Happy Halloween

All right family, this blog's for you. Here are pictures of your wonderful/beautiful/darling/cute daughters/granddaughters/neices as they celebrate the one day of the year when it's ok to beg for candy. No, I'm really not that cynical about the holiday because I get to steal the good candy out of their bags when they're not looking :)

Mom, I hope you get a chance to see this on your long voyage back to the United States. Oh wait, you never left the US, it probably just feels like you did.

Sara starts us off with the "oh honey, will you stand there while we take your picture and look really really really cute?" picture. It's not hard for her to do since she is adorable. Caitlyn refused to have her picture taken: she's 4 (that should explain it). She said she'd rather have her picture taken while she was begging, I mean, trick-or-treating. So here it is.

Still no smile from her but it's early. The day started off drizzly, chilly and a bit windy but would get better as the morning wore on. Her attitude improved with the weather. Outside Tess' Kitchen Shop, Snow White and the 7 Drawfs (is that still politically correct?) were giving away candy. Here, Snow White tempts Caitlyn.

I guess I should mention the event we were at. Every year Grass Valley shuts down the main street in town and the employees from all the businesses dress up and give away candy to younger kids who don't normally go out at night to trick or treat. I've gone every year with Caitlyn and now Sara and it's a lot of fun. The weather kept the crowds down a bit this year but it was still enjoyable.

Caitlyn finally warmed up and decided it was ok to get her picture taken with Sara. She wanted her Nana to see her whole outfit so she took off her sweater.

After collecting candy we headed over to Paulette's for brunch. The girls are getting to an age where it's actually a lot of fun to take them out to a restaurant. After getting home we went through the candy and goodies and here's Sara showing off her zebra finger puppet.

The Center of Performing Arts gives away books each year and here's Caitlyn showing off hers, Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear?

Shortly after we got home I had to head over the summit to work at the fire station (I had taken the first part of the day off). It was hard for the girls to see me leave and it wasn't any easier on me. But tomorrow it is suppose to be cold and rainy so I made them a promise: as soon as I get home we'll have breakfast, watch cartoons, movies, and football, eat popcorn, and stay in our pajamas all day. A family day.

Cross Training

I haven't had much opportunity lately to write about running because I haven't done much. I was able to see another doctor who did confirm the stress fracture in my left shin. But at least now I'm willing to do whatever I have to do to get better. He gave me some good stretching exercises to do and actually said I could run a couple miles occasionally on the treadmill if it felt ok.

Last week I ran a couple miles on the treadmill and it felt ok. It was more of a run/walk, walk 5 min, run 2 min. What's interesting is how my attitude has changed. I'm finding that I'm hesitant to try running again because if my leg starts to hurt I know I'll just get depressed. I'd rather just wait and let it heal and try running again in a while. But then part of me wants to run tomorrow.

So that leaves cross-training. I've been doing a lot of Bikram Yoga and loving it. Also swimming where I've been doing drills to try and get faster in the pool. Just before Pat had his little accident we went to Morro Bay for my mom's birthday and we took the mountain bikes. My dad gave us a tour of the wonderful trails around Cerro Cabrillo between Morro Bay and Los Osos.

Dad and I climbing

The singletrack is so much fun with some short but intense climbs and lots of great rollers. It's a small area and it wouldn't take more than a week to find all the trails but you can mix them up and keep it fresh.











Pat had to head home early so it was just my dad and I who headed out to Montana de Oro early one morning. For anyone who has done the trail races with Pacific Coast Trail Runs in that area would recognize the trails we rode. We headed out Islay Creek Rd for a nice warm up then hike-a-biked up Barranca Trail.

My Dad and I at the top of Barranca Trail

Descending East Boundary Trail

The fun really started as we headed down East Boundary and Ridge Trails. Eventually we climbed up near Hazard Peak for some gorgeous views of Morro Rock and the surrounding hills.

Morro Rock and Bay in the background

Fun Ridge Trail fans out behind my dad

Just this summer the CCCMB opened a new trail to descend down from Hazard Peak that involves more rollers and less steep hills so it improves run-off. It still needs a little work but is a real joy to ride. The CCCMB is incredible with their trail work and anyone who rides in the area should be very thankful to them.






