What's your New Years resolution? Over the years I have had several resolutions that I have stuck to like flys on a swatter. One year my resolution was to not eat chocolate, so for 4 years I gave it up! I am strong like that. If I make my mind up to do something, you can bet your sweet arse that I will do it. On New Years Eve in 1981, I decided to never have an alcoholic drink again. Guess what? Yes, you guessed it! I have never had any alcohol since. 28 years! I am especially proud of that one. This year will be like most other years. I want to be the healthiest I can be, run well and run strong, and live life to the fullest.

I hope you all have a resolution this year. Goals are important and they cause you to focus and be accountable for something. Happy New Year to all of my blogger friends. I have no idea how many people read this sometime boring read, but I hope I have inspired a few of you to get out and move your body in a healthy direction. Tomorrow morning when you get up it will be the first day of the rest of your life. Start it off with a bang! Live, Laugh, and Love, and then get your butt out the door! Here's to a great year!!

Happy New Year!

He who every morning plans the transaction of the day and follows out that plan, carries a thread that will guide him through the maze of the most busy life. But where no plan is laid, where the disposal of time is surrendered merely to the chance of incidence, chaos will soon reign."
-Victor Hugo

On to the New Year!

Wow, Christmas came and went so fast! All that stressing and it's already over. I had a wonderful Christmas and Santa brought me everything I asked for. I couldn't be happier. My youngest daughter Courtney turned 20 today. I can't believe that she is not a teenager anymore. We celebrated with family at her favorite Thai restaurant. Always lot's of fun.

I entered UTMB on December 23rd. I will be notified in a couple of weeks if I am in. I am a little bit nervous thinking of this race. It is a 103 miles and you have 46 hours to complete this mountainous race. It is a loop course around the Mont Blanc massif starting in France, south through Italy, north though Switzerland and back west into France for the finish. There is 31,000 ft. of total climbing. 1800' more than the 29029' of Mt. Everest! My goal for this race is just to finish it. I don't care about my time. I want to enjoy the journey and finish without sickness or injury. I will have to be very serious about my training and that is exciting.

I am doing well on my gluten free diet. I have not lost any weight, (I don't need to lose), but I feel so much better. I don't have that full feeling through my stomach like I did. I am giving it about a month. I hope that I see the results that I want in that time. I am hoping that the pain I have at night will lessen and I can sleep better. I also hope that my arthritis decreases too. Wow, I sound like a train wreck! All I really want is to be the healthiest I can be.


All my kids are home for the Holidays and that has been special. Caleb flies home tomorrow and Courtney goes back to school in January. Chelsea just moved home and Matt's son Lloyd is here too. I am going to miss Caleb and Courtney. Have a wonderful week, my blogger friends!

Face your Fears...........
You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face...The danger lies in refusing to face the fear, in not daring to come to grips with it... You must make yourself succeed every time. You must do the thing you think you cannot do. Eleanor Roosevelt

Merry Christmas!!

I started my morning with an early morning run in my favorite place. The morning was absolutely gorgeous!! I met up with my twisted sista for a short time and then ran home. Have a wonderful weekend filled with lots of good food, good conversation, and lots of love.

You're still young....if you want to be.

Cold in them thar hills!

Today was an early morning run up to Bald Mountain. It was FREEZING! There was snow on the ground and the trees had a light dusting of powder. Suz and I both felt like shy-zah. Our legs felt like lead, our motivation to push, gone. We ended up running about 9 miles and then called it a day. I am glad that we got out together, though. It is nice to be out on the mountain before anyone else. I loved seeing all the animal prints in the snow and breathing deeply the cold morning air.

From the time I was a little kid, we had a game that went like this: On our way up to Lake Tahoe to ski, we would all anxiously watch for the first sighting of snow. Whoever saw the snow first, would yell out, "I'm the prettiest!" My sister and I, and my Mom, had so much fun doing this as my Dad and my brother just laughed at us. Today, on my way up the mountain for my run, seeing the snow covered trees for the first time, I whispered to myself, "I'm the prettiest". It made me feel warm inside :)

After a busy day I came home to a house filled with explosive diarrhea. Our 17 year old Aussie had let loose. No pun intended. I think she had been storing it up for a week. What a mess, I felt so sorry for her. She is getting so old and I keep thinking that her days are limited. So... after what seemed like forever, the mess was cleaned up and Courtney and I headed for Starbucks. Starbucks makes everything seem better.

My foot doctor told me that he could inject the fluid from a roosters comb into my toe for some lubrication. I am going to think on that one. My bad, "good toe", is feeling better, so maybe I will not need to inject chicken fluid into my body. The thought of that is kinda gross. Have a wonderful day!

Western States lottery and run

Yesterday was the Western States 100 mile lottery. What a day it was, too. No, I didn't get in, but I enjoyed watching many of my good friends hear their name announced. We all stood, nervous at the back of the room. We anxiously awaited while each name was pulled out of the bucket. I was afraid to use the restroom. I didn't dare leave the room. What if my name was called and I wasn't there to bask in the glory? But, alas, it was not to be. When the last name was called, all I had was plan B. What is plan B, you ask? Heck if I know. I need a few days to figure that one out. I do know that I have lots of friends to train with and that makes me smile. 14 members of Team Diablo will be toeing the line in June for WS. That is really exciting! Everyone of them will be there adequately trained and ready. That is just the way they are. I am proud to be part of that group of runners.


After the lottery, a small group of us went for a run. We started at Robie point and ran to the Hwy. 49 crossing and back. It was a great run and we shared a lot of laughs as usual. I got to meet and run with Amy, an amputee, who was selected in the lottery. She is so excited to run this spectacular race. She was quite an inspiration for all of us. Amy also only has one lung. She lost her leg and a lung to cancer years ago. I hope she has a great race.




"Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still." Chinese proverb

Western States lottery GOD

From Scott Dunlaps blog

An Ode to the Lottery Gods

Oh, great lottery God

Those who control my destiny

You awesome powers who choose my fate

Who in one act of will, make me a participant in Western States, Miwok, Ironman Hawaii, Way Too Cool, or none of the above

Your gifts fills my life with adventure, my soul with new experience and friends, and my calendar with endless workouts that build perseverance and gratitude

I honor thy choice with this promise

To respect the event(s) you choose by living them fully

To train to the best of my ability, and put it on the line on the chosen day

To meet every smiling face at the start, at every aid station, and at the finish, and return those smiles with authentic appreciation

By taking pictures, retelling stories endlessly, so that your legends live on

Or perhaps to honor the gift of being chosen for none of the above

And be forced to seek new races and adventures to fill my soul in unexpected ways

I will respect your guidance, and the wisdom of your blessings

But please make it Western States ;-)

Good luck to everyone who is in the Western States 100 mile lottery. Tomorrow is the day in which we will celebrate or not. Either way, we will all have an opportunity to plan out our racing schedule for 2010.

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