Spring blooms

Wild irises, South Boulder Creek trail, May, 2001

After a somewhat lethargic winter, it was time to pick myself up, shake myself off, and frolic with gusto in the springtime sunshine. Some of this involved the intellectual (Conference of World Affairs - one of Boulder's all-time best events), some modicum of workplace effort (writing for CU), a bit of manual labor whenever I craved dirt under my fingernails (built a wood chip path to our new front porch and put in two vegetable gardens), and, of course, a revived running effort.

I tackled the running portion of springtime life from two directions:

1. I signed up for two marathons: Mickelson Trail in South Dakota - a rails-to-trails trail through the Black Hills that I've wanted to run ever since I first heard about it; and Grandma's Marathon in Duluth, Minnesota which has been on my marathons-to-do list since I first started compiling a marathons-to-do list. The first of these, Mickelson, is a mere 11 days away now and Grandma's follows two weeks later! After South Dakota and before Minnesota we're coming back home to celebrate Kendall's birthday here in Boulder...it's possible I'll do a last-minute sign-up for the Estes Park marathon for that in-between weekend. First I have to see how Mickelson goes...being my first marathon since training for my run to Michigan... In the meantime, I've got my mileage back up in the 50s and 60s (miles per week) with a fair amount of hill work and tempo runs under my belt. Best of all, I've been able to head out and run wherever my legs want to explore for however long it takes to get there and back. Lovely lovely runs this spring. And, to top it all off, this past Saturday I ran my 60,000th life-time logged mile! The cherry on top? I still want to go out for more!
   
2. I started training with a couple of women who are serious about their Bolder Boulder prep. I've been friends with one of the women since the early 1980s and we did a lot of training together back before we had kids. We're quite compatible - strong but not extra speedy runners, and, (very important) we don't treat our runs together as mini competitions. We've had some excellent speed workouts over the past several weeks, with our final one today. 5x1k at 10k pace, and pulled each repeat off right at pace or a few seconds under. It will be interesting to see how everything comes together for the Bolder Boulder (which is Monday). My #1 goal is to beat my age (59), even better would be to beat last year's time (57:04), and more amazing would be to run in the 55 minute range which I haven't done for several years but training indicates is within the realm of feasibility (a stretch but...).

As an extra bonus, I volunteered to head up a Bolder Boulder training group of staff/teachers from our neighborhood school (where Kendall teaches). I got an idea of their goals and fitness levels, then handed out individual training plans for them to follow and logs for them to keep. We walked/ran, ran easy loops, graduated to hill drills and hill repeats (making each one sing one line from do-re-mi after running back down to make sure they had their breath back before heading up again) - and they were always ready for more. It was great! Today was our last session and I couldn't believe what all they were saying to me: "Having that log really helped. As soon as I saw two empty days, I got myself out the door." "I never would have tried those hills on my own; I never thought I could do something like that!" "Now when I run hills I just think about 'high knees' and I'm running right up it!" "I didn't believe you when you said when you're feeling yourself getting tired and running slowly, speed up. But it works - it gets me going again!" "What you said about consistency is the key. It makes all the difference." "I ran 1 hour without stopping to walk once. I'm ready!" I always thought the getting outside bit was the best thing about running - but listening to all of them talking today, that really really made my 30+ years of running worth it!

Winter running

This has been the kind of winter where, when wintry weather strikes, it seems to hang on for a longer-than-desired number of days of, shall we say, "challenging" running. Then, just when you're ready to thrown in your running shoes, out bursts the sun, glistening off the snow-covered mountain tops and brightening the Colorado-blue sky.

Those bursting-with-sunshine days also offer up plenty of incentive to run in new venues or revisit old favorites long buried in snow. Some of the highlights of this winter's sunshine days running:


A new version of an old favorite affectionately known as the Cirelli loop after the fella who designed the route for our satboys running gang back 15 years or so ago when we were all training for marathons. At the time, only a few of the miles were on trail, the remainder on roads ranging from dirt to highway. Slowly over the years new trails have been developed replacing all of our road segments, with the final segment just now opening to the public. And, as an extra bonus, much of the trail mileage is up high offering incredible views of the Continental Divide. A new trail loop is just about the best gift a runner can receive during the height of winter!