I'm sorry Pat couldn't be there for the beautiful views since when we did the trail race over Labor Day it was completely foggy. And to everyone who offered such supportive comments since his fall, I can let you know that he's definitely getting better. The shoulder is still problematic but he's in physical therapy for that and it should be fine. Thank you everyone.

My mom showing off her trike

The girls have been getting older and Caitlyn is now riding her bike. So we all take off on our bikes and my mom finally got tired of getting left behind. Enter, the trike. She's thrilled because she can now go everywhere her granddaughters go.

Exploring the beach boardwalk with Caitlyn

Pat and Sara enjoying some trike time

The Phone Call

This morning the phone rang at 1:30am. Pat was on duty and it was his Battalion Chief. My heart sank, this couldn't be good. Turns out Pat had slipped on a metal roof during a structure fire and fell about 10 feet to the ground. He landed on his head and shoulder and being in full structure gear with SCBA (breathing apparatus) adds quite a bit of weight and makes for quite a landing. Fortunately, as his BC was quick to say, he's all right. He escaped with a laceration to his head and a painful shoulder. No loss of consciousness.

I loaded the girls into the truck and we headed for the hospital. You have to love a small town and the firefighter/EMS community. The lady on the ambulance is a friend of mine and watched the girls for a bit while I got my first visit with Pat. Seeing him bandaged up with doctors and nurses attending him made it finally sink in that he really did get hurt and I was so thankful that it wasn't worse.

I eventually took the girls to a friends house so I could focus my attention on Pat. He got staples in his head to close the laceration and an x-ray on his shoulder which came back negative so it's probably a muscular injury and hopefully isn't too serious. This morning I asked how he was feeling and he chuckled sheepishly and said he feels like he fell off a roof, his humor still intact.

On top of all this I had to take the truck in for new brakes and rotors, an expensive fix. It makes me realize how quickly a nice, comfortable life can be turned upside down. We're lucky and will get through this fine with the help of some very good friends that I'm extremely thankful to have.

I know it's so easy to get caught up in the business of life and forget to appreciate what we have. This "middle of the night" phone call reinforces what's most important in life: family.

An Apple A Day.......

Last Monday Pat and I and the girls headed south on the very windy Hwy 49 to Placerville to visit Apple Hill. Made up of more than 50 ranches, there is everything apple as well as wineries and Christmas tree farms. We had never been so we thought it was high time we got over there.

We were armed with only a guide book included in the Reno Gazette Journal newspaper and the various descriptions of each ranch. Our first stop was at Abel's Apple Acres. Being a Monday (one perk of a firefighter's schedule) there was no crowd and we were able to browse freely. A nice little gift shop helped me get started on some Christmas shopping.

Enjoying apple struedel

After the long drive there we were hungry of course so what to start with. Something apple!! We decided on the apple struedel and were not disappointed. Afterwards the girls were able to run around in the field a bit.

Unfortunately, since it was a Monday, the hay maze was closed. I'd rather deal with a few things that weren't open since it wasn't a weekend and have the freedom of no crowds. After talking to a few of the locals it sounds like it can get pretty crazy on the weekend.

Our next stop was Boa Vista. They had a wide selection of apples and we picked up some for an apple pie in our future. We kept the kids fortified with a couple of hot dogs then headed off to the next stop, Honey Bear. What an absolute treat.

This one's for you Aunt Anne

For our lunch we had turkey sandwiches on croissants with potato salad and WARM apple pie. Delicious. Seating was in a wonderful grassy area on picnic tables under apple trees. The girls busies themselves by picking up and stacking the apples that were on the ground. The above picture shows a book called "How to Make An Apple Pie And See The World". It's from Caitlyn's Aunt Anne and she absolutely loves it. She was showing it to everyone and explaining how to make an apple pie.

Shoulda had the pulled pork

There was a small pond with Koi fish that the girls were able to feed and trees to climb.

After Honey Bear we decided to call it a day. The weather was perfect, no crowds, and the girls were terrific. We had picked up a couple of caramel apples as a treat which we enjoyed after dinner.

Caitlyn had never had caramel before and was not disappointed.

All in all it was a great day and I highly recommend getting over there if you have the opportunity.

