Make it so....

For the sake of the Auld Times

     Fill your cup and toast with me:

Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind ?
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and old lang syne ?

CHORUS:

For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we'll take a cup of kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.

And surely you’ll buy your pint cup !
and surely I’ll buy mine !
And we'll take a cup o’ kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.

CHORUS

We two have run about the slopes,
and picked the daisies fine ;
But we’ve wandered many a weary foot,
since auld lang syne.

CHORUS

We two have paddled in the stream,
from morning sun till dine^† ;
But seas between us broad have roared
since auld lang syne.

CHORUS

And there’s a hand my trusty friend !
And give me a hand o’ thine !
And we’ll take a right good-will draught,
for auld lang syne.

CHORUS

        (English translation)

In the New Year, may your right hand always be stretched out in

friendship and never in need.

 (email subscribers to my blog must go to blog to view this video....thanks, & happy new year)

   

            

Merry Christmas to all....

     I am sorry this is delayed.  I was traveling for the holidays and Google, Dear Google, locked me out of my acct.   I hope your Christmas was a happy one.  Mine was!
     I finished my annual reading of "A Christmas Carol" on the plane ride home.

“I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future. The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me. I will not shut out the lessons that they teach!” 
― Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol




     I remember watching the skies on every cold Christmas Eve as a child looking for this very sight!  Merry Christmas to every living thing.

                                   (email subscribers to my blog must go to blog to view video)

"Turn your face to the sun and the shadows fall behind you."---Maori Proverb

     December 21 is a turning point in bringing back the light.  It is cause for great celebration throughout the Northern Hemisphere.  Happy Winter Solstice.





"If I had to choose a religion, the sun as the universal giver of life would be my god."---Napoleon Bonaparte

                                   Don't groan kids.  We always loved this song.  
                                               It is worth hearing again.

                      (email subscribers to my blog, go to the blog to view video)

"The race does not always go to the swift, but the ones who keep running."---Anonymous

     I did get to the final speed work session of the year last night.  I haven't been there for at least a month due to cold and snow and laziness.  I'm trying to get back on track, no pun intended, now.  It is so hard to start again after stopping.
     Here is a picture of the group doing the HO HO HOKA tummy rub.  (Hoka shoes were the sponsor last night).  Our coach is the skinny Santa in shorts.  Next to him in the light blue jacket is his Mom....isn't she amazing!  She looks his age.  They are both Boston marathoners and finished the race last year before the bombs went off.
     In the center back are me, my friend Erica, and my friend Ellen.  We run at about the same pace.


     Here is a sentiment posted on FaceBook by Ellen.  I concur. Runners are the nicest people.

Good advice....

We know a lot of you are in full holiday mode and things can get a little stressful. This is a little reminder to take a moment to breathe. 

Shared from Engine 2 Diet

"Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going."---Jim Ryun, the first high-schooler to break the four minute mile

     It is time to start gearing up mentally for the new year. Get ready to self-motivate and resolve to start some healthy new habits.

Why is this so hard to remember?

Good advice.

No person or animal is disposable.

