Conference, Fire...and A Little More Running

The view in Boulder now looks something like this:

A lightning strike today sparked the blaze they're calling the Flagstaff Fire. I first saw it driving down to Boulder to pick my kids up from preschool. The school is right on the side of the ridge just north of the one where the fire is. You can imagine my good driving manners went out the window a little. Please pray for the firefighters and the people whose homes are near there. My family is safe, but we know a lot of people who are probably facing evacuation.

It was a dramatic way to come home. I spent the weekend at a different kind of marathon, the American Library Association Annual Conference. This year it was in Anaheim, CA, right next to Disneyland, but alas there was no Magic Kingdom time for me. The days were packed with programs on topics like "Social Media in Libraries" and "Serving Underprivileged Library Customers," as well as discussions of ebooks and other hot topics. There was also a giant expo with publishers and other vendors who sell to us. Famous authors visit (George R.R. Martin spoke about the fantasy and science fiction genre), and other famous people who have written books turn up to sign copies (I saw Molly Ringwald of 80s movie fame; apparently she's written a book of short stories; the line was far too long for me to stand in).

Each night I retired to my cool, quiet hotel room and crashed. Other librarians partied far into the night. Yes, it's true! Librarians unleashed love to dance and cut loose.

I, of course, couldn't do that. Too much alcohol and too many late hours aren't compatible with my exercise addiction. I rose every morning of the four days I was there at 5:30 a.m. for my workouts, which included my second return-to-running session, this time on the hotel treadmill. While it wasn't as fun as running outdoors with Cynthia, it was still much more fun than the recumbent bike, and a definite confidence booster. Not such a confidence booster was the ALA-sponsored yoga class I attended on Sunday morning. My back was not pleased with all the forward folds or the quick flow of the sun salutations. No more yoga for me for a while.

This morning I went to Pilates with Patty (MUCH better than yoga) and followed it up with another treadmill run, this time increasing the running time to 35 minutes. I felt great, throwing in eight 30-second pickups and stretching well afterwards. My back is doing fine now, away from sitting in conference sessions and on airplanes and shuttle buses.

It was the first of THREE runs on my schedule for the week. I'm starting to add in a little running time on Saturdays, though it will continue to be supplemented by low-impact machines for at least a little while. Saturday will also be on the treadmill, but I will try to up the fun quotient by doing Friday's run outside (unless smoke moves into town, in which case...treadmill).

I apologize that I've been such a bad commentator on everyone's blogs. I'm going to play a little catch-up.

Stay tuned for a review of Scott Jurek's Eat & Run (amazing how much reading I get done on planes when the kids aren't around and there's no wi-fi to tempt me onto the Internet). Will Terzah go vegan? Doubtful....but Scott was more persuasive than I expected.....

Scott Jurek and the Food Question

Cynthia and I had a great time at the Scott Jurek book-signing event last Thursday. She's so much fun to chat with, and once we arrived at the party we both knew other people and were each able to meet someone new. Meeting other runners, especially local ones, always helps me feel more connected. You can see pictures and get a good summary of the event at her post.

After Scott's talk was finished, I attempted to win a pair of shoes from his sponsor, Brooks. They invited volunteers up onto the stage, where we were put through a series of what Scott called proprioception tests. The first test? Merely lifting one of your legs and balancing on the other foot. I don't know if it's that my confidence has been shaken by this back thing, or if it was because I was wearing clogs, or if it was because I was up on stage with a pair of running shoes at stake and lots of eyes out in the audience--but whatever it was I failed immediately, put my leg down and was the first player disqualified. Oh well. Reminders to continue doggedly with my core work are always welcome (and if I'm ever on Jeopardy someday, I hope I do better than that)!

The book itself will be my next read. I'm really curious how I will feel about it, because there is a lot about food in it. Scott is well-known for his vegan eating style. He thinks it's what made him the runner and the man he is today.

As a former vegetarian myself, and as someone who struggles to eat healthily for the sake of my running and my girlish figure (ha!), I have no problem with those who choose to eat vegan, or those who emphasize protein or carbs, or any other style of eating. There are vegetarians in my family, others who are committed meat eaters, and there are others who have to watch carefully what they ingest because of blood pressure and other issues. To me, it's all good--and none of my business really.

The only time other people's eating styles bug me is when it's implied that I need to eat their way too, or there's going to be some dire consequence for my body and, sometimes, for my soul. When that happens, discussions of food can drive me up a wall. There are very few things in this world that I think are black-and-white--and food choice isn't on that select list. I think you can be a good and healthful person who chooses for whatever reason not to eat animal products....and I also think you can be a good and healthful person who DOES eat animal products.

I'm really curious how Scott will come across on this topic. From his presentation and our brief meeting with him when he signed our books, he seems like an open and nice person who thinks of others and contributes his time to charitable causes. But I'm still a little wary, because there are a lot of over-the-top eating-style zealots in Boulder, and there's far too much obsession with food choices. If there was as much attention paid here to, say, homelessness and solving our issues with that as there is to food choices, we would have much less of a problem with homelessness.

I put myself in this category, too. I think about food and body issues far too much. Really, in the great scheme of things, my eating is fine. I have enough money for food, I'm not overweight, underweight, or a frequent patron of fast-food joints, and I try to keep animal welfare in mind when I buy poultry and dairy products. I, too, should refocus the unnecessary attention I pay to food and drink on those with real troubles.

What do you think about the food thing? Do you think we rich types (and yes we are rich compared to the person holding a sign on the corner and/or using the local soup kitchen) obsess too much about food? Do you share my opinion that any eating style can be healthful and ethical?

A New Chapter

When my husband, Dan, decided late last year that he wanted to re-learn the violin, he knew almost immediately that he wanted to hire a teacher. He had started playing when he was in third grade and he played through high school, dipping into it again in college, before dropping it entirely as his working life got underway. But everywhere he moved, his violin went with him.

When he started again, some things came back to him quickly. But he knew that to fine-tune his technique, to keep him accountable and to get him going at the right pace (not too hard, not too easy), he wanted professional guidance. He found a teacher and has been working with her since late winter. His first recital is planned for this fall. His ultimate goal: to play in a community orchestra.

For similar reasons, today I hired a coach.

I'm on the cusp of recovering from this back thing. I'm to the point now where I....just know I'm better. I still have bad moments, but now they're almost always limited to the mornings, when I'm stiff from being still all night. Some gentle yoga moves and a sweaty cardio workout usually are enough to deal with it. On really bad days, I might also need an hour or two in my sacro-iliac belt. And that's it. My next appointment with Cathy, my physical therapist, is Tuesday. I've been faithfully doing my PT and Pilates exercises. I'm feeling very optimistic.

