Taking a deep breath

This photo, taken in the midst of a rainy, blustery run along Little Traverse Bay during our most recent trip to Michigan, is a fairly accurate depiction of my mood of late.  The past several months have been a challenge, physically and mentally.  Good times with visiting friends and relatives, but on a personal level, rather unsettled, meandering, drifting, no big goal to wrap my arms around and battling with issues not in my control.  Difficult for this long-time project manager...  And to top it off, running has been sporadic (in large part due to those issues not in my control) so running-related goals have had to be put aside, and I've not been able to consistently turn to my go-to mood enhancer, the long run.  I am hoping, however, that frowns will soon be banished from my face, shoes will be dancing on trails, and energy will be overflowing with jobs to do and goals to pursue.

In the meantime, a look back at late summer and early autumn activities.

In August, Kendall and I took a leisurely trip to Michigan to visit mom, poking around the backroads through the plains and making lovely discoveries along the way.

The western end of the Cowboy Trail, near Valentine, Nebraska

A delightful museum in Valentine, Nebraska with the most amazing museum collection I have ever seen: 1000 bells, all donated by one woman.  The pictures do not do the bell room justice. (I must apologize for the sideways cow bell picture.  It's one of my most favorite pictures but I just could not figure out how to get blogspot to keep it upright):

We also thought a visit to the corn palace in Mitchell, South Dakota was long overdue.  It did not disappoint:

From there it was on through Wisconsin (and another run on the Mountain-Bay trail), and into Michigan and Petoskey and a lovely visit with my mom.

 
While in Petoskey, we were also treated to days and nights filled with friends and music - including a Dixieland Jazz jam session at a friend's neighbor's house followed the next day with the Petoskey High Steel Drum band performing at the waterfront during the Festival on the Bay festivities that highlighted the weekend's activities.

No drive to and from Boulder-Petoskey is complete, of course, without admiring the Mighty Mackinac Bridge.

 And this trip even included a stop to explore the amazing wonders of a fiberglass creation artist near Sparta, Wisconsin...our second exploration of this astounding yard full of a plethora of creatures. 

Bear Creek, now coming down our street from blocks away

Then the calendar turned to September...and The Flood.  You may have heard about this deluge.  21 inches of rain in 5 days, every creek, ditch and river overflowing, few homes left unscathed...not to mention roads, bridges, trails, and towns.  It is now being referred to as the 100-year flood, but I do hope it is many hundreds of years before something like this happens again.  A couple of photos:

Bear Creek bikepath looking east - the creek should be on the right side of the wall.

Once we got past the flood, it was time to celebrate a running buddy's birthday.  Her big wish for this momentous 60th birthday was to run the Manitou Incline and I, of course, said I'd do it with her (silly me!).  As we were driving down, I turned to Kendall and said that I was nowhere near in good enough shape to do this and he, sensible fellow that he is (sometimes) replied with "Well, you'll just have to pace yourself."  He was exactly right.  We started up the incline, paced ourselves, marveled at our surroundings on a glorious blue-sky Colorado day, and marveled even more at ourselves when we arrived with smiles at the top.  The Manitou Incline, btw, is about 1 mile long, with 2000 feet of elevation gain including a stretch with a 69% incline.  Oooofdah!  Definitely a most worthy birthday celebration!

Starting out UP the Manitou Incline

Looking back down toward Manitou Springs

Connie all smiles at the top

Me and Connie.  We made it!

 On to October/November and another trip to Michigan to move my mom into Independence Village, a senior apartment complex, for the winter.  Meals prepared for her, maintenance and cleaning handled by the staff, friends old and new with whom to share the dining room, entertainment throughout the week.  This should be a much more enjoyable winter for her than the last.

Picture of the fearsome work gang at my retirement party

Now it is back to Boulder and 'tis time to tackle the question of how to get my motor revved up again and add a little spark to my life.  Maybe it's time to get the gang together and dust off the project management hat...






Oh wait!  That's the work gang.  No!  Maybe it's time to dust off the running project management hat!

Again my coworkers - but outside my old office two miles into my 1400-mile run to Michigan

A Summer of Family and Friends

This summer we have stayed fairly close to home - no exotic excursions nor meandering road trips nor monumental runs.  However! It has been one of the most delightful summers we've had in Colorado thanks to an abundance of visiting with family and friends.


In mid-June, my cousin, John, and his wife, Marcie, visited Boulder for a day as a lead-in to the Architecture conference they were attending in Denver.  We treated them to one version of the Quintessential Tour Of Boulder including a picnic in Chautauqua, followed by a tour of the CU-Boulder campus and a grand finale of dinner at Chez VaughanMiller!