     Yesterday was the Freedom Service Dogs' winter graduation. Nineteen dog/handler teams graduated.  Eight were therapy dog teams.  Six were traditional clients.  Five were military clients.  For an hour and a half there wasn't a dry eye in the house.
     Two of the therapy dogs are in Connecticut helping children after last year's school shooting.  (go Nutmeg and Cashew!)
     The father of a teen who received a service dog last year spoke of the wondrous change the dog has made in all of their lives. Their son is now outgoing and confident. People talk to him about his dog instead of just staring at his odd gait.
     The various humane societies who donated the dogs spoke of the terrible backgrounds some of these dogs came from.  Several were starved prior to arrival at the shelters.
      The Colorado prison training program spoke of the dogs they worked with, and the positive changes happening to the dogs and to the prisoner/handlers.  A former female prisoner, who trained one of the dogs, spoke of how the dog she trained saved her just as much as she saved him.  She felt that she had taken from society for twenty years as an addict, and learned to start giving back.
     The Freedom Service Dog professional trainers spoke of the dogs' personalities and characters...and these dogs are all characters.
     The clients spoke as well....the best and most touching part.
      A PTSD client spoke of finally being able to sleep through the night having his dog beside him, watching, cuddling, being a good battle-buddy.
     Another Vet, an amputee, spoke of the fact that twenty one soldiers commit suicide daily, and how he and his dog will be visiting soldiers to help get them off of suicide watch.
     A Viet Nam era tattooed vet was too emotional to get the words out.  The audience hushed with empathy and tears.
     An elderly blind man spoke of how his friend asked why he got a service dog instead of a seeing-eye dog....he responded, "I got a service dog???"     Ta dum dum!
     A woman in a wheelchair who uses ASL and is unable to speak had pre-written her comments which were read by a trainer.  She mentioned her absolute joy in finding that her lovely lab is named  "Lyric:" ....a companion to truly be her voice in song from now on.
     I was fortunate to work with each of those 19 dogs at least once.  They are fantastic dogs, and someone somewhere had given each one away.
     There are so many wonderful people who assist these dogs on their journeys....the rescuers, the prisoner-trainers, the professional trainers, and the boat-load of volunteers.  Everyone gets involved to rescue the dogs, but stays to rescue the people.



http://www.freedomservicedogs.org/
   
   

Exercise vs drugs: they yield the same results.

     Exercise works as well as many prescribed medicines in treating some of the leading causes of death.  Why wouldn't you want to try exercise first????

     Here is a link to the article from the New York Times.  Within the article you will find a link to the published research.
    " The results underscore how infrequently exercise is considered or studied as a medical intervention."
     http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/12/11/exercise-as-potent-medicine/?_r=0



Thought for today:

A lovely thought from a Stoic...

Live in harmony with the universe.

This is so me......

This is so me, except for the yogurt part................


                                           I <3 to run

eBib of the Day!

Caption via Runner Girl!

For today's "kids".....................

                                  shared from Freedom Service Dogs

Heliophilia

                                                           Be the change you want to see in the world

Sorry, but it is the treadmill life for me.

                shared from Women's Running Community - WRC



              shared from Favorite Run



-3 at 7 AM so I slept in.

Still cold, cold, cold.

   It is still cold, cold, cold here.  The temperature is minus nine degrees at 8:00 AM.  My poor dog is not getting walks.  It is good weather for staying in and doing some reading.

   Here are two links worth your time.  The first is for you runners out there.  Research confirms that rotating  your running shoes does reduce your risk of injury by 39%.  I do this, mainly because I've kept every pair of running shoes I've tried in the past two years for running in different situations.....long runs vs short, runs requiring tread on my shoes, shoes that keep my feet cool/warm/dry, runs on pavement vs trails. The more worn shoes I wear on the treadmill.  The totally worn out ones are relegated to wearing when mowing the lawn or for adding yak-trax for ice and snow. The newest shoes I wear for longer runs. I'm not recommending my method, but I'm cheap and it works for me.

http://www.runnersworld.com/injury-prevention-recovery/study-backs-rotating-shoes-to-lower-injury-risk



     The second link is about the certainty of global warming and water scarcity, and how to go about making some changes.  The problem is so massive, it is difficult to think about, but we must.

http://hpjmh.com/2013/12/06/the-certainty-of-global-warming-and-water-scarcity/


PS   10am, still below zero.  Walked the dog just 1/2 mile.  I wore ski gloves, but by the time I returned home I thought my fingers would fall off.

Stay warm

     Hi everyone.  I hope you had a great holiday last weekend.  I'm still trying to recover....catch up on sleep, and decaffeinate myself.
     Winter is most definitely here.  It was a minus fifteen degrees this morning.  Currently it is minus 9.  I am trying to work up to going outside to walk the dog and to scoop snow. The furnace seems to run non-stop but I am glad I have warmth.  The rescue missions are full-up.  I hope no one has to be outdoors for any length of time. High temps will be in the single digits to teens for the next week.
     It is beautiful out there, though, albeit treacherous.

