"Many are called but few get up." --- Oliver Herford

     Have a great weekend everyone.  I have been having trouble getting up.  I am re-addicted to coffee since my long drive last weekend.  Maybe next week I'll try to cut back. Meanwhile, I am up and loving my coffee.

     I received my pictures from the Bolder Boulder.  Here are a couple.

How your dentist can treat your prostate

     Here is the link to a very interesting article.
http://sportsgeezer.com/2015/ask-your-dentist-about-your-prostate/

Today's aerobic exercise

I shared this from my FaceBook post from today.
My run for today was aerobic, to say the least. My heart is still pounding. I was running with my dog in the South Valley Open Space park. There were lots of cars in the lot so I figured there would be lots of people and we would be safe. We had been menaced by a big coyote 3-4 weeks ago. After the turnaround, my dog started looking behind her and pulling hard. I turned to see that big coyote running at us, only 20 yards away. Do you know how aerobic it is to walk backwards fast for 1/2 mile pulling a 75 pound dog with one hand, and alternately blowing a whistle, and screaming and waving my other arm while a howling growling coyote as big as my dog follows only 10 yards away? Luckily a teenager ran around the corner and we joined her....safety in numbers...and the coyote slunk back into the scrub oaks and tall grass. I did notify a ranger so they can at least put up warning signs for other dog-owners. Thus ends my solo trail-runs for the year. And my dog was on-leash and we were on marked trail.

Our reality as a simulation?

     You probably saw this in the headlines today, too.  An Oxford philosopher proposes that we are possibly living in a simulation created by our descendants. My first thought is that this is a great story-line for a Sci-Fi book.  My second thought is that if this is so, why create all the inequalities in the world and set us up for wars?  If I were creating a computer simulation for humanity, I would try for a universal utopia, wouldn't you?
      But maybe all the violent video games out there have inured our future children to brutality as entertainment, and they have turned to computer-generated violence with real people of the past as the players.  We could be set up to live in the ultimate reality T.V. show, either for future generation's entertainment or as lab rats for their research.
      The third option is that future generations are doing this as retribution for the actions of their ancestors.  You could relate this to God, heaven, and hell as well.  Humanity does have much to atone for.
      Possibly there will be no mankind in earth's future.  Maybe computers will be controlling all and we people are all simulations along with our surroundings.
      The possibilities are endless, but however you view it, you must agree this is a great plot!

http://www.msn.com/en-us/video/wonder/man-meets-computer/vi-BBkiXke

The story of a family fighting Huntington's Disease.

     Here is a link to a story about an incredible family that is using the power of running to fight Huntington's Disease, which has struck their family.


http://running.competitor.com/2015/05/video/johnston-family-uses-running-to-fight-huntingtons-disease_128569

Bolder Boulder

     I ran in the Bolder Boulder yesterday along with 52,000 other runners/walkers/wheelchair-ers/crutchers.  It is a fantastic family event which has taken place on Memorial Day every year since 1979. The finish line is in Folsom Field of the U.of Colorado. Finishers stay and gradually fill the stadium, so as you finish you feel like the crowds are cheering for you.
     It is very well organized.  There are 100 different corrals of people starting every 1-2 minutes. The elite wheelchair racers start at 6:50 AM, the last corral of walkers starts around 9:20, so as you run you are never in a massive crowd.  There are bands all along the racecourse and families living along the route have slip-n-slides out, and kids have sprinklers and super-soakers.  There are belly-dancers and bagpipers.  Many runners wear elaborate costumes.  There is always something to keep your mind engaged.  If all else fails, there is the scenery of Boulder's beautiful FlatIron rock formations to the west.
      They offer shuttle bus service from the various park-n-rides all around Denver and Boulder.  Mine left at 4:55 AM, which meant setting the alarm for 3 so I could breakfast, walk my dog, and drive the 30 minutes to the park and ride. It is early, but so worth it.
       At 11:15 the elite races start with the women going first.  They run the same course as us ordinary mortals do, and we get to watch them on the big screen in the stadium. At 11:40ish I started worrying that the last walkers would get in the way of the elite racers.  There were 3 of them still on the course that had to move off to the side in the stadium.  One was a very short older lady who walked with a pronounced tilt to the right which made you wonder if she would tip over before finishing.  She finished after the elite winner who was from Ethiopia, but she finished!
      At noon the Memorial Service started. 125 Armed Forces enlistees were sworn in.  They honored 2 Colorado Tuskegee airmen, 1 Colorado "Rosie Riveter," and 1 Colorado female WWII pilot. There was a 21 gun salute and Taps was played.
      The skydivers then arrived, one carrying a flag for each branch of the service, one carrying a POW/MIA flag, and then finally one carrying the US flag.  While this happens, the song "I'm Proud to be an American" by Lee Greenwood fills the stadium. It ended with "The Star Spangled Banner" played on a bugle by a 90 year-old-survivor of the Battle of the Bulge, one of the Lucky Eleven. Then came the Air Force Jet fly-over.
      It was a beautiful day leading to patriotic-overload and tears to all eyes.  I love it.
         