But I'm truly clueless about how to ease myself back into running in a way that's not too hard (so that I re-injure my back, or injure something else) but not too easy either. I still have goals for this year.

I have two races already booked, the Detroit Marathon on October 21 and the California International Marathon on December 2. I thought about buying another custom plan from McMillan Running. I'm a huge fan of these plans as a cost-effective way to get some personalization in your training. Greg McMillan (he of the calculator) is a fantastic coach.

But with my back an unknown, with all the usual unknowns like illness, plus the fact that I'd really like one of those two races to be the One where I reach my Boston Marathon qualifier goal, a static plan, even a really good custom one, just wasn't going to offer me enough guidance. Many other bloggers have had great experiences with coaching. So I talked to Dan about the cost issue, did some research into what the going rate is....and made up my mind that now is the time.

I'm really happy with the coach I've found. His name is Darren De Reuck. He's the husband and long-time coach of Colleen De Reuck, who has been in the Olympics four times and still wins races at age 48. He's also coached my friend Cynthia, who came to running recently as cross-training for mountain biking, fell in love with it and, with Darren's workouts, has achieved all of her running goals up to this point.

My new coach, Darren, and his awesome wife, Colleen. I've run well behind them in many a local race. It's nice to say I have Darren on my team now!

Darren's also local, and I really wanted someone local because the other thing that's been lacking in my training has been group workouts. I'm working with him through Boulder Coaching (which also coaches runners and triathletes remotely), but the $90/month package I went with will allow me to join his elite group, the Boulder Striders, in their weekly track workouts when he thinks I'm ready (he assured me they have pace groups--a big relief given that I know how fast those Striders are!). After years of being intimidated by the Boulder running scene, I'm excited that I'm now going to put it to work for my own running.

I sat down this morning with Darren and mapped out a plan for the summer and fall. Here are the highlights:

1) Even if Cathy OKs me on Tuesday to run outside, Darren wants me to stick with the recumbent bike and the Alter-G next week. If I get the OK, the following week he'll incorporate some easy 20 minute runs outside. He wants me to keep outside runs on relatively level gravel tracks indefinitely.

2) I will be running the Detroit Half-Marathon instead of the marathon. The California International Marathon will be my goal race.

3) Local races will be sprinkled throughout my training, but we're waiting to see how my return to running goes before I actually sign up for any of them.

4) Once I've got a good four weeks of recovery runs under my belt and have proven that my back is truly stable, Darren's going to have me do a lactate threshold test (in the form of an all-out 3,200 meter run). This will determine my heart rate ranges for the workouts he'll be prescribing.

Cynthia was right about Darren. He's very nice, and un-intimidating despite his amazing resume. I really appreciate that that he asked about my kids and told me about his kids (he has two daughters) and that he said helping mid-packers is just as satisfying to him as a coach as helping Olympians. I joked with him that if I actually get to run the Boston Marathon, I plan to wear a tiara. To which he said--and he was serious--"No, you won't. You'll be racing Boston, too!"

My kind of coach!

I know hiring a coach is no guarantee that I will meet my goals. In the end, I'll still be alone out there in Sacramento with a marathon in front of me. But I feel like I have an ally now, someone else who will see my success as his own success.

Running, like the violin, requires the right touch. Since I'm still learning, and probably always will be, I'm so happy to have the guidance of a good teacher. I am one lucky girl. Big thanks to Dan for letting me hire Darren.

Impossible to Be Sad

Today was the Bolder Boulder 10K. I ran this race in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011. This year I couldn't run it due to my back issue. But, aside from a few twinges of regret on seeing the buses and the bibs as we drove through Boulder, I was OK with the DNS (for once). Why? Well, because exactly seven years ago today, this is what I was doing.

Walkin' down the aisle with my brand new husband Dan, May 28, 2005. Yes, I did wake up that morning at 4 a.m. to run!

Cheesy pose......Note that I am wearing make-up, a rare thing reserved for weddings and other such special occasions.

We're not Jewish, but our Jewish friends made sure we had a hora. We had break dancing too.

So given that today was our 7th anniversary (with nary an itch in sight!), we decided to commemorate it with 2,700 feet of elevation gain: a hike up Green Mountain, an 8,100-foot landmark in Boulder's foothills. (Ultrarunner Anton Krupicka is famous for running this trail almost every day of the year. We didn't see him today.)

With many of Boulder's badasses down below, burning up the streets with Deena Kastor and company, the trails were emptier than they usually would be on a crystal-clear and cool holiday morning. We made it to the summit in an hour and a half and took our time up there soaking in the views of Indian Peaks.

The Indian Peaks, looking west from Green Mountain.

On the way up, with Boulder in the background.

We got a nice runner wearing a Barr Trail Mountain race shirt and a worn pair of New Balance minimalist shoes to take our photo at the top, but apparently he's a better runner than he is a photographer because the photo was so blurry it's not worth posting. We took our time getting down, stopping to watch the military planes whose flyover always concludes the Bolder Boulder festivities. Unlike in the past, this time we were actually higher than the planes! And once down, we retired to an Indian restaurant and stuffed ourselves at the buffet. Bucking my usual "Sunday-only" rule for sweets, I let myself enjoy chocolate and rice pudding and some jelly beans.

Afterwards, we took the kids over to the home of Karen, the family friend who watched the kids for us as we hiked....and has a swimming pool. I took this picture of Dan, Ruthie and Will:

It was a great day NOT to be sad about not being able to race.

Next year, the Bolder Boulder isn't on my anniversary. It's the day before. Hmmmm.....race on May 27, 2013, and an 8th anniversary hike the next day. Sounds like a plan!

(Spectator's) Race Report: Dash n' Dine 5K

Those who can, do.

Those who can't....watch their husbands do!

Last night the kids and I turned out to support my husband, Dan, in his first real race since 2008 (I'm not counting the hilarious but deliberately-not-speedy Muddy Buddy run and ride that he and I did as a team in 2010). In the summer of 2009, he injured his Achilles tendon playing ultimate frisbee, which he loved almost as much as I love running, and it's taken a very long time for him to feel comfortable on it.

But things have been better for his ankle lately. Last year he did some physical therapy for it, and recently he's been regularly running the steep trails behind the laboratory in Boulder where he works, mostly without pain. And when one of his co-workers asked about an easygoing race, preferably on trails, for all of them to do I jumped at the chance to live vicariously through them and did a little research.