If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough. Meister Eckhart

     May your Thanksgiving Holiday be healthy, happy, safe, and filled with gratitude.

If you want to take the island, burn your boats.

     This is a continuation of yesterday's blog about setting big freaking scary goals. One other suggestion from Matt Frazier, of  "No Meat Athlete" fame......If you want to take the island, burn your boats.
     I'm more of the type to keep things on the down low.  I hedge my bets.  I'd rather not fail publicly. I just quietly go about doing whatever I plan.
     He suggests that by doing that, you fail before you start....that it is okay to fail, and to fail publicly. You learn from failure.  It is much better to be a doer than a watcher....a competitor than a spectator.
     He suggests telling everyone your goals.  Tell friends, family, Facebook.  Take  risks. Burn your boats.

"If your dreams don't scare you, they aren't big enough"

     I recently read the book "No Meat Athlete,' by Matt Frazier.  He covers three main topics:  exercise, a plant-based diet, and "setting big freaking scary goals."  It was that third item that intrigued me, and evidently also most people who came to listen to him speak on his book tour.
     It is that 3rd topic that I have been considering as I start to set my goals for 2014.  No one ever tells you to set big freaking scary goals.  The advice usually is to set small manageable achievable ones.
     Matt Frazier suggests setting big goals, but putting a time-table on them.  For example, what do you hope to accomplish in twelve months, in five years, ten years?

     Running is one of my goals for next year.....specifically, improvement in speed.  I'm really tired of being the slowest turtle out there, even though I know that a mile is a mile, whether run at 7 minutes or 12 minutes.  Runner and author Joan Ullyot says that, "No matter what your age when you start running, you can expect about ten years of improvement.  That's how long it takes to learn the game."  Based on that, I have possibly seven years left to improve if I work at it.

     I watched the Hawaii Ironman Championship this week.  It is available on YouTube.  I love watching this race, even though I have no desire to ever try it.  Athlete Harriet Anderson, aged 78, completed it....the oldest woman to finish.  She has run this race 20+ times!  I cannot even imagine swimming, biking, and running for 17 hours straight. That is inspiration.
 
     So, I will be thinking about setting small goals for next year, and maybe dreaming about bigger ones in the next 5-10 years.  Will you be joining me?

To Balter

     It is bitterly cold and icy. It is a day to play music and "balter" around, (which scares my dog a little when I do it).





Here are a couple of interesting health links.  The first reports on research revealing how to possibly add sixteen years to your life.
http://www.news.com.au/national/victoria/new-research-shows-ultra-marathons-could-add-16-years-to-your-life/story-fnii5sms-1226763742845

The second is a well-written post from an athlete suffering from the disease of obesity.  It is easy to forget that obesity is a disease, and that it never ever goes away.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tony-posnanski/obesity-disease_b_4303347.html?utm_hp_ref=healthy-living

          shared from Intelligence is sexy

I could use a hug.

     Today is Globally Organized Hug A Runner Day-2013.


                                    shared from  Slow is the New Fast

Incredible story

     I just read Bret Dunlop's story.  If you have the time, please read.  You will not regret it.  He is impressive.  He is answering questions this week on the Runnersworld.com website, "ask me anything."

http://www.runnersworld.com/ru...-it-changed-his-life

ttp://www.runnersworld.com/ph...broken-a-photo-essay


     And if you need just a but more inspiration in your day, watch this video.

                         
                                         (email subscribers go to blog to view video)

Me on a treadmill

     Treadmill weather approaches.  This is me on a treadmill.  Have a happy weekend.

                               
                             (email subscribers to my blog need to go to blog to view video)

Overtraining Signs and Symptoms

     Here is a brief but helpful listing of the signs and symptoms of overtraining.  It is good to know what to look for.  I'm not training for anything right now, but have begun running regularly again and hope to build a stronger base for next year.  I've experienced 5 of the below symptoms this past year.