        A skydiver lands inside the stadium with the American flag at the end of the 37th Bolder Boulder 10k classic. (Kathryn Scott Osler, The Denver Post) 

      Here is a link to see some of the pictures from the Bolder Boulder....elites, costumes, proposals, kids, etc. to get a feel for the race.
http://photos.denverpost.com/2015/05/25/photos-the-37th-bolder-boulder-10k-may-25th-2015/#1                    
      PS  My race went just okay.  I noticed the altitude, maybe because I spent the previous 3 days at low altitude in Nebraska.  Also I felt tired through-out.  Next year I will do better...there is always next year...I will do sub-70 then.  Here are my splits; miles 1 and 5 were pretty good.  Maybe I should have concentrated more on running and less on all the entertainment around me?  No, that would defeat the purpose of the whole occasion.
     Mile 1=11.36
     Mile 2=12:11
     Mile 3=12:24
     Mile 4=12:08
     Mile 5=11:41
     Mile 6=12:22
     Finish=1:14:54.55 or 12.03minutes/mile

I finished 38 out of 144 women aged 63.
I finished 11,319 out of 24,238 women of all ages.
Not terrible.

Happiness is a road trip with a good playlist.

     I'm home from a 3 day 1300 mile road trip.  The trip out was long, rainy, the radio stations were generally crappy, but I was saved by a wonderful new CD called "Mock the Vote" by the Capitol Steps, an American political satire group. There is nothing like laughing for two solid hours across I 80 in Nebraska.  (Thank you, Ben, for the CD--I love it).

     The trip ran the gamut, like all road trips. There was the enjoyment of being with my family, and the happy and sincere smiles of new graduates ready to start their adulthood and enjoy all those firsts in their lives. (Congratulations Mike and Jack). Then there was the inevitable looking back on my own life.  I've traveled this road and made this drive many times, and have already accomplished most of those firsts.

      I watched Mollie B's Polka Show on television.  I love experiencing a different life through the eyes of others....experiences I will never have. I discovered that I love the concertina, that all the best polka bands have an excellent tuba-player, and that polka equals happy.  Dancing with the Stars has nothing on Mollie B.

      On the trip back it rained. I was surrounded with cottonwool fog, brimming rivers, standing water, and puddles reflecting my headlights as well as my mood.

      At 6 AM I found a local radio station playing what they called "Hillbilly Country."  They included John Denver and Jim Croce in that group.  The music was mellow and matched the rain.     

      Then came hours of big-rig/RV leapfrog. It is an interesting game.  It keeps your mind sharp, and if done well, keeps everyone alive.  Radio stations were playing great classics. Because it is Memorial Day weekend they replayed some of the best of Casey Kasem's and Dick Clark's Memorial Day weekend shows. Playlist matters!

      Upon reaching "Welcome to Colorful Colorado," the vista opened up to miles and miles of sage-brushed rolling hills.  I drove right into the pages of the book "Plainsong," which you should read if you haven't. Blue skies showed up for a couple of hours before disappearing into my rear-view mirror. Then, I got to skirt just to the north of a wicked thunderstorm with tornado warnings. It is always exciting to watch those take place, but just out of my reach.

     Thus I am home again with my crazy Charleigh-dog, who is now sound asleep in "Charleigh's Chair."

     I'll leave you with a little road trip, toe-tapping "Hillbilly Country" music.  Enjoy this Hank Snow classic.

Exercise fights cancer tumors directly.

