Random Compliments February 3, 2010

I love ‘em!

Today a total stranger came up to me at the drugstore … she told me she loved my hair and that I was “wearing the hell out of it.” :)

That’ll perk ya up on a cold and rainy Wednesday.

That’s Not Bad For A Quadriped February 2, 2010

HAPPY GROUNDHOG DAY!!!!

Looks like Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow today, which doesn’t bode well for an early spring. And that’s too bad, because winter came early to Austin this year, and as a result I have had more than enough cold weather by now.

Even so, Groundhog Day is still one of my favorite days … so this year I decided to geek out and do a little research. For example, did you know that Groundhog Day began as a Pennsylvania German custom in southeastern and central Pennsylvania in the 18th and 19th centuries? Did you know that it has its origins in ancient European weather lore, where a badger or sacred bear is the prognosticator as opposed to a groundhog?  Did you know there was such a thing as ancient European weather lore? ;)

Last year for Groundhog Day I treated myself to a birthday present and bought myself a race entry. Of course, I ended up getting hypothermia and not finishing the race, although it still ended up being one of my favorite races ever … and certainly my favorite race course. And of course, it gave me an excuse to spend several fantastic days in The ‘Ville, catching up with family and friends. I will definitely be back for that race or others, starting in 2011.

And this year?  Well, I’m sure I could find myself some fabulous present … after all, I do love me some presents!  :)  But the truth is there’s nothing I need, and I am so ridiculously happy with my world right now that presents would be overkill. Of course, I am going to top off one of my favorite days with a great new haircut … and really, Groundhog Day and a great Hair Day?  Now that is a winning combination!

And finally, some parting words before I take my leave … Don’t Drive Angry. :)

Making Progress January 22, 2010

I wrote an update about my adventures in veganism for my workout blog, but wanted to share it here as well.

For the past three weeks, as a way to kick off the New Year in good health, I have been doing this cleanse. As I wrote in my last post, My New Year’s resolution was to make my diet completely vegan. As a way to jump-start my resolution, I elected to do a 3 week cleanse, where I not only eliminated all animal products, but I also gave up sugar, alcohol, and caffeine. [Note: Kathy Freston's 21 Day Cleanse also eliminates gluten, but I already know wheat is not an issue for me, and so I elected to minimize gluten, rather than forgo it completely.] I don’t have a lot of caffeine to begin with (I mostly drink decaf green tea or decaf coffee), and when I do it’s usually in a soda, so eliminating sugar pretty much took care of the caffeine. I don’t drink a lot of alcohol either, so that wasn’t too tough (although that did end up being my one cheat).

The big challenge for me was sugar. I have never had a huge sweet tooth … I love salty food, but sweets have always been pretty easy for me to avoid. But ever since Cactus Rose, I had found myself having constant sugar cravings, and consuming FAR more sugar than I can ever remember having. Even when I used natural sweeteners like maple syrup, I found myself using them much more than normal. And I was really disturbed by this. There are probably a number of reasons for the cravings … I consumed a LOT of sugar during my race in the form of gels, chews, and Coke, so it’s not surprising that my body got into a craving cycle during that time. I may have grown tired of the taste during my race, but that doesn’t mean my body didn’t go into withdrawal afterward. I also created a HUGE calorie deficit during the race, and so perhaps as a way of trying to get back the calories I needed after the race, my body started craving foods that would provide a ready supply of quick energy, i.e. sweets. But whatever the reason, I felt like my sugar addiction was out of control, and it really disturbed me. The cleanse seemed like an ideal way to get off the sugar.

The first few days of the cleanse, I felt great. The entire New Year’s weekend I ate really well, ran a lot, and just generally was full of energy. But as the week wore on, the side effects started to hit. My digestive system was a mess … I was queasy and sick to my stomach every morning for nearly a week. This eventually turned into a minor but full-on stomach bug, but I don’t think that was what was happening the entire time. My skin also showed the effects. I am truly fortunate to have been blessed with great skin. I almost never break out at all. My skin wasn’t horrible by most people’s standards, but I developed the worst breakout I can remember in probably 15 years. I also just felt tired and heavy and sluggish.

This detox phase lasted most of the way through the second week of the cleanse. And then, like magic, about 10 days ago I suddenly started to feel wonderful! And that feeling has persisted ever since.

I feel lighter and cleaner. I have more energy overall … I still get tired, (which is why I took last night off from running and went to bed at 9 p.m.) but that has more to do with how hard I push myself. No diet can fix that. My skin is back to normal, and if anything looks even better. We’re in them middle of cedar season in Austin, and my allergies have hardly bothered me at all.

I’ve been experimenting with new recipes and changing up overall the way I eat. I’ve been eating lots more greens … kale, spinach, brussel sprouts, broccoli. I’ve even had kale for breakfast a few times when I woke up feeling like I needed an especially healthy start to my day … it’s better than you’d think! Also lots of whole grains … quinoa, lentils, brown rice, oatmeal. I’ve been adding hemp protein to smoothies on days when I feel like I need a little extra. More nuts and seeds like almonds, walnuts, peanut and almond butters, and sunflower and pumpkin seeds (I’ve started making my own yummy trail mix). And of course, many, many fruits and veggies. I’m trying to limit the amount of soy I eat. I don’t want to just replace animal products with soy substitutes … I want to completely rethink the way I eat. I still have some soy. Chocolate soy milk (without sugar) with some hemp protein may be the best recovery drink ever. And I still have the occasional veggie burger. But overall this is not a centerpiece of my diet. And although neither the cleanse nor a vegan diet requires the elimination of fried foods, it’s fairly obvious that potato chips and french fries should be eaten sparingly. And so while I’ve had both once or twice, I’m doing a great job of making them occasional treats rather than a regular part of my meals.

As I mentioned above, I did cheat on the alcohol part. I went to a party Saturday night, and had a couple glasses of wine, and then I also had a glass of wine and a beer this past Wednesday when I was out with a friend for a birthday celebration. But just like with caffeine, alcohol isn’t really an issue for me. I almost never have more than a drink or two, and I tend to drink at most two or three times a week. I factor in the calories, because that can be an issue with drinking. But otherwise, it’s not something that’s a problem for me.

The sugar was a little tougher. I think most of my detox symptoms were the result of going off sugar. I did substitute small amounts of agave syrup here and there … agave is an approved sweetener on the cleanse, since it doesn’t affect blood sugar and thus lead to cravings or addiction. And I bought some soda sweetened with Stevia … which is really good and I still don’t drink it very often. I think I’ve had 4 cans in the past 3 weeks. But I tried to wean myself off sweeteners as much as I could. So no refined sugar, no cane juice, molasses, maple syrup … none of it. Some days were harder than others, but overall it wasn’t terrible. And most importantly, after 3 weeks I feel so good to have broken the downward sugar spiral I was on.

Even better … as of this morning I have lost 4 pounds! And since I’m pretty sure I’ve put on some muscle as well, that’s a pretty significant change in three weeks. Especially since I made a point of being careful about what I was eating, but not counting calories. And I’m not looking for a quick fix or too-rapid weight loss. So this is just perfect. I still have some more weight I’d like to take off … about 5-8 pounds, depending on how I feel. But I’ve made a good start.

I thought many times over the past 3 weeks of the sweets I’d have when this was over … but now that I’m here, I think I’m going to try to continue to keep sugar out of my diet as much as possible. I don’t know that I’ll avoid it completely, but I’m going to think very hard before I indulge about whether it’s really worth it. And to the extent that I can use natural sweeteners like cane juice and maple syrup, I will. Noelle gave me a box of Mer’s vegan bars for Christmas, and I just got another order in this week. They are so yummy, and have become my primary treat! To have something this good, without chemicals or processed ingredients, that is a completely satisfying treat when I need one … what could be better? :-) Thank goodness Mer is going to keep making these!

Caffeine is also going to stay gone. That was an easy one to eliminate, and I can’t think of a good reason to reintroduce it. As far as alcohol, I may even try to cut back a little more. But like I said, it’s not a problem for me. And I really do enjoy the occasional glass of wine or a good dark beer. But it is good to know that I can go for an extended period of time without a drink and be fine.

And of course, the vegan part is here to stay. That was never in question. But the way I’ve managed to overhaul my diet in the past few weeks has me very pleased. I wanted to give up eating animal products, but not at the expense of my health. So developing these new eating habits that center around lots of whole foods, and realizing how great I feel after just a few weeks gives me a lot of confidence going forward. I even found some whole foods to eat during my long runs … how great is that?!!!