Understand the early warning signs of overtraining/overreaching (too much anaerobic exercise, too much total stress, or both), and slow down before you are forced down from injury and/or illness.

• Morning resting HR greater than 10% of normal – you may be getting sick; you’re overreaching in your training. Heart rate info here.
• Dizzy or lightheaded upon standing up – you’re blood pressure is dropping because your endocrine system is fatigued
• Cravings for sugar and/or salt – your body is running off sugar more than fat and you’re losing too much salt from all the stress
• Persistent sore throat – low antioxidant level from too much free radical damage from training too hard
• General aches and pain, relieved by exercising – you’re getting a cortisol rush, that’s not good over time
• Eyes sensitive to light – those pupils are constricting rather than dilating because your nervous system is all jacked-up
• Irritability – you’re a pain in the ass because your blood sugar is a mess
• Lack of desire to exercise – you’re burning out from all the training
• Insomnia, or waking up in the middle of the night – you’re getting a cortisol surge in the middle of the night when those levels should be very low
• Frequent night time urination (>1 time) – your hormones are under so much stress they’re not able to rest during the time they should be
• Limb twitching or jumping while falling asleep – like the sensitive eyes, your nervous system is all jacked-up
• PMS: cramping, back pain, over-emotional, breast tenderness, fatigue – I’m not going there (haha!) – More on PMS at my other site – click here.
• Eye lid spasms – “functional blepharospasm” – from mineral imbalances in your body, depleted from excess training
• Burning and/or blood shot eyes – from vitamin deficiencies, primarily B2 (riboflavin) from overtraining
• Ankles “easily turn” – those muscles and ligaments of your ankle are very susceptible to stress; next is foot, heel, or knee pain

http://sock-doc.com/2011/02/warning-signs-symptoms-of-overtraining/


"A garden is never so good as it will be next year." ---Thomas Cooper
          (This applies to running and probably most things in life, as well.)

Exercise is medicine....So is tea.

     Do you remember Dr. Kenneth Cooper, the physician who introduced the concept of, and coined the term, "Aerobics"  back in 1968?  At age 82, he is still going strong.  His prescription for us all is exercise.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nancy-brown/exercise-medicine_b_4235230.html?utm_hp_ref=healthy-living

     Here is an article which summarizes research showing the many benefits of tea.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/268509.php

     Finally, here is a link to the article about the 5 year old who ran a half marathon last weekend.  I only wish I could run as fast.
http://www.runnersworld.com/races/5-year-old-completes-half-marathon-in-22225?cm_mmc=Facebook-_-RunnersWorld-_-Content-News-_-5YOHalfMarathon


Happy Tuesday
---"Make it so"---Patrick Stewart (Captain Jean-Luc Picard)

Thank a Veteran today.

     



   

Put on your big girl panties and choose life. L'chayim.

     I found this on Facebook this week and liked it.


     Coincidentally, I happened to go to Church today.  The sermon ended with "Put on your big-boy pants and choose life." (Paraphrasing God talking to Abraham)
     Shalom.

Every woman understands this.....

                           Shared from Women's Running Community - WRC

I'm so glad it is not just me.

Real food....

      Click on the link below for simple tips on how to change the way you look at food and the food industry:
http://thechalkboardmag.com/food-industry-insights-with-real-food-evangelist-robyn-obrien

     The FDA has finally taken the first steps toward eliminating Trans Fats by removing them from the Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) list.
http://www.medpagetoday.com/Cardiology/Prevention/42780?isalert=1&uun=g523196d321R5642310u&utm_source=breaking-news&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=breaking-news&xid=NL_breakingnews_2013-11-07

http://sportsgeezer.com/2013/three-disturbing-facts-about-trans-fats/



                       shared from Women's Running Community - WRC

"When I first started running, I was so embarrassed I'd walk when cars passed me. I'd pretend I was looking at the flowers." - Joan Benoit Samuelson

You've gotta love Joanie......

