Ambitious Goals

Looks like this may be my year for trying new things. Like a lot of runners I started out running a few miles a day just to get in better shape. That led to 5K and 10K races which got me thinking about marathons. After my first marathon I naturally started thinking even longer and discovered the perverted world of ultrarunning. I've run a 50K and a couple 50 milers so now my mind is turning to the 100 miler. But which one?

I would love to do Western States 100 since it's basically my back yard. I qualified but didn't get in for 2008 and now that they've discontinued the two-time loser and it's all backed up from last year's cancellation, I figure my chances of getting into WS100 are pretty slim in the next few years. Ever since I rode the Leadville Trail 100 mountain bike race, I've been in love with Leadville, Colorado. So why not try the Leadville Trail 100, the Race Across the Sky. After working out a few details with my folks to watch the girls, I officially signed up. To help my chances I also signed up for the Leadville training weekend at the end of June.

So there it is, my big, fat, hairy goal for 2009. I definitely feel like I'm behind the 8 ball coming off my stress fracture from last year (yesterday I did my long run of a whopping 8.7 miles) but I know if I take it slow and steady I'll be successful. I have some fun races lined up to help in my preparation and my family is behind me 100%. Since my husband is still off work from his fall and with shoulder surgery possibly looming in his future, it's made it easier for me to do more training and events without juggling 2 work schedules. I can't explain the importance of having the support of your family when undertaking such a huge project like this. Pat and I are truly partners and having his support means the world to me. Due to his injury he's had to put a lot of his own plans on hold and I look forward to the day when he's better and I can be there to support him as he goes after his own goals. Until then, as he's been telling me a lot lately, this is my year. And I can't wait.

Dilemma, and the perfect running weather

Yesterday I had a great day. I got off work and on my drive home over Donner Summit I stopped off at Sugarbowl Ski Resort to get in some turns. Last Thursday was my first time skiing in 5 years. Yesterday was my second. 5 years ago I had a pass to Sugarbowl but found out I was pregnant so didn't get to use it. My family threatened me with death if I dared ski while pregnant. So, 2 kids later, I finally decided to get another pass (my, how time flies).

So last Thursday, with great trepidation (and fear of falling off the lift) I strapped on my skis, boarded the lift and managed to not fall down as I disembarked at the top. The first couple turns were stiff and ugly. Once I loosened up I started feeling more comfortable. After 4-5 runs I was back in a groove, just like riding a bike.

Yesterday was extremely windy, to the point that a couple lifts had to be put on wind hold. It was sunny and clear, actually warm when you were able to get out of the wind. I like to change my blog header picture along with the seasons so it was with great effort (and almost getting blown off the mountain) that I got my new picture up top. It's looking south along the Pacific Crest Trail from Mt. Lincoln. It was so windy I had to keep my pole straps around my wrists because if I laid them down I was afraid they'd end up at the bottom of the mountain at the lodge. My body was pressed forward against the powerful force and as I struggled to get my camera out of my jacket pocket I would stand up too straight and I'd find myself getting pushed backward on my skis. But I like the picture so I guess it was worth it. If you look in the lower left hand corner you can see a thin line of white and that is the trail as it heads south towards Tinkers Knob and Squaw Valley.

So, about my dilemma. As I rode the lift up the mountain I started to think about how to record this time skiing in my training log. I skied for 2 hours so do I put 2 hours down? Even though for every 10 minutes I spend getting carried to the top of the mountain I only spend about 2 minutes skiing back down (even though I do get a pretty good quad burn). So for the 2 hours I spent up there, I only "exercised" about 25 minutes. It's not like nordic skiing where you have to ski UP the hills too. (I raced nordic skiing in high school and there was always a big rivalry amongst us and the alpine skiers as to who was better. Of course we were because we didn't wimp out and get a ride to the top of hills). This morning I was reading Darrell's blog and he has a similar dilemma. If you walk during a run do you count the distance covered walking as part of your miles run? I think in general, runners are type A personalities and really care about numbers. We like to record things (just to prove it actually happened) but we want to do it right. So do I record my time on the slopes as total time or just my actual runs down the mountain?

