STOKED!

After running with Theresa and Toni yesterday, I am now looking forward to my 50K run on Saturday.

Me, Theresa, Toni

If you enlarge this photo, you can see Alcatraz & Angel Island. The larger of the two, on the right side, is Angel Island. That's where we will be running. You can also see the Golden Gate Bridge, just to the left.

Boomer and I drove up to Oakland to hook up with Theresa and Toni. We got in their car and drove up to Berkeley to begin our run. We ran through Tilden, Sibley and Huckleberry Regional Parks before getting to my car again.

For some reason, this tree made Toni crave sushi! Don't ask me. LOL

There's Mount Diablo in the far distance. Just shows how big that mountain really is. I can see it from everywhere I go here in the bay area.

A (very chatty male) cyclist was kind enough to take this picture for us. Boomer absolutely LOVED keeping track of three women.

We were gone longer than we had planned, due to a late start because someone (not me) got lost. None of us had enough fuel so Theresa was tempted to eat a leaf that was the size of her head!

Why am I so stoked? I think we are going to ROCK on Saturday! Why? Because Theresa is strong on the uphills so she'll be able to talk me up them. And I'm pretty good on the downhills so I can pull her on those. We'll have to work together on the flat portions. But as of yesterday, I feel like we'll be really good running this 50K together. I'm super excited about it now. ;)

Now I just have to make it through these next five days without running. GAH! Wish me luck!!

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

Not a long one, but a hard one. What?

I'm talking about my run today.

I took the furry kid to Sunol today so we could go up to Mission Peak, the back way. The trail goes through the Ohlone Wilderness. This is the way the Ohlone 50K runners came down from Mission Peak last weekend. It's a much prettier route than Stanford. I'm not sure it's any easier but I really wasn't looking for easier, now was I? It is a bit longer too. And there is some very nice single track. WOOT!

Boomer is quicker than me on the uphills. But then again, who isn't?!

I can't tell you the last time Boomer has been on this trail. I haven't been here since last summer. He hasn't been here for maybe 2.5 or 3 years? However.... he knew around which turn coming up, the drainage pipes were going to be. He spotted every single one. Silly dog!

Here is the back side of Mission Peak. It just looks like a little hill from this side.

And look, they still have cows here! One of the babies actually copped an attitude with Boomer. He fell for it and took off in the other direction. As soon as we hit this section, which is at the base of the summit, the wind from the west was super strong. Made me very happy I came up the way I did.

We finally made it to the top. Here we shared a bag of Clif Blocks before turning around and heading back down.

No Boomer in front of me anymore. He is much slower than me on the downhills. LOL I had to keep waiting for him. I'm not sure if it's the gravel on this section or that he just doesn't like downhill. Or perhaps he's tired by this point.

I love all of the old beautiful trees on this trail. You just don't get this when you go up the front of the mountain.

Tomorrow is a longer run with Theresa and Toni. Yippeeeeeeee!

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

Did I tell you?

I'm signed up for this 50K: Angel Island (Jun 20). Yah, that's a week from Saturday.

With all the other stuff going on, I think I forgot to mention that I have signed myself up. I am taking a victim with me too. (haunted laugh noise) Theresa agreed to keep me company on this run. She, like me, has run one ultra-marathon prior to this one. We are both a little nervous about the 8-hour time limit. The cut-off is 6.5 hours at the 42K (26 mile) mark. I've completed a trail marathon in under six hours (barely) so I have faith we will pull it off. The elevation gain isn't terrible, at 4,070 feet.

I am going to do a long run tomorrow (still deciding where) and on Saturday I will be meeting Theresa and her friend Toni in Oakland. We'll be doing another long run along the Golden Hills Marathon course. Then it's the ever dreaded TAPER! Have I told you how much I despise tapering? Huh, have I? Although, thinking back to Diablo (last Saturday), I did no tapering at all. I had that really bad week prior and ran more than I should have (34 miles) because, well, I had to run to stay from going completely crazy. I must have been very tired going into the Diablo 25K. More tired than I knew.

That's it for now.


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

Goodbye Cows (and a Dad Update)

Here's something I'm not used to seeing at Garin:


Six trucks parked just inside one of the entrances. They were here to collect the cattle and take them to Colorado to "fatten up" before going to slaughter. So sad. As everyone knows, I love seeing the cows at Garin. I told these truck drivers I wouldn't be mad at them, since they weren't taking the cows directly to their death sentence.