What I came up with for them: the spring Dash n' Dine 5K series. It's a great little set of races. Every Tuesday starting in mid-April and going through May, the organizers have a laid-back out-and-back 5K that starts at 6:30 p.m. on a course next to the Boulder Reservoir. After the race is done, a local restaurant provides a dinner that's included in the race fee. Spectators also can buy dinner for $5 each. Last night's fare was tacos and burritos from Wahoo Fish Tacos, one of my family's favorite places to eat.

There's no chip timing or finishers' medals. It's just old-school racing. Because it's Boulder, there can be some fast winning times. (Top man last night: 16:28--pretty fast; the top woman was 20:57, fast to me but not as fast as it could have been). But there are also slower runners and walkers who turn out, and all ages from 7 to 70 were out there. The prizes for placing and for age-group placing (at least last night) were candles.

Another fun aspect is that the more of the series you show up for, the more likely you are to win "series points," especially if you place well. Last night's race was the second one of the season. Dan's friend Hannes, who ran 20:23 for 15th place in the race and 7th in the 30-39 male age group, got 10 points and is now ranked 15th overall in the series. With four more races to go, he could move up in the rankings depending on how many others he does and how well he does (which of course depends on who shows up on a given night and how fast THEY are).

Moreover, they have a prize at the end of the series for the runner who improves his or her time the most over the weeks.

I loved the laid-back vibe. The start/finish area is grassy and (last night anyway) nice and cool. The kids and I watched the start, then sipped some Max Muscle recovery drink samples and bought our dinner tickets while we waited for the runners to come back. We cheered in the winners, and then Hannes...and less than four minutes later Dan ran by! I had to restrain my son from chasing him. Then we waited for Dan and Hannes' other friend, Jim, and cheered him in, too.

Dan was really happy with his time given that he runs at most every other day and hasn't been specifically training. His 24:02 was good for 10th in the 40-49 male age group, and actually beat his second-to-last 5K, the 2007 Colder Bolder, which he ran in 24:07 (it was way off his 2008 Colder Bolder time of 22:42).

How was the course? The guys agreed it was mostly flat and had some nice dirt stretches, though the parts at the beginning and end featured a slight hill and were on pavement. The line for food was long, but there was plenty for both runners and spectators. Dan said later that he and Hannes will almost certainly want to do at least one more race in this series.

I, of course, think they should show up every week, but they are much more mellow than I am (and also not running-staved by injury). I'm also hoping Dan will consider doing the Bolder Boulder this year. Right now, he's saying he might. I think he'd forgotten how good the buzz after a good race feels!

Ninja Trail Runner?

The new Asics are white no more.

Trail runs are the #1 thing I like right now.

Today originally was supposed to include a return to Magnolia Road, the classic Boulder run. Kathy was going to come up to run it with me, as she needs some serious hill challenges ahead of April's Big Sur Marathon (and me, I just like Ol' Mags).

But the cold I mentioned after last week's Snowman Stampede 5 Mile race turned out to be a bigger foe than I thought. I ended up shuffling through the Presidents' Day holiday and then feeling so bad that I stayed home from work on Tuesday AND Wednesday. I managed a weak 50-minute run on Tuesday, but afterwards had one those headaches, very rare for me, that start with flashers and end up with me in bed for a couple of hours in the dark. So Wednesday I just cut my losses and went straight for the bed. The one good thing about it is that it explains my disappointing performance in the race the prior Saturday.

I'm much better now, but I wasn't up for Ol Mags and her 8,000-plus-foot elevation and hills. I did want something interesting, though, so I ran an out-and-back at Hall Ranch, whose trails are better known for mountain biking, just west of a quirky little town called Lyons in North Boulder County. It's not spring yet, but the mud that marks our trails in that season was already an obstacle. For two hours, I slopped through it and some lingering snow under crystal clear skies, passing only two bikers on the way out and several more bikers, plus three hikers, on the way back.

Sometimes I need to do runs like this to remind myself I live in Colorado. Many of my days, as nice as they are, full of library books, preschool activities, grocery shopping and time on the Internet, could be lived anywhere. But it's outside in Colorado that you get the whoosh of the wind through evergreens, the intoxication of crushed pine under dirty trail shoes, the glitter of quartz in the half-buried stones you hurdle on the climbs, and the sight of the hoary heads of Long's Peak and Meeker Mountain rearing above you as you round a bend and emerge from a forest into a burn field.

Another thing I like right now are these:

My son Will holding my new *black* Asics. Maybe I should've worn those on the trail. Nah--I need real trail shoes.

Black is my favorite color to wear. The women in my wedding party wore black (and they each chose their own dress in that shade; I wanted them to have a dress they actually liked, and we all know I have no taste anyway). And if I'm not attired like a ninja while running, I feel gaudy.

So when I saw that my Asics GT-2170s come in all black, I wanted some. I didn't want to spend another $110, however. So I went to Zappo's and found last year's model (the 2160) in all black on sale for $80. They arrived the day after I ordered them. I can't wait to wear them on my next easy run (which will be tomorrow since I missed so many runs during the week).

In all their inky glory!

Seriously, though, I had been wanting a second pair of shoes to alternate in with my others. My back and hip's aches are still very much there and will be at least until March 6, when I see the physical therapist my doctor recommended. I'm doing all I can to make things easier on my body without scrimping on training (avoiding a two-hour run on concrete today was part of that plan, too).

If while doing that I can look even more like a ninja on some runs, all the better!

The Worldwide Run for Sherry Arnold

God is our refuge and strength,
   an ever-present help in trouble.

--Psalm 46:1 (referenced on the bracelet we all got at the run today)

It was a cold (in the teens) but beautiful day at the Boulder Reservoir when our group gathered for the run for Sherry Arnold.

Here's the group photo I borrowed from Beth's site. I'm in the back in the green beanie, two people over from the tall guy in the dark beanie. Looks like about 30 people to me.....

We'd had more snow overnight, so the Boulder Reservoir and Coot Lake, along with the mountains to the west and the trails we would run, were veiled in fluffy white powder. It was as if the world had been made pure again, a fitting venue for our efforts to honor a good soul taken untimely from her family and friends. I greeted Beth, who handed me a pink memorial bracelet to wear during the run.

Since it was so cold, we all stood around stamping for only a little bit before Beth said a few words about Sherry and then asked for a moment of silence. You almost hear the stray flakes of snow drifting down from the persistent clouds.

A reporter from Channel 2 showed up and filmed us as we took off. Soon we were strung out in a long line.

Sherry's runners in Boulder coming down a hill!

The loop around Boulder Reservoir is about five miles. I'm not sure how many people ran all the way around, but despite the inauspicious weather early on, it turned out to be a lovely run for me. I don't usually stop to take photos even on casual runs, but I did on this one. The snow-covered surface of the water threw back glittering shards of light when the sun finally emerged. On the dam on the Reservoir's far side, I actually got warm enough that I removed my gloves.