I recognize that a vegan diet isn’t for everyone, and I have no interest in preaching to people or trying to actively convert people. It’s a personal choice that each of us has to make for ourselves. But I think even for the carnivores out there, a cleanse like this can have great benefit. Sometimes it’s just good to recognize how certain foods affect us, and how small changes can make a huge difference in the way we feel. I’m sure as the year goes on and I further refine my eating habits, I’ll have more to report. But for now, I just couldn’t be more pleased with how this little experiment has turned out!

On the calendar for February … this workshop, on Diet & Lifestyles in Ayurveda and Yoga. I’ve been reading about Ayurveda – which is basically the Indian science of medicine and healing – for several months now, and my interest has only grown. There’s a spiritual focus, a physical and emotional component, and instruction on diet (a vegetarian diet is already part of this). It’s very much about creating health by living in tune with nature and one’s own physical and emotional makeup. I am so excited for this class!

I hope I’ll have lots more to report as my journey continues …

Reflections and Resolutions January 7, 2010

I have heard a lot of people talk about how happy they are that 2009 is over. I understand that for a lot of people it was a really rough year. I have friends who have had economic challenges, physical challenges, personal and relationship challenges. I guess if I look back, I had my share of some of those as well … and yet I feel like I grew and learned so much this year, I wouldn’t trade a second of it. The only reason I am glad 2009 is over is that I am looking forward to all the things to come in 2010. I have no idea what the future holds, but I feel good about whatever it is. The past few years I think I’ve grown as a person more than I ever have during any other period of my life. I feel like after years (hell, decades) of struggling to find and maintain my identity …  to remain centered no matter what is happening around me … to love and accept myself not just despite my flaws but because of them … to recognize that my so-called flaws are part of what makes me interesting and unique … after all the struggle I have finally started to achieve some semblance of equipoise, a sense of balance and calm that is not a product of nor dependent upon outside circumstances. And so I look at the New Year as just another step in this path I seem to be on … not sure where it’s leading, but really enjoying the journey.

A friend of mine did a post a few days ago with 10 things she was proud of doing in 2009, and I loved the idea so much I’m going to steal if for my very-own-self right here. New Year’s is so often about our resolutions for the coming year, which is fine (and I’ll get to that later) … but I love the idea of looking back and thinking about what we did right in the past year. So without further ado, here is my list of 10 things I am proud that I did in 2009, in the order that they happened …

1. Finished my first 100K race at Bandera, and within my time goal
2. Took a weekend-long workshop in Primordial Sound Meditation … I don’t do it twice-a-day-every-day like I should (that’s why they call it practice), but even so it has expanded my life in every way
3. Becoming Vice President of my trail running club … I’ve never been a club person, never much of a joiner, always sort of a kid-in-the-back-row-doing-my-own-thing type, but I guess I just never found the right club before
4. Decided to leave a job that I finally had to admit just wasn’t making me happy and miraculously got the exact job I wanted at the exact time I wanted it
5. Hired a personal trainer and started doing regular strength training … the work I’ve done with John has gotten results far beyond what I’d hoped for, and I even love doing the workouts
6. Hired a cleaning lady … I always thought I took great satisfaction from cleaning my house, but it turns out it pleases me just as much when someone else does it, and I can spend my time on other things that make me even happier
7. Cutting off all my hair … well not all of it, but most of it. I love it … it makes me feel bold and free, two of my favorite things
8. Learning to cut back and do less … sometimes things just don’t need to get done, and sometimes other people really want to help and I finally decided to let them
9. Started and finished a relationship where for the first time, and through the entire thing, I stayed true to myself
10. Finished my first 100 Mile race at Cactus Rose

There are certainly other things I could have come up with, but that’s a pretty good summary of my year and a lot of the things that made it great.

And now on to 2010 …

Given this journey of personal growth I seem to be on these days, there are plenty of things I would like to accomplish in the coming year. But I only made one true resolution …

As of January 1st, I have gone completely vegan … no meat, no fish, no eggs, no dairy. I’ve been leaning in this direction for the past 18 months or so, giving up some things, adding things back in. In some ways it was a bit of an experiment, to see how it would work and how I would feel physically and all that. But somewhere along the way, this process of changing my diet changed who I am and what I believe … and as it turns out, I just think it’s wrong to eat animals. Period. Not just the ones in factory farms … but all of it.

Let me be clear, I’m not judging my vegetarian and carnivore and omnivore friends out there. This is about me and what I feel is the right thing to do in my life right now. I’m not here to preach or convert or criticize. This is just my way of living my own beliefs and trying to be a better, kinder person … to myself, the people I care about, and the world around me.

So much to look forward to … I hope 2010 brings you all kinds of wonderful experiences!

What I Did On My Christmas Vacation January 7, 2010

Do you remember those essays you used to have to write in school, where you detailed your adventures (or lack thereof) over various school breaks?  Well fortunately for me, I work in higher education, so I still get one of those breaks every year over the holidays. My very own Twelve Days of Christmas. :-)

It started with a trip to Philadelphia, to spend a night with Jolly and the boys before we all headed together down to Daddy and Joan’s on Christmas Eve. Unfortunately, even Southwest Airlines is no guarantee against a delayed flight, but at least I wasn’t too, too late, and I didn’t have to sit on a plane the whole time. Even better, Jolly brought Max & Jude to the airport with her … it just makes me laugh out loud with joy to have a couple of four-year-olds come running into my arms when I come down that escalator!

Christmas Eve I got to be there as Max & Jude discovered their presents from Santa … a first for me. Totally worth coming in a day ahead of time to get to see all that mayhem and present opening! It doesn’t quite compare to the mayhem at my dad’s but I’ll get to that later. It was a freezing cold day out, but sunny and beautiful and I really wanted to get a run in.  After the snowstorm the previous weekend, there was still snow everywhere, and it was just so gorgeous and white outside, with all the houses decorated for the holidays. I also needed to go to Whole Foods to stock up on a few supplies to have during my trip … while I cut myself some dietary slack over the break, my eating habits tend to be pretty different from my family, especially with the whole veggie thing. And I didn’t become a vegetarian so that I could be a pain in the a** for people. I don’t expect people to turn themselves inside out to accommodate me, and I don’t mind fending for myself, especially since it makes it easy for me to eat the way I want to. Anyway, time was limited as we had to go to Chad’s parents’ house to celebrate, so Jolly and I decided to kill two birds with one stone … we ran to Whole Foods, did our shopping, and had Chad and the boys come pick us up.  It worked out great … a beautiful run in the cold winter sunshine with snow everywhere! It definitely helped me shake off the travel fatigue and go into Christmas with a festive attitude.

We didn’t get to my dad’s until late Xmas Eve, and Daddy and Joan were already at church. It gave me time to settle in and get in my jammies, but I stayed up until after midnight to wish everyone a Merry Christmas … no small feat at home. I jokingly nicknamed my parents’ house The Valium House several years ago, because no matter what our normal habits at our own houses, whenever any of us come home we somehow always feel ready for bed around 8 p.m. I manage to stay up later than that sometimes, but it’s inevitable that by early evening, we’re all ready to settle into our jammies and call it a day. :-)

Christmas morning, I was thwarted in my attempts to get in my usual Xmas Day run … freezing rain made it too dangerous. So I took the opportunity to be supremely lazy. It’s not a bad idea, because once we all gather for our family Christmas celebration, it’s pretty chaotic, and there’s little rest to be had. This year there were 16 of us … and that’s without my brother and his family, who recently relocated from the U.K. to Australia (they’re getting summer for Xmas).  It’s a madhouse, and I absolutely love it!  Wrapping paper and boxes and presents flying everywhere, and squeals and screams and laughs and chatter … madness!

Here’s a random sampling of the fun …

One benefit of having nephews who are older? They are now old enough to take care of the little ones! Ryan graciously volunteered to babysit on Saturday, and Jolly, Chad, Daddy, Joan and I went to the Winchester Alamo Drafthouse (the only one outside of Texas!) for a late afternoon movie. I’ve been to the movies quite a bit this fall and winter, but I think this was a rare treat for everyone else. And I love getting to share the Alamo experience with new people, whether it’s in Austin or Winchester!