Boomer and I continued on our little four mile run. We didn't see any cows on our trails but we did enjoy the beautiful park, just the same.

Then I picked up my brother and headed up to San Francisco to see our dad. We stopped and had lunch along The Great Highway, by The Cliff House. After lunch we walked around a little bit and took some photos.

Ocean Beach:

We finally decided we needed to do the inevitable, take Steve back into the hospital. As soon as we walked in, he said "that feeling" was coming over him. He immediately went over and got some water as I stood and laughed at him. He ended up being totally fine.

My dad is in a private room. No beeping machines. Less tubes are coming out of his body. He's walking three times a day, down the hall and back. He got to have a shower and a shave today. He looked much better. I brought some photos of my family to show my dad. I also brought graduation pictures of my niece and nephews that my dad has never seen. One of my three brothers, for reasons different than my own, has not talked to my dad in probably closer to 30 years. Consequently, my dad has three grandchildren he has never met. He was very emotional when he looked at the photos.

He has missed out on a lot in his life. I see he realizes this now. I can try to make sure the remaining years of his life will be filled with a little more happiness. I think at this point, a little can go a long way.

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

It's a new week

My next door neighbor, Jerry, picked up Boomer this morning for his Sunday playdate at Garin with his puppy, Sophie. Even though I had planned on going for a run with HSE Lori, I let Jerry take Boomer. Sophie and Boomer love playing together and Jerry enjoys taking the two of them out together.

HSE Lori called me last night and asked if I'd like to go for a run at Garin this morning. Even though I had run 12 miles at Diablo yesterday, I really didn't want to pass up a run with her and her cute little Mikey. We ran 8.25 miles, combining two of my favorite loops. We talked a lot, as we always do and it felt GREAT!

At mile 6.5, we actually ran into Jerry, Sophie and Boomer. I think Boomer was a little confused seeing me there. Mikey and Sophie instantly fell in love. They ran around, hopping all over each other and chasing each other through the water.

While Boomer kept an eye on Jerry's front pocket that held the treats. We took Boomer with us for the remainder of our run.

I called my dad tonight. He's been moved to the TCU, into a private room. He will more than likely be released Wednesday morning. My plan is to go see him tomorrow or Tuesday. Still debating about bringing my brother. :-/

As I'm typing my blog, Victoria (on the right) has sent me this photo taken yesterday, prior to the race starting. A lady, who I don't know, took this picture because of our pink/black outfits. Victoria's friend, Suzanne, is on the left.

I'm very happy last week is over and even more happy it happened the way it did. It was a little stressful but being able to write about it and get feedback was awesome! I never knew having a little blog about trail running was going to provide me with such support. Thank you all so much!!

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

PCTR Mount Diablo 25K Trail Run

Running shoes? Check
Cute new running outfit? Check
Hat, sunglasses, sunscreen? Check
Ankle taped up? Check
Good mental state? OOPS!

I think my week affected me more than even I want to admit. And remember when I said I held back my tears at the hospital? I shouldn't have. The outcome? A giant meltdown on the side of the trail at mile 5.5 of a 16 mile run. When you are climbing almost continuously for that long and you are by yourself, your mind can wander. I try to keep it positive but today I just couldn't get enough good thoughts together. I couldn't get any. I tried, I tell ya. I continued on up the trail for a little bit and felt another meltdown coming on. I stopped, took my number off, turned around and went back down the trail. Enough is enough. Get me the heck out of here. After a couple of miles, I was disappointed in myself that I didn't go all the way to the turn around point. Yup, I felt like a loser!


I have some nice pictures to share though. ;)

Last time I ran at Mount Diablo was the marathon in April. It was 95 degrees that day. I used this water to cool myself off at one point. Today it was COLD! I wish I had gloves. And my long sleeved shirt. It was overcast and windy up high. Everyone just ran on by the available water today.

I did catch these two military men visiting from Camp Pendleton. I enjoyed chatting with them for a couple of miles. It's always fun to tell "boys" I have a daughter just about their age. Jaws drop and the accusations fly. I could keep their 7:48 pace on the downhill portions but once it flattened out I had to let them go. They were doing the 50K. I told them smoking crack wasn't allowed in the military and they had to be smoking it to agree to do THIS 50K. It's brutal.

I waited around for Christy to finish in 4:05. Good job girl!