 

The last weekend in June found us in Telluride enjoying the company of my grad school study buddies.  We had not all been together for 33 years yet, as study buddy Joel said, "...and the conversation continues." Indeed, we picked up right where we left off, laughing, teasing, discussing, hiking, and partying (but no studying WeeHawww!).  And, thanks to technology that hadn't even been dreamt of when we were in school, we were able to skype with one of our gang who has been living in Europe for decades (now living in Vienna, but was attending a wine tasting in Czechoslovakia and skyped with us from a hotel lobby...transcontinental partying at its best!).

Setting off through town for a morning walk

Hiking with pizzazz!

Skyping with Kate - Glenn showing off our weekend wine selection

Dinner/party time on the deck

 Over the 4th of July, cousin Dan (the middle brother of the Jim/Dan/John Murphey boys) and his wife Yi Lu popped in for a few days.  They got another version of the Quintessential Boulder tour including a walk along the Boulder Creek path, a tour of Celestial Seasonings, lunch at The Sink (with a peek at President Obama's signature right next to Guy Fieri's signature), a visit to our farm share pick up resulting in Yi Lu introducing us to fava beans and her favorite  recipe (yum!), all interspersed with lovely long conversations around the homestead.
  

And then there was last weekend, the last weekend of July.  What a whirlwind!  Devon and Corinne flew in from Kansas City then we all went up to Fraser/Tabernash for a reunion of the offspring of C.D. and Trudy Miller (Kendall's grandparents).  Between all of the aunts, cousins, spouses, youngsters, and friends there were upwards of 50 Millers/Miller-hangers-ons - eating, laughing, joking, catching up with eachother, hiking, viewing flora and fauna, poking the campfire, cooking, and generally having a boisterously grand time of it.  Life is most definitely not boring amidst a gaggle of Millers!

Immediately following the Miller rendezvous, we were peeled off the camping clothes, polished ourselves up, put on the fancy duds and dashed off to a wedding of a member of our extended family.  It, too, was a boisterous affair - but only after a most beautiful ceremony that saw Shahara and Eddie become husband and wife.  The afternoon wedding, with its rainbow theme, opened under blue sky and sunshine after a day of rain - a very good omen indeed.

Shahara and her parents, Christina and Rex

Amazing! We do clean up rather nicely!

Let the visits with family and friends keep on coming.  

They, more than anything, fill the heart and bring the smiles.

It's amazing what all one can do...

...if one is retired (thus not working 50-60 hours per week as per one's former life),
...if one's children are grown, independent, out-of-the-house happy adults
and
...if one is not training eight hours a day in preparation for some sort of crazy run.

For example!

One might make a summer wreath for one's 92-year-old mama who loves to decorate her home for every season but who was unable to find her summer wreath this year!

Paula & Deb - fun with crafts!

Holy smokes! We actually made a wreath!

One might be able to spend a few days cooking and planning for a visit from one's cousin who was going to be in the state for an Architecture Convention!

Kendall, Marcie & John, picnic at Chautauqua

Campus Tour (Fine Arts Building) (Marcie, John, Paula & Paul)

Campus Tour (Varsity Pond bridge) (Kendall, Marcie, John, Paula)

Dinner at the homestead (Paul, Kendall, John, Marcie, David)

Taz has a new best friend - John feeding him peanut butter cherry dog biscuits. fresh from Glen Arbor, Michigan!

One might tackle long-overdue home improvement projects! (Kendall's shorts used to be tan and his socks used to be white, I swear!)














 

One might be able to relax in the evening and gaze at the super moon with one's true love!













....and, of course, if one is a runner (says I looking in mirror), one might be able to fit in a lovely little run that included the excitement of a giant snake!

Ya' never know

You figure you've got all (most?) of your ducks in a row, you're (semi?-)successfully herding the cats, and then blamo! something goes unexpectedly, bizarrely awry at the zoo.  Say wha????

When such a thing happens (and given we really don't have control over everything do we, so such a thing is bound to happen some one day), one might be able to learn a lesson or two.  Here are my lessons of late:

1. Enjoy what you've got when you've got it.  The sound of birds singing, sunshine, rain, waking up in your own bed, choosing your own schedule, the chance to get out and sweat... whatever it might be, enjoy!
2. If an idea pops into your head - especially if there's repeat popping - act on it!!!!!  Ya' just never know what hiccup might derail your plans, ideas, inspirations...big or small.  So far today, seven (yep, count 'em, 7) check marks off the to-do list!
3. Look brightly to the future.  Right now might not be a bed of roses - may even be worse than a bed of thorns - but keep looking up.  So very often, the body, mind, and soul go where your attitude is pointing!

Meanwhile, yesterday was Kendall's birthday.  We happily woke up to eachother's smiles as we have for the last 40 years, enjoyed an early morning walk with Taz, ate ice cream for lunch, rendezvoused with Paul, skyped with Devon, had a scrumptious Mexican meal for dinner (followed by more ice cream!), and simply delighted in each other's company. 