New York Road Runners (NYRR)

At 56, Joan Benoit Samuelson’s New York City Marathon time of 2:57:13 was not only good enough to win her age group in the 2013 ING New York City Marathon by more than 12 minutes, it also would have won the 50-54 and 45-49 age groups.

It was a fitting display for someone inducted last Thursday into the New York Road Runners (NYRR) Hall of Fame in a ceremony at which Samuelson said of running in NYC: “I’ve gutted it out here numerous times.”

http://www.nyrr.org/newsroom/nyrr-news-service/samuelson’s-25713-nothing-to-sneeze-at

      I went to my run group last night.  I had skipped last week as I really, really hate the dark and the cold.  Last night was the dreaded one mile time trial.  Eight weeks ago I did the trial in 11:10.  This time I did it in 10:49.  Yay.  Still the slowest (and oldest) one out there, but I'm making progress.  Three others run just a few seconds faster than me, so I'm not alone.  This is a great way to learn to pace myself.
     It was cold, but dry, and my headlamp works great.  I didn't trip and fall on any sidewalk cracks at least.
(how's your back, Mom?)

Your fitness age

     Here is an easy way to calculate your fitness age.  Researchers at the University of Science and Technology in Trondheim did research that confirmed that VO2 max is a good indicator of fitness.  They built an algorithm for determining your VO2 max and fitness age.
     My fitness age is 46.  It could be better, but I will take it as a starting point.

Here is the easy on-line calculator:
http://www.ntnu.edu/cerg/vo2max

Here is the article:
http://sportsgeezer.com/2013/how-to-find-your-fitness-age/

We'll really miss you Mrs. K.

                         

     Bart says farewell to Marcia Wallace on the Simpsons.

The times they are a-changin

     I admit to watching, with interest, what other people have in their grocery carts. In my defense, there isn't much else to do when waiting in line.  Last week I was behind an elderly gentleman who bought several bags of deli meats and deli cheese along with 4 cases of soda.....nothing else.  Hopefully that wasn't his week's menu, but it looked like it might have been.
     Friday I went to a girl's night out at a local restaurant known for their burgers. It is the first time I've done that in years.  There were ten of us there celebrating someone's birthday.  It surprised me to see that only one person ordered a drink....everyone else had water with lemon.  It also surprised me to see that nine of us ordered gardenburgers, (one with lettuce wrap, no bread); one ordered a salad only; and two ordered sides of unlimited broccoli instead of unlimited fries, and those getting the fries got sweet potato fries which are marginally better for you.  Maybe some American's are changing what they eat for the better!
     Now, probably you are thinking that everyone there was older, like me, (a bunch of old biddies), or a runner, but that wasn't the case.  Everyone else was in the 30 to 45 year-old range and only 2 others are runners.  I think the times they are a-changing.
     In other regards, I did show my age.  Much of the conversation centered on 1980s heavy-metal bands as everyone else are big fans of that genre and of the local band scene; however my heart still beats in time to the music of the sixties. That's my excuse for my musical ignorance, and I'm sticking to it.


                                     

Bipolar Runner's photo

     Today is the NYC Marathon!  Good luck to everyone and be safe out there. 

What a wonderful world.

My favorite song ever........
    A wonderful way to wake up! David Attenborough does it again!
What a stunning commercial from BBC !
www.youtube.com/embed/auSo1MyWf8g?rel=0 

The fog comes on little cat feet. It sits looking over harbor and city on silent haunches and then moves on. Carl Sandburg, Chicago Poems (1916) "Fog"

     The day began with heavy silent secret fog....chilling. Who knows what ghouls were out and about.  But then the sun appeared and it went on its way in rolling waves of indecision.