I got home and my hubby was out on a walk with the dog. It was an absolutely gorgeous day, one that rarely happens in mid-January: bright blue skies, about 65 degrees and no wind. I just had to get out and run. So I quick changed into my running clothes and set off up the trail. I ran 2 miles out (even through the occasional snow patch) and then turned back home. About a half mile from home I saw my dog running toward me and closely behind him was Pat. They had gotten my note about going running and headed up the trail to find me. I finished up my last 1/2 mile with the dog then enjoyed a nice walk with my husband. To top off the perfect day, we enjoyed a late lunch in town before picking up the girls from daycare. A nice way to spend the day.

2008 Recap and 2009 Goals

Well, it's halfway through January so I thought I better get a new entry on my blog so the first thing people see isn't Christmas!

2008 wasn't exactly a great year for me, it proved quite challenging dealing with my first major running injury. And typical me, I didn't handle it well. I started feeling pain in my shin last January but continued to run. I did back off the mileage and did a lot of road bike riding but due to some events I had already registered for, I didn't stop running completely on what turned out to be a stress fracture.

I did back out of a couple events when common sense prevailed and volunteered at those runs instead. It was a lot of fun to see those events from a different point of view. I always make it a point to thank volunteers and now I'm really glad I do. Our job as runners is easy compared to what volunteers do.

So, to recap 2008. I ran 586 miles despite 25 weeks of 5 miles or less. I biked 1,406 miles. April was my most interesting month considering I only ran 3 times but logged 80 miles. I did American River 50, Daffodil 5K, and the Big Sur Marathon. As fall rolled around and I finally decided that I really did need to stop running and let my leg heal I took up something new: Bikram Yoga. It's 90 minutes in 105 degrees doing 26 yoga postures and it is very challenging. I am hoping to do a post in the future about it. I started doing "hot" yoga to help me keep my strength and endurance while letting my stress fracture heal. And I managed to do it 50 times by the end of 2008.

Now on to 2009. I'm slowly building up my running mileage but mostly on the treadmill since it's easy to do that at work. I was lucky enough to get into Way Too Cool 50K so that will be my focus race for the spring. I've heard so many wonderful things about this race and I'm really looking forward to running it and seeing all the big names of ultrarunning.

As tune ups for WTC, I'm going to run PCTR's Montana de Oro 25K Feb 15. That course ate me up in 2007 because I hadn't done enough hill work. I don't have a lot of time to prepare this year so it will just be treated as a good training run. Later that week I will do the WS100 training run that covers the last 20 miles of the course from Green Gate to Auburn.

My summer focus is to do something I couldn't do last year, the Tahoe Rim Trail 50M. I've done the 50K course but really want to do the 50 Mile. I have a few more races and one major goal that I will hold off mentioning now while I work out a few details. But if it works out and I manage to stay healthy and injury free this will be a year to remember.

Holiday Recap

A little late but wanted to get a holiday recap out for the family. A couple days before Christmas found us visiting Eddie the Elf so Caitlyn could give him her wish list. Here in Nevada City Eddie the Elf is as big as Santa. He lives in the trunk of a tree and speaks to you through a small red door. He relates really well with kids but has wonderful appeal with parents with his adult humor as well.

Eddie lives in the tree trunk to the left

Christmas Eve found the family finalizing last minute presents and getting Santa's cookies and milk ready. Sara fell asleep early in my arms so Caitlyn was the only one we had to work on getting to go to sleep with threats that Santa wouldn't be able to bring presents to the house if she was still awake.

What was left of the cookies. Notice Caitlyn's Christmas list on right

Christmas morning found 2 little girls sleeping in while the parents and grandparents were antsy to start opening presents, eating, and drinking. Finally the girls were up and the fun could begin.

Sara looking a little overwhelmed with all the presents

The tradition in my family is everyone gets a present and then we take turns opening our gift. Then we do it all again. It makes Christmas last all morning and isn't a lot of fun when you're a kid but the girls did great.

The girls showing off their books from Aunt Anne and Uncle Steve

The girls showing off their new pj's.

The day after Christmas found our families heading down to San Francisco for a new adventure. Last year we decided we wanted to see the Emerald Bowl at AT&T park where the Giants play during the summer. I had never been to a college football game before and wasn't disappointed.