Running Thru the Heat at Rio

Results here

As I sit here on my couch, in the comfort of my home, getting ready to start a movie, I can't help but think of the runners out there on the trails around Auburn and Folsom. They've been there all day and most of them will be there all night and well into tomorrow morning. They're running the Rio del Lago 100 mile Endurance Run and I'm only a little bit jealous that I'm not among them.

So to make myself feel like I'm still part of the ultrarunning community, I loaded up my girls (Pat is at work) and we headed down to No Hands Bridge just outside of Auburn, CA. The first runner I see is Becky Johnson getting ready to head up the steep climb to Cool. I don't know her but we both agreed that we seemed familiar to one another. She was in good spirits and I wished her luck and I'd be checking the results for her name. I hope she's doing well.

Becky (Sabin) Johnson

I was surprised at how hot it was. Easily mid to high 90's and the runners certainly looked a little baked. We headed across the bridge and I gave Caitlyn the history of how it got its name. The sun was baking down on us and we could also feel the heat radiating off the dusty ground. We stopped at the first nice shade tree we could find and cheered on the runners as we ate snacks and wished we were lounging down by the river.

Sara, with No Hands Bridge in background

Nearby, there were 2 horse-people being filmed and we were curious. Turns out the woman is the host of a new program called "Rediscovering the Gold Country" and they were filming a segment on the Tevis Cup trail. It is suppose to air on local television. We enjoyed watching them and they enjoyed having an audience.

Filming for Rediscovering the Gold Country

I saw Ray Sanchez running strong. I said hello and reminded him we had run together a little at 12 Hours of Cool. He seemed to remember me and he was very nice, said he was feeling good, and he headed off down the trail. I'm sure he'll do well in the final results.

Ray looks like he took a bit of a fall but still going strong

We hung out a bit then headed back towards the bridge when we came across Rena Schumann. She remembered me from TRT100 (I was working the finish line) and she was also extremely nice. I just love the ultrarunning community.

Rena Schumann climbing strong

Future ultrarunner Caitlyn sprints across the bridge

Alex Danner happy to have the Cool loop behind him

The A/C of the truck was a welcome treat and it wasn't long before my youngest was sound asleep. Even though I wasn't directly supporting anyone on the trail, I felt it was important to just be there and show my support to all the runners (at least the one's I saw). Plus, it was a nice excuse to get out of the house on a beautiful Saturday. I'll post a link to the results when they're available. In the meantime, good luck to all those runners running through the night.

Goodbye Summer, Hello Fall

Today I found the perfect way to spend the last day of summer. A nice local 5K race put on by the Sierra Trailblazers during the Draft Horse Classic Fair that takes place annually at the Nevada County Fairgrounds.

The Draft Horse Classic run offers a 5K or 10K. I had volunteered to take some baked goods to the packet pick up on Saturday and while there I made the decision to sign up for the 5K. Pat was working so I would have to take the girls to a friend's house early Sunday morning.


Sunday dawned beautiful: 50 degrees and sunny. After dropping the girls off in their pajamas to cuddle on the couch with a good friend, I headed over to the fairgrounds to warm up. I'm not sure what to think about what's going on with my legs. I still have the pin-point shin pain occasionally but I also have really tight calves similar to what beginner runners go through but it just keeps going on. It does get better as I warm up.


We all lined up and I saw a lot of familiar faces and I couldn't help but wonder how I would stack up to them with the limited running I've done all summer. The starters horn sounded and we were off. I tried to stay with the women I was racing with last year but I quickly found that I couldn't keep their pace. Bummer.


The course took us through the quiet neighborhoods of Grass Valley and then eventually onto the trails through Condon Park. It was a mildly rolling course but my pace definitely slowed everytime the road went up. I held my own ok until about 1.6 miles into it when some other people starting passing me and I had nothing in return. Finally we hit the final mile which meant mostly downhill and I decided now or never.


One of the things that really motivated me on this run is time. I was short on time. Caitlyn really wanted to do the kids fun run at 9:15. That means I had to finish my run, jump in the truck and drive to Kim's to pick up the girls and get back to the fairgrounds before their race started. I wouldn't have a lot of time to spare. If I could run really fast I would have a few extra minutes on my side.