By Sunday, I wasn’t yet tired of the holidays, but I definitely had had enough of holiday eating. While everyone else ate their sausage casserole, I indulged my healthy craving and sauteed up a big bunch of kale … yum! That may not sound like a typical breakfast, but my body was soooo thankful. I ate the entire thing! And then skipped the lasagna in favor of baking up my butternut squash for lunch. Ahhhh … I can only go so long being unhealthy before I get what I call a food hangover. I just feel so sluggish and fuzzy and out of sorts without my veggies!  And I finally got in my Xmas Run!  Jolly and I drove into Old Town and ran from Handley through Meadow Branch and then through town and the Downtown Mall.  I love this part of town (where we used to live) … and just like in my old neighborhood at Jolly’s, with all the snow and Christmas decorations, it’s just fairy-tale-like. I never get tired of it!

Sadly, all good things must come to an end, and so Monday morning I headed to the airport and back to Austin … and one more whole week of Xmas break at home! Hooray! I had such plans for all the people I was going to catch up with this week, and yet, when I got home, all I wanted to do was cozy up on the couch next to the Christmas tree, with my kitty all snuggled in next to me, a cup of green tea, and either a good book or some of the TV shows I’d DVR’d.  And so I did.

I did manage to get out of the house a little bit each day … Tuesday for a nighttime run in the rain that was far more fun than I expected … Wednesday I went to the gym, followed by a massage and acupuncture … Thursday I had a lovely brunch with friends (but turned down any and all New Year’s Eve invites in favor of staying home – and it was bliss) … started off 2010 by doing the RunTex to RunTex New Year’s Day run with Stephanie (and all the other friends who I didn’t know would be there but who also showed up for this awesome under-the-radar event) … continued my running weekend with an excellent trail run Saturday morning followed by some post-holiday shopping at Betty Sport (the most I was out of the house all week). On the last day I planned to be supremely lazy and just stay in, but thankfully let Stephanie talk me yet again into another run, this time a nice easy late afternoon spin around Town Lake. I even went to the gym afterward to get in my second strength workout of the week.

That pretty much sums it up. It was a great break, beginning with joyful and crazy family time and finishing up with peaceful and rejuvenating time to myself … just the way I like it.

… But the Wolf Did Come December 21, 2009

Tonight is the winter solstice … the longest night of the year and the first day of winter. In a symbolic way, today is really the New Year, the start of the rebirth of the Sun. I ended up celebrating the day by attending a Kundalini Yoga class, where the movements of the class and the mantra focused on creating balance. It was a pretty powerful class in a number of ways, but one of the things that happened inspired me to share this post.

Over a year ago, I started practicing various forms of meditation. One of those is called Yoga Nidra, and during the meditation, the instructor plays the gong. During one of these gong sequences, I had a vision (I don’t have them every time, but they’re not uncommon for me during this form of meditation). I was standing on the top of a mountain with my arms raised to the moonlit sky, and when I put my arms down, I felt a presence. It was wolf, and it stayed with me on the top of that mountain until the meditation was over.  Since that time, the wolf has appeared to me on any number of occasions. It’s like he’s my talisman, my familiar, my spirit animal … whatever you want to call it. I don’t try to conjure him, and I never know when he’ll be there … I just know he comes to me, and he is a comforting presence, and a source of strength to me.

Tonight during the extended meditation at the end of yoga class, when Mehtab was playing the gong, I instantly found myself in a moonlit forest, covered in snow, next to a small fire … and the wolf was right there.

And once again he stayed with me until the meditation was over. And when it was over, I remembered this story, which I thought I would share. It’s a Christmas message, one that has had meaning for me since I first heard it over 25 years ago.

This is the story of Barrington Bunny

Once upon a time in a large forest there lived a very furry bunny. He had one lop ear, a tiny black nose, and unusually shiny eyes. His name was Barrington. Barrington was not really a very handsome bunny. He was brown and speckled and his ears didn’t stand up right. But he could hop, and he was, as I have said, very furry.

In a way, winter is fun for bunnies. After all, it gives them an opportunity to hop in the snow and then turn around to see where they have hopped. So, in a way, winter was fun for Barrington.

But in another way winter made Barrington sad. For, you see, winter marked the time where all of the animal families got together in their cozy homes to celebrate Christmas. He could hop, and he was very furry. But as far as Barrington knew, he was the only bunny in the forest.

When Christmas Eve finally came, Barrington did not feel like going home all by himself. So he decided he would hop for awhile in the clearing at the center of the forest.

Hop. Hop. Hippity-hop. Barrington made tracks in the fresh snow.

Hop. Hop. Hippity-hop. Then he cocked his head and looked back at the wonderful designs he had made.

“Bunnies,” he thought to himself, “can hop. And they are very warm, too, because of how furry they are.”

(But Barrington didn’t really know whether or not this was true of all bunnies, since he had never met another bunny.)

When it got too dark to see the tracks he was making, Barrington made up his mind to go home.

On his way, however, he passed a large oak tree. High in the branches there was a great deal of excited chattering going on. Barrington looked up. It was a squirrel family! What a marvelous time they seemed to be having.

“Hello, up there,” called Barrington.

“Hello, down there,” came the reply.

“Having a Christmas party?” asked Barrington.

“Oh, yes!” answered the squirrels. “It’s Christmas Eve. Everybody is having a Christmas party!”

“May I come to your party?” said Barrington softly.

“Are you a squirrel?”

“No.”

“What are you, then?”

“A bunny.”

“A bunny?”

“Yes.”

“Well, how can you come to the party if you’re a bunny? Bunnies can’t climb trees.”

“That’s true,” said Barrington thoughtfully. “But I can hop and I’m very furry and warm.”

“We’re sorry,” called the squirrels. “We don’t know anything about hopping and being furry, but we do know that in order to come to our house you have to be able to climb trees.”

“Oh, well,” said Barrington. “Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas,” chattered the squirrels.

And the unfortunate bunny hopped off toward his tiny house.

It was beginning to snow when Barrington reached the river. Near the river bank was a wonderfully constructed house of sticks and mud. Inside there was singing.

“It’s the beavers,” thought Barrington. “Maybe they will let me come to their party.”

And so he knocked on the door.

“Who’s out there?” called a voice.

“Barrington Bunny,” he replied.

There was a long pause and then a shiny beaver head broke the water.

“Hello, Barrington,” said the beaver.

“May I come to your Christmas party?” asked Barrington.

The beaver thought for awhile and then he said, “I suppose so. Do you know how to swim?”

“No,” said Barrington, “but I can hop and I am very furry and warm.”

“Sorry,” said the beaver. “I don’t know anything about hopping and being furry, but I do know that in order to come to our house you have to be able to swim.”

“Oh, well,” Barrington muttered, his eyes filling with tears. “I suppose that’s true-Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas,” called the beaver. And he disappeared beneath the surface of the water.

Even as furry as he was, Barrington was starting to get cold. And the snow was falling so hard that his tiny, bunny eyes could scarcely see what was ahead of him.

He was almost home, however, when he heard the excited squeaking of field mice beneath the ground.

“It’s a party,” thought Barrington. And suddenly he blurted out through his tears, “Hello, field mice. This is Barrington Bunny. May I come to your party?”

But the wind was howling so loudly and Barrington was sobbing so much that no one heard him.

And when there was no response at all, Barrington just sat down in the snow and began to cry with all his might.

“Bunnies,” he thought, aren’t any good to anyone. What good is it to be furry and to be able to hop if you don’t have any family on Christmas Eve?”

Barrington cried and cried. When he stopped crying he began to bite on his bunny’s foot, but he did not move from where he was sitting in the snow.

Suddenly, Barrington was aware he was not alone. He looked up and strained his shiny eyes to see who was there.

To his surprise he saw a great silver wolf. The wolf was large and strong and his eyes flashed fire. He was the most beautiful animal Barrington had ever seen.

For a long time the silver wolf didn’t say anything at all. He just stood there and looked at Barrington with those terrible eyes.

Then slowly and deliberately the wolf spoke. “Barrington,” he asked in a gentle voice, “why are you sitting in the snow?”

“Because it’s Christmas Eve,” said Barrington, “and I don’t have any family, and bunnies aren’t any good to anyone.”

“Bunnies are, too, good,” said the wolf. “Bunnies can hop and they are very warm.”

“What good is that?” Barrington sniffed.

“It is very good indeed,” the wolf went on, “because it is a gift that bunnies are given, a free gift with no strings attached. And every gift that is given to anyone is given for a reason. Someday you will see why it is good to hop and to be warm and furry.”

“But it’s Christmas,” moaned Barrington, “and I’m all alone. I don’t have any family at all.”

“Of course you do,” replied the great silver wolf. “All of the animals in the forest are your family.”

And then the wolf disappeared. He simply wasn’t there. Barrington had only blinked his eyes, and when he looked-the wolf was gone.

