Sexy, Single guy looking for a running group

This guy is looking for a running group to join. He says he is ready for some trail blazing. I hope one of you can help. I told him that I just wasn't quite ready to hit the trails yet. He has a backpack filled with gels and succeed and is very enthusiastic. Oh, and for all you single gals, he is available....

Winter blues and making goals for 2008

Happy Saturday! I just can't believe that it is almost Halloween. The air is crisp and it smells like Fall. I don't really like the winter months. I am more of a summer kind of gal. Long days and warm nights are what make me happiest. I always struggle with motivation when the days get short and colder. It's hard for me to "want" to get out the door and run, where as in the summer, the desire is usually there.

I have been thinking a lot about running and fitness goals though. I want to remain very fit through the winter months and start thinking about races I want to do in 2008. In January, I am pacing my friend Suzanna at Hurt 100. I am committed to getting in awesome shape for that race. I think that cross training on the stair master might help me prepare for all the power hiking that may be needed there. I want to enter Western States 100 too. The odds are not good for getting in, but you never know. I just love that race. I don't think my family wants me to run a 100 again after my illness at Wasatch, but I want to keep my options open. As for the rest of the year, I want to concentrate on 50k's and 50 milers. I just may have to let go of the 100's and just enjoy myself at the shorter distances.

I do have to admit that I am still tired from Wasatch. I don't feel like the race really happened. Believe me, I KNOW it did, but it was slow and painful so it just doesn't seem real. I have to realize that despite it being a painfully slow race, I did run 100 miles, and the muscle damage I got from the Rhabdo is keeping me from having the recovery that I should have had. I am just doing the best that I can and I know that I will be back on the trails soon.

I hope that you all are seeking out running or fitness goals for 2008 too. Having goals will help us all through the winter months and have us all ready for an exciting year in 2008. Start today and see what happens.

Your limits are defined by the agreement you've made about what's possible. Change that agreement and you can dissolve all limits. Wayne W. Dyer

The day after the Marathon

I just love this video. I hope you will all get a laugh out of it as I did. Happy running!

My name is Kelly and I am a blog slacker

I have been a total blog slacker. There has been a lot of things going on and my mind has just been other places. Matt's dad died last Friday of Colon Cancer. He died peacefully with all of his family at his bedside at their ranch. He was a wonderful man with a great sense of humor. He will be missed by all. His funeral is tomorrow and we will celebrate his life.

My running is going well. I have slowly eased back into training and I am feeling quite good. I think I'm getting my MOJO back. Finally. I have also been getting some swimming in too, and that makes me feel good. On Saturday my friend Tom Crull from Dallas will be here to run the S.F. 12 hour run at Crissy Field. I am excited to see him as it has been a while since our paths have crossed. When I ran the rim to rim to rim at the Grand Canyon, he ran the rim to rim. Wow, that was 6 months ago!

I want to concentrate on getting in great shape and in keeping healthy. I will be seeing a couple of specialist regarding my recent illness after Wasatch and I hope to get some answers. In the meantime, I am committed to eating well and taking good care of myself. Winter is coming and that means less daylight for training and more cold, rainy days that can make getting outside running or swimming more of a chore. I will remain committed and motivated. I am pacing my good friend Suzanna at Hurt 100 in January so that is more reason to get out there and get my body hard. I have got to be at the top of my game to pace her, and I will be. I hope everyone who reads my blog is committed to getting in better shape this winter. We all know that getting in shape can be hard, but once you have made exercise a habit and a priority, it is so much easier to get out there and do it. With that said, Get out there and JUST DO IT!!

Refuse to let an old person move into your body. Aging is simply a learned way of being. Dr. Wayne W. Dyer

The Golden Jackel finishes Furnace Creek

Congratulations to my friend and ultra runner Bill Bradley who finished the Furnace Creek 508 mile bike race last weekend in Death Valley and the Mojave Desert. This 508 mile bicycle race has a reputation as one of the toughest endurance challenges with 35,000 feet of elevation gain and a 48 hour time limit. Bill, who told me that "I am only good at showing up", did an incredible job of not only showing up, but of digging deep and hanging in there for a time of 46:14:32. He finished 35th overall. Great job, Bill!! Way to HAMMER! Now go rest!