So knowing this, I tried to kick it into a higher gear for the final push. I was hoping to break 25 minutes but it wasn't to be. 25:27 was the best I could muster. I guess the old saying "what you put into running is what you get out" is so true. What truly amazed me was what I discovered when I downloaded my numbers from my Garmin 305. My average heart rate was 180 with a max of 190. Jeez, I didn't think my heart rate went up that high anymore. I was truly shocked by those numbers. I don't think it's that great of a thing that I had to work that hard to average 8 min/miles.


I managed to get the girls picked up and made it back before their race. Unfortunately, they both freaked out when "Go" was shouted and we all ended up walking the 150 feet to the finish line together. They both got medals which they proudly showed off for "walking" the run.

Caitlyn and Sara (in pink) not looking too sure about the race

Sara, enjoying a post-race snack

We enjoyed some snacks during the awards ceremony and I was pleasantly surprised to find I had finished 3rd in my age group, 23rd over-all. Sorry but I'm out of practice reporting race results so I didn't get a lot of names and times. I know Peter Lubbers won the 10K and is looking great to defend his title up at Lake Tahoe at the end of September for the ultra-run around the lake.

Peter Lubbers collecting his medal

I want to say thank you to all the wonderful volunteers who put on this race. It's not an easy thing to do and this course required quite a few marshalls. But with all the great folks out there on the streets and everything marked so well there was never a problem with finding our way.


The rest of the morning was spent walking around the fairgrounds enjoying the sights and sounds of the Draft Horse fair. We ran into Rocky, a 19.2 hand tall horse that dwarfed the girls. Now I'm not a horse person but I know a big horse when I see one. These guys are beautiful.

Rocky, a huge horse

Caitlyn was thrilled to pet Rocky

After getting a treat at Lazy Dog Confections (the best hand-made ice cream in the area) we headed over to the small engines that pop and smoke and seem to attract men in a way I can't figure out. There was one engine that was powering a small ferris wheel with bears in the chairs that was adorable.

Bob and Debbe's Lazy Dog Confections

There was also a hand pump that actually pumped water and the girls gave it a shot. Brought back memories of my visits to Cumberland City, Tennessee when I was a small girl.

Me in Tennessee, circa 1970's

One final stop at the firehouse to visit Daddy and show off all of our hardware before heading home. The girls immediately fell sound asleep after an eventful morning. It was a great way to say good bye to summer and get ready for fall.

Time To Tri

14 years ago, Barbara Schmidt Millar died of breast cancer. She was 42. A few of her friends decided to put together a little triathlon in her honor. Within a few years it had grown so they opened it up to the public. Now, 14 years later, about 400 women participate in this Celebration of Life Triathlon. Some do it to compete against themselves or others, others do it to honor a loved one lost to cancer.

My set-up, minus the running shoes because I was wearing them

I arrived early to Scott's Flat Lake in order to get a good spot in the transition which also let my family get a little more sleep then join me just before the start. There were already a few people there so I set up my stuff and made my way down to the lake. I'd never seen it so low but it wouldn't affect the swim. The water was calm and the sun was just hitting it making a beautiful sight. As I looked out at the buoys that we would swim around I thought "wow, they don't look too far away". I took that as a good sign because in years past my thoughts have always been "oh my god, are you kidding? We're going to swim that far?".

Beautiful morning for a race

Readying the support boats

I guess this is where I tell you what my goals for the race were and how I was feeling going into it. Last year I finished in 1:24:09 in 10th place over-all. This year I was just hoping to finish in the top 20. I felt over-weight, under-trained, and injured. Ideally, I wanted to do better than last year but I was realistic and knew I just hadn't done the training. I have been concentrating on my swimming (my weakest leg) so I knew my time would be faster there. The run would definitely be slower due to my legs hurting and I had no idea how I would fare on the bike.

The course is 1/2 mile swim, 11 mile bike, and 3 mile run. The kicker is the huge hill coming out of the lake. It's a couple hundred yards long and is STEEP. A lot of people are resigned to walking their bikes up it. It's important when you hit it that you don't let your heart rate red line but it's tough.