     This is good to know.
http://www.runnersworld.com/health/exercise-fights-cancer-tumors-directly


     It is still raining here and will continue through the weekend.  I wish you a wonderful three day holiday no matter what your plans.

Whatever makes you get exercising.....

   

                                          shared from Learn To Run Strong

"The foot feels the foot when it feels the ground."----Buddha

     I have been trying to determine the meaning of this fake Buddha quote, often attributed to Buddha.  The closest I can come is going barefoot, or even wearing the most minimal of shoes, which gives me that feeling.  I feel my feet.  I feel the earth.  It is good. Why is it that you don't really feel your feet when wearing regular shoes?  Is it the loss of sensation, of connection to the earth's vibrations?
     As Khalil Gibran said, "Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair."


     I am still waiting for spring.  It is 37 degrees out and lightly raining again today. No barefootedness planned.



     I love the quote below.  I want to feel this way sometime.  

THOUGH WE HAVE NO WINGS, WE HAVE TAUGHT OURSELVES TO FLY "We have the health of endurance, the ability to go on, the strength to not only run for hours, but to enjoy our bodies and the sensations they give us when they are working. We need almost nothing at all to find our happiness: only a few hours, a stretch of road, perhaps a friend, or even better a competitor. We hide in our spindled chests an unusually large and heaving heart–and in our heads a warbled tune, a song, as we move on down the road. Do you know the feeling I know? When your legs have disappeared, and there is only your heart, your lungs, and your eyes skimming disembodied through the air? We are Aristotle's featherless bipeds, we runners. Though we have no wings, we have taught ourselves to fly." Jeff Edmonds, www.logicoflongdistance.com

Seen on Facebook today: It's raining, it's pouring. This is really getting boring.....Off to rescue worms.

     I had to laugh when reading the above quote as it is so true.  Where are the 300 days of sunshine we get each year?  What is this 100% chance of rain allllll day.
     I actually had to resort to the treadmill as I am sort of a wimp.  Charleigh-dog loves it, though.
     At least it is keeping the risk of wildfires down.

How running helps your body, and my plankaversary.

Here is a link to a great article.....9 ways running helps your body!

http://www.runnersworld.com/health/nine-surprising-ways-running-helps-your-body?page=single


I mentioned in the past that I am doing a plank-a-day streak to strengthen my back and core.  It is one of the minimal exercise requirements I ask of myself daily....only 2 minutes of planking. I should always be able to find 2 minutes to exercise, right?  Well today was plank day 1000!  Woo Hoo!

Congratulations to all Graduates!

                                            shared from Intelligence is sexy

Freedom Service Dogs yesterday

     Here we are doing a little training before going on an outing to the library and out to lunch.  Pretty Miss Saffron is behind me doing a sit stay, demonstrating how well-behaved she can be.  She did great at both places.  (Great picture of her, not so great of me, sorry.)  Eight volunteers with dogs went on this outing.

Good to remember.

                                            shared from Be the change you want to see in the world

9 plant based egg-substitutes

     Here is helpful info for egg substitution when cooking.
http://www.ordinaryvegan.net/egg-substitutes/

     Also, you can use 3 Tablespoons of bean cooking liquid from garbanzo or white beans.  This is called aquafaba.
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/the-new-vegan-egg-replacer-thats-already-in-your-pantry.html

   
   

Awkward Yeti

     I follow the comic "Awkward Yeti."  Here, in the Heart and Brain series,  Heart accepts a challenge against all odds.  I love Heart.

                                                 The Awkward Yeti

Time to start building an ark?

     The sun is out, even though it is still chilly, and the snow is pretty much melted.  I guess the ark won't be necessary after all.  Yay sunshine.

     I volunteered with a friend at the Air Life Memorial race this morning.  We were at the water stop at the 7k turn-around.  It poured rain the whole 3 hours.  It was really tough standing there and cheering people on in the cold, but they were actually out there running in this weather!  Pure awesomeness.  I'm glad I had my cowbell with me to cheer them on.
     Tonight we are predicted to receive 5-9 inches of snow.  That's Mother's Day in Colorado.

Smart-ass answers to annoying questions about running

     This is funny so had to share.
Shared from https://rigbag.wordpress.com/2015/05/01/10-annoying-questions-people-ask-distance-runners-and-suggested-answers/

10 Annoying Questions People Ask Distance Runners, and Suggested Answers.

Q1. Isn’t all that running bad for you?

