Balancing blinders and eyes wide open

Sometimes when I think about what I'm about to do, I'm stunned by the enormity of it all.

Most of the time, I just think about the next day's run, finding the best route from the Chippewa River Trail to the Mountain-Bay Trail in Wisconsin, which Chamber of Commerce to write to, whether I have enough clean socks without doing another load of laundry, where to take a bicycle maintenance class, how to meet up with running buddies if I want to run 25 miles on Saturday, yada yada yada, and just keep plugging merrily along.

And sometimes my brain fills with trivia. For example, Debby (who's been my logistical/tactical angel for this endeavor) asked me today how many miles I'm running in each state. What a great question! And here's the answer (at least with today's version of the route):
* Colorado: 201 miles
* Nebraska: 374 miles
* Iowa: 138 miles
* Minnesota: 180 miles
* Wisconsin: 289 miles
* Michigan: 238 miles

The mountains will be my backdrop as I leave Colorado, I'll have river crossings in every state, I'll be visiting trails in every state, and I'll be following the Lake Michigan shoreline from the eastern edge of Wisconsin off and on all the way to Petoskey. My husband also pointed out that I'll undoubtedly experience a number of grasshopper encounters along the way. He's always thinking of something ;-)

Down and up

Yesterday was a grumpy day.
Wind. Ice. Impossible running conditions for the 2 measly miles I managed.
Taxes. Financial Aid apps. Sore tail bone from sitting in front of the computer too long.
Missing my dad.

But. Today was another day.

Only a bit of ice and got in a good run with friends.
The time in front of the computer today was with Deb, another friend, who is helping me with the planning of this grand adventure - and we got bunches done. Lots of letters to Chambers of Commerce along the route. My husband's elementary school is hoping to connect with schools along the way via books that the second graders at Kendall's school (Creekside Elementary) are going to put together about Creekside. We will send these books to interested schools along the route - along with a blank book for those schools to fill out and return to Creekside. And we'll meet with whomever from the school who wants to meet with us as we pass through the towns. Should be fun. Back to the Chamber letters: that's where we're asking for school contact info - along with sights to see, events, route suggestions, etc. that we might want to know about as we pass through the towns.

I gotta tell ya', this is one of the aspects of the run that excites me the most - seeing all these towns and all this territory in an up close and personal kind of way. For example, I'll be passing through Johnny Carson's home town, and the town of the mythical University of Okoboji, and Jesse James' stomping grounds, along the Lincoln Highway (the nation's first transcontinental highway), and the shoreline of Lake Michigan. Not to mention all the corn, cows, and scarecrows I'll see!

Doth the stars align????

I'm flirting with a cold.
It's snowing - again.
I'm in the throes of taper-nutty-slugishness due to this week's light mileage.
But - none of that matters!

While crafting a letter requesting permission to run across the Mackinac Bridge, I found out the most amazing thing: The Mackinac Bridge is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.
And, their anniversary celebration is going to be held July 27-28.
And, I'm due to arrive at the north end of the bridge on July 28th!!!
And, when I told my younger son about this he replied with "Isn't that the one-year anniversary of your retirement?" And he's absolutely right!!!!

Holy smokes!!!! Cosmic forces - whatever they may be - are smiling on The Bridge!
(The picture is from the Mackinac Bridge Authority photo gallery - beautiful isn't it?!
The bridge, the 3rd longest suspension bridge in the world and the longest suspension bridge in the western hemisphere, connects the upper and lower peninsulas of Michigan - and Petoskey ...my hometown...the town I'm running to... is 35 miles south of the bridge. )

Review, regroup, and rev up

This is a planned easy week: 50-60 miles. The timing is good; I feel on the verge of a cold and the additional rest should take care of that. In fact, I'd best take care of most everything that ails me this week as I have a major test coming up. The schedule for the next three weeks is 110 miles, 180 miles, 110 miles. When I think about it, I get just a wee bit nervous. Instead of getting nervous, however, I should take stock of preparations to date. Perhaps I'll discover I'm ready for this next challenge!

So far:

• The first half of 2006 I averaged 45 miles per week (early-year mileage was particularly low as I was coming back from a broken arm-induced lay off).
• Mid-June, 2006 I started running 60-mile weeks.
• August I moved up to 70-mile weeks - my treat to myself upon retiring July 28th.
• After getting six 70+-mile weeks under my sneakers, I moved up to 80-mile weeks in October.
• Again, six weeks of the new mileage level, then it was on to 90-mile weeks the last week of November.
• Since then, the mileage as been a bit jumpy: 90 miles, 58.5 miles (planned easy week), 86 miles, 95.5 miles, 51.5 miles (the week my dad died and we went to Michigan), 77 miles, 95.5 miles, 100.5 miles, 50.5 miles (less mileage than originally planned due to flirting with injury), 70.5 miles, 100 miles, 110 miles, 73.5 miles (higher quality/faster paced), and this week's 50-60.