It was fun seeing familiar faces before the race. The race is great in how it brings so many women of the community together. Even my girls' pediatrician was there. I ran into 3 ladies from my "Mom's Group" who were competing as a team. It was their first time in a triathlon and welcomed any advice I could give them. After they got body marked I helped them pick out a good transition spot and offered a few words of advice but most important, just have fun.

Fellow "Moms" Erin, Kim, and Crystal

Pat and the girls showed up and we got to visit for a bit before I had to get in the water and "warm up". Actually, the weather was perfect, warmest it's been in the last 4 years. 2005 I competed as the bicyclist as part of a team. 2006 I did the whole thing 8 weeks after giving birth to Sara so I was just happy to finish.

My support crew

I lined up in the front of Wave 3. I don't remember if there was a horn or if they just said go but soon we were all splashing through the water. I tried to go out fast but not too fast so my heart rate would stay in control. I also tried to concentrate on my stroke, keeping it smooth and doing everything I had been practicing these last few months. Gradually I made it around the first buoy but the right turn had us facing directly into the sun for the next long leg. I didn't have many problems with others swimmers, occasionally someone would swim right in front of me heading sideways and I hoped they would look up pretty soon before they got too far off course. Towards the end I know my technique took a back seat to just trying to get back to the boat ramp. I concentrated on really kicking my legs, trying to get them warmed up for what was coming up next.

Does anyone look good coming out of the water? At least I'm smiling

I don't wear a wetsuit so the transition went fairly quickly and I was on the bike heading up the big hill. The bike is my strong suit so it wasn't long before I was passing people. A lot of people. I get a few "wows", "damn", "you go girl". But I also think I freak a few people out when they're not paying attention and aren't expecting me to come by. It's an out and back course with a few rollers. I tried to power up the hills and on the flats but my legs were screaming. I kept thinking I was going so slow compared to last year. Oh well, just do the best you can I kept telling myself.

Coming in from the bike

I got off the bike entering the transition area and tried not to fall on my butt with my shoe cleats. As I switched shoes I heard Pat and the girls cheering me on behind me. 29 seconds later I was headed back out but I forgot to turn around and wave to my family. Dummy.

Headed out for the run, forgot to wave

I started jogging up the hill (did I mention that it's STEEP?). I was quickly passed by 3 women and I had to slow to a walk. Depressing. Once I reached the top I started running again and boy, did my lower legs hurt. They were just so tight, especially my shins making it difficult to lift my toes and not fall flat on my face. I passed the 1 mile mark in 10:50, not good. I was suffering and it wasn't the good kind of suffering from pushing the pace. It was the suffering you experience when you haven't run a 5K in 5 months.

Somehow I managed to slog my way through the next couple miles. My friend Rose caught me and I tried to stay with her. She pulled away a little then another lady passed me. I checked her right calf and it said 38. 38 years old. My age group. Competition. My first thought was "Oh well, there goes another placing". And that pissed me off. Sorry, but it did. What kind of attitude is that? So I started to sprint. I figured if I could pass her quickly I would catch her by surprise and be able to stay in front of her. I did pass her and set my sights on Rose who was just a bit ahead. I caught her and we both cheered each other on. I felt my pace slow and I just knew "38" was right behind me. I dug deep, found another gear and gave it one final push to the finish line, ahead of Rose and "38". I was happy. Then I found out "38" was part of a team so she wasn't my competition. But I was still really happy she came by me because it forced me to dig deep within myself and remember what it's like to race and have the desire to win.

Sprinting in to the finish with my friend Rose

After the race, it was all about cheering each other on and comparing stories. The results were up quickly and to my utter shock, I finished in 1:24:36, 17 seconds slower than last year. Good enough for 11th place over-all, 1st in my age group. Wow. Considering how I felt during the race, I was really surprised. If anyone is interested, here are my splits.

Swim 1/2 mi: 20:38

T1 2:17

Bike 11 mi: 35:44

T2 :29

Run 5k: 25:39

Getting my hug from race founder and director, Cathy Anderson-Meyers

Studying the numbers from last year to this year, I was over a minute faster in the swim but a minute slower in the run. This year's bike was 4 seconds slower. My transitions were about the same. Pretty consistent. Now all I can say is, I can't wait til next year. With a little luck I'll be healthy and get in some consistent training and maybe I can break the top 5. After all, if you're going to dream, dream big.