Also on the dam I passed Beth. The TV reporter had waylaid her, so she wasn't able to catch the group and was going in the opposite direction. We high-fived. When I got back to the starting point, I stopped for a quick pit stop and then soldiered off on a second loop. I had to run for an hour and 45 minutes according to my plan, and it felt fitting to dedicate the first long run of my new training program to Sherry.

The trail

After I finished, the parking lot was empty. I may have been the last of the Boulder runners for Sherry out there that morning. My hair was frozen and the gloves had come back on, but I felt peaceful and satisfied.

Not a beauty queen, but a happy runner with frosty hair.

I stopped at Starbucks and got a hot chocolate, and also bought a drink for the person in the car behind me. All days should be days for gestures like that, but it seemed especially important today.

My running is usually a solitary activity for me. But today I was part of something bigger. I felt strong, like I was gliding through that snow and that perfect clean air. Like an angel was guiding my feet.

5 Ways I Do, 5 Ways I Don't

Not the car I saw today, but you get the idea.

As I was pulling out of the parking lot of one of the many organic grocery stores in Boulder this morning, I noticed several cars with tons of bumper stickers on them. The stickers were typical of this groovy, outdoorsy and often clueless place: "Wag, don't bark." "Coexist" (have you seen this one? where the word "coexist" is spelled with lots of different religious symbols?). "Another mama for Obama." And of course "26.2."

It got me thinking about the ways I do and don't fit in here. Which of course lends itself to a nice list, or in this case a pair of them. Here they are:

5 Ways I Do Belong in Boulder

1. I'm mostly politically liberal. I don't like nasty xenophobia, I believe in taxing the rich, I think it's shameful that we haven't had universal health care in this country and I do believe we need the government to prod people to behave in ways they should behave anyway (e.g. helping the poor).

2. I like to run. And hike. And I like that Boulder funds open space. It's beautiful here. I love being able to step out my door and be in the middle of nowhere in 15 minutes. I know it keeps land at a premium here, which effectively means I can't afford to live in Boulder proper. But I'm OK with that. The trails are worth it to me.

3. The people here are my style (to the extent that I have a style). There aren't a lot of places where dressing up is necessary, including my job. Business casual is as fancy as it gets around here. The stuff that is in style is appealing to me: puffy down vests, low-slung shoes from companies like Born and Merrell, workout clothes and jeans with hoodies. I fit right in.

4. The university means lots of good cultural options--classical music, a planetarium, lectures, continuing ed classes, a Shakespeare festival in the summer, great college sports. You can easily keep learning here, your whole life.

5. I love the weather in all its extremes. My favorite part is the dryness (I've come to loathe humidity and hope I never have to live an East Coast/Midwest summer again), but I also love the dramatic thunderstorms, the snow and even the wind (unless I have to run for two hours in it).

5 Ways I Don't Belong in Boulder

1. I'm a traditional main-line Christian with a Roman Catholic bent. I think the New Age "spirituality" around here has a lot of silly showiness about it, without much substance. This isn't to say there aren't a lot of genuinely good people who espouse those philosophies (nor is it to say that I'm always an exemplar of the best Christian virtues). But if I had a nickel for every "Buddhist" I've met here who's about as far from "Zen" in attitude as you can get, I'd be a rich woman.

2. I really hate talking about politics, but I'm going to do it just for a second. I don't think everyone who is conservative is evil or a dupe. My own family back in Missouri is mostly pretty conservative. There are even some who watch Bill O'Reilly (yeah, I do think he's pretty awful). They are NOT stupid. They've just had experiences that are different from mine and therefore have a different perspective on the issues. I hate it when the typical Boulder liberal tries to engage me in conservative-bashing. I won't do it. I don't even like to bash George W. Bush. I believe it's up to history to judge people like him. How can I judge someone whose role in current events is still so recent? (By the way, this goes for Obama-bashers too.)

3. I don't believe everything should be run by committee. I believe there needsto be real authority figures in certain roles. There was a controversy at my library at the end of January over a volunteer who was asked to step down. The way the good citizens of Boulder reacted was nothing less than the blog-comment letters-to-the-editor nasty-email equivalent of a lynch mob. The way they are still talking about our director is inexcusable. Maybe this decision was a bad one, maybe it wasn't. But I like that our director is MAKING decisions and sticking to her guns. In the past, leadership at the library (and elsewhere around here) has been too easily swayed by the mass of Boulderites who think they know better. I'm glad we have a real leader now. Hopefully she's real enough they won't scare her away.

4. Boulderites love bumper stickers. I've seen entire cars covered with them. I'm not a fan of bumper stickers, if they're on cars that is. I have a bunch at home that I'd love to put in an appropriate place. Maybe a bulletin board in my basement?

5. I don't like obsessing about food. There's not a lot of moderation around here when it comes to food. Vegan evangelists, raw-food evangelists, 21-day cleanse evangelists.....sigh. I wish people would just eat what they want to and stop talking about it. In particular, please don't tell me every time I have a stomach ache that I need to give up dairy or wheat. I like cheese, I like ice cream, I like good crusty bread. I'm going to keep eating them....in moderation.....when I can muster it. I promise no moderation when it comes to chocolate.

For these reasons, I think it's good I live 12 miles away from Boulder proper. I get down there often. But I can also leave. There's a reason they call Boulder "25 square miles surrounded by reality." In my life, I need both the reality and the fantasy.

Boulder Creek on the run

It's the time of year here when the creek runs high.

These photos were taken at noon today.

Because I think about running now the way I used to think about romance and traveling, with a passionate almost obsessive frequency, the Creek right now makes me think of a runner. So I wrote a little haiku:

She runs not to win.

Fueled by snowmelt, she races

To freeze, burn, worship.

The creek can be dangerous (this sign is just off the bridge on the sidewalk that goes to my library):

But it makes the trail to Boulder Canyon nice and cool:

Since it's poetry day on my blog, here's a shot of one of my library's "Poets' Way" tiles. It says, "I leave no trace of wings in the air/But I am glad I had my flight."--Rabindranath Tagore

A good theme for an average runner: no one will remember our times, but we're glad we had our flights.

Sanitas Photos

Here are three photos from last Wednesday's Boulder Classic Run #3, courtesy of my friend Christine. She's smart--and has a smart phone! Mine is a dumb phone. I'm not a Luddite. I'm just cheap, and the monthly plan cost keeps causing me to put off getting one that can do cool stuff like take photos. Someday soon, maybe....

Meanwhile, thanks Christine.....