What were you like as a kid?

As I drove past my old neighborhood today I reflected on the kid that I was back then. I grew up the oldest of three. Kelly, Shawn, and Wally. We were the typical American family. My Father worked and my Mom stayed home and took care of the house. We had a beautiful home always filled with lot's of friends and family. I, however, was not your so called "normal", kid. Thinking back, maybe I was just a tad wierd. No, maybe not really wierd, but just different from many kids, and certainly different from most kids today.

I always had a lot of energy and grew up wanting to be either a Veterinarian, Archeologist, or a Mortician. I spent countless hours digging up our pastures in search of Indian Burial Grounds or bones of any kind. I proudly displayed stuffed birds, snake skins and bones and skulls all over my room. I loved to hunt and butchering rabbits and chickens was a normal day for me. In Junior High, I sold my tanned rabbit furs to my friends for making purses. If you were a "special" friend, you might be lucky enough to get a deer tooth on a leather strap to wear around your neck. I might even bring you a blown out goose egg that you could decorate for Easter.

I had mad crushes on Movie Stars. Clark Gable being on the top of my list, with Ryan O'Neil a close second. Then it was Mark Spitz and numerous other athletes. I loved them all, but that was about the extent of my love life. I guess I just wasn't that cute. I was fun and entertaining, but cute I was not. In Junior High, fun and entertaining just doesn't get you much. I spent much of my time riding horses and tending to my farm animals. I swam on a swim team and dreamed of one day looking like a model in a Seventeen Magazine. The only time I watched TV was when I was home sick from school, and how much more boring could life be than watching TV?!

My favorite song, well, no, not really, was, At Seventeen, by Janis Ian. You might recall that song. I felt that song was written about me and I cried every time I heard it. The only guys who liked me were the guys who were kinda "different". The fat, slow learners, and pimple faced boys that always said the inappropriate things when called upon in class. I always felt sorry for those boys and I would be especially nice to them. That, I guess, gave them the green light to ask me out. BUMMER! My Mom would say," go out with him, Kelly. It will be fun and it will be something to do." Wow Mom, good one! Her and I laugh at that comment now.

Well, I never became an Archeologist, Veterinarian, or Mortician. What happened with those dreams are still a mystery to me. I did go to school and become a nurse and I am a Mother and I am happy with my life. My kids think I was probably a nerd, but I don't think so. I was just a kid who loved life and had a lot of hopes and dreams. I didn't grow up to be the person I thought I would be, and I will most likely never hunt or butcher another animal again. I still love skulls and bones, swimming and animals. And if you a really special I still might give you a deer tooth.

What were you like as a kid? It is fun reflecting back. I encourage you to take a "trip" back in time and see yourself as a kid again. You will probably like what you see. I know I did.

Just blabbing on about nothing

This is my sister and I about a hundred years ago on Halloween.

I can't believe it is already October! Ugh. I love summer so much, and always kinda dread the winter months. I hate to be cold and it makes getting into the pool such a chore! Ugh!

I mention the pool, because I have made a commitment to myself to get back into the pool on a regular basis. Swimming is actually a great sport. I swam on a swim team when I was young, and did very well. I tried to swim at least twice a week all last winter and I did find it quite good for cross training.

Since being sick in September, I have started getting back on the trail. I feel myself getting stronger and it feels so good to be out there again. It is so hard to be away from something that you love so much. I did promise myself to not race again until I am medically given the "okay, you are healthy" sign by my Doctor. I see two specialists at the end of October.

I have two friends that are racing this weekend in the Furnace Creek 508. It is the Worlds premier Ultramarathon bicycle race. This 508 mile race has 35,000 ft. of total elevation gain and traverses Death Valley. My fingers and toes are crossed for Dave Harper and Bill Bradley as they begin this epic journey on Saturday. You can check it out by clicking here. My butt is hurting just thinking about it. Both Dave and Bill are ultra runners and are so tough and driven. I just know they are going to do great.
Well, it is time for me to get my butt down to the pool. I have some swimming to do!! Peace out.