Theresa finished a few minutes later. Taking 20 minutes off her time from last year. Way to go!

I'm glad I waited around (actually, I had to - I drove Christy. LOL) because Theresa ordered three mountain sized pizzas to be delivered at 1:00. And, there was CAKE!

It's easy to work through a difficult situation if you're mentally strong. It's impossible to work through a difficult situation if you're not. Today, I was not. I think today happened just as it was supposed to. I don't question that. It's not like I ever have "free time" to just sit and cry. It was forced upon me. I'm cool with that.

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

"The Visit"

The support I received from all of you was amazing! I cannot thank you enough. The comments were so touching. It helped me immensely! I have the best blogger friends in the world. ;)

As I said before, prior to yesterday I had not seen my dad for almost 20 years and we hadn't talked for 14 years. I won't go into the reasons why my dad and I haven't spoken for 14 years. I was 31 at that time so you have to know that it wasn't just "one thing" that finally made that happen.

I picked up my brother yesterday after work and we drove up to the VA Hospital in San Francisco. Since I hadn't seen my dad or step-mom for close to 20 years, I asked Steve if he should go in first. I thought if we walked in together, they might think I was his girlfriend! Hey, you never know. I had asked my brother not to say I was going up with him. Maybe I figured I could still back out if I wanted. Come to find out, he did tell my step-mom earlier in the day.

Since my dad was in the intensive care unit, we had to go to a family waiting area and call the room from there. This is where my step-mom met up with us. I was pleasantly surprised by the warm greeting she extended to me. She, along with two nurses, walked us back into the ICU. I could feel my mouth getting dry, my heart beating faster. And now I had to pee!

My dad is 6'4" and was always about 240 pounds or so. He was in the Marines when he was young. He's always been, what I would consider, a hard worker, a tough man.

When we approached his "area" in the ICU, my step-mom pointed to where he was, behind the curtain, and she stood back while Steve and I continued walking. When I saw him, he was sitting in a chair, holding a big stuffed heart shaped pillow to his chest. He looked so small. His hair is all grey. He had two days of growth on his face. He looked all of his 73 years old. We walked toward him and he held his arms out to us. He looked at me and started to cry. He said he was so happy to see me. He wouldn't let go of my hand for the longest time. He just kept looking at me and squeezing my hand. My brother went ahead and took the only chair there while I continued to stand next to my dad.

It wasn't uncomfortable. I thought it would be. We caught up on as much as we could. After about an hour of standing, I asked Steve if I could sit down, my ankle was starting to hurt. At this time, my dad started telling us about his surgery. A single bypass. His ribs are now wired together and the incision on his skin is stapled. He had the pillow on his chest because they don't want his ribs busting open when he coughs. All of the sudden, my brother says, "I can't take it Jo." I turn to look at him and he's turning white. As a sheet! And he has a very blank look on his face. His lips are white. Now he starts to wobble. I scream and everyone starts running over. I jump up to try and catch him. A chair is shoved under his legs. Down he goes! A little nurse grabs his feet and puts them up on her hips. Another nurse is asking me all these questions about his health - is he diabetic? does he have seizures? did he eat today? does he take blood pressure medication? any medication? should he go to the ER? Maybe they thought I was his girlfriend. LOL Right before he fell, I heard him say, "I don't like hospitals." I told the staff that he just doesn't like hospitals. They took his blood pressure, gave him a juice box. He recovered quickly, thank God. He told me we should probably not stay much longer. He needed some air. Gee, ya think? I'm glad I drove, that's for sure.

We said goodbye to our dad. I gave him my phone numbers and asked him to keep in touch. He cried again when I gave him a hug. I will admit that I had to hold back my tears. I mean, he is my dad after all. Seeing him in this condition was tough. He seemed so vulnerable, weak, and helpless. Nothing like the man I used to know.

My brother and I got in the elevator to go down to my car. When I looked at him, he was facing forward with a smirk on his face. Then it came. He said, "DOH!" I lost it. "You passed OUT!" I started laughing so hard. My eyes welled up. We couldn't stop laughing. Here we are in a hospital that only does major surgeries and we're laughing hysterically when the doors open up. We just couldn't help it.

I'm not sure my dad and I will ever have a tight relationship. I think at this point in my life I am willing to have some type of relationship though. I can't afford to live with resentments. I don't want to live or die with regrets.

Forgive. Accept. Live.