Here's one of the beautiful view (click on the photo to get a clearer look):

Here's one of me with the view behind me:

And here's one of me with more climbing beyond me:

Yes, it's true, Boulder is a stunning place.

Training & Eating News, Boulder Classic Run #3 and May Recap

So I'm (finally) marathon training!

The Top of Utah Marathon is 16 short weeks away. This will be my first test at 26.2 since I committed to my Boston goal. The three-part goal for this race is as follows: Bad-Day Goal: beat my marathon PR of 4:14 set in NYC six years ago; Reasonable Goal: beat 4 hours; and Moonshot Goal (this one's always the same!): beat 3:45 and qualify for Boston.

Because I'd love to hit that Moonshot Goal (realistic though it may not be for my first marathon in six years), I've decided to shake up my training plan. Don't get me wrong: I LOVE the FIRST program. It's gotten me solid improvement in the 5K, the 10K and the half-marathon. The cross-training has been fun and good for my body. My times in these races have all been post-pregnancy PRs.

But my gut has been telling me that I need more mileage--more running mileage--to get done in the marathon what I want to get done. So last week I got out the old credit card and paid for a 16-week plan from McMillan Running.

A lot of you have heard of this Flagstaff, AZ coaching service, which is headed up by Greg McMillan. Some of you have even used it. McMillan writes each customer a custom training plan based on a detailed questionnaire outlining his/her running history and other factors in life that affect running. I filled this out and sent it in yesterday, noting things like the fact that I have little kids and a job, and in the past have gotten overtrained from high-mileage weeks. He emailed back and said he'd have my plan to me in a week or so. I'm excited about McMillan and eager to hear what he has to say about whether and when I can qualify for Boston. In the meanwhile, while I wait to hear from him, I'm starting my training by sticking with FIRST.

In other marathon news, yesterday I entered the lottery for the Houston Marathon. This was my first marathon all those years ago, and I figure a nice flat familiar sea-level course would be a good choice for what might be my first real attempt to BQ. I should know by June 27 if I got in. Anyone else gunning for this one?

Sugar-Free! I'm two days into Amanda's Sugar Free Challenge. So far so good! Maybe it's because of my unintentional detox the other week, but I have had zero sugar cravings so far. That said, finding stuff to eat that doesn't have sugar hidden in it is really hard. I tried to get a can of soup yesterday and was amazed at how much of it contains sugar in some form. I ended up having plain Greek yogurt mixed with Ezekiel cereal and raspberries for lunch.

Hunting for good options will be worth it, though. I'm happy to say that for the first time since I became a mom the evil scale at the North Boulder Recreation Center gave me a weight in the 120s: 129.6, it said this morning. Who needs sugar when I'm nine pounds off of racing weight?

Boulder Classic Run #3: Yesterday I ran Mt. Sanitas, the third of four Boulder Classic Runs I had planned for the spring. Or maybe I should say I "speed-hiked" Sanitas. The first uphill mile took me (drumroll) 25 minutes. Yes, you read that right. Almost a half hour. And if you think the downhill was any easier, you're mistaken. It was more like a rock scramble. Only when I got into the valley between Sanitas and Dakota Ridge could I actually run. The total distance was three miles. It took me 56 minutes, longer than it took me to run Monday's Bolder Boulder 10K.

It was a very Boulder-y way to celebrate National Running Day. But because of the steepness and slowness of this route, it's not one I'll be doing regularly for training. It's a great workout (as the delayed onset muscle soreness in my quads right now can attest!), but I just want a better feel for pacing than this trail offers. Now, when I someday train for the Pikes Peak Ascent, it'll be a different story.....

Before I ran this trail, I hiked part of it with my friend Christine. She took some pics that you can see in this post.

May Recap: May continued my trend of treading water but in a good way. Here are the highlights:

• Post pregnancy 10K PR of 52:24 at the Bolder Boulder
• Ran 81 miles
• Ran Boulder Classic Run #2: Magnolia Road (great place to run; I will return)
• Attended bootcamp four times and spin class only once (not offered at the rec center during the summer; sniff)
• MOVED
• Lost five pounds (at last breaking through my plateau)

I think I'm ready to train for the marathon.

Boulder Classic Run #2: Magnolia Road

I am in love!

No, I didn't run Old Mags in jeans and clogs. I returned later with the husband for pictures!

Just to refresh your memory, I am attempting to do four Classic Boulder Runs before I bear down for marathon training next month. Magnolia Road (Classic Run #2) is a famous dirt avenue up in the mountains above Boulder at about 8,000 feet. It gained its notoriety in the book Running With the Buffaloes as the site of many long and difficult runs accomplished by the University of Colorado cross-country team. Pro runners use it, too, as its combo of hills, altitude and length allows you to seriously test yourself on all of those variables in training for distances up to the marathon. There are hillier places to run, and higher, and longer...but Old Mags combines the best of all three.

This photo is borrowed from RunColo; the weather was NOT like this yesterday.

I woke up at 6 a.m., a half-hour before my alarm was set to go off, ate my banana and donned the capris and long-sleeved shirt I'd laid out. After peeking out the window to see grey skies and fog over the foothills, I grabbed a jacket at the last minute, tiptoed down the creaky hall for the second-to-last time (Moving Day is tomorrow!) and set off in our old Acura up Boulder Canyon. I brought lots of water and some caffeinated Sport Beans. Water is key when you're going to run at real altitude.

Old Mags wasn't as far up the canyon as I thought. I saw the sign, turned left and headed up up up. Even though I'd read about the steepness of the paved portion you drive before parking and starting your run, the 14% grade I had to negotiate in that old car had an ominous feel to it. The fog hung over everything like a shroud, obscuring what I know must be spectacular views down ravines and up cliff spires. The higher I got, the less I could see. At one point I had to hit the brakes hard when a lone deer stepped out of the mist onto the road before me. I started thinking about mountain lions again.

Finally, after about three or four miles of driving, I saw this sign:

I pulled the car off onto the shoulder and got out. There was a helpful information board:

Presumably the folks who monitor the Roosevelt National Forest, whose entry sign I'd passed far below, don't feel the need to keep the information here fresh.....

The first thing I noticed upon exiting the car was how QUIET it was in that forest in the fog. I live with two four-year-olds, work in a public building and usually run on roads or at the gym. I haven't heard that middle-of-nowhere stillness in a long time. I had brought my iPod, but hid that under some clothing in the front seat. I wanted to hear more of that silence (and also any cars that might come by; the road is wide, but there's no shoulder or sidewalk).