“All of the animals in the forest are my family,” thought Barrington. “It’s good to be a bunny. Bunnies can hop. That’s a gift.” And then he said it again. “A gift. A free gift.”

On in the night Barrington worked. First he found the best stick he could. (And that was difficult because of the snow.)

Then hop. Hop. Hippity-hop. To beaver’s house. He left the stick just outside the door. With a note on it that read: “Here is a good stick for your house. It is a gift. A free gift. No strings attached. Signed, a member of your family.”

“It is a good thing that I can hop, he thought, “because the snow is very deep.”

Then Barrington dug and dug. Soon he had gathered together enough dead leaves and grass to make the squirrels’ nest warmer. Hop. Hop. Hippity-hop.

He laid the grass and leaves just under the large oak tree and attached this message: “A gift. A free gift. From a member of your family.”

It was late when Barrington finally started home. And what made things worse was that he knew a blizzard was beginning.

Hop. Hop. Hippity-hop.

Soon poor Barrington was lost. The wind howled furiously, and it was very, very cold. “It certainly is cold,” he said out loud. “It’s a good thing I’m so furry. But if I don’t find my way home pretty soon I might freeze!”

Squeak. Squeak. . . .

And then he saw it-a baby field mouse lost in the snow. And the little mouse was crying.

“Hello, little mouse,” Barrington called.

“Don’t cry. I’ll be right there.” Hippity-hop, and Barrington was beside the tiny mouse.

“I’m lost,” sobbed the little fellow. “I’ll never find my way home, and I know I’m going to freeze.”

“You won’t freeze,” said Barrington. “I’m a bunny and bunnies are very furry and warm. You stay right where you are and I’ll cover you up.”

Barrington lay on top of the little mouse and hugged him tight. The tiny fellow felt himself surrounded by warm fur. He cried for awhile but soon, snug and warm, he fell asleep.

Barrington had only two thoughts that long, cold night. First he thought, “It’s good to be a bunny. Bunnies are very furry and warm.” And then, when he felt the heart of the tiny mouse beating regularly, he thought, “All the animals in the forest are my family.”

Next morning, the field mice found their little boy, asleep in the snow, warm and snug beneath the furry carcass of a dead bunny. Their relief and excitement was so great that they didn’t even think to question where the bunny had come from.And as for the beavers and the squirrels, they still wonder which member of their family left the little gift for them that Christmas Eve.

After the field mice had left, Barrington’s frozen body simply lay in the snow. There was no sound except that of the howling wind. And no one anywhere in the forest noticed the great silver wolf who came to stand beside that brown, lop-eared carcass.

But the wolf did come.

And he stood there.

Without moving or saying a word.

All Christmas Day.

Until it was night.

And then he disappeared into the forest.

Hipster Hilarity December 7, 2009

My friend Noelle forwarded me this posting from Craigslist.  Those of you outside Austin probably won’t find it as funny as those of you who live here, but I thought it was completely hilarious …

I see you, cute hipster girls of Austin. I see you rocking that Deep V wheelset at the Thursday night social ride, or writing the next great American collection of poems at the corner table at Quack’s, or browsing the Mamet archives at the Harry Ransom Center, or listening to the XX on your iPod at a bus stop because the Dirty Projectors are so two months ago. I see you with your wisely chosen and very artful and very sexy tattoos, your carefully-but-not-too-carefully maintained hair, perhaps with highlights of an unusual, biologically impossible color. I see you with your impeccably snazzy clothes, no doubt skillfully curated from countless Cream Vintage visits.

And I just want all of you to know: you are all very hot. Every Pitchfork-reading, farmer’s-market-shopping, liberal-arts-college-educated inch of you.

I know I can never be with you, cute hipster girl. My bicycle has not only brakes, but multiple gears. It is, in fact, a hybrid, the fanny pack of the bicycle world. I am entirely free of tattoos. My facial hair is patchy at best, so I am unable to grow a beard. I live west of I-35. I am not a member of a lo-fi shoegaze indie pop band that sometimes gigs at Progress Coffee, and indeed I can’t play any musical instruments. I can’t even play the ukulele, the fanny pack of the indie rock world. I find Wes Anderson somewhat tedious, and I have not read a single issue of McSweeney’s in anything even vaguely resembling its entirety. My jeans do not hug my legs, and I do not have a single stylishly retro vest or hat in my closet. I rarely listen to KUT or KVRX. Although I own a Moleskine, I have to be honest with you � I don’t really write in it that much. I went to the Chuck Close show at the Austin Museum of Art and I’m pretty sure I didn’t get it. I shop at HEB and not Wheatsville.

My appreciation of Hall and Oates is entirely non-ironic. I occasionally eat meat.

But the biggest problem, hipster girl of Austin, is that you’re just too intimidating in your good taste and vaguely-counterculture-but-not-threateningly-eccentric hotness for me to ever work up the pluck to talk to you. I know I will never be cool enough. Le sigh.

But that’s okay. You still brighten my vinyl happy hours at Waterloo Records and my Shangri-La visits. Thank you, hipster girl. You rock my world, and you make it look so easy. Carry on with your Bianchi Pista self.

Hokahey, Zombieland, Truffle Pig and other random thoughts November 14, 2009

I do not get it. I run 100 miles and my legs don’t hurt at all, but three sets of split squats at the gym and this morning it hurts just walking around the house??? WTF???

Otherwise it was a great morning. Went out to cheer all sorts of friends at the Hokahey 5K, in support of my friend and trail runner Dano who was diagnosed this year with CIDP and ALS. It’s hard to see someone you care about, someone who is so full of life, in this situation. But Dano is so brave, and it was just so heartwarming to see all these people who care about him out there to show their support. And the race raised over $30,000!!!

On a non-running note – I know, there aren’t many of those from me … I’m kind of a one-trick pony ;-) – if you haven’t gotten to the theater to see Zombieland yet, you are missing out! Went with my friend Michael to see it this week, and my stomach hurt by the end from laughing so hard. It was hilarious, suspenseful, with the requisite gross-out factor you need in a good zombie flick … and a surprise I won’t spoil for you because no one spoiled it for me, but trust me, you want to see this movie.

About a year ago I started doing something called Yoga Nidra, which means yogic sleep and is essentially a meditation technique. I do another form of meditation as well, but I really love Yoga Nidra and have gotten so many benefits from it over the past year.  It really has healing properties and it definitely helps me feel more balanced, both physically and emotionally.  Anyway, last weekend my yoga studio had a workshop with Richard Miller, one of the leaders in Yoga Nidra outside of India.  It was a pretty powerful experience to get to spend a few hours with such an authority, and to have him lead not one, but two Yoga Nidra practices during the workshop.  The whole experience left me feeling a little bit emotionally raw, but I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing. I think some of that is also leftover from Cactus Rose.  As you might imagine (if you can imagine it at all), running 100 miles is also a pretty powerful experience, one that I don’t think I’ve still fully processed.  And while the actual experience was less emotional than I expected, the aftermath has been more than I expected.  Again, not a bad thing … just something to be aware of.

And now for some laundry, couch time, and a nice cup of tea with some chocolate … yum!  My new favorite is a bar called Truffle Pig, which is both delicious and makes me giggle every time I say the name. :-)

Cactus Rose November 10, 2009

Let’s take care of the big news first … I finished Cactus Rose!!! 100 MILES!!!  WOOHOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!  You can read all about it here if you are so inclined. It’s not as epic as some of my past race reports … which shows amazing restraint on my part considering I had 100 freakin’ miles to write about. ;-)

I’m feeling mostly recovered.  I still get tired pretty easily … I’ve been averaging about 9 hours of sleep every night since the race. And my feet are still not 100% … but you should have seen them after the race. If you know me well, you know that I don’t swell … ever.  Seriously, I’ve had some pretty serious injuries in my life, and in general, I don’t get very swollen. Broken bones, sprains, surgery … I just don’t swell much.  So if you could have seen how swollen my feet were after the race … no definition at all, no veins visible, I couldn’t wear anything but flip flops for 3 days afterward.  They looked like little fat baby feet.  Of course, I was also holding onto about 7 pounds of water weight after the race as well, so it wasn’t just my poor feet that were swollen.  That all resolved itself after 5 or 6 days, thankfully. And the nerve pain in my feet as they got back to normal subsided after a few days, but wow! was it painful at the time.  Not to mention the blisters and the numbness … I still don’t have complete feeling in two of my toes and I have no idea whether or not that’s permanent. It’s not a big deal … small spot on two small toes.  But it does drive home just how much I put my body through to achieve this goal. I won’t rehash it all here – that’s what the race report was for.  But let’s just say it has definitely been quite a recovery process.