fog heading out

fog rolling back in

The Peace Factory

            
                                   shared from  Freedom Service Dogs         

Charleigh Brown, the Great Pumpkin

     I have a scout-mom good friend who has organized a boy scout haunted house for the past 5 years.  Last night I was privileged to help out a bit. I don't have the opportunity to be around little kids very often in my day-to-day life, so I had a blast!  It reminded me, yet again, how really good and sweet children can be.
     I got to run the pumpkin ping-pong toss....5 chances to toss ping-pong-eyeballs into pumpkin pails for only 1 ticket.  This simple game appealed to the small set. I did get lots of exercise chasing the bouncy eyeballs as they caromed around the cafeteria off of walls and between people's feet, but the kids helped, too, racing after the eyeballs they had lost....I think that was half of their fun. The best moment was when a costumed toddler dressed as a convict in stripes, took a try.  He was a smart kid....he gathered his ping-pong-eyeballs and toddled over to the pumpkin buckets and neatly put one in each.....no risky tossing or bouncing the eyeballs for him!  (This baby convict also won his age group in the costume contest).
     A popular game for the older elementary kids was shooting a rubber-band gun at a row of shrunken plastic heads and skulls dangling from strings.  How creative!  Of course, the most popular kid activity was the cake walk....but I got to see more than one winning cake accidentally upended on the floor while the winner wandered around.
     The boy scouts ran the haunted house.  There were hallways of games run by girl-scouts.  I was so proud of my friend for pulling off such a great event. It could have been chaotic, but wasn't.  I do not have that skill set.  I would have been pulling out my hair, but she remained calm and cheerful all evening.

     This morning was Saturday family fun-run group with costume contest.  Some people had amazing costumes!  I seem to lack the creative gene. Charleigh went as a jack-o-lantern.....Charleigh Brown, the great pumpkin.  The pet costume winner was a little chihuahua dressed as a squirrel.  He won 3 big marrow bones, bigger than he was, so shared one with Charleigh who was out of her mind with joy.  The costumes did freak Charleigh out a bit....especially the beagle in full fireman regalia complete with helmet, and the little boy dressed as a fuzzy purple dolphin who must have resembled a big stuffed toy.


Eat. drink, and be scary..........author unknown.

It took me a second.....

                      Non Sequitur                                   10-26-13

Urgent need to stop deforestation

     Below is a link to a short 6 minute talk by Robert Goodland, a tropical ecologist, who served as the World Bank Group's environmental adviser for 23 years.  He feels there is an urgent need to stop deforestation.  As you have read, raising and eating livestock is not sustainable.  The livestock sector is responsible for 51% of greenhouse gas formation.  According to Mr. Goodland, we have a very small window of time to reverse this.  The first tipping point will be massive flooding, possibly as early as 2017.
     The first thing we must do is decrease livestock production to free up food growth for people, to feed the expected future 10 billion humans and environmental refugees on earth by the end of the century.
     Secondly, in parallel, we must plant more trees to sequester carbon dioxide already in the atmosphere.
     Thirdly, it is essential to continue the rapid conversion from fossil fuel economies to renewable energy, but this will take far too long by itself.
     He feels, and I quote, that "we have no option.  We must do this or we will be wiped out as a civilization."
     Please take this information to heart, act on it, and spread it to everyone you know.
     

http://www.drmcdougall.com/health/education/videos/advanced-study-weekend-experts/robert-goodland-deforestation/


     As a side note, this is interesting.  Bicycles are outselling new cars in  almost every European country.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/parallels/2013/10/24/240493422/in-most-every-european-country-bikes-are-outselling-cars

"The reason we race isn't so much to beat each other but to be with each other." Christopher McDougall

     Runners are friendly, supportive people. We share the same experience, whether over 3 hours or 6 hours. It is hard.  At the race Sunday in my starting corral I met a woman from Washington state who runs for her daughter who died 4 years ago at age 14.  This Mom has run dozens and dozens of races in her daughter's memory to publicize the charity she started.  She showed me photos of all of her race medals. She is truly amazing.  The charity is BooksFromBug.org  Check it out.

     I've been reviewing my experiences over the past few months of training to determine what, if anything, I learned.  Running is mostly mental.  You are going to get tired.  You do it anyway, any which way you can. It is a metaphor for living a life.  Others have said it all so much better than I ever could, though.........
 
