check.
Cowbell...check.
Stars and stripes...check.
Vancouver, here we come!
Monday, February 15, 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
Helping Haiti
The horrible tragedy of the earthquake and its aftermath in Haiti really puts life in perspective, and reminds me to appreciate all that we as Americans take for granted: clean water, building codes, political and governmental stability. Wanting to help alleviate people's suffering crosses political or ideological lines; it's human nature. This article by Donna Trussell from Politics Daily was helpful in negotiating the options for donating. Charity Navigator, discussed in the article, is a powerful tool.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Be Happy
"We should all do what, in the long run, gives us joy, even if it is only picking grapes or sorting the laundry."
-E.B. White
-E.B. White
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Mistakes Made Lessons Learned
My dad noted that, after each of the seven marathons he's run, he's added a few more items to the "lessons learned" list.
For me, this year's Denver Marathon was, glass half-empty, a uniform disaster; glass half-full, an opportunity to add several items to the "lessons learned" list.
Experienced racers will likely note, I suppose, that these are lessons I should have already learned early in the course of a 20-plus-year racing career, but hey, everything old is new again, and if you ask yourselves honestly, I'll bet that every one of you has pulled a jazzer move along those lines in the not-so-distant past.
Lessons learned: Denver Marathon, 2009
1) It is best to get to the starting line more than 5 minutes before your race.
I got to the starting line late, and found that it was impossible to get through the fence to runners in my goal pace group (my goal was just to run a Boston-qualifying 3:40). By worming my way through the throngs, I was able to get in behind the 5-hour marathon pace group, so had to work my way around runners for the first four miles, at which time I decided that it was not pre-race nerves and I actually did really, really have to pee....
2) Take care of business before you get to the starting line.
I lost another 2:30 waiting in line behind just one person at a three-port-o-potty stop (apparently, the 4 a.m. wakeup call prevented a lot of people from getting in that all-important pre-race deuce), but was feeling relaxed and gradually making up about 15 seconds per mile to get back on my goal pace, when I started experiencing stabbing pain in my right knee at mile 7.
3) If continuing to run simulates an attack with an ice pick, it may be best to stop running.
Instead of dropping out, which would have been the sensible thing to do, I stuck it out. By shortening my stride by half, I was able to get the pain in my knee to the point where it just felt like an ice pick was lodged in it, instead of feeling as though someone was palpitating the entire inside of my knee with an ice pick. I kept hoping it would go away, and that I could make up the time, but by mile 13 I had reached the conclusions that: a) it wasn't going away and b) there was no way I was going to be able to achieve my goal time.
4) Pride goeth before a fall (or in this case, before a very, very slow time).
Unfortunately, unlike every other marathon I've done, Denver, as far as I could tell, has no designated medical stops along the way where you can exit gracefully; instead, they had volunteers patrolling the course who you were supposed to flag down. With the pain-clouded remnants of my brain semi-functional at best, by the time I figured out it was a course patroller and not just a spectator riding by on a bike, they were out of range; plus, I was nervous that this would involve calling an ambulance and the associated embarrassment, looks of pity from fellow runners and spectators, and expense.*
5) Intense bursts of pain effectively simulate an acute asthma or panic attack.
So, I sucked it up and kept shuffling one foot in front of the other, and only occasionally had flashes where the pain was so intense it made me hyperventilate, until I could calm myself down enough to be able to breathe through my nose again.
Sample thought process:
Heather: "Thank God! Only 5 more miles to go."
[pause]
[dawning horrified realization]
Heather: "Oh my God, at this pace, that is going to take me almost another HOUR. S***!"
[cue pain- and terror-induced bout of hyperventilation]
The weight of the medallion placed around my salt-crusted neck was heavier than usual this time, and didn't seem to lift completely, even after I'd placed the medal in my warmup bag. Time to reflect, revisit these oldmistakes lessons, and hopefully, avoid repeating them in the next go-round.
I limp to race another day.