A1. Well it certainly isn’t as good as, say, sitting on the couch stuffing my face with pizza and beer, while chain-smoking, but hopefully I’ll survive.

Q2. Won’t you be sorry when you are 60 and your knees are fucked?

A2. No, I won’t. My knees may or may not be fucked when I’m 60, but I’ll have some damn fine memories of when they were parts of a well-oiled machine. Yours will probably be in great shape. Like a nuns conscience.

Q3. Running those distances must be so hard – why would you do that?

A3. Because I can. Because I want to. Because an easy life isn’t worth living. Because I want to see how epic I can be. Because it’s so hard. Because nobody asks me stupid questions while I’m running.

Q4. How far is a marathon?

A4. Depends – a nearby marathon, or a faraway one?

Q5. Are you running away from something?

A5. Yes – assholes. Gotta go.

Q6. Don’t you get tired?

A6. No, never. I’m as fresh at the end of a 100k as I was when I started. Sometimes it takes 10 strong men to restrain me from going back and doing it again.

Q7. Don’t you think you’re a bit obsessed with running?

A7. Sorry, did you say something? I didn’t hear you, I was thinking about running.

Q8. If you run so much, how come you’re not skinny?

A8. Because every time I shag your mother, she gives me a biscuit.

Q9. What time did you do?

A9. Mindyourownfuckingbusiness time.

Q10. I was thinking of doing a marathon, I’m pretty fit, it can’t be that hard, can it?

A10. You’re right, it isn’t. It’s dead easy. In fact, if I were you, I wouldn’t even bother training.
Let me know how you get on.

Nice quote for the weekend.

                   What we do in life echoes in eternity.

                         

The best thing one can do when it is raining is to let it

     It has been raining at least daily, if not several times a day, for a week now.  Flooding is predicted in several areas.  This must be what it is like to live in the Northwest US! It is so unlike Colorado.  I miss the sun.
     Snow is even predicted for this weekend. I am volunteering at a race on Saturday at one of the waterstops.  Standing in the rain for 3+ hours will make it a memorable morning. Kudos to those runners.
     At least the weather has gotten me out of mowing and yard work for the week; always a silver lining to all of these clouds.

Proof

Here is proof that I finished the Colorado marathon last Sunday. I am pictured with a fellow training-group friend. I don't look as bad as I felt at that moment. Not bad for a couple of 63 year-olds!  I got to meet his wife and son there at the finish line.  They are nice people.  Runners are nice people.

Home

                                                                  Gander: Service Dog



     It is good to be home from Fort Collins.  Charleigh is glad to see me, I think, although she had a great weekend with my daughter Kate.
     The race was very hard.  I hit the wall at mile 21, but still was able to finish the marathon with a respectable time.  Next time, though.....
      I really need to do yard work...mowing, spring clean up, weeding, etc.  but luckily for me, it is raining today so I don't get to! Isn't that sad?
           

It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves.
                               Sir Edmund Hillary

If people were possessed by reason, running marathons would not work.  But we are not creatures of reason.  We are creatures of passion.
                                 Noel Carroll

Happy Star Wars Day, and May the 4th be with you.

Running is my meditation.

     Sunday is my last big race for quite a while so I can get back to running for fun instead of for training.  I can't wait.  I am tired and achy, and worried about the high altitude at the start, not a good way to go into a race, but now is as good a time as any.  I will finish.

"A lot of people think they look slow, or fat, or sweaty. Don't let any of that stop you. Among runners, you are golden." Kara Goucher, two-time U.S. Olympian RUNNING TURNS ANY OPEN PLACE INTO MY CHAPEL "Running turns any open place into my chapel. The hour I spend each day as an ascetic, short of water and feeling the slight discomfort of genuine effort, provides me with the strength to know that I can live with less than the world would have me believe." Dean Ottati, The Runner and the Path: An Athlete's Quest for Meaning in Postmodern Corporate America Shared from: The runner's source for daily inspiration... Gibson's Daily Running Quote

Interesting thought.

"If people sat outside and looked at the stars each night, I'll bet they'd live a lot differently."---Bill Watterson

                                    shared from The Mind Unleashed