This is a pic of my three beautiful kids. This pic was taken on Dec. 27th 2007, my youngest daughter Courtney's 18th Birthday. I feel so lucky that we were all together at Christmas. My middle daughter is Chelsea and she is 20. Caleb is the oldest and will turn 22 in January. Chelsea is on the left, Courtney in the center and Caleb on the right. They are growing up so fast.

Today is my Mom's 76th Birthday. She is the best Mom anyone could ever ask for. We are all getting together for a Birthday dinner tonight at my sister's house.

Today I ran with my brother and a couple of his friends in Annadel. We ran between 8-10 miles. The pace was fast and my knee felt great. Even my bad ankle didn't hurt. YEAH!! What a great run to end 2007 with.

"Life is a great and wonderous mystery, and the only thing we know that we have for sure is what is right here and right now. Don't miss it." Leo Buscaglia

New Years Resolutions----Believe in Yourself

Once again, I am guilty of being a blog slacker. Sometimes it is so hard to think of something creative to say....

Christmas went well this year. As I have said before, it is not my favorite holiday, but it turned out to be a Christmas filled with lot's of family and good cheer. The kids were thrilled with their gifts and we managed to pull off a Christmas Eve celebration with 35 family members for dinner!! Whew! I got a new pair of running shoes and I just love them. They are the Brooks Adrenaline ASR. Trail shoes that have proved themselves to be my favorite. They are light and supportive and they have a low profile. I have been wearing them for several months now and hold up well even during a 100 miler. Try them if you need pronation control.

Yesterday I got out on the trails after a two week layoff due to an injured knee. It was so hard to just cross-train and not run, but the rest paid off. I ran for an hour without any pain! The eliptical and the pool have been my saving grace. Thank God I have a gym membership and a pool to swim in.

It is almost time for New Years resolutions. I don't know about you, but I always start the year off with some promise to myself that I try and stick with. I am one of those people that can be quite strong and filled with will power if I put my mind to it. In 1981, I made a New Years resolution to never drink alcohol again. My father was an alcoholic and I had had a very bad week with him and his drinking. It seemed like a perfectly good resolution for me. Well, it is almost 2008, and I have stuck to my promise and have never had a single sip of alcohol since!! I am very proud of that. I was afraid to ever become like my father in that way. My chances of having alcohol become a problem in my life was higher due to my family history. I never wanted to become controlled by the bottle. I wanted to break the chain of destruction and prevent my future children from going through what I had gone through. I also loved myself too much to possibly live my life like he did.

I challenge you to find a New Years resolution that will change your life for the better. It can be anything. Believe in yourself and love yourself enough to make a positive change in your life. You will be surprised at how powerful that can make you feel. As we plan our races for 2008, think about what you want to do that will positively change your life for the better. Then, stick with it and you might be amazed at the outcome. I am a better person today because of my 1981 New Years resolution. I am a good example to my children and I hope they understand just what not drinking has done for me and for them. Start brainstorming and BELIEVE!!

Bah Humbug!

Today I ran with Paul, Suzanna, and Florencia at Sugarloaf, a park near my home. We ran for 3 hours and the weather was crisp and clear. It was fun to socialize with our "Marin County" friends again. Since our big run last Saturday, I have been dealing with an injury that I think is in my quad. It is felt in my quad just above my left knee and goes to the inside and down just below my knee. It hurts the most when I walk or when I run flat. I have been taking advil and icing it. The gym has been my best friend this last week.

I don't know about you, but I am a HUMBUG when it comes to Christmas. I was thinking about Christmas today. How did we get from celebrating Jesus's Birthday to buying everyone and their brother a gift? Whether you want to or not? It's just crazy, this rat race we call Christmas.

Tomorrow my brother and I are running together. He has made a commitment to get in shape and he is seeing progress. He and I use to run together years ago and we had so much fun together. I always knew he would get the running bug back.

I end this writing with the words of the late George Sheehan, M.D.--physician, writer, thinker, inspirational voice, runner.

There are as many reasons for running as there are days in the year, years in my life. But mostly, I run because I am an animal and a child, and artist and a saint. So, too, are you. Find your own play, your own self-renewing compulsion, and you will become the person you are meant to be.

No matter how old I get, the race remains one of life's most rewarding experiences. My times become slower and slower, but the experience of the race is unchanged: each race a drama, each race a challenge, each race stretching me in one way or another and each race telling me more about myself and others.

In facing life, no one knows exactly what is going to happen, what is going to be needed, where the search for the Grail will lead. The best we can do is be prepared. Running makes you an athlete in all areas-trained in basics, ready for whatever comes, ready to live each day, fill each hour and deal with the decisive moment.