A variation of a favorite trail loop. Since my usual 'up' segment, a rather rocky bit, was still covered with snow I went up my usual 'down' segment but rather than up and back, I went up then zigged over, up, and into the woods on a different trail. A run on an old favorite with a bit of variety thrown in - an excellent interlude to the winter's challenges. Extra bonus here: this particular trailhead boasts Boulder's "outhouse with the best view" winner.
[The view from inside the Big Bluestem/South Boulder Creek trailhead outhouse]





A cabin fever buster of a run - off to Longmont, just east of Boulder, for a run along the full length of the St. Vrain Greenway Trail. A lovely trail through the town of Longmont, but tucked peacefully back along the St. Vrain River. Refreshing and relaxing all rolled up into a delightful morning's run.

[Just finishing theSt. Vrain Greenway Trail

Looking west from the east-most trailhead ]

Snowflakes

Run. Under the dome

of a snowglobe. Silent white.

Flakes. Left. Right. Up down.

Family - the best gift

Mom and I decorating the Vaughan Christmas tree

This has been a whirlwind holiday season. My mom was rushed to the hospital in mid-December and Kendall and I flew to Michigan to check her out first-hand - and, thankfully, to take her back home and get her settled before we returned to Colorado. It ended up being a delightful trip, finally getting a (big) taste of winter after the balminess of Colorado, finishing the decorations in mom's already beautifully decorated home, celebrating early Christmas with her, and generally having a relaxed and lovely visit.


(Left to right: mom ready for early Christmas dinner, ready for church, and trying out her new hammer)


Kendall and I returned to Colorado with four days to do all of our Christmas preparations: cards, shopping, baking... And it turned out to be a pretty good way to go!

• Tuesday: shop.
• Wednesday morning/afternoon: write and mail cards - in time to reach at least the Colorado folk before Christmas!
• Wednesday afternoon/evening: go to the Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert with some friends (wow - over the top sound & lights!).
• Thursday night/Friday morning & afternoon: bake bake bake and deliver plates of cookies to neighbors and friends in time for Christmas Eve feasting.

Friday night (Christmas Eve) we enjoyed our traditional pizza and movie with the boys...ahhhh...relaxation.

Christmas Day started with me running to Paul via trails, he running with me back toward the house, meeting up with Kendall, Devon and Jester in the park for a leisurely stroll back to home, stockings, and presents. Since we wrap our presents in Sunday comics, our present opening is a rather slow process as we simply must read the comic that was oh-so-carefully chosen to highlight the present.

Lots of laughter accompanying the presents - especially so this year since Kendall and I had showered the fellas with science nerd t-shirts.
(Left: Devon & 'rock, paper, scissors, lizard, spock.' Right: Paul & his favorite reply to almost anything)





Celebrations and laughter continued on Sunday with the Miller Christmas gathering. The most uproarious moment? When Kendall and his brothers (the 'high foreheaded' Miller boys) opened a package addressed to the three of them containing hair hats (complements of Kendall). What a hoot!

Looking for winter

Little Traverse Bay from one of my favorite running trails
(xc skis might have been the wiser choice over my runnin' shoes)

Last week I ran in shorts every day that I started my run after the sun was up. Being December, I thought that was a bit ridiculous. Then on Sunday my husband and I made a spur-of-the-moment trip to Petoskey - and found winter. We flew into Flint (in southeast Michigan) and drove through a blizzard to Petoskey (northwest Michigan). I've been running in breezy, snowy, chilly (way chilly) weather ever since. But as a good friend has said many times, there is no such thing as weather too bad to run in, there's just inadequate clothing. Three cheers for many many layers, and a winter wonderland!

December what?!

December 8th actually. And I ran in shorts today!

I told my mom, who is battling yet another snowy northern Michigan winter (in addition to rebounding from some medical issues) that I would run in shorts today in her honor. And that's just what I did. A fine run it was too! Cows, two magnificent hawks (one who played leapfrog with me as I ran through CU's cross-country property), a chickadee, and a fly! What a wacky entry into winter we're having here in Boulder!

Keeping an eye on the trail

This was my view during the bulk of my run today, eyes glued to the ground before each foot plant. If I wanted to look about at the blue sky, glowing flatirons, snow-capped Longs Peak, tall amber grasses, critters hiding in those tall amber grasses, I came to a full stop then gazed. Why such caution? 16 days ago I hit a patch of black ice while running in the wee hours of the morning and fell hard on my right side. My knee is still cranky, and my upper arm is outright furious. I do not wish to take another tumble. (I usually have one big one each winter, do you suppose I've already reached my quota?!) Today's run up Skunk Creek Trail was pure indulgence...running through the pain in order to revel in the day. Some days just gotta be seized!

Bovine adventures

Attentive cows east of Burwell, Nebraska - June 30, 2007

Cows continue to add entertainment to my life. When I lived on a farm on the island of Nord Hidle, Norway (spring and summer, 1971) I herded cows, milked cows, fed cows, shoveled after cows and, most excitingly, outran a bull. Several years later, as a young mother, I experienced the adrenaline rush of warding off some charging cows while Kendall whisked our boys out of harms way as we hiked along a trail that, apparently, a herd of cows did not wish to share.