The second thing I noticed was the cold. I had no thermometer, but based on the temperatures later down below, it must have been in the high thirties. Not only was I glad I had grabbed the jacket, I was wishing for a winter hat and some gloves. Oh well. That's what jacket sleeves are for. I fired up the Garmin (which found its satellite friends remarkably speedily) and began running.

The first mile was downhill. Here's a view:

This surprised me, as I'd studied the altitude profile and was expecting a climb for the entire first half of the run. It also worried me, because I knew that whatever I ran down I'd have to run up again later when I was tired. Oh well! As Sam Gamgee said in The Lord of the Rings, "There's nothing for it!" On I ran.

The fog remained thick when that long hill finally leveled off into a valley, and it took my hands a long time to warm up. Shapes loomed out of the roadside at me. I didn't recognize these for what they were until I was right next to them:

And I was passed by a lot of cars. I thought, Who are all these people living and driving up here? After that first downhill mile, the road was mostly up, with a few little downhill breaks here and there. I had allowed myself walking breaks, which was a lucky thing, since I really didn't have a choice but to take them on some of the steeper stretches. It's funny to breathe hard so early in a run, when your legs aren't tired in the least. That's mountain running for you!

Heading up in my car, I had been anxious that I'd be the lone workhorse on the thoroughbred course. Even though it's May and the university is all wrapped up for the summer, I half expected the entire CU cross-country team to be out there, or perhaps some gazelle-like Kenyans. But once I was actually running, and alone, I lost all my self-consciousness. Eventually I was passed by a lone bicyclist (I'd seen him heading up when I was still in the car), and toward the end of the out portion of my out-and-back effort another runner finally caught up with me.

He was an older guy, fit of course but not scarily so, and he was wearing shorts, which made me feel better about my lack of gloves. I heard the gentle patter of his feet behind me on the packed damp gravel and whipped around (the mountain lions were probably all wisely tucked into dens, but in my head they were all around me). "Don't worry," he said cheerfully. "I"m not a bear." He overtook me and so I followed him for a while, but he turned around and headed back soon after that, saying, "Have a good run" as he went by in the homeward direction.

I hit four miles out soon after and marvelled at how good I was feeling despite the hills and the height. Looking back on it, I think the dampness helped. I wasn't losing as much moisture as I normally would have at that altitude, and the temperature was exactly what I like to run in. I decided to continue another half-mile, to make it a nine-mile run. And when I turned around at that 4.5-mile mark....wow! I was repaid with some truly fun roller-coastery mostly downhill miles. I knew that final climb back to the car was ahead, but at this point I was loving Old Mags and ready to handle it. And when I actually crested that last hill, reached the car and heard the Garmin chime nine miles, I ran another quick .2 in honor of my friend, Kathy, who is training for her first marathon and always adds .2 to the end of her long runs.

I wish now that I had made it 10.2! It felt *much* easier than my 10 miler on the Mesa Trail a few weeks back and has me very much looking forward to doing Green Mountain and Mt. Sanitas. I even think I might do some of my marathon long training runs up on Mags, though I do think my romance with it might sour when it's hot, bright and dry up there.

For now, though, I'm enjoying that blush of first love.

As the pictures show, I made Dan drive back up later on to take pictures and savor it with me. The fog had lifted, but snow had moved in, so the veil of mystery and moistness was still there. I love the mountains! How lucky I am to live here!

Here's the Garmin info--I'm loving the elevation profile, but the pace not so much.

The Shuffler Returns

After an unexpectedly nice 5-mile run on Tuesday, my first back at altitude, I knew I had to find some equally satisfying cross-training on Wednesday. And I couldn't quite face dealing with the rowing machine or the swimming pool yet. What I wanted was a sweat-soaked spin class with lots of good music.

With Tammy's class over until the fall, I had to look beyond my beloved (and affordable) rec center. Lo and behold! I still had the pass to Flatiron Athletic Club that Christine gave me for my birthday back in January. This club has a spin class at 6 a.m. on Wednesdays, and since the pass was set to expire at the end of this month, I decided there was no time like the present.

Knowing what I do about Flatiron's running clientele, I was prepared to find that all of my classmates there would look like Lance Armstrong and his female equivalent. I arrived early, wearing long black yoga pants and a black shirt so as to fade nicely into the background, and entered the former racquetball court that they've converted to a spin studio. The lights were dim, and only two other people were there: the instructor (a cut guy in biking shorts named Dave) and another more mortal-looking guy (wearing cotton clothes) already on a bike warming up. So far, I didn't feel too intimidated. I climbed on my bike (in the back row of course, and away from mirrors) and got going.

Other people trickled in, until in the end there were about 14 people. I was one of only three women (both, of course, more fit-looking than I; I told myself I could take them in a running race), and one of only two people NOT wearing those special clip-in biking shoes. The music, despite a track at the beginning that disturbingly resembled something Smoove B might choose, ended up being really good. Two songs were ones I'd heard Tammy play. Especially relevant after my bad run last Saturday was "I Get Knocked Down, But I Get Up Again" by Chumbawamba. My favorite among the new songs was a fast Cajun number with an accordion.

After the class, I weaved my way through the lounge area and juice bar, where well-heeled retirees with rackets and yoga mats were reclining, to the front desk to ask how much it is for non-members to drop in to classes. The answer, unfortunately, was that you have to pay the $20 daily drop-in fee. Not gonna happen. So I am hoarding one more pass...for the next time I really need a spin class.

Seen in Boulder: The same day, I also hauled my children, who together weigh about 75 pounds, up the mesa to their preschool in our bike trailer. On the way, I saw a 50-something man with a salt-and-pepper beard walking his dog on the bike trail. And he was wearing a Boston Marathon jacket. I recognized the green trim and the unicorn logo instantly.

My dad used to say that seeing cardinals on our lawn was a good omen for our favorite baseball team, the St. Louis Cardinals (this wasn't always true). Could spotting that gent been a good omen for me?

Boulder Classic Run #1: Mesa Trail

Trail running is a spiritual experience. I had forgotten.

After letting myself sleep in until the kids woke us up, I took my time getting out of the house for my first weekend Boulder running pilgrimage. I debated running up to the trailhead at Chautauqua but decided to drive and park up there, so as to do as much of the run on the trail itself as possible.

I knew straight off that this would be a beautiful run. A cool breeze that gusted occasionally to something stronger ruffled the branches of the evergreens. The sun shone in a cloudless sky, but it's early enough in the year that it wasn't hot as it will be in two months. At 9 a.m., the parking lots were already full, so I parked on the streets in the neighborhood just down from the park and walked to the fire road where the trail begins. The hill looked daunting, so I started the Garmin and walked briskly instead of starting off at a run. Nobody passed me, and I passed lots of people, so I figured the pace was OK.