Finally, and appropriately:

You must listen to your body. Run through annoyance but not through pain.

A Wonderful Day In December

Our epic run from Pt. Reyes to the Golden Gate Bridge became a reality at about midnight on Saturday night. We started our adventure at 5:00am, and ended about 73 miles later at the Golden Gate Bridge on a beautiful crystalline night with stars and crisp clear air. Suzanna, Leslie, Karen, Chris, Rob, Scott, Mark, and I ran the early morning hours together sharing funny stories and enjoying the beautiful clear day. After the first 22 miles or so, our running friends went their separate ways and Suzanna, Chris and I continued on our planned route. Our friend Jeff was our crew and aid station guy all day and made our experience so much sweeter. Thank you Jeff!! Chris and I saw a LARGE Mountain Lion on Mt. Tam. and I was disappointed that I didn't get a picture. I was poised for a "kodak moment." This run was an experience that I will remember for many years to come. We experienced so much out there. We were out there to see the sun come up and we saw the sun go down. We enjoyed each others company and played games with each other when we got tired. I am so thankful for a great run on a beautiful day.

A LONG run

Tomorrow, starting at the butt crack of dawn, 5 a.m. to be exact, my friends and I will begin our long run from Pt. Reyes to the Golden Gate Bridge. It is approximately 66 miles. We will have a fun day out on the beautiful trails. We will run on all kinds of terrain and the day is suppose to be clear with no rain. YIPEE! A few of our generous good friends will provide some aid for us along the way. I hope we see a lot of wild animals out there as the National Seashore is just a paradise for wildlife.

Running long for me always makes me feel powerful. Running long also makes me feel vulnerable. One thing that I can always count on is a lot of time to think while I am running along. When I feel powerful and vulnerable, I always find that prayer comes easy to me. Talking to God is so easy when I am out there with myself. Tomorrow I will dedicate this run and many prayers to my Mom. Last night we found out that she has Cancer. My heart felt like someone was squeezing it so hard and I could hardly catch my breath. It's hard to breathe as I type here now. My Mom has always been my rock and it was funny that last night after my brother and Sister and I told her the bad news, she told me not to be sad, as I was her Rock. I will pray for God to give her strength and courage as she begins this fight. I will pray for myself that God gives me strength and courage too, as I am HER rock and I must be strong for her.

Have a wonderful weekend!!

A Long Training Run on Saturday

On Saturday, Dec. 8th, my friend Suzanna and I, and some friends are running from Pt. Reyes to the Golden Gate Bridge!! 66 or so fickin miles. I would like to run the whole enchilada, but I am not sure how I will feel. It seems like such a long time since I've run that far. Well, it has. 3 months to be exact. Suzanna thought this crazy long run up, and then told me about it. That is all it took. It will be a great training run and we always have a lot of fun doing them. Suzanna is running Hurt 100 in January and the Coyote Two Moon 100 in March.

I have been watching my diet lately and am excited about the way I feel. I weigh the same but I am looking leaner. Watching my carb intake works for me and I am feeling strong. Even though I am an endurance athlete, eating a lot of carbs just bloats me and makes me feel sluggish. I am happy with the way my body feels right now. Check out this blog and read about some exciting nutritional information. I just got lost reading this blog and I found it so interesting.

Swimming today just totally sucked!! Could you hear me gasping for air? It was down right embarrassing. I swam with the Master's and it is amazing how fast I lost my endurance in the pool. I felt like I got a good workout in but I must commit to swimming on a more regular basis. I swallowed so much water that I haven't needed to drink any water since!! I cringe when I think about how many loogies I probably swallowed. Yuck!!

Have a happy week!

Bummer. I didn't get in. I. Did. Not. Get. In. Western States, that is. I was sooooo hoping that I would see my name on the lottery results. On my way home from a run this afternoon, I got a voice mail from my friend Tom telling me the GREAT news that he was in and I WAS NOT. No. Nada. Not this time. Did I say bummer?
Immediately, I went to plan B. Not that I had a plan B. Everything was going to revolve around WS. Soooo, I decided to look at other races that I hadn't run before. I decided to enter Coyote Two Moon 100k. It is a difficult run with a 26 hour time limit in the Los Padres National Forest in Ojai, California. I had to beg and cry to get in. Finally, after a big to do, I am in. GULP!! It is on March 21-23. I'm excited!

Congrats to all of you lucky stiffs who got into WS. I am jealous and resentful, but I will survive. Everyone, get out there and enjoy your weekend. It is cold and frosty here, but no rain yet. Keep healthy and injury free as we move into the winter. Find your limits and move beyond them.