On the plus side (aside from RUNNING 100 MILES!!!), my legs were hardly sore at all after the race. I think all that strength training really made the difference here. Even though my training season is done, this is one thing I’m going to keep doing. Met with my trainer this morning in fact, to talk about where we go from here, and I’m excited about making new progress.

Other than that, I am taking it easy (for me) and looking forward to a few months of play time. Doing more yoga, running for fun and working on speed, throwing in some other stuff if the mood strikes … right now I have no plan and I like it that way. :-)

I did treat myself to a little present after the race … I finally broke down after months of contemplation and bought myself a snazzy new MacBook Pro. It’s so pretty, all shiny and new, and I’m still figuring it out, but so far I LOVE IT!

I am also so happy to report that after a short work trip to Houston last week for an advisory council meeting, I am done with work travel until February … at least that’s how it looks right now.  And since my racing season is over, that means much more time to just enjoy my life in Austin.  I am looking forward to a few days in Pennsylvania to spend Thanksgiving with my sister and the boys.  Jolly is signing us up for a 5 mile Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day on Forbidden Drive, and Chad and my mom and the boys are going to do the 1 mile run/walk … a super fun family outing and I can’t think of a better way to give thanks!

I’ll leave you with a few pics from Cactus Rose, courtesy of Henry …

Here I am about 20 miles into race, still happy and looking fresh …

And here I am with Joe and Joyce right after my finish, not quite as pretty but not bad for 100 miles …

And here I am with my pacer Leah, who took care of me throughout the race and got me through the final 25 miles …

… and boy are my arms tired October 23, 2009

I’m still here.  Or maybe I should say I’m here, there, and everywhere.

I’ve had so much to post, so many things bookmarked to write about, so much going on. At the same time, it  sadly feels like I have been living the past month in hotel rooms and on airplanes (hence the very bad punchline title of this post), without the time or energy to catch y’all up on all the goings-on. And this post is not going to be that catch-up … only a brief interlude to assure you I am still alive.

I can’t complain too much … things are great for the most part. I had a great vacation in Charlottesville at the end of September. Caught up with Dad and Joan and a bunch of friends I hadn’t seen in far too long.  Had the best race of my life at the Great Eastern Endurance Run … until I got hypothermia from being in the cold, pouring rain for 8 hours.  Still got 52 miles under my belt though, which was enough to make me feel ready for the next big race (more on that in a minute).

Came back to Austin in time for the Austin City Limits music festival.  Jolly was here as always, and we spent a great weekend watching lots of bands (18 in all I think). I have pics to show at some point when I have time for that post. It was beautiful on Friday, rainy on Saturday, and a mud pit on Sunday. Oh yeah, that Sunday was my birthday … not bad to have Pearl Jam play my birthday party. ;-)  Also had a great brunch with good friends … the best way to spend a birthday!

Just when I started to feel recovered from that week, I left town again for a week-long conference in Washington, DC. The highlight of which was running into my friend Susan from law school while I was out running in Old Town Alexendria and getting the chance to spend an evening catching up with her and Mel. I’ve gotten lots of time in the past month to catch up with old friends and to spend more time back in Virginia than I have since I moved to Texas. It has been truly special … and makes me realize that as much as I love and miss Virginia, Austin is without a doubt my home now and I can’t imagine being anywhere else.

And it has just been perfect here lately, when I’ve had the chance to enjoy it. The weather has finally cooled off after a summer of record heat. And we’ve gotten enough consistent rain that the creeks have water in them again! The drought isn’t over yet, but it looks like it may be on its way out.  The only downside has been what I call my Hypothermia PTSD.  Ever since the race last month, my body has had this visceral shivering reaction to cold and wet … understandable I guess after what I put myself through, but weird nonetheless.  Thankfully, it hasn’t been that cold and I’ve avoided much of the wet.  It has made running absolutely spectacular!  I’m not sure if it’s the time of year or that my attitude toward my running has gotten more relaxed, but I am really enjoying myself right now.

I’m enjoying all it actually … running, yoga, meditation. The only thing that feels out of whack still is my diet, and I’m working on that. I think staying in one place for a while might help.

Just got back from yet another work trip, this time to Midland where I have my first presentation at a legal education conference. I was pretty nervous, but thankfully it went well and I knew what I was talking about.  And now I’m home for over a week!

Next up is The Big Kahuna … Cactus Rose 100 Mile trail race on Halloween. I’m having a very weird combination of feelings about attempting my first 100. There’s the obvious concern that I have completely lost my mind.  Then there’s the excitement that I’m hopefully going to complete a 100 mile race (!!!).  I’m nervous, I’m impatient, I just want it to be over so I can have my life back, I’m looking forward to all the things I can do that I have put off while I’ve been training (like updating this blog more than once a month).  And I’m also oddly relaxed and detached and just looking forward to both living and observing the whole experience … to approach it with a plan and determination but with enough detachment to adapt to whatever happens and to enjoy the whole process as opposed to just waiting to cross the finish line.

Because it is going to be a LONG process. ;-)

Insurance Companies Need Love Too September 22, 2009

Will Ferrell and the rest of the folks at Funny or Die have done it again. This is a great send-up of the health insurance debate and shows how specious the argument against the public option is. Enjoy!

more about “Protect Insurance Companies PSA from …“, posted with vodpod

Running in Heels September 15, 2009

I’ve had Brain Crushes, Girl Crushes, Car Crushes … but this one may take things to a whole new level.

I’ve been an Eddie Izzard fan ever since I saw him cross-dressing in his hilarious comedy routine Dress To Kill …

If you haven’t seen it, it’s three of the funniest hours you will ever spend. I know many people who can back me up on this.

Of course, the man doesn’t go around in drag all the time. Sometimes he looks like this … :-)

In addition to his own comedy routines, he’s done lots of television and films like Ocean’s 12 and 13 (Clooney and Izzard …  a totally crush-worthy combo!).

But I had no idea the man was capable of this … he recently ran 43 marathons in 51 days!

Yes, you read that correctly … 43 marathons in 51 days! So in addition to comic genius you can add TOTAL BADASS to his list of accomplishments. You can read an article all about it here.

Let’s see … smart, ridiculously funny and talented, not-at-all hard on the eyes, and now a serious runner raising money for charity. What more could a girl want? The man can even rock a pair of heels. ;-)

Headlands 2009 in Photos September 9, 2009

So much blogging to do, so little time …

But let’s start with Headlands, the 50 Mile race I completed on August 8th. Last year, Headlands was my very first 50 Mile finish, so I will likely always have a soft spot for this fantastic race in the the beautiful Marin Headlands of California.  This year the course had changed and was much harder, but no less beautiful. I won’t go into a lot of detail about the race … you can read my race report on my workout blog if you are so inclined. But I thought I’d do a little pictorial recap here. To give credit where it’s due, other people (mostly Henry and Brice) took most of these photos. I was too busy trying to get through this beast of a race to pull out my camera very often. But these photos will give you some idea of what I went through and why I love this race so much.

Let’s start at the very beginning, just a few friends hanging out before the big event … Jeff, Brice, Henry, and me.

And here I am just before the start, still fresh and full of energy (that wouldn’t last long) …

Here’s a view looking down from the first climb …

This is the trail coming out of the first aid station at Tennessee Valley (we would be back here several more times) …

This is the view I saw coming over the ridge about 20 miles into the race …

And here I am with this incredible view behind me, still looking pretty fresh …

This is pretty early on in our second loop, a nice day for a sail as well as a run!

So lovely! Let’s take another look, shall we?

The second loop was the reverse of the first, so we got to enjoy this view all over again …

And here I am with Brice … we ran the entire race together!

Hit a rough patch for a while, but finally picked it up heading back into Muir Beach, about 40 miles into the race. I’m on the right in the white shirt running down the hill …

This is Pirates Cove … getting closer and closer to the finish!

Ran the very last stretch of the race as the sun was setting over the water …

Looking considerably more worn out – and with a giant ‘fro in Brice’s case ;-) – after a successful finish!

Spent the next day recovering at Muir Woods. I don’t look too bad for having run 50 miles …

Muir Woods was absolutely beautiful!

I even managed a little bit more climbing … but it hurt! :-P

My 7th and hardest ultra so far! It was an epic experience … but I feel so blessed to be able to accomplish something so difficult, in such beautiful surroundings, with such great friends. Worth every one of the 810 minutes it took me!

See Jane Go. Go Jane Go! July 16, 2009

I think I now have a girl crush on Jane Fonda …

This fabulous lady is 71 years old, rockin’ a shirt with her mug shot from 1970!

Apparently the shirt and other items bearing her iconic image are for sale, with proceeds benefiting a charity to prevent teen pregnancy. I know people have varying opinions about Ms. Fonda, but I have always admired women who have plenty of attitude and don’t take sh*t … and so I just unequivocally love this.

Painkiller and Other More Serious Preoccupations … July 14, 2009

My love for well-placed curse words has been vindicated.  According to a British research study, “swear words can have a powerful pain-killing effect.” There have been lots of articles written about this the past day or so, but if you haven’t read about this yet you can do so here.

An excerpt for you …

The researchers originally thought that swearing would make pain worse by focusing a person’s attention on the injury and its implications. To prove their hypothesis, they set up an experiment with 67 college students.

The students were asked to plunge their hands into frigid 41-degree Fahrenheit water for as long as they could stand the pain. Half were told to repeat their favorite curse word while their hands were submerged. The other half were asked to repeat a neutral word describing a table, such as solid or brown, while keeping their hands under water. Then the whole experiment was repeated with the two groups switching types of word. (Favorite swear words were, as you might guess, the ones starting with “F” and “S.” But since the subjects were British, the researchers also got an earful of “bollocks.”)

To the researchers’ surprise, the cursing group not only reported lower levels of pain, but also were able to keep their hands in the icy water longer. The men in the study, for example, were able to keep their hands in the water for an average of 190 seconds while swearing, but for only 140 seconds when uttering a neutral word.

The difference was even more pronounced in women. While men’s pain scores dropped by a point when they cussed, the women’s dropped by almost two full points.

So that year when I ran The Belt and stubbed my already broken toe and then ran off down the trail leaving a long stream of expletives behind me?  That was just some smart pain management. ;-)

That was the humorous part of the post. Other news this week is not so good …

I’ll start with the easy stuff.  I went back to the doctor last week to have more blood drawn, just to confirm that everything is fine now that The Virus From Hell has gone back from whence it came.  Well, everything that was off before is now fine (white blood cells, platelet count, and a liver enzyme) but now a different enzyme level in my liver is off , so my doctor is still worried.  The end result is I am off all meds except one allergy spray … no painkillers (OTC or otherwise), no Chinese herbs (which my doc is otherwise quite supportive of my taking), nothing … for a few weeks, at which time I get to go back for more blood tests. I’m hoping this is just from taking Tylenol for 10 days, since I almost never take stuff like this normally.  I wish I could blame this on something fun or naughty like a bender, but I’m so freaking clean-living these days I hardly even drink anymore.

It would be nice to just have my body back to normal.  I mean, I feel fine … I ran 28 miles this past Saturday, I’ve been doing great with my new strength training rountine, I’ve been stronger than I expected in Ashtanga Yoga classes … so I’m hopeful that the next test will not show anything still out of whack. It better not … the test is only 1 week before Headlands 50 Miler, and I’m already nervous enough about this race. My training is pretty good, but obviously behind where I had hoped to be right now, and I’m having to revise my goals in order to respect my body’s need to recover. Of course, they wanted to schedule the blood draw for the Monday after the race, but I vetoed that quickly … if I let them take blood after an ultra, they’d probably think I was dying when they got the results back.

Actually, in light of the past few days, that last comment really isn’t so funny. This is kind of hard for me to write about, but I’m going to write it anyway because I need all of you out there reading to send positive prayers, thoughts, vibes, whatever it is you believe in. I briefly mentioned in my last post that there was a new guy in my life. I hadn’t planned to elaborate, but this is a special circumstance. His name is Bo and he’s still as fantastic a person as he was last week … but Sunday he was in a pretty bad cycling accident, and it looks like he’ll be ok but he’s got some pretty serious injuries. After spending time with him yesterday I am less freaked out than I was when I didn’t know what was going on … he’s conscious and coherent, and most importantly thanks to his bicycle helmet he’s alive. But he’s got some surgery and some major recovery coming up, so all of your prayers, thoughts, vibes, support, etc. would be much appreciated.

I’m going to leave it there for now … except to say that I’ll try to update when I can, but I expect life to be a little crazy for the next several weeks, and I hope you’ll understand that blogging may not be a priority. Who knows, it could turn out to be a helpful outlet (as it has in the past), but right now I’m just taking each day as it comes and trying to hold it all together and thanking God and the universe and my lucky stars that we’re all alive to tell our tales.

The Virus From Hell and Other, Happier News July 6, 2009

The Virus From Hell

I don’t get sick.

Seriously.

I get injured … frequently. I’ve had two sprained ankles, a broken nose, whiplash (the last two resulting in my first hospital stay ever), and something called costochondritis (an inflammation of the joints where the upper ribs attach to the cartilage that holds them to the sternum), and that’s just in the past 18 months. I get headaches … not as frequently, but several times a year. Food poisoning … more times than I count. I have allergies … not as badly as I used to, but I still have ‘em. But sick? No … it just doesn’t happen.

I have had two sinus infections … one in 2007, and another in 2001. And other than that, I can’t remember any major illness I’ve had since high school. I’m not kidding.

Until now …

Two weeks ago I woke up on a seemingly innocent Monday morning. Everything was fine except that I felt kind of weak doing my yoga practice. I figured I was just tired from the weekend and from traveling to Chicago for work the previous week. The next day I woke up and every muscle in my body hurt. I was unbelievably tired, and I had a hot flash when I got out of the shower.

The Virus From Hell had arrived. It wouldn’t leave for another 10 miserable days.

I spent the next four or five days in a state of total exhaustion. My muscles hurt like you wouldn’t believe … it hurt to touch myself. My legs, my abs (the worst of the pain), my back, my shoulders … it all hurt. I went in and out of fever, and those hot flashes returned every single morning. Friday, it lasted for 2 and 1/2 hours … yes, 2 and 1/2 hours of being drenched in sweat while my fever broke. Even my doctor was concerned … because as I said, I don’t get sick, and I was definitely SICK. My blood work confirmed it.

The awful muscle pain finally went away, and the fever subsided a day or two later, but it took a full 10 days before I felt anywhere near back to normal. I didn’t even run … well, not much. One week after the onset, I tried a run. I made it 2 and 1/2 miles before I realized that it wasn’t going to feel better. And even on the first day that I felt normal, I managed just over 5 miles on the trail, but it was HARD.

In the end, it was Eastern medicine that did the trick … antiviral Chinese herbs were what it finally took to kick TVFH’s a**. TVFH also prompted me to find a good acupuncturist, and even after just one appointment I could feel a difference … she also gave some herbs to strengthen my immune system, and I am happily gobbling them down daily. Even my doctor thinks this is a good idea. I had to go back today for some final blood work, which will hopefully show that everything is now fine … should be, I feel fantastic today.

I joke sometimes that it takes a team of people to keep me going … I put some pretty serious demands on my body, and I am so thankful for all of people I can call on to put me back together when I break. In the past two years since I started ultrarunning I have worked with all of the following at various times: a general practitioner who is also a sports physician, a massage therapist, a chiropractor, a physical therapist, a nutritionist, a running coach, an allergy and asthma specialist, a speech therapist, and now an acupuncturist. Oh, and I start work with a personal trainer tomorrow morning.  Now that TVFH is gone, it’s time to look forward and focus on increasing my power and stability so that I can kick some butt in my summer and fall races!

The Windy City

Other than a couple of layovers at O’Hare, I have never spent any time in Chicago. That is until a couple of weeks ago, when I spent 6 days there for a gift planning conference.  I have to say, it’s a beautiful city. It also didn’t hurt that after leaving triple digit heat in Austin, I arrived to 70 degree temps, which persisted throughout the entire week that I was there.  My hotel was right off Michigan Avenue, a sort of large boutique hotel … and somehow I got myself assigned a suite, complete with leather couch, flat screen TV, and iPod sound dock. I had several really nice runs along Lake Michigan, and I got to have dinner three of the nights that I was there with my friend Dutch, who has been my friend since we met at summer camp when I was 13 but whom I hadn’t seen in probably 15 years.  Catching up with him was just completely worth the entire trip.

The conference was really good … not at all boring and I learned a LOT. It’s good that I enjoyed it, because we were a very small group, and we only had two instructors, one of whom is my boss.

The best part of the conference though was the half-day off they gave us.  I spent the afternoon wandering Michigan Avenue and shopping, followed by several hours in the Chicago Art Institute. I had no idea what an amazing collection they have there!!!  It was just fantastic!  People had told me about the Impressionist collection they had, but it turns out that a lot of the works in that section are really Post-Impressionist … which is one of my favorite periods. I just roamed the galleries drinking in all the amazing works by Van Gogh,  Seurat, Manet, Gauguin, etc.  As I wrote in a FB post, it was a total visual feast for the senses!  And that was just the beginning … I won’t bore you with a recap of all the art I saw that day, but let me just say that it was a balm for my soul.

Sadly, the trip lasted about a day or two too long for me and by the end I was dying to get back to Austin.  One reason is just a food issue. I’m used to a pretty structured diet.  It’s not that I don’t snack or eat junk food … but I’m pretty careful with what I eat. I have to be, I’m fueling myself for some major activity. So being out of my element where I had little control over my options got pretty tough to deal with after a few days. My system felt compeletely out of whack … I know this contributed to my getting sick. Not to mention that it was at some point on this trip that I contracted The Virus From Hell.

Coming Home

It’s funny … I’ve always loved to travel and I still like to go places and see new things.  The past year I’ve taken trips to San Francisco and Jackson Hole, and managed to combine some great trail races with some equally great vacations.  But I have also realized that when I’m not traveling with my friends or family, I miss Austin so much more.  And I think there’s a good reason for that …

I love my life.

I am a lucky girl. My life in Austin is just so much more than I deserve … I have the best friends a person could ask for (here and elsewhere), a job that I love, a house that is a sanctuary for me (complete with Miss Jas Kitty who always makes me happy to come home), a sport that is my physical outlet, my social life, and my passion.  There’s even a new guy. It’s been about 6 weeks now and he’s pretty fantastic and I’m pretty smitten and I’m sitting here at my computer with a big ol’ grin on my face just thinking about him … and that’s all you’re getting out of me for now. :-)

Basically, even on my worsts days, I have moments of total happiness. My life is not at all the way I thought it would turn out, but it is so much more than I could ever ask for. And so I really never feel the need to get away from it. And when I do get out of town, I miss my life.  Like I said, I am a lucky girl.

So that’s the news for now.

Lots of other smaller things happening … I finally hired a cleaning service to take care of my house. I am just too busy, and it just takes too much energy that I could use for other things. I like to clean, but there are other things I like to do  more. And the service I found did such a good job there wasn’t even anything I had to go around and do after them!

I’ve managed to catch some great live music lately … Henry and I had a musical double feature the night before TVFH struck.  Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson finally came back to Austin after having to cancel their show last September during Hurricane Ike. It was my first show at Cactus Cafe, and it did not disappoint.  We sat like 10 feet from Kasey and Shane … it was just a great show.  And we followed that up with Jenny Lewis at Stubbs … she was just as good as when we saw her at ACL. Next Monday it’s Pete Yorn … lots going on and lots to look forward to.

And of course, my next race is in less than five weeks.  I’ve got some catching up to do in my training … The Virus From Hell set me back a couple weeks. But I managed 20 miles this past weekend, which isn’t terrible given the heat and that I was recovering from being sick.  And as I mentioned above, I start work tomorrow with a personal trainer. It’s time to get stronger so that I can power up the hills, and time to work on my stability so that I can fly down the hills.  This has been the missing piece of my training for a while now, and it’s time to get to work.

Hope everyone had a great 4th of July!  Summer has already meant a month of triple digit temps here in Austin, so I’ll leave you with some parting advice that you can take both literally and figuratively … stay cool.

My Inspiration May 20, 2009

I originally saw this video on my friend Larry’s blog, and I loved it so much I have shamelessly appropriated it for my own ends.

The races shown in this video perfectly capture all the things I love about trail and ultrarunning … the amazing views, the beauty and challenge of rugged trails, the support and friendship of other trail runners. I’m not familiar with all the races shown here, but I’ve run at least one of them (Grand Teton) and hope to someday qualify for another (Western States). The video is only a few minutes long, it’s absolutely beautiful, and it’s got Coldplay in the background … so go ahead and watch it … I’ll wait …

more about "My Inspiration", posted with vodpod

I could watch this over and over again and not get tired of it. It makes me want to hit the trail right now. It makes me want to train as hard as I can for my races. It makes me dream of all the races I want to do in my life.

But mostly, it makes me feel enormously grateful that I have this thing in my life that inspires me, challenges me, tests me, brings me joy, and makes my soul sing every time I do it.

Back in Form May 18, 2009

It has been quite a week!

I started my new job last Monday, and it was a wonderful, if overwhelming week filled with new and familiar faces, lots and lots of meetings, and new information coming out of my ears (once again, my brain is officially full!). The whole thing had a slightly surreal quality … moving into a new office, but in a building where I’ve spent lots of time over the past 3 years … a completely new job, but surrounded by the familiar faces of all the development staff … and Wednesday was the second annual Professional Advisors Day. Last year, at the inaugural event, I was one of the guest presenters … and now here I am, one of the team.

The event was great, and I got to meet some good people with whom I will likely be interacting quite a bit in the future … but the highlight was probably the post-event tour of the athletic center used by the Longhorn football team. The gym areas are state of the art, the trophy room with all the National Championship and Heisman trophies was just amazing. We even got to tour the coaches’ offices, which led to this photo …

Yes, that’s me sitting in Mack Brown’s chair at Mack Brown’s desk! Pretty cool, huh?

The other big news this week is of course on the running front. I’ve been trying to ramp up my training for the past month or so, but it has seemed to be progressing more slowly than I wanted. Granted, I’ve had a lot going on, so I do have to cut myself a little slack. But I have a pretty serious race calendar coming up, and I need to be in the best shape of my life to successfully complete my ultra season … Headlands 50 miler on August 8th, followed by Great Eastern Endurance Run 100K on Sept 26th (complete with 15,000 feet of climb and a 19 hour cutoff!), and then the grand finale … Cactus Rose 100 Mile starting on Halloween.

This past weekend I had a 20 mile run on my training calendar … my first 20 miler since I took a break from training after Bandera 100K in early January. I was honestly pretty nervous. I posted the run to the club in the hopes of having some company, and I just hoped and prayed that it wouldn’t feel awful. Well, I got my wish … it was a great run! One of the best I’ve had in a while! 21.5 miles at a good steady pace and I finished feeling like I could have gone farther (although I was happy to be done). I followed it up with a nice 10 miler yesterday on some more hilly, rugged terrain, and again I felt great!

I know as the Austin summer rears it’s ugly, hot, humid head, that I will have plenty of runs that just drain all my energy … but to have a 30+ mile weekend at this point in my training and to feel great pretty much the entire time? It’s a huge confidence boost, and really has me motivated to step up my training, work hard but smart, and aim high for my races.

I also decided that since my training is really going to pick up from here, that I would do something I’ve put off for a while … I went back to get tested at the UT Fit Lab. I did this two years ago, right before I started my first trail training program … waaaay back when I just a little trail newbie. :-) I was pleased with the results back then. Well, I was pleased with the aerobic testing … the body fat results left much to be desired.

So after 2+ years of training … going from a relatively new trail runner to having completed 6 ultramarathons … I was really interested to see how the results had changed. I went in Tuesday morning to meet with the director of the FitLab. I had brought Phil in to speak at the May Hill Country Trail Runners meeting, and his talk was a huge success, and I was looking forward to my testing. Phil had the results from my previous testing, so we could compare results and see how far I’ve come.

We started with the body composition … and once again the results surprised me, and not in a good way. The good news is I’ve dropped nearly 10 pounds since my last testing … but the bad news is my body fat is still several percentage points higher than I want it to be. So back on the diet for me. It’s not vanity … I’m fine with how I look. But performance-wise, I really need to drop another 5-10 pounds. If I’m serious and careful, I have time to drop this weight and let my body adjust to it before Headlands … but I’m going to have to get serious about my diet. So for the next couple months, it’s going to be all about getting the right foods, in the right amount … focusing on fueling my body with the healthiest foods I can get, without getting more than I need.

The good news? My aerobic testing was way better than I expected! My VO2 Max has gone from 41 to 48 … this is not a number that you’re supposed to be able to change much, so a 7 point jump is huge. When I was at 41 it put me in the 99th percentile for women my age, so 48 is really a tremendous result. That being said, I’m not in elite athlete territory, which starts at about 55 for women (the highest-ever recorded female VO2 Max was 74), but I’m well off-the-chart for regular folks.

There were lots of scientific numbers related to my Lactate Threshold, but the big news from that is the number that determines how long you can run at your LT (the pace at which you switch from aerobic to anaerobic) … and in that category I did score with elite women athletes. The average percentage for this for elite women is between 70-85%, and I scored between 77-79%. This means that I can maintain the pace just below my LT for a lot longer than most people … which kind of makes sense when you think about how long and far I run.