Kendall - my anchor in the storm. Pic from the north shore of Lake Michigan, 1268.5 miles into my 1400 mile run to Petoskey

Hills and Books

Today Amie and I tackled the NCAR hill.  It's been a while since I've charged (or moseyed) up that hill.  It's quite a fantastic workout.  We ran about 22 minutes to the branch library then continued west up Table Mesa Drive, up the NCAR hill, around the NCAR parking lot, then back down past the branch library at which point I trotted on home.  From the library to the top and back is 5 miles round trip and a whole lotta hill.

But life is not just about running.  After the workout Kendall and I put the finishing touches on the Little Free Library we're building, called for reinforcements (son Paul), loaded up the library, the books, and the tools and headed for the neighborhood school where we had a post just waiting for a library to top it.  A few saw cuts, some grunting, a bit of drilling, and a whole bunch of book unloading later, we've now got a Little Free Library at 3740 Martin Drive in Boulder.  Weehaww!

Blooms along the trail

Today's run was why I run - and why I am so grateful I am able to run.
'Twas long, slow, and lovely.
The kind of run that livens the body, refreshes the soul and calms the brain.

Here it is in pictures (with my meager phone camera...sorry about that...) - from the Bluestem trail to the Mesa Trail and the Shanahan trails.  A simply wonderful day to be in the Colorado great outdoors.

What a bit of racing will do for ya'

I much prefer training over racing...I simply love to run...
However, during today's training session, the benefits of the occasional race were made clear. 

My running buddy, Connie, is building off of her Bolder Boulder training and race in preparation for running the Steamboat Classic in Peoria, Illinois where she will be visiting her son and his family in a couple of weeks.  Thus we met up for a bit of speed work on the trails this morning.  Having had that recent 6.2 miles of racing ingrained in my muscles and brain just five days ago really seemed to make a difference!  My body and brain both knew just what to do when we took off on our repeats at 5k and 10k pace.  Not only were body and brain able to tackle it, they were ready and raring to take on the challenge.  Way fun!  I should oughta remember this the next time I'm waffling over a race entry form...

1985 Bolder Boulder - 4-mo-old Devon in baby jogger, bro-in-law Andy on my left shoulder - back in the days I raced a little more often

Another Bolder Boulder in the logbook

Another Memorial Day in Boulder, another Bolder Boulder!

My times are getting slower. However, as you can see by the picture, my running buddies and running experiences still bring on the smiles.  

Anita (age group winner!), Connie, and me - all smiles after cooling down a bit post-race

Anita, Connie and I have been training for the Bolder Boulder together each of the last few years.  In fact, Connie and I were training buddies back in the early-mid 1980s before kids and careers jumbled up our schedules for a couple of decades.  Retirement does have its benefits!

Now that I've got a 2013 race under my belt, perhaps it's time to devise a bit of a running plan for the year.  So far, all I know for sure is: build more base, run more hills.  Beyond that, under serious consideration are: run the Heart & Sole  Half Marathon in August, and give the Monument Marathon in Scottsbluff, Nebraska a try in September.  Long range, well.... on my bedside table lies a book that Paul gave me for Mother's Day: "A 1,000-Mile Great Lakes Walk - One Woman's Trek Along the Shorelines of All Five Great Lakes."  Now does that sound like some absolutely fabulous running potential or what?!

Perhaps if I start updating this blog more than once every six months, these "considerations" and "potentials" will become actual goals - and perhaps those goals will actually be achieved.  We shall see!

A chilly start to the year

Looking west at sunrise from Singletree Trail

Most days of this year of 2013 have begun in single-digit temperatures.  But as my running buddy, Schaef, adamantly proclaimed, there's no bad running weather, just improper running gear.  Thus I've tried out every combination of cold-weather running attire that I own working up to two layers on my legs and five layers on top for the 5-7 degree days.  Today, however, was a relatively balmy 15 degrees when I left my house.  The bigger challenge was the 6 a.m., pre-sunrise, departure time with some concern about visibility on ice-packed roads as well as my visibility vs. any traffic that might be out there.  But, again, it was all about proper preparation.  This morning's gear, from the bottom up:
- trail shoes for the ice and snow
- semi-high-cut socks for cold and snow
- one pair of warm tights
- one mid-weight tech shirt, a heavier tech-shirt, warm hooded polypro pull-over, bright yellow reflective jacket
- neck warmer (what a good investment that was a few years back!)
- warm hat
- reflective running cap with a blinky light in back.
'Twas quite the sight, I'm sure, what with the warm hat pulled low, hood up (most effective piece of gear for warming the entire body, in my humble opinion), all topped with the bright yellow blinky cap!

And it was all worth it.  The run started with about 4 miles on fairly quiet almost-country roads then continued with about 6 trail miles that took me up high enough, at just the right time, for a spectacular view of the Continental Divide at sunrise.  The picture, via my very inadequate phone camera, does not do it justice.  The glow from this sunrise, however, warmed my entire day!