It looks like I laid a strong groundwork of 70-80+ mile-weeks then went into a patchwork of 6 weeks with 90-100 miles mixed with a few light weeks and a couple of semi-lower mileage/quicker weeks. Will this be enough to tackle the next three week mega-mileage cycle? Based on my recent 110-110 week combo, I'd say "yes!" It was during that stretch that the non-running components of my training started coming together. I was putting more emphasis on stretching, I was more conscious of timing when it came to eating, I was more religious about icing...and it's all paying off. That and the 50-degree days and sunshine. Every little bit, all added together - et voila! Happy healthy runner!

Loops of good runnin'

I headed out early this morning to scout trails before rendezvousing with the satboys gang. It was one fine scouting expedition: clear trails that we hadn't been able to run for weeks and wildlife galore. So when I met up with the guys, I was psyched to lead the way.

First we headed through the CU cross-country property and out a back trail - where I pointed out that furry creature you see sleeping in the tree (we all believe it's a raccoon, although we couldn't see a distinguishing striped tail). Then it was over the back gate and onto the South Boulder Creek trail where we saw a magnificent hawk watching the world move about him from high in his tree, and a few paces later a heron flew overhead, then a hawk with something (grass? a stick?) sticking out of its tail flew overhead, then we spotted a hawk sitting in a tree eating its breakfast.
All the while, the sun shone down and a light wind danced about us. Not bad for a winter weather alert day!

(btw: I got my camera phone working again - thus today's picture and I added a picture to the Feb 21 entry)

Yum! Bread!

Forecast for today (Friday): blue sky, temperatures in the 50s.
Forecast for tomorrow (Saturday/traditional long run day): snow and high winds
Smart move of the day: run long today!

It was a solo run, but a fine one indeed in shorts and long-sleeve t: from my house, north towards the Boulder Reservoir, country roads north and east of the rez - accompanied by a bevy of hawks and geese, then east to the town of Longmont. And that's where the bread comes in.

The owners of the Great Harvest Bread Company of Longmont, upon hearing of my run, jumped right up and said they'd send me bread along the way. Then, on top of that, they said if I happen run to Longmont I should stop by for refueling - which is just what I did today. So! After 3.5 hours of running, I trotted into the bakery, got a big welcome from proprietor Matt, and was loaded up with thick slices of bread (cinnamon burst swirl and nine grain - both fabulous) and a topped-off water bottle. And, just as I was turning to leave, Matt said "Oh! You should have some of this too" and handed me a packet of peanut butter. He was exactly right - the bread plus the peanut butter was absolutely scrumptious and did an admirable job of tiding me over while I caught the bus back to Boulder and home. Thank you Great Harvest of Longmont!

Trails!

'Twas another fine day here in Boulder. Shorts, sunshine, and dry trails!
I ran one of my most favorite trail loops - but one I haven't been able to run since November 22 because of all the snow we've had. The loop goes from my house south to the western portion of the South Boulder Creek trail, west (uphill) on South Boulder Creek to the Mesa Trail, a short northwest segment on Mesa over to the Bluestem Trail, and east (downhill) on Bluestem, then back home. Going west on South Boulder, which is a bit rocky, teaches me to pick up my feet; going east on Bluestem, which is quite smooth running, lets me stretch it out and fly. And there are great views both ways: the flatirons going west and the plains going east.
What a glorious run!

An all around good day

This was definitely one of those days that leaves you smiling. To start with, this morning's run:

• saw a blue heron near my old office
  
• stopped at my old office to tell them about the heron and saw some of my old work buddies - one of whom has my old plants and, my goodness, they look grand
• saw a whole bunch of hawks swirling and swooping
• ran a route I haven't run in many years - past the school house that was built the year my dad was born (1911), past the farm house I've admired since the first day I saw it...and it's now listed as 'historic' and is for sale, past the old brick house with three stories, big porch, nooks & crannies everywhere
  
• glorious view of the Continental Divide
• saw a coyote who saw me and we both trotted along giving each other long looks
  
• did the middle of the run as a tempo run singing Yankee Doodle to myself (which works out to a 9 mpm pace), and counted steps per minute before and after the tempo section to be sure I was going 91 steps per minute (counting just the left footfalls) - and felt great while cruising
• it was sunny! the roads were dry! I was wearing shorts!
  

The first leg of the run (~9 miles) ended at the door to a company I'm asking to sponsor me. I dropped off the sponsor request form and letter and got up the guts to ask if I could speak to the sponsor person. The answer was yes! So we had a brief meeting, she seemed to respond favorably, and I'll know in April whether or not my request for sponsorship was accepted.

