I will miss you forever, Dad

 Today I celebrate the life of my Dad who was taken from me too young and too soon.  He was just 60 years old.  Twenty one years ago today,  my life was turned over.  I celebrate his life today but I morn also.  In some ways he lost his battle with life years before.  Vodka took that away long before God took him.  A beautiful man filled with a creative mind, a great sense of humor, and a wonderful love of his family.

  I wish he was here to see me now.  I've grown to be someone he would be proud of.  I know that he would be proud of me, but not surprised.  I know that he watches me from above and smiles at me.  He would be so proud of my kids and would talk to everyone who would listen about what amazing adults they have become.  He would see himself in me and I think he would wish that we could spend time together again.

Thank you Dad for coming to all my boring long swim meets.  Thanks for going with me to Girl Scout camp and for buying me a horse and a horse trailer so we could go to  horse shows and overnight trail rides together.  You sacrificed so much to make me happy.  Thank you for being so generous and loving.  You were a good athlete too, Dad.  I think I got that trait from you.  I am tall and slim too, and I look a lot like you from the neck down.  No boobs, great lungs, long legs.  I look like Mom from the neck up and I have to laugh every time I see myself in the mirror.  Yes, I look exactly like Mom.  I am proud of that also.  She is a beautiful woman and I love her so much.  I am so glad that you too found each other and that I was born to both of you.  How lucky is that?

  I guess you know that I took care of Don when Pat died.  It was something I needed to do for both him and me. It was special to spend time with him. You were lucky to have him as your brother.  We had a lot of fun together and I felt so sad when Cancer took him away a few years ago.

  You were my hero and you still are.  Shawn and Wally got your creative traits.  Both of them can fix or make anything.  I on the other hand have no creative ability, but running and being outside is my passion.
 
  Today I am running a 50K in memory of you.  I will not cry, because crying and running don't really work together.  I've tried that, and it really sucks.  I will smile and know that you are watching me.  Thanks Dad for everything good and bad that we shared together.  It has made me the person that I am.  I am strong and determined and will never forget you.  RIP Dad.  12-10-1990.

BEAUTIFUL

Wyman Meinzer's West Texas from Wyman Meinzer on Vimeo.

The bad news is that time flies. The good news is that you are the pilot.

The Canadian Death Race.....2012??

This race is on my radar for August 2012.  It looks very challenging and it has definitely caught my attention.

"The world is filled with interesting things to do. Don't lead a dull life in such a thrilling world."
American Writer and Lecturer, Dale Carnegie

  Hello people! No, I didn't ditch this blog.  I have been just ignoring the fact that I have one!  How is that for honesty? ]

  A lot of things have happened since I last posted.  For one, I got a laptop.  I have wanted one for a long time and I am very happy with my Macbook Pro.  This is my first Mac and I am adjusting to it quickly. Since I last posted, I ran a trail marathon where I was reminded that I had neglected my long runs. It was a painful reminder.  I walked away with an age group win, so I was quite pleased with that.  Last week Matt and I went to Texas to run the Rockledge Rumble 32.5 miler, and I managed to win the womans race.  Of course I was happy, and staying with Tom Crull was icing on the cake.  Tom is the race director of the Rockledge Rumble and also a great friend.  I met Tom on a training run on the Western States trail several years ago.  We have been best friends ever since!  Speaking of Western States, I put  my name into the lottery and the drawing is on December 10th.  As of this morning, there are 1700 applicants.  Chances of getting in is probably nil.  Oh well, there are many 100s that are beautiful and worth doing, so I won't be real disappointed.  My fingers and toes are all crossed as I write this though.  :)
  Have a wonderful day and do something that makes you feel happy!

Relentless Forward Motion

 

Happy Friday, everyone!

Hood To Coast Relay

Last week I headed to Portland Oregon with some friends to run in the Hood To Coast Relay that runs from Mt. Hood to the Coast.  I have never run HTC and didn't ever expect to, as I had really never thought about doing a relay before.  We had a complete blast.  Two vans, 12 fun people, and 200 miles to run, what could be better than that?  We finished in 25:00:17 for  a 8th place finish in men's masters division.  That put us at 99th out of 1268 teams.  Not bad considering that most of us are ultra runners and a few members of the team either just finished a 100 miler or getting ready to run a 100 miler. Oh, and did I mention that we are all OLD?

I hadn't run on pavement in like, 15 years or something, so I was pleasantly surprised at how nice it felt to run there.  I hope to be able to run there again someday!
                                                            
                                    

Today my brother and I ran 22 miles and he struggled a bit with tight calves and aching hips.  I hope he figures out what the problem is because he is signed up to run a 50 miler in October.  After a quick shower, Jada and I headed out to our favorite place these days, the dog park.  It's a little embarrassing to say that I absolutely LOVE going to the dog park and just hanging out.  The people are great and the dogs are wonderful.  I would never have gotten involved there if I hadn't had surgery and been off work.  Just another blessing I got with being on medical leave. 

My friend Suz and I talk frequently about nutrition on our runs.  We discuss foods, cooking and just plain eating.  Our topic usually is around a gluten free diet.  I am basically gluten free and have been this way for over a year now.  I have found it to be easy  and I do believe that I am healthier because of it.  The Paleo diet is also a hot topic with us these days.  I am not so sure about removing beans and grains from my diet but I definitely am interested in decreasing these foods a bit. I think as athletes we need to be concerned with our diet.  You can't expect your body to perform at a high level if you are not feeding it with healthy foods.  Doing a little research can go a long way towards making you a better runner if you just heed the advice, and dump the sugar and flour in your diet.  I may be skinny, but I eat a lot of food and I am strong.  You need to be strong to be an endurance athlete.  Changing your diet by simply cutting back significantly on starches and dairy and replacing those lost calories with fruits, vegetables, and very lean meats can make such a difference.  Cutting out breads and pasta's were huge for me.  I was addicted to bread and taking that out of my diet was difficult at first.  Now, I never even feel tempted and I feel so much better.  I also feel like my running is better too.  Challenge yourself to eating more healthy.  It can only help you, and you might lose a few pounds!  Happy trails!

"Life is like a taxi. The meter just keeps a-ticking whether you are getting somewhere or just standing still."

-Lou Erickson