"It's important to know that at the end of the day it's not the medals you remember.  What you remember is the process--what you learn about yourself by challenging yourself, the experiences you share with other people, the honesty the training demands--those are things nobody can take away from you whether you finish twelfth or you're an Olympic Champion."---Silken Laumann, Canadian Olympian
   
"You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face...You must do the thing which you think you cannot."   Eleanor Roosevelt

"A man can live his entire life without knowing whether or not he is a coward."  John Berryman

"It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them.  They went out and happened to things."  Leonardo Da Vinci

Slow runners make fast runners look good.  You're Welcome.

At mile 20 I thought I was dead.

At mile 22 I wished I was dead.

At mile 24 I knew I was dead.

At mile 26.2 I realized I had become too tough to kill.

Denver Rock N Roll

     I finished in 5 hours, 57 minutes, and 16 seconds!  I got slower as I went along.  The first half or so I ran at a 12 min. per mile pace, but you can see that my overall time dropped to 13:38 min. per mile.  That is because I had to walk for two miles due to leg cramps after mile 21, and then did a run/walk thereafter.  But I finished!  And I see I was 9th out of 20 in my division, 958th out of 1996 for my gender, and 2128th out of 4376 overall.  I will take it.
     I plan no running at all for a while. It will be a welcome break.

Deborah Johnson

Littleton, CO

Age: 62 | Gender: F

• Overall: 
  2128 out of 4376
 
• Division: 
  9 out of 20
 
• Gender: 
  958 out of 1996

• Pace
• Chip Time
• Clock Time

• 13:38
• 05:57:16
• 06:19:03

That's me in the green shirt with the red jacket tied around my waist.  It was a cold but beautiful autumn day.  

     

and i have miles to go before I sleep

Wise Running

Today I will rock the run. 
I may not be the fastest, but I will give it what I have.

Keep your fingers crossed for me.  I couldn't sleep at all last night.  I'm trying to get my mind right.  It is all mental from this point on. I trained like I trained, so no second-guessing myself now.  Forecast--possible rain showers.

It's okay if the cougar eats me because I've done some really cool things."
--Jenn Shelton

Downtown

     It's a snowy cold morning here and I need to go downtown mid-day for a race expo.  I am hoping to take the light-rail, but I am expecting that all prudent commuters are doing the same, thus there will be zero parking spaces available mid-day at the light-rail stop.  I will maybe have to postpone until tomorrow if that is the case.
     I always have loved this song ever since I first heard it.  It is so cheerful, especially on a dreary day.

                                        (email subscribers go to blog to view video)


     Interesting news:  Mexico bans GMO corn effective immediately.
“Corn is a staple food crop in Mexico, intricately intertwined with the country’s cuisine, history, and culture. Authorities are concerned that Monsanto’s genetically modified corn will contaminate native species, and could cause both health and environmental issues,” Care2 reported at the time

Read more: http://www.care2.com/causes/mexico-bans-gmo-corn-effective-immediately.html#ixzz2i58nLlpV


"You cannot insert a gene you took from a bacteria into a seed and call it life.  You haven't created life, instead you have only polluted it."  Dr. Vandana Shiva

"As I'm sitting here doing nothing but aging..."

     I was listening to George Harrison singing "While my guitar gently weeps" this morning as I sat at the computer reading emails, facebook, etc.  Then I heard the line, "as I'm sitting here doing nothing but aging."  It is getting me off my chair and out the door. Happy Thursday to you and try to do less sitting and aging.

                                            Email subscribers go to blog to view video.  Thanks.

Review: "Eating on the Wild Side"

     I just finished reading Jo Robinson's book, "Eating on the Wild Side, the missing link to optimum health."  As you are probably aware, modern fruits and vegetables have been bred over the past 10,000 years for sweetness, large size, uniformity, and ease of harvest and transport; consequently there is a dramatic difference in nutrition between wild and domesticated plants, with wild varieties generally winning by a very large margin. Our foods have not been bred for increased phytonutrients.
     Robinson gives a short nutritional history of each group of fruits and vegetables, followed by very practical, research-based, suggestions as to which varieties available in the supermarket and the farmer's market today have the most nutrients.  She also suggests methods to store and cook each variety to help maintain, or even increase, nutrients.  If you are a gardener, she lists the varieties that are the healthiest.
     I really enjoyed it and suggest that, if you want the most bang for your buck from your supermarket shopping, you check-out this book from your local library and give it a read. If you really like it, you may want to buy it for your personal resource library.