During my run to Michigan I startled many a cow along the way. I suspect runners are not as common on the backroads of the heartland as we are here in Boulder. The cows pictured above were the exception to the typical skittish prairie cow. Rather than stampeding away from the oddball runner as was the norm, these cows gathered along the fence as I ran past with Paul. My theory is they were eavesdropping on Paul who was giving me a play-by-play account of the latest Spiderman movie. Either those cows love a good movie narration or Paul is a closet cow whisperer.

Today presented an entirely new cow adventure. I was running around the eastern boundary of CU-Boulder's south campus (home of the CU cross-country course) through a herd of cows - a mix of moms and juveniles - when I noticed one of the youngsters was playing with a long strip of tyvek that had blown onto the property. He'd toss it around then chew on it...and chew some more. Figuring that tyvek was pr'y not the healthiest snack for a young bull, I decided I'd best get it away from him. So I wound my way through those moms and juveniles, yannering on in my calmest voice, until I got up to the young fella. I looked him in the eye and told him I really needed to take his plaything away. He looked back at me none to pleased but, what with sign language and forceful chit chat, I convinced him to move on, leaving the tyvek behind. With many glances around to all the watching bovines, I bundled up the tyvek and marched my way out of the herd. No charging cows today. Whew!

Defunkin/grumpin'

I don't know what set it off, but my-oh-my I was in a grumpy mood today. I don't like being in a funk, nor do I like being a grump. So, what to do, what to do.

Here's the pjv method for chasing away the blues (today's version):

1. Go for a run (what a shocker, eh?!). To break the routine/rut of late (and hopefully break the funk), I went to the track and did some drills and ran some quarters. There's a whole lot of rust that needs to be busted; at least today was a start.
2. Go to exercise class for a big dose of sweat, movement, muscle, music, and friendship. It definitely takes one's mind off one's troubles.
3. Stay after class with one of your buddies and shoot hoops. Ahhhh, now you're talkin'!
4. Run back home (good) and make a hot bowl of soup for a cold almost-winter's day (good) and get interrupted by the painter who's coming to paint your house tomorrow (bad).
5. Chow down on luke warm soup and sit down at the computer to work (not helping!).
6. Jazz things up by adding some Baileys to that first cup of coffee you're just getting around to drinking. Yeah!
7. Go back and forth on whether or not to go to class and decide, yes, it would be good to get out of the house...and yes it was.
8. Being the first cold snowy day of the season, put on your spanky (almost) new hat. Now that is what absolutely turned the tide. It's just not possible to wear that hat without smiling.

And now we have a de-funked de-grumped kind of day!

Addicted? Apparently so!

Phil, Joe, and AndyE near this morning's turnaround point
my phone camera leaves much to be desired...

October, as mentioned previously, was a very low-mileage month for me. Today, I burst out of that mode ...somewhat unintentionally. The plan was to meet up with the satboys gang at Coal Creek Golf Course where Joe would lead us out onto a new trail. Joe is famously navigationally challenged, but he had already thoroughly explored this trail plus we all knew roughly where it was so we had a high degree of confidence that we'd find our way there and back. And, when we were deciding on the plan for the day, Joe gave us options of a 6 mile out/back or a 7.5 mile lollipop loop; we chose the 6-mile option. To that 6-mile option, I added roughly 8 miles by running to the rendezvous point from home.

After arriving at the golf course and taking a boat-load of ribbing for all my blinky lights and reflective gear (at least I arrived unflattened after having left home at o-dark-thirty and running on high-traffic thoroughfares!) we set out to find this new trail on a glorious balmy autumn day. We first followed a familiar trail along a creek through a bit of town and into a quiet valley where we arrived at the new trail. Up and up, zigging and zagging we went across high dessert prairie and lo and behold, what a view opened up in front of us - the Continental Divide with snow-covered peaks hovering over the flatirons and foothills. Stunning....and just exactly what I wanted to be doing this morning...running, smiling, wind in my face, friends by my side. Perfect!

And, oh yeah, that 3 miles out/3 miles back? Not unless it took us 47 minutes to run 3 miles. Joe is no longer in charge of distance - in addition to directions. But it was a most excellent not-six-miles!

So why did I title this "Addicted? Apparently so!" ? I arrived back home in the best mood I've been in in ages...singing, laughing, dancing around the house. Yep yep, give me a long morning run any day!