Happy Birthday Brian

It was a great beginning to a new year! The day began, a bit earlier than necessary (especially since Brian and I started celebrating early with a night out yesterday), with breakfast in bed, courtesy of Olivia and Jack. That was followed by a second meal, a bit more substantial and warm, courtesy of me. The rest of the day consisted of bike rides, squirt gun fights, work around the yard and happy hour on the deck (before the rain). G'ma Marilyn prepared her famous BBQ ribs and homemade potato salad for dinner. We are going to finish off the day with pecan pie and a movie. We are all going to have to work out tomorrow, well ok - maybe Tuesday, after we eat all the left overs!!!

Favorite quotes from the kids' birthday posters:

Jack: "I like my dad becus he is coool"

Olivia: "I Love you dad, you are not that old"

Happy Birthday!!!

Graduation!!!

Happy Kindergarten Graduation Jack!!! Let the summer begin, all 121 days of it (until the new school opens, a bit later than normal)...

Race Report

What a way to finish a race - surrounded by friends and family! That is me in the middle in the yellow, Jack is to the left in yellow, Olivia in front in white. Running buddies Cindy and Raelene in the white and black. Wow, I could not have finished those last long miles of the marathon without you, Thanks for being there!

I am so glad that race is over!!! It was a perfect day for a race, sunny and mild (maybe a bit warm at the end). I did not have a great race, but not a terrible one either. No PR for me this time, I never really felt like I was able to get into a steady rhythm. The ipod helped, but not enough. The good news is, I walked (or should I say hobbled) away happy, feeling like I gave everything I had that day and was thrilled that Brian, the kids, and my friends were there to be a part of it. It was the kind of race that leaves you feeling satisfied and proud of your accomplishment, yet thinking "hmm - maybe I can do better, what race is next?". That's good, since I do love to run :)


Team Ary

Running buddies Cindy and Raelene - Thanks for cheering me on, running those last painful miles with me and figuring out what to say to me while I was dragging myslef along at the end (sorry for my grouchiness) Good thing we have the rule "what happens on the course stays on the course!"

Yeah - college buddy Mary and I at the finish! Mary biked around the course to several spots to see me race. I was so glad to see your smiling face and hear your cheers :)

I am sore and tired this morning, but not terrible. I'm looking forward to taking some time off and enjoying the kids' last week of school. Thanks again for all of the support and encouragement from my friends and family, even the ones not able to be there - you are the best!

Now, after nearly a month of being off caffeine, I am going to have a real cup of coffee - I think I deserve it!

Run Like a Girl!

Based on how my girl friends are doing in races this spring - that is a huge compliment. Way to go girls, you rock!!!

First of all, my awesome friend Cindy had a great race at the Boston Marathon. She shaved off about 15 minutes from her Boston debut in 2007. Congratulations Cindy!!! You inspire me and I love running with ya day in and day out in the 'hood!

Running Boston together has been something we have been working at and dreaming about for over 3 years. We both qualified in different races in 2006 and ran our first Boston together in 2007. Even though we were thrilled to be there, the torrential rains made for a somewhat less than pleasant, although definitely memorable, race. We tried again in 2008, Cindy was injured and unable to run - she cheered me on. We tried again in 2009, I got sick - I cheered her on. Maybe 2010 will be our chance to finally run together again :)

Cindy and I before she got on the bus to the starting line in Hopkinton. Since I was in cheerleader mode, I decided to get up and walk to the busing area with her for one last high five.

Cindy and Nancy before the start. We met Nancy and Travis, her husband, back in 2006 at the Sacramento Marathon and ironically ran into them last 2 years at the Boston sports expo. Cindy has a knack for meeting fun people wherever she goes! We had so much fun with them this year that we are trying to get them to come to Colorado (from Idaho) to do a race and visit us soon!

In case you have not been to a race like this before, the runners line up hours in advance of the race to get on a bus to be transported to the starting line. Can you believe all these people??? 25,000 runners getting on buses in an hour and a half time span, now that takes some organization, especially downtown Boston!!!

Despite waiting near the finish line for over an hour, I missed Cindy in the sea of runners and did not get a finishing photo:( Sorry - I obviously need to work on my spectator skills!!!

Travis and I did, however, find Nancy. She also had a tremendous race, despite a death in her family and some recent illnesses. This was her 35th marathon - wow - you are an inspiration!!! Congratulations Nancy!

Travis, her husband is the ultimate fan and spectator. He and I had a great time tracking their splits on my computer, watching the elite race in the hotel and trying to find the girls after the race. He even had beer and snacks, too bad I was still recovering and unable to join him for those - maybe next year!

Here are the champs warming up in their cozy robes after ice baths and warm showers. Nice Medals!!!

Two weeks after Boston ,

my friend Raelene ran the Colorado Marathon in Fort Collins, in her quest to qualify for Boston (obviously she has been hanging around Cindy and I too long!). Since I was back in training mode, I tried to enter the race to run with her, but the race was already full. So I settled for jumping in and running the last 10 miles with her. All her hard work and training paid off - she had a spectacular race and qualified for Boston with many minutes to spare! Congratulations Raelene!!! I am so happy for you and proud to have been a small part of your dream come true:) I knew you could do it...

Raelene's running and cheering crew, from left: me, Kathy (congrats on your 1/2 marathon!!!), Raelene, Rhonda (you're next if you don't watch out) and Cindy.

Finally, my long-time, good friend Michelle also ran the 1/2 marathon in Fort Collins and had a super fast time also - way to go Michelle!!! This is even more impressive considering she recently shattered her Half-Ironman Triathlon PR by something crazy like 20 minutes - wow! Now that makes marathons look like a walk in the park. Keep up the great work - you are going to have an incredible season, congrats!!!

So, now it is my turn. I am in my final taper week before the Colorado Colfax Marathon on May 17, this Sunday (See link above). I feel good and cautiously optimistic. I actually think the extra time off and extra few miles of training might make for a better race than what I would have had at Boston had I not gotten sick. We will see. As I have learned the hard way, you can do everything right and still fall victim to something out of your control that can ruin your day. As a card Cindy gave me recently said, "Life is all about how you handle Plan B" . So, I am going to go out there and give it all I got for Plan B, and of course, "Run like a girl..."

Happy Mother's Day!!!!

I am so blessed to be a mom!!! Thank you Olivia and Jack for bringing so much joy into my life:) Brian was out out town for the last few days, so I had lots of time to spend with the kids and we had a blast, including a basement camp out, eating out and a few short bike rides. Hope all the other mom's enjoyed their day also.