*That "bus" fare tends to be pricey.
For me, this year's Denver Marathon was, glass half-empty, a uniform disaster; glass half-full, an opportunity to add several items to the "lessons learned" list.
Experienced racers will likely note, I suppose, that these are lessons I should have already learned early in the course of a 20-plus-year racing career, but hey, everything old is new again, and if you ask yourselves honestly, I'll bet that every one of you has pulled a jazzer move along those lines in the not-so-distant past.
Lessons learned: Denver Marathon, 2009
1) It is best to get to the starting line more than 5 minutes before your race.
I got to the starting line late, and found that it was impossible to get through the fence to runners in my goal pace group (my goal was just to run a Boston-qualifying 3:40). By worming my way through the throngs, I was able to get in behind the 5-hour marathon pace group, so had to work my way around runners for the first four miles, at which time I decided that it was not pre-race nerves and I actually did really, really have to pee....
2) Take care of business before you get to the starting line.
I lost another 2:30 waiting in line behind just one person at a three-port-o-potty stop (apparently, the 4 a.m. wakeup call prevented a lot of people from getting in that all-important pre-race deuce), but was feeling relaxed and gradually making up about 15 seconds per mile to get back on my goal pace, when I started experiencing stabbing pain in my right knee at mile 7.
3) If continuing to run simulates an attack with an ice pick, it may be best to stop running.
Instead of dropping out, which would have been the sensible thing to do, I stuck it out. By shortening my stride by half, I was able to get the pain in my knee to the point where it just felt like an ice pick was lodged in it, instead of feeling as though someone was palpitating the entire inside of my knee with an ice pick. I kept hoping it would go away, and that I could make up the time, but by mile 13 I had reached the conclusions that: a) it wasn't going away and b) there was no way I was going to be able to achieve my goal time.
4) Pride goeth before a fall (or in this case, before a very, very slow time).
Unfortunately, unlike every other marathon I've done, Denver, as far as I could tell, has no designated medical stops along the way where you can exit gracefully; instead, they had volunteers patrolling the course who you were supposed to flag down. With the pain-clouded remnants of my brain semi-functional at best, by the time I figured out it was a course patroller and not just a spectator riding by on a bike, they were out of range; plus, I was nervous that this would involve calling an ambulance and the associated embarrassment, looks of pity from fellow runners and spectators, and expense.*
5) Intense bursts of pain effectively simulate an acute asthma or panic attack.
So, I sucked it up and kept shuffling one foot in front of the other, and only occasionally had flashes where the pain was so intense it made me hyperventilate, until I could calm myself down enough to be able to breathe through my nose again.
Sample thought process:
Heather: "Thank God! Only 5 more miles to go."
[pause]
[dawning horrified realization]
Heather: "Oh my God, at this pace, that is going to take me almost another HOUR. S***!"
[cue pain- and terror-induced bout of hyperventilation]
The weight of the medallion placed around my salt-crusted neck was heavier than usual this time, and didn't seem to lift completely, even after I'd placed the medal in my warmup bag. Time to reflect, revisit these old
I limp to race another day.
*That "bus" fare tends to be pricey.
Monday, March 16, 2009
St. Patrick's Day is about more than green beer.
St. Patrick's Day is tomorrow--time to shop for your ingredients for "everybody's Irish" day! May I humbly suggest a menu of recipes derived from The New Irish Table:
First Course
Roasted Parsnip, Apple, and Ginger Soup with Parsnip Crisps, from Brewley's Cafe, Grafton St, Dublin
Second Course
Blue Cheese Potato Cakes with Creme Fraiche, Cafe Paradiso, Cork
Main Course
Cornish Hens with Apricot, Port, and Balsamic Sauce, Lettercollum House, Timoleague, County Cork
Dessert
Grace Neill's Chocolate and Guinness Brownies, Donaghadee, County Down
Enjoy!
First Course
Roasted Parsnip, Apple, and Ginger Soup with Parsnip Crisps, