Naples, Florida: 4/21/11

Ava and Juliana on the beach at sunset.

Flickr set of vacation photos can be found here!

50K Number TWO!

I know I made a mini-post on Dailymile about this weekend's 50K in Chicago but I was so tired at the time I didn't get to express what I wanted to. I kind of feel like I want to point a big finger at the race report Marty posted and say, "Yeah. THAT." because he already captured a lot of what I wanted to say about the actual course.

I want to add a few things though before I forget in the haze of recovery and training for new races. First of all, even though this was not my first 50K it felt just as special because I was able to cross the finish with such special people. (Schmoopy, I know.) At the race last fall, I ran by myself and although it felt particularly badass to be able to do so, this was a totally different experience. I was a little afraid that Rochelle in particular would hate me for talking her into doing such a crazy thing so I was thrilled that she had such a great race and actually wants to do MORE. Getting to spend the previous evening with Ro, Krista, Marty and Annie acting like total dorks was awesome. I love love love these people. And Amy K. with her cowbells driving up and down Lake Shore Drive with Anne was the icing on the cake. Nobody else out there had the kind of support we had.

I love the vibe of ultras because there's not the grandeur and the stress/pressure of marathons. (Of course, there's a place for them as well but I *get* why people are easily hooked on the ultra distance.) We took our time, made leisurely stops at 5 mile aid stations and really enjoyed ourselves- as much as we could under the brutal wind conditions! The stretches of the course that were wind-free were like heaven and we would literally let out sighs of relief. Because of the wind, I was worried a bit about my plan to get to the final turnaround (about 26 miles) without feeling like I was going to die. However, I think because we took those breaks it really evened out the added difficulty of the wind. Last fall, I finished ten minutes quicker- really only because I took much shorter breaks at the aid stations- not because I was running faster- but at the end of this race I actually felt STRONG. In the previous race I got slower and slower with each mile at the end while this time we actually had our last two miles the fastest. Sure, those last two miles hurt like hell (I remember saying: OH MY GOD. THERE'S THE FINISH. OH MY GOD) but it felt less like a death march and more like we were a Wall of Awesome.

I can't wait to do it again, and again, and again.

What Moves You?

I've always been a mover. For many years, dance was a huge part of my life. I attended a performing arts school growing up and majored in dance in college. But while I was a natural performer, the draw of dance wasn't about having everyone's eyes on me onstage. What I liked was being able to lose myself in the movement. Pushing my body to do things I'd never done before gave me a thrill and I loved to take on the different characters and moods that being a dancer provided. I've always been a fairly shy person, but dancing gave me the opportunity to literally put all my feelings into motion without having to say a word.

There's a moment when you're learning a piece of choreography where suddenly everything clicks and all the gestures and phrases start to flow together. You don't even have to think about what the steps are anymore because the movements seem to rush out of your body. One moment you're sweating away in class trying to connect your mind with what your teacher is instructing you to do and the next minute something locks into place and all that matters is the music, your breath and the rhythm of your body.

It's a difficult feeling to describe and one that I seem to always be chasing now that dance doesn't play such a large role in my everyday life. What I have found though is that one thing that can measure up is the feeling I get while running. While the sensation of running is different, being a repetitive motion rather than a sequence of complex ones, there's still that same moment where a feeling of calm settles over your mind and you feel at one with all the mechanics of your body working together to propel you through space. The simple act of filling your lungs with air and breathing in and out can feel like a revelation. Not to say that I achieve this state of mind on every run (I didn't in every dance class either), but the possibility is always there. When I lace up my shoes in the morning I always wonder if this will be the day I reach that high again and get to glide across the earth like a gazelle. Some days it will even surprise me. I may be several miles into a so-so run when a switch flips and suddenly I'm floating like a leaf on the wind. It's moments like these where all that time spent chasing becomes worth it.

Movement is a wonder, whatever form it comes in. What's your favorite?

*Photo by gravity_grave.

Year 33: Complete

Let's not forget where it all started though:


Way back in the late 70's when my sneakers were awesome....



and I embraced the use of *fingerguns* at photo ops.



But after 33 years, some things never change:




This is what I will be doing tonight.

Birthday Business

My birthday is this Saturday so that means soon I will revert into eleven-year-old girl mode and begin milking this "Birthday Week" business for all it's worth. I still love my birthday. I actually like getting older. (I know, wut?) I really like looking back at what I've accomplished in the past year and making plans for what I want to do next. I suppose I could do this on New Year's Eve but the narcissist in me want to make it all about ME.