   

Happy birthday to Paul Simon!

     Happy 72nd birthday to Paul Simon.  We loved the music of Simon and Garfunkel, (and Peter, Paul, and Mary, and of course, the Beatles).  Our kids can attest to this as we indoctrinated them early-on to "our music."

                                         shared from Hippie Peace Freaks
                                          (email subscribers must go to blog to view video)

     The Chicago Marathon is happening this morning.  I am watching an on-line stream from NBC. It looks like a beautiful day there.  So far the top 7 men are from Kenya and Ethiopia.  I'm not sure about the women.  I want to see some Americans closer to the front.  Go Chicago.
     Update:
          Dennis Kimetto of Kenya won the men's race in 2:03:45, a new course record.
          Rita Jeptoo, also of Kenya, won the women's race in 2:19:57.
          Carpe Diem!

     P.S.  Am I getting hardcore or what?  I just ordered a headlamp.  I hope it helps get me out the door in the coming dark winter days, plus keeps me safe.

"It was real, wasn't it? You and me. Such a long time ago, we were just a couple of kids. But we really loved each other, didn't we?"---The Notebook

"How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard."  A.A. Milne

"He has achieved success who has lived well, laughed often and loved much;  who has gained the respect of intelligent men and the love of little children;  who has filled his niche and accomplished his task;  who has left the world better than he found it, whether by an improved poppy, a perfect poem, or a rescued soul;  who has never lacked appreciation of earth's beauty or failed to express it;  who has always looked for the best in others and given them the best he had;  whose life was an inspiration;  whose memory a benediction."--Bessie Stanley, 1905, commonly misattributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson

                                              Seasons of Love

Heaven is an hour spent at the pet-store.....

I treated Charleigh to a visit to the petstore.  She will do a sit-stay for hours and hours here.

How many dogs does it take to change a lightbulb?

1. Golden Retriever: The sun is shining, the day is young, we've got our whole lives ahead of us, and you're inside worrying about a stupid burned out bulb?

2. Border Collie: Just one. And then I'll replace any wiring that's not up to code.

3. Dachshund: You know I can't reach that stupid lamp!

4. Rottweiler: Make me

5. Boxer: Who cares? I can still play with my squeaky toys in the dark.

6. Lab: Oh, me, me!!!!! Pleeeeeeeeeze let me change the light bulb! Can I? Can I? Huh? Huh? Huh? Can I? Pleeeeeeeeeze, please, please, please!

7. German Shepherd: I'll change it as soon as I've led these people from the dark, check to make sure I haven't missed any, and make just one more perimeter patrol to see that no one has tried to take advantage of the situation.

8. Jack Russell Terrier: I'll just pop it in while I'm bouncing off the walls and furniture.

9. Old English Sheep Dog: Light bulb? I'm sorry, but I don't see a light bulb?

10. Cocker Spaniel: Why change it? I can still pee on the carpet in the dark.

11. Chihuahua: Yo quiero Taco Bulb. Or "We don't need no stinking light bulb"

12. Greyhound: It isn't moving. Who cares?

13. Australian Cattle Dog : First, I'll put all the light bulbs in a little circle...

14. Poodle: I'll just blow in the Border Collie's ear and he'll do it. By the time he finishes rewiring the house, my nails will be dry.

The Cat's Answer: Dogs do not change light bulbs. People change light bulbs. So, the real question is: "How long will it be before I can expect some light, some dinner, and a massage?" ALL OF WHICH PROVES, ONCE AGAIN, THAT WHILE DOGS HAVE MASTERS, CATS HAVE STAFF! (shared from birddogsforever.com)