The testing also uses VO2 Max and Lactate Threshold to predict race times from 5K up to marathon distance. I’m not giving the exact numbers, but suffice it to say that it appears I could be running a LOT faster. I wasn’t the only one surprised by these results. The testing is done by taking a drop of blood during intervals on a treadmill, gradually increasing the speed until Lactate Threshold is determined, and then increasing the speed every minute after that until you basically feel like you’re going to die or go flying off the back of the treadmill. Well, I managed to get up to a 6:20 mile … surprising both myself and Phil!

Now, I’m not training for short distance races, so speed is not really my overall goal … but it is interesting information to have, and it does motivate me to keep going with my speed/hill/tempo workouts, in addition to the long, slower runs I need to get ready for my races.

Okay, that’s enough geeking out on running for one day. Lots going on and lots to look forward to.

Next up? Memorial Day weekend in Philly with my sis and my two favorite 4 year olds. :-)

Car Crush May 8, 2009

So I say I’m going to post more often, and then I go to lunch and am completely inspired!

Walking out of NXNW, I spot this seemingly ordinary (?) purple Chrylser LeBaron convertible …

But then I look a little bit closer, and I spot this …

I admit it, I find this funny and charming. And then I see this …

And now? I’m totally smitten.

THE BLOG IS NOT DEAD! May 8, 2009

It’s just been dormant for a while.

But after a not-so-subtle and much-needed kick in the pants from a friend (thanks Amy), I realize that it’s time to drag myself away from FaceBook and get back to posting. FB was never meant to be a substitute for the blog … I love writing short little status updates, but sometimes it’s nice to get a little free-form and say as much as I want.

It’s been almost two months, so this could take a while …

Jolly Good Fun

March wrapped up with a visit from my sister, and as usual we packed all sorts of food, fun, and festivities into a very short weekend! Kicked off Friday night with the requisite dinner at Chuy’s, then spent Saturday doing all manner of fun stuff … shopping at Betty Sport, packet pickup for the Cap10K, much more I can’t remember, some porch time of course, and finished the day off by going to see I Love You Man at Alamo Drafthouse. A perfect Austin day! Unbelievably, the one thing we didn’t do on this visit was go to Omelettry. That’s right, we passed on blueberry buttermilk pancakes this time around. Instead we opted for a crowded run at the Cap10K … was it always this packed? … and then skedaddled off to meet Faith and Rebeka for brunch at Maudie’s. That was followed my some more porch time for Jolly while I attended a baby shower for some friends. And the fabulous weekend finale? Crashing on the couch with some Pei Wei watching Sex and the City. Sigh …. just perfect.

And because I love seeing my sister but really can’t get enough of her gorgeous boys, I’m heading up to Philly in two weeks to spend the holiday weekend with my two favorite guys!

Zoom Zoom!

This may be hard to believe, but on April 4th I raced my very first 5K at the Zooma Austin 5K, part of the Zooma Women’s Race Series. Obviously I’ve run that distance before, and I’ve done a couple 5K races for fun, but this was the first time I raced one … where I had an actual time goal in mind. I can’t say I really trained … my sprained ankle in early March had put the kibosh on any real speed work … but I had in general spent the months since Bandera focusing on running faster. I had also dropped more than 10 pounds in the past couple months (on purpose), and I hoped that would translate into some additional speed.

The race took place at Hyatt Lost Pines resort outside of Austin. There are some great trails in that area, but this race was run on the road (there was also a half marathon taking place at the same time). I felt kind of nervous as the minutes counted down to the start of the race. I had set a goal to finish in under 25 minutes, which translates to running roughly 8 minute miles … a pace I hoped I could run but wasn’t sure. Oddly enough, it was my race number that calmed me down and gave me the confidence I needed to decide I was going to do this … Number 888 … one 8 for every 8-minute mile I would need to run. It had to be a sign, right? Right!!!

I positioned myself right up near the front, did the requisite waiting around, and then finally, we were off! I took off toward the front of the pack, with only a handful of people ahead of me, and not many close behind. This seemed weird, but my pace felt comfortably fast, so I just tried not to worry about it. I passed a few people, ran by the water stop, and then I saw the lead runner coming back towards me. I couldn’t believe I was almost at the halfway point! I hit the turnaround and headed back, and now I could see all the other runners heading towards me. One woman yelled out that I was the 6th female … seriously??? I just kept running, although my legs were starting to feel tired, and that great downhill was about to turn into an ugly uphill. My breathing started feeling labored and my legs were oxygen deprived but I just hung in and kept running. It’s only 5K damn it! Thankfully, the top of the hill came quickly, and then I got to the nice gradual downhill. Once again, I let gravity do the work as I focused on trying to regain my breathing.

I kept telling myself I had hardly any distance left to cover, and sure enough that flat soon turned into the last turn toward the finish. One more short downhill and then up and I was back where I started … except it wasn’t the finish line. I still had to run all the way through the parking lot … and then to the resort … and then around the resort. Would this ever end? Meanwhile the minutes were ticking by and I was starting to think I’d miss my goal after all. I passed the sign that said 13 miles, which meant I only had .1 to go … no time to slow down now. My watch said 24 minutes, and I was determined to make it. Around a curve and there was the finish line. One last push and I was across … in 24:57!!! Yippeeee!!!

I was gasping for air, but who cares? I had done it … a sub-25 minute 5K!

It gets even better than that. Turns out that I finished 11th overall (out of 379 finishers) and was the 7th place female (out of 357)! Granted, this wasn’t the fastest field … I’m excited by my finishing time but have no illusions that I am suddenly an elite athlete. But still … just like my 2nd place finish at Doogies back at the end of February, this is pretty exciting for me. I’m not used to seeing my name that high up in the race results. And I’ll take it.

It gets even better! After 9 years of racing, I finally got a race photo worth buying!

Okay, so the facial expression leaves a little bit to be desired (but give me a break … I’m breathing!), but the rest? I look like a real runner!

Primordial Sound Meditation

The rest of that weekend was taken up with something I have wanted to do for myself for a long time. I haven’t really written too much about it, but the last couple months have been a pretty transitional time for me. It’s all been pretty positive, but I just had some changes I needed to make … personally and professionally, externally and internally. And I’ve worked hard to make it a time of transformation as well as transition, if you will. I’ve written before that meditation has taken a more prominent role in my life, and in order to move my practice forward, I signed up for a course in Primordial Sound Meditation. It’s pretty similar to Transcendental Meditation (but this course is about 1/10th the cost), and instructors are certified through the Chopra Institute. It was a great course … Priscilla was a terrific teacher, and I ended up with mostly individual instruction. I’ve been working on my practice for the past month since, and while I’m rarely able to fit in the recommended twice a day, I am trying to create a dedicated practice and meditate at least once pretty much every day. I love it, and I hope it continues to be a regular part of my life.

Out With the Old, In With the New … Job That Is

Perhaps the biggest news to come out of this whole transformation process has been my decision that it was time to move on from my job. I’m not at all sorry that I took this job and moved to Austin, but it had become increasingly clear to me over the past several months that this was a situation that was never going to really meet my needs, and would always leave me feeling drained and not really happy. So after much soul searching, I decided that I wanted to stay at UT, but really wanted to get back to my pure development roots. And after six years, I also decided that I wouldn’t mind putting on my lawyer hat from time to time … and so I decided that Gift Planning was the path for me. I won’t go into the whole long story, but the short version is that I went to the Executive Director to let her know of my interest, and in a crazy example of the serendipity that often guides my life, a job had opened up the day before. I am not kidding. I never cease to be amazed at how when we put something out to the universe, once we define it and call it by name and ask for it, the universe gives us exactly what we want and need. And so I start my new job this coming Monday. More great adventures to come!

On Top of the World … Or Texas, Anyway

I could tell lots more running stories, but I’ll limit myself to this year’s trip to the Guadalupe Mountains of West Texas. The altitude got me on the first day, but the second day was fantastic … well, the whole trip was fantastic, but I’m just talking about the running here. Saturday I took my first trip up to Guadalupe Peak, the highest point in Texas.

If I were just a few inches taller, I could have been the tallest point in Texas!

Here’s Elizabeth and I on our way to the top with some great views beyond us …

And here’s some happy runners at the top …

But this one might be my favorite …

You can see more on my Facebook album if you wish.

Lots more on the horizon, so y’all check back and I’ll try to be better about posting.