Once I left the fire road and took off on the trail proper, I knew it was going to be tough, probably tougher than I had in me for 12 miles. But I decided to let it be what it was and not fret about my pace. I minced over the stones in the trail, slopped through the odd muddy spot and inhaled the smell of crushed pine needles released by my footsteps. I love that smell. It's what surrounds you when get up into the real mountains in the summer. It feels like therapy for the lungs.

Looking back on the out part of the trip, I remember two distinct climbs. The first was the one that began at the fire road and crested at about 1.5 miles. The second began after the trail rejoined another fire road, near the intersection with the Bear Canyon trails. Around this point I passed a huge crowd of Asian tourists out hiking. This climb was shorter, about 3/4 of a mile, but steeper. In between, there were lots of smaller ascents and some welcome descents.

But the descents on trails don't offer as much relief as they do on roads. This is because, if you're like me, you're worried about tripping on a stone or a root and smashing face and knee (the knee part has happened to me, on this very trail). So while I managed to run all of the descents except for a perilous one composed of literal stairs in the side of the mountain, I took the downs easy as well.

When I got near the end of the 5 miles out (I had decided at this point that this would be a 10-mile run, not a 12-miler), the trail widened again and turned sharply downward. I have a feeling the rest of this run to the end of the trail would have been down in this fashion, and I felt wimpishly glad that I wouldn't have to run back up it. I also thought about making the Mesa Trail part of a long marathon-training run. It's got lots of shady spots, which I'll be seeking out for summer 20-milers.

The way back felt much easier. The two steep ascents were now turned in my favor, and even the stairs didn't feel so horrible. I let myself fly down the fire road for the last part of the last mile (no stones to worry about there).

Still some snow in patches, but mostly beautiful!

Negative things about this run:

1. I set out to run 12 miles but ran only 10.

2. My pace was more "speed hike" than "run" (see pace and results below).

3. The big hand-held bottles are still driving me crazy. I think I need to write them off as a failed experiment. Since I hate waist belts, too, I must come up with a plan for those long runs in the summer. Water isn't optional. Even today, still early spring and cool, I felt dry.

Positive things about this run:

1. The two-mile shortfall is OK. My quads haven't been this sore after a long run that wasn't a race in a long long time. My breathing was aerobic the whole time. I got my long workout. I also felt like a trail-running badass.

2. I did not get lost. When planning the run last night, I looked up the distances for some key trail crossings, and thanks to this and my Garmin didn't make even one wrong turn.

3. I tried a new fueling strategy. In addition to fruit and cereal at breakfast, I ate a pack of Sport Beans before the run, one Hammer gel on the way out and one on the way back. I had no problems, had to make no pit stops, and felt energetic the whole time.

4. I had a tangible, visible and aural reminder of why I love running. I love being outdoors on trails and challenging my body. Yes, I found out that I still have a ways to go. But I'm getting there. The proverbial trail markers tell me I haven't gotten lost on the way.

Springtime in Boulder

This morning I did my first run since Sunday's race. Since I'm still trying to kick this cold, and since it was supposed to be a short, easy recovery run anyway, I didn't get up at 5 a.m. Instead, I used my short break time at work to take a 3-mile run up Boulder Canyon.


This part of Boulder Canyon (photo is courtesy of TripAdvisor) is up higher than I ran today, but it looks very similar.


My calves are still sore, and my nose is still runny, but overall it felt great to be out in the chill of early spring. My library straddles Boulder Creek and a part-paved, part-gravel trail runs the length of the creek through a lot of the city and up into the canyon, our main thoroughfare to the mountains. I used to run this route all the time, until my allowed break got to be too short for the kind of running I need to do most of the time.

Boulder Creek

It's a beautiful place to run. At this time of year, the snowmelt from above hasn't swelled the creek to the level it will be in just a few weeks, but the water is no longer constrained by winter's ice in most places. The higher you get, the more waterfalls and rapids you see and hear. The path crosses and re-crosses the creek several times, so the calming white noise of the water comes and goes. You don't need music at all. As I went along, I thought about how I will likely incorporate this trail, which provides an increasingly hefty climb the further into the canyon you get, into my long marathon training runs this summer.

But summer is still on the horizon. Right now, it's spring. Spring in Boulder means one thing to many runners: the Bolder Boulder 10K. Held every Memorial Day, this race is the second-largest in the country. Hotels around here fill that weekend, as do gym treadmills and the trails and streets in the weeks leading up to it. Lots of school kids train for it as a group. (I was too much of a wimp at that age to contemplate running that far. What a waste! Part of why I run now is to make up for my foolish fears and choices as a young person.)

I've run this race the past three years, with mixed success. In 2008, I was just happy to be back running at all after getting through the first year and a half with twins. My time was 56 minutes and change. In 2009, I ran my post-pregnancy 10K PR of 53:24. Last year, it was the first in a series of disappointments, as I ran two minutes slower than I had in '09.

Though I had originally hoped to run it with my dad this year, my plan changed several weeks back when it looked like I might be able to go with Dan on a trip to Finland, where he has a conference the week ahead of the race. But last week we found out my plane ticket for that trip would cost around $2,000. So suddenly the Bolder Boulder was back on the table. Of course I plan to run it.

In order to start in one of the first waves of this giant race, you have to show a qualifying time in a prior race of almost any length (see chart here to see how your races would stack up). It's interesting to compare where my recent races would place me. Sunday's half-marathon time of 1:57:19, as well as my 1:27:01 in the 10-mile Snowman Stampede, would get me into the DB wave (makes me feel a bit better, as my half time must not have been as far off my 10-mile time as I thought). But my time in December's Colder Bolder 5K (24:24) bumps me up two waves, into the more rarified CC group.

This makes me wonder if I just had a really awesome day at the Colder Bolder or if I have lost something in the intervening months. Probably impossible to tell....

Regardless....Can you guess which time I plan to use when I sign up for the Bolder Boulder?

I'm sticking with the FIRST program for the Bolder Boulder. Those guys didn't let me down for the half or the 5K, so I figure they know what they are doing with 10Ks too. I do plan to keep my long runs longer than they specify for the 10K training, as I don't want to lose my half-marathon endurance gains when it's time to start marathon training in June. Two 15-milers, and no long runs shorter than 10 miles after this weekends recovery long one of 7.5 miles, will be what I'm aiming for.