So what's on the agenda for b-day number thirty-three? Two words:

Birthday Marathon.

As in my very own marathon. Just me, my favorite route, my favorite music and about four-and a-half hours. I'm going to get up early, go reeeallllly slow and just enjoy the morning to myself. I'll probably take some photos along the way, stop and have some snacks and soak everything in. (Hopefully I won't be soaking in rain, sleet or snow. Please?) Maybe I'll even make my own finishers medal.

After that, the girls will be off to the in-laws house and I will enjoy dinner with Jason here. Not a bad way to kick off year thirty-four, eh?

According to Ava

Sometimes I feel like Ava is a cartoon character. This is my interpretation of her on the epic snow day we had a couple of weeks ago.

Hey, it’s me Ava. Today was the best day of my entire life. You know why? Because it was a SNOW DAY. And not not just a regular old fluffy snow day where the stuff disappears right away and you can’t even roll around in it or dig a hole or anything. But a BIG DEAL snow day where everyone stays home and watches the weather man talk about blizzards on tv and mom makes frozen pizza because she can’t get the car out of the driveway to go to the grocery store to buy vegetables. (Yessssss!) Plus, I didn’t even get to the best part of all yet:

NO SCHOOL! Yesterday after lunch the principal made an announcement on the loud speaker that we kids all got to go home EARLY!! And then the next day there would be NO SCHOOL AT ALL. All the teachers and parents were talking about how big and scary the blizzard was going to be but I wasn’t scared at all. I was happy thinking about the the big fort I was going to burrow in all that snow tomorrow.
I LOVE BURROWING SO MUCH. Here’s how I do it: I pick the biggest pile of snow I can find. Then I start digging a hole with my hands. When it gets bigger I have to stick my head inside and I keep burrowing farther and farther until all that’s left are my legs and feet dangling out. It’s sooooo fun.

That night after eating my pizza I watched out the window waiting for my blizzard. I was afraid the weather man was wrong because for a long long time it was just super windy but not really that much snow coming down at all. My mom and dad made me go to bed but promised there would really be a lot of snow in the morning. Plus, I know that morning comes faster if you fall asleep. I even had a dream about talking snowmen and fairies and a crown made of icicles.

Then I woke up. I could hear my mom laughing and laughing downstairs like it was the funniest thing ever. I ran downstairs and she was pointing out the window at our back yard. There was so much snow you couldn't even see our car! And you could only see the tippity tops of our table and chairs that we sit at in the summer to roast marshmallows. Then we went to the back door and there was so much snow we couldn't even open it! It was craaaaazy. I couldn’t wait to go outside. So I put on my pink snowpants, my big puffy gloves and hat, and went out the front door with my daddy. Just then he picked me up and swung me in to the biggest pile of snow in the front yard! I tried to get up but I kept sinking down like a big heavy rock and it was hard to move. So what did I do next? I started burrowing!

This was going to be the best day ever.

Upcoming stories:

I Love Science
My Sister is Mean. And Really Cool. But Mostly Mean.
Daddy Says I’m a Spazz

Getting My Hands Dirty

Setting arbitrary goals is never a good thing for me. I need looming deadlines, a big red circle on my calendar, and the internet watching to see if I follow through with what I said I'd do. In January I found myself saying something dumb like how I wanted to "challenge myself in new ways" this year. Well that means nothing until you find a way to quantify what exactly the word "challenge" means.

Behold:

http://www.godirtygirl.com

Before you look at te site, see the word 5K and go all pffffffft on me, would you just look at the "What to Expect" page and consider how covered in filth I am going to get completing those obstacles? Go do a Google image search of "Dirty Girl Mud Run" and see what happens to the ladies that participate in these types of races.

Go ahead, I'll wait.

When I was asked to blog about my training for this race I have to admit I paused for a second. I believe the first three things that floated through my brain were "Climbing stuff is hard." "Did that say FIRE run?" and "Ow." But after the dust settled I realized that this is the perfect kind of challenge for me. Sure I can keep running farther and farther (and believe me, I WILL) but for the most part I know what to expect when it comes to running. I really have no idea how well I will do at something like this. Climbing, crawling, scaling walls and jumping though things like mud pits and bales of hay? That's stuff that people on reality teevee do, not me. I won't even go camping because I hate the idea of not showering in the morning.

So of course I said "yes."

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