Earlier in the day found us playing tourist in Union Square and it was really nice seeing the City all decked out for the holidays.

The girls watching the ice skaters

Sara and her daddy deep in conversation

After a short respite back at the hotel to regroup we started the adventure of getting to the park. We stay near Chinatown and North Beach. We knew we had to catch the 30 or 45 bus that would drop us off a couple blocks from the field. Unfortunately, everyone in Chinatown wanted to catch the same buses. My mom, the girls, and I were able to squeeze onto a bus but Pat and my Dad couldn't fit. We agreed we'd stay on the bus and they would catch the next one. But once the doors closed I confirmed with the driver that this bus would go to the ball park and she said yes, it normally does but not today. We would have to get off the bus and get on the next one. So at the next stop we got off but the next bus was full. My dad and Pat were on that bus and imagine their surprise when they looked out the window and saw us standing on the sidewalk. Thank goodness for cell phones, we were able to explain to them that we'd catch the next bus. After a couple more tries we did just that and it wasn't long before we were all reunited and made our way to the park.

Watching the parachutist

There were 3 parachutist in all, one for Cal, one for Miami, and this one was carrying the American flag.

Our seats were right on the 50 yard line, 7 rows up. Absolutely perfect. The game was great, the energy of the crowd incredible. Quite different from watching a baseball game in the same park. The score stayed close and we were all rewarded with a Cal Bears win.

The highlight of the trip was definitely the football game but a close second were the 2 runs I got to do along the Embarcadero and around Crissy field. There's nothing I love more (in the city) then to get up early and run through the streets of San Francisco. It's peaceful, clean, and quiet and I love to see other runners out there enjoying the same sights as I am.

Sorry for the long post. Hope you got through it. If you visit just for the running stories, sorry, I hope to have more about running in the near future. Mostly my running consists of miles on the treadmill. Boring, but necessary. My doctor said I'm not quite over the hump in healing from my stress fracture but definitely getting there. I have some ambitious plans for this year and I just hope I can stay healthy to fulfill my goals.

Headed to the North Pole

The Polar Express is a Christmas train ride for families that travels to the North pole to see Santa. A friend of mine told me about one that runs out of Old Sacramento. I was able to get tickets back in October (they sold out in 5 days) but the trip almost happened without me. I was at work in Reno Thursday and wouldn’t get off until 8am Friday. A storm moved in with snow and high winds that closed Highway 80 over Donner Summit, my way home. I had left the tickets with Pat so he could take the girls and head to Sacramento without me if needed. So between running calls half the night and stressing about getting home I didn’t sleep much.

Luckily for me, Caltrans decided to reopen the highway and I was able to get over the hill and join my family for a very fun event. Our first stop was Fanny Ann's restaurant for lunch. It’s a great burger and fries joint that we’ve been going to for years and it never changes which is its charm.

After lunch we walked the streets of Old Sac while the girls ran around and burned off some energy. Eventually we got them changed into their pajamas and made our way to the railroad museum which is a real treasure and will turn anyone into a train buff. While the family checked out the many different types of trains including the dining and sleeping cars, I headed over to the railyard and picked up our boarding passes. It wasn’t long before we were loaded up and moving on down the tracks.

Nana and Sara enjoy some quiet time

The cars were all decorated for the season and Christmas music played on the speakers. The first order of business was to get our tickets punched by the conductor.

Next came the cookies and hot chocolate and the reading of The Polar Express written by Chris Van Allsberg (we own the book and highly recommend anyone with kids to get it). The train slowly made it’s way to the North Pole where Santa waited for us.

Santa came aboard the train to hand out the magic bells from his sleigh and Caitlyn was the lucky one to receive the first gift of Christmas. The train car quickly filled with the magic sound of the bells ringing (we must truly believe because we had no trouble hearing all the bells).

A hobo who didn’t believe and therefore couldn’t hear the bells, made his way through the car. Caitlyn was afraid he’d try to take her bell so she hid it safely in the pocket of her robe.

All of the entertainment and support personnel was made up of volunteer docents, some who have been doing this for many years. This is Chuck and Jan, Chuck punched our tickets and Jan fed us goodies.