I also plan to stick with the Quick Start eating plan in an effort to get closer to racing weight prior to embarking on marathon training. Here's what I've eaten so far today:

Breakfast: 1 cup of high-fiber Kashi 7-Grain flake cereal; 1 banana; 1 cup Greek yogurt; 1.5 cups lo-sodium V8 vegetable juice
A.M. snack: One packet Justin's Chocolate Peanut Butter
Lunch: One can lo-sodium Imagine chicken noodle soup; one apple
Indiscretion: 1 piece Twizzler's black licorice (I swear, our security guard at work is going to kill me with this stuff!)

Finally, earlier bedtimes are definitely in order! Wouldn't it be awfully nice to have this nasty cold be the only one I get this year?

A Couple More Boulder Moments

Ah yes, they abound here, those Boulder moments!

These two particular ones happened on the same day last week, within hours of each other. One made me feel (briefly) like I actually belong here, among the fleet and the svelte, and the other brought me quickly back to reality.

The first happened at boot-camp class. Every now and then the rec center brings instructors who are trying out for jobs with them to sub for our class. The bosses and our regular instructor, Chris, watch them as they lead our group, presumably evaluating them on how thoroughly and appropriately they kick our butts. On the day in question, the substitute instructor's name was Michael. Like all of them, he looked fit and, like many of them, was a good talker. He mentioned that he used to work as a salesguy for Nike, he worked us out well and at the end he showed us a stretch that felt really good to my tight hamstrings.

Afterwards, I told him about my sore lower back and the resulting tightness in my hips. He showed me a few more stretches and suggested that I do leg swings, front-to-back and laterally, before my workouts.

And then came the happy moment: "Are you a runner?" he asked me. "Because you look like a runner."

I was stunned. I have never been told that I look like a runner by anyone. Especially not anyone in Boulder, Colorado. Because, really, I don't. This must be why Michael was a salesguy: he's good at saying what people want to hear, true or not. Nonetheless, I think I floated out of the rec center after my shower that day.

But such feelings are never meant to last. Later that day, I went to Boulder Running Company to pick up some more Nuun tablets, a hand-held water bottle and some Sport Beans (I'm still trying new, hopefully easy-to-digest options on my long runs; something has to work eventually, right?).

When I buy Nuun, I always buy a ton because I drink one before every workout, and often after, too, especially the Saturday long runs. I'm a big sweater. Nuun has been the difference for me between having and not having uncomfortable exercise-induced headaches. I also bought three packs of the Sport Beans (why I don't know; I didn't really expect them to sit well; maybe it's that at this point I'm desperate to find something that won't make my gut unhappy). And I figured I might as well pick up two of the bottles, one for each hand. The long runs on those hot summer days will require lots of liquid.

Now, I like Boulder Running Company. It was their man who put the neuroma pad into my new shoe a few weeks back, before I even had that as my diagnosis, and they've been helpful and nice to me every time I've gone in there. But one of my co-workers--an excellent runner, by the way; she's one of the ones who smoked me in that corporate challenge relay last summer--has said they make her feel unimportant when she goes in there, presumably because she's not one of the elites. She now goes to another running store in town that she describes as more friendly. But I've never seen any evidence of snobbery at BRC (believe me, if I had seen it, I'd never go in again), and since it's closer to my house, I've been buying my shoes there since we moved to Boulder five years ago.

So anyway....I carried my haul of bottles, Nuun and Sport Beans up to the counter, where three sales guys were gathered. One of them looked at my stuff on the counter and said:

"Ah, I see someone is getting ready for an ultra."

Geez. Was I really buying that much? Had I gone overboard on the Sport Beans? Are they something only runners of 50-plus-mile races should purchase? That was it, I thought, feeling the inevitable blush creep over my face (why did I have to be born a blusher? It's so undignified, and so unpreventable!). I felt like the little girl played by Abigail Breslin in Little Miss Sunshine when her blowhard dad suggests that beauty queens don't eat ice cream, and there she is with a bowl of the chocolate good stuff on the way.

I mumbled something about my runs "getting longer" and got out quickly, my "looking like a runner" balloon deflated. This little incident alone isn't enough to make me stop shopping there, but I do think I'll be ordering my Nuun and other food products online from now on.

Food Report
Here's what I've eaten so far today--it's not exactly Ash Wednesday fasting, but so far so good:

Whole-wheat bagel with lox, a small bit of cream cheese, two tomato slices and a few capers
Glass of lo-sodium V8 juice
Two apples
A PBJ sandwich (made with natural PB and "simply fruit" apricot preserves)
Two mugs unsweetened green tea
Three strands of black licorice (this is courtesy of our security guard at work, Lorin; I have to learn to "just say no" to licorice)

Boulder Benefits: Massage Part II

Today was one of those rare and relaxing mornings that included a not-too-taxing but satisfying run....followed by a massage. I love massages. My whole family does. My dad says we're like a bunch of monkeys. I'd get a massage every week if I could afford it. I'd rather have a massage than eat. I'd even rather have a massage than eat CHOCOLATE.

The run was a 10-miler out on the backroads. The uphill first half felt labored, with lots of huffing and puffing and shuffling and not much speed to show for it. All five of the first miles took me over 9 minutes. The second half felt much better, as it always does going downhill, and in the end my average was a decent 8:56/mile. It wasn't as fast as the Snowman Stampede 10-miler two weeks ago, but I never go as fast when I'm not in a race environment. Thank you, weather gods, for keeping the wind in its cage today. It was cold-ish--shoulda brought gloves--but quiet and still. Subtle signs of spring abounded: ditches flowing with melt water; two red-wing blackbirds that I saw (and lots more than I heard); frisky horses breaking into a run in the fields.

The massage, courtesy of a gift certificate from my awesome sister-in-law, Kate, featured no fairy cards, salt crystal lamps or chanting. That was just fine with me. Kate's gift got me time at the student clinic at the Boulder College of Massage Therapy, which sends a fleet of aspiring therapists to every Bolder Boulder and Colder Bolder race. They always do a great job with the 15 or so minutes they get at those races, so I knew I was in for a good experience with the full hour.

Sure enough, a soothing young guy named Geoff worked on my tight hips, IT bands and calves. By the time he was finished, I felt reinvigorated, which was a good thing because when I got home Ruth and Will were waiting for me to start the naptime routine, and I was as hungry as a longshoreman. I read to them (one book each), dealt with the usual bathroom trips and requests for toys after (they are allowed to play quietly in their rooms if they prefer that to sleep, which Will usually does) and I then practically inhaled leftover pasta, two hard-boiled eggs, a spoonful of peanut butter and a glass of Nuun water, all the while trying to keep quiet so Will's keen ears didn't pick up the clink of fork on bowl or the crack of the eggshells.

At $35 for an hour and $50 for 90 minutes, BCMT's student clinic might actually be a place I can attend on my own dime more often than every six months. Something to think about with marathon training looming!