I ran back only as far as a bus stop, took the bus back into town and went to the next smile-generating function of the day: a free concert at the Boulder Public Library - the Gypsy Swing Revue band - great foot tapping music and superb musicians.

Next it was a run home (via the "hill" neighborhood near CU - somewhere I haven't run since the snow hit - fun hills, ran past a house I lived in during grad school, great change of scenery from the last couple of months). Only a brief stop at home for a quick bite, shower and change then off to a retirement party at CU for a fellow I worked many a project with. 'Twas old home week...many many people I used to work with throughout my 26 years at CU. Very fun to catch up with everyone.

Now, it's back home - and the smile's still on my face. A good day. A very good day.

110 - phew!

This was one tough week: weather, miles, flagging spirit. It's time to look beyond the difficulties and focus on the good stuff:

• I ran 110 miles this week!
• I put a 18 mile Saturday morning run and 4 mile Saturday afternoon run back-to-back with a 17.5 mile Sunday run and am still mobile!
• I didn't fall on the ice; I didn't break anything.
• I ran with friends on four different occasions - which sure does make the miles fly by.
• I saw hawks galore, two bald eagles, a cow in labor, and a herd of llamas.
• Today's run, along a highway, included many stretches of very runnable dirt shoulder...quite the treat for the tootsies that have been pounding so much concrete.
• I ran in shorts today!!!!
  

So how did the 110 miles come about:

• Monday a.m.: 9 miles round about to my massage, 1 mile from the bus to home
• Monday p.m.: 3 miles to and from the post office (round about)
• Tues. a.m.: 12 miles including running to the hill drill hill, two sets of drills then bailing due to slick snow & ice, 3 miles on the treadmill, then home (round about)
• Wed. a.m.: 12 miles gorgeous run until another snow storm blew in - the bald eagle/birthing cow run.
• Wed. p.m.: 3 miles in snow and ice around the neighborhood
• Thurs. a.m.: 6 miles squeezed in between when it started getting warm enough for good footing and when I needed to be at my volunteer job - managed to even run a trail I hadn't been on for about a month
  
• Thurs. p.m.: 10 miles running with a friend on her errand (the first few miles) then continuing on out and about cuz the weather was so nice and I knew I needed to get in some more miles
  
• Friday a.m.: 11 miles from my house to the post office then to AndyE's house then a big loop including some runnable trails and back home again after dropping AndyE off at his house
• Friday p.m.: 3.5 miles running errands from home to downtown in quite decent weather
• Saturday a.m.: 18 miles with the first 7 or so on extremely icey surfaces until the sun came up, the next couple getting out to the rendezvous point with Joe and AndyE, then 9 miles of great running on dirt roads and trails around the Boulder Reservoir
• Saturday p.m.: 4 miles from home to the running store to buy my new watch. Yay!
• Sunday (today): .5 miles out the door and back after deciding to change from a jacket to a short sleeve sweatshirt, 2 miles out the door and back after deciding to change from tights to SHORTS!, 15 miles out the door and on to Lyons...a little town north of Boulder where my husband met me and we went out for a most delicious lunch (catfish po'boy, sweet potato fries, black bean salad, two glasses of ice tea...yum!)

On tap for the new week:
...decreased quantity (80 miles),
...increased quality (tempo, hills, fartlek, quicker overall pace)

Two-part run

I left the house at 6:15 this morning, running from south Boulder, through town, then north and east to the Boulder Reservoir where I was to meet running buddies Joe and AndyE. The in-town portion of the run was horrendous: icey roads, even icier sidewalks and bike paths, cold, dark, dancing over ice to make room for cars - and to top it all off, one car decided to drive down the bike lane I was occupying...driver looking at me all the way. It was at that point in the run that I began to question this whole adventure. The snow, the cold, the ice, the difficulty of getting the miles in through this rugged winter, and the crazy drivers were all conspiring to turn me into a sniveling pile of whimpishness.

Then I got onto the country roads north of town.
The sun was rising higher, roads were dry, horses were whinnying, cows were grazing, hawks were flying, the three-legged dog that had chased after me a few months ago was tied up, and my running buddies were waiting at the rez with smiles. The second nine miles of the run were delightful. Sunshine, a new loopy route, good company, lovely views of the mountains, almost no traffic, great footing and a quick pace. All was right with the world once again.

As for the second run of the day (in my desperate attempt to get to 110 miles for the week by the end of the day tomorrow) - I ran to a running store and bought a new watch. The band was breaking, the battery was running down (the 2nd battery its had), and my tired old eyes are having a harder time reading the white numbers on a black background of my old watch. So! I now have a new watch with easy-to-read black numbers on a light background, a cloth watchband, and the same controls as the old watch so no learning curve involved. I can't wait to take it for a run - which will probably be a 17 miler tomorrow to get my 110...a good first workout for the new timepiece!