Soon we were headed back moving at a faster speed which allowed us to enjoy the rhythmic sway of the train. This was my first time on a train (other than BART) and I must say, it is truly magical.

My folks enjoying the view of the Sacramento Capital

After disembarking, my dad walked over to the Amtrak station to catch a train back to central California to take care of some things before joining us all again for Christmas. Due to the fact it was nearing 5:00pm, we weren't in a hurry to hop on the traffic congested roads so we headed back to the train museum and try to see the things we missed earlier.

Sara mimicking her daddy

So if anyone has kids and wants to enjoy a trip to the North Pole to visit Santa, I would recommend the Polar Express. It was a lot of fun to see the kids dressed in their pajamas and experiencing something they truly believe in.

Merry Christmas

It's certainly COOL in Reno

Yeah, I got in! Active.com accepted my registration for Way Too Cool 50K at 8:04am. I managed to get someone to come in early for me at the fire station so I could sequester myself at a local Starbucks and continuously push the "register" button starting shortly before 8:00am.

For those of you who don't know, Way Too Cool 50K is one of the most popular trail ultras in the nation. Last year it filled (450 runners) in 11 minutes. I really wanted to run it in 2009 so I'm definitely a happy camper. And guess what? Suddenly I'm filled with the desire to go for a run. Too bad it's so blasted cold in Reno. Maybe I'll just head home to my family instead :)

Good luck to all of those still trying to register.

On The Hunt

This is a little late but I wanted to show off some pictures from our 5th Annual Great Christmas Tree Hunt. Since Caitlyn was born in 2004 we've made it a point to go out after Thanksgiving as a family and hunt down the perfect Christmas tree.

Doing it right after Thanksgiving has its perks. We each make up our ideal turkey sandwich, fill a thermos each of hot chocolate and spiced apple cider and throw in a few treats. The adults even have these funny looking flasks filled with something not appropriate for children. But you could probably start a fire with it if we got lost in the woods.

When you gotta go, you gotta go

After making a little pitstop for the little one going through potty training, we headed to our familiar spot near Gold Lakes off Hwy 49. In the past we've had every type of weather from the perfect post-snowstorm but blue sky day, to rain, to sun. This year proved to be perfect weather-wise but it was a little disappointing not finding any snow on the ground. It's been an exceptionally dry fall.

Our first stop was Mills Peak Lookout. We'd never been there before and it was a great spot to stretch our legs. The views were great, including the Sierra Valley, Loyalton, Sierraville, and the Sierra Buttes.

Sierra Buttes

Braving the chilly wind, camera-shy Caitlyn

Sara bundled up

Of course, someone had to take advantage of the potty with a view.

Mom, you didn't really think I'd leave this picture out did you?

After heading back to the tree cutting area and parking the truck we all split up looking for the perfect tree. This is a process that can't be rushed. We like this area because it has white firs which are tall but thin, perfect for our living room.

Pat and Sara

Caitlyn and I find a little snow but not the perfect tree

We searched and searched without any luck and headed back to the truck. My mom made the suggestion to try one other place before driving on so we did. And that proved to be the trick. Pat found the perfect tree and we set to work cutting it down.

I started the cutting but realized I would need more help so Pat jumped in. My mom spoke up and said she wanted to try. After innocent 4 year old Caitlyn said "Nana, you can't do it", my mom's resolve stiffened. She attacked that saw like never before and made a serious dent in the wood.

Watching Nana as she wields the saw

Caitlyn helping her Nana

My dad took his turn and the tree finally gave up its valiant fight.

Caitlyn helps her Papa with the big push

Every year the forest service issues permits to cut down trees. They have rules about which trees can be cut down and it's all with the thought of thinning the forest, making it healthy, and more resistant to catastrophic fires.

Caitlyn and Sara enjoying their lunch of sandwiches and hot chocolate

After wrestling the tree back to the truck we all enjoyed our turkey sandwiches, hot beverages (some with a little extra added) and treats. It had been another successful tree hunt. I realize now I don't have any pictures of us decorating the tree so I'll have to add those to a later post.

Happy Holidays.