Yay!

    Today is day 300 of my running streak. I've run a minimum of 1 mile each day.  Happy, happy, happy.  It is no longer a question of if  I will run, but when I will run.  It keeps me honest and active.

To examine whether something is 'humane', first determine if you would want it done to you. ~Andrea Kladar

An early-morning walk is a blessing for the whole day.---Henry David Thoreau

     I seem to have fixed my Garmin GPS watch by doing a reset and recharge.  I really missed it yesterday!  I don't have any idea of what pace I am running without it, and in a race that matters, even to us slow folk.

      The Great Blue Heron was back this morning.  It is so beautiful. I also heard bullfrogs....now that is something you never hear in Colorado.  I felt obligated to give Charleigh a good walk since yesterday's was a quick one at 3 AM and then she was home alone for 9 hours. She's really a good girl.

PS, the Western States 100 mile endurance run was held in California this past weekend.  Congratulations to Gunhild Swanson, age 70, who beat the 30 hour cut-off by 6 seconds becoming the eldest finisher of that race ever.  Wow.  30 hours of running.

Slacker half marathon

     I just got home from running the Slacker Half Marathon, billed as the highest half in the country.  It starts at Loveland ski area at 10,630 feet and finishes in Georgetown, CO at 8400 feet with lots of rolling hills in between, all running down Clear Creek Canyon along I 70.   I live at 5,700 feet so this was a bit difficult for me.  The scenery was fantastic, though, but it did get really hot in that canyon.
     I was questioning my sanity as I got up at 2 AM, ate breakfast, walked my dog a couple of miles and packed up to drive into the mountains at 4ish so I could catch a shuttle bus/school bus in Georgetown to go up to Loveland Ski Area.
     Of course my GPS watch chose today to quit working.  I tried using a running app on my cell-phone but it totally drained the battery and also quit working.  Luckily there was a 2:45 pacer nearby and I ended up following her.  Made it.  Glad to be home.
     There were over 2200 of us questioning our sanity there today.
   


   

Slacker Half Marathon - Relay - 4-Mile Races

 

Loveland Ski area, 630 AM today

7 inspiring vegans over 60

     These people are really motivating.  I want to be them if I ever grow up.
http://theveganscholar.blogspot.com.au/2014/12/7-inspiring-vegans-over-sixty.html


     Here is a great video from NutritionFacts.org on the cause of diabetes.  Research is changing so many old, incorrect beliefs.
http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-causes-diabetes/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=what-causes-diabetes&utm_source=NutritionFacts.org&utm_campaign=81410983cd-RSS_VIDEO_DAILY&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_40f9e497d1-81410983cd-23307913

Knee surgery for osteoarthritis? Think again.

     This is only one study, but it reviewed 9 randomized trials of 1270 patients, so it is worth keeping in mind before considering knee surgery for osteoarthritis.

http://sportsgeezer.com/2015/surgery-for-arthritis-of-the-knee-think-again/



        It has been hot and dry lately.  Last evening we had a much needed shower.  At one point my dog was madly attacking the sliding glass door to the back yard....more so than her usual attempts to get at a fox or rabbit....so I went to see just what she was being ridiculous about.  I managed to spy the rear end of a huge black bear lumbering across the yard, going up the hill, and climbing the fence to the neighbor's yard.  This is only my 2nd bear-sighting in 21 years of living here. I no longer put out bird feeders with seed or hummingbird feeders as I don't want to attract repeated bear visits, not because I wouldn't love to see them, but because bears as pests will have to be removed or even put down.
       This was so cool, though--- Ephemera at its best.

Sometimes music is the only medicine the heart and soul need.

     Music really is medicine.  Research shows it can beat out anti-anxiety drugs, Mozart can reduce allergic reactions, and listening to your favorite tunes can significantly affect your testosterone levels.

http://nutritionfacts.org/video/music-as-medicine/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=music-as-medicine&utm_source=NutritionFacts.org&utm_campaign=238dd7a6ef-RSS_VIDEO_DAILY&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_40f9e497d1-238dd7a6ef-23307913




       Here is a sign just put up today at a nearby park.  I guess it is that time of year.

     Have a great weekend.

What is life? It is the flash of a firefly in the night. It is the breath of a buffalo in the winter time. It is the little shadow which runs across the grass and loses itself in the Sunset. Crowfoot

     Everything is so green at the moment from our wet spring.  I wanted to share some wildlife I've seen this week. No coyote pictures or pictures of the snake family living in the crevice between my garage and my driveway....yet....or of the voles that scurry away when I mow the grass.

Young buck eating my flowers

Fox with his rabbit supper, taunting my dog

Heron hunting his breakfast.  Note the high water levels....by August this will just be a puddle.

2 TED talks definitely worth your time

"And what is so rare as a day in June? Then, if ever, come perfect days.---James Russell Lowell

     The monsoon seems to have halted for now.  Let's enjoy June.

Morning running

     I have discovered that if I don't exercise first thing in the morning, I have a great deal of difficulty getting it done.  Maybe this explains it?

   

     Run if you hear banjos.  This video absolutely made my day!  It is from the Franklin, TN half marathon.  Smile.

Some days you need extra motivation to get moving.

     Here is a YouTube video to help.  I needed it today.

Water useage

More than half of all water consumed in the U.S. is used
to raise animals for food-...
A totally VEGAN diet requires 300 gallons of water per day, while a
meat-eating diet requires more than 4,000 gallons of water per day.
Time magazine reports, “Around the world, as more water is diverted
to raising [cattle], pigs, and chickens, instead of producing crops for
direct [human] consumption, millions of wells are going dry.”
Its time to wake up.

Food as fuel

     I read an interesting blog today on cutting processed oils from your diet.  They have no nutrients and are extremely dense with calories. Here is a caloric density comparison.

Vegetables: 100 calories per pound
Fruits: 300 calories per pound
Unrefined complex carbs, potatoes, whole grains, legumes: 400-600 calories per pound
Avocados: 750 calories per pound
Refined complex carbohydrates: 1,200 calories per pound
Sugar: 1,800 calories per pound
Chocolate: 2,500 calories per pound
Nuts and seeds: 2,800 calories per pound
Oil: 4,000 calories per pound

     I do eat a lot of fats.  I have various seeds daily (flax, chia, sesame, hemp with my morning oats); sunflower or pumpkin seeds on my salads.  I eat nuts and avocados often....several times a week...or make salad dressings with nuts or seeds or avocado. I don't miss processed oil at all and don't eat a low fat diet.
     Granted, when I eat somewhere other than at home I am getting processed oils, but I don't do that very often, so 95% of the time I am avoiding them.
     The point is to get as much nutrition daily as you can by decreasing the foods with zero nutrients.  If something has zero nutrients, is it even food?

http://www.nomeatathlete.com/oil/
   

Sooo Rungry!

     This always happens to me the day after a long run, and many other days, too.

Lace up. Celebrate National Running Day today June 3.

     My local running store is having a running celebration.  They hope to have a group mileage of over 500 miles for the day.  There will be a group run tonight where they will tally everyone's Wednesday miles. I'm heading out to do a slow jog with my dog this AM and will do another tonight with the group.
     How are you celebrating?

THE UNSPOKEN BOND THAT CONNECTS RUNNERS "Here's what I know about runners. There is an unspoken but deeply felt bond that connects us to one another. We can go from stranger to trusted confidant in the space of a run or an hour gathered in a crowded auditorium. We can share our most intimate thoughts and know that they are protected by the unspoken code of the road. I know that running not only strengthens our bodies, it often fortifies our hearts and minds, conferring an inner resilience that mirrors our physical capabilities. And I have discovered that very often, courage, empathy, and character can be natural by-products of a running life." Candace Karu, from Running Times Magazine

"The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start."

     John "The Penguin" Bingham has retired.  He is the non-runner who runs and has spent most of his adult life writing columns and books about running. He ran many marathons.  He owned races.  He represented all of us who will never be speedy. He taught us to find happiness at any pace.

http://johnbingham.wpengine.com/goodbye-farewell-and-amen/

Harriette Thompson and a well-lived life

     At age 92, she completed the San Diego Rock 'n Roll Marathon yesterday to become the oldest female to complete a marathon. Last year she set the age-group record for her age group at the same race.  She is pretty amazing.

http://www.runnersworld.com/general-interest/woman-92-becomes-oldest-marathon-finisher