.

It's not called "Fern Trail" for nothing

And, my favorite of all:

Keith and I had dinner tonight with Sara and Sterling, instead of going to the gym. I am trying to get all the laundry done and put away and things in order. I went to Trader Joe's and stocked up on everything I may need for the next week.

I need to be at the hospital at 8:00 tomorrow morning and my surgery will begin by 9:30. Naturally, Keith and Sara have both taken the day off to be there for me. I plan on waking up early to have a nice walk with Boomer and then shower and wash my hair before I go. Bummer though, I can't have anything to drink after midnight tonight - NO COFFEE! I LOVE my coffee. Maybe I'll have a cup when I get home. We'll see.

So, that's it on the running front for now.

I'll keep you posted on my healing.

Until later..............

Single Track Junkie

Riding, running and swimming. Oh my!

Someone new, some things old....

Knock, knock.......

Mendocino Anniversary Ride & Run

Goodbye Ellen.....

Same time last year

Mt. Diablo Half Marathon, 09/17/2011

8000 Meter Challenge - Mt. Baldy (11 miles)

The day before "The Challenge"

Catching up

Blogging?

Trail running and tea tasting

I have a confession

Bike 4 Breath, 2011

The fun just doesn't stop!

I'm done obsessing

A few kids, walking a little taller

Gotta love California!

Jamaica wedding

Dear Blog,

Spike's Hike

Running no more?

Diablo Century - April 17, 2011

Cinderella Challenge Ride - April 2, 2011

Princesses are ready to roll!

Yeah, so what?!

80 mile Cinderella Challenge training ride - Mines Road, Livermore

Lack of sugar

Really? February's gone?

ABC's of me!

Sickies all around

Another lucky dog

My thinking cap is on

January and today

Brazen's Coyote Hills 10k - January 29, 2011

Once upon a weekend.......

Miracles do happen!

Take the good with the bad

I am now a Princess in training

"Moving" right along

Here I go again

How did you spend the last day of 2010?

Everything takes time, right?

Such a busy time of year

I am a *freak* for Fall colors

Life Is Good winner.......

"Life Is Good" Giveaway!

The wait is over!

Quality time

Change is coming

So much stuff

Good news all around

One month later

Moving right along

Making progress

Bunion be gone!

What's the saying?

One week post-op

Post-op appointment

Day Two Post-op

It's Showtime!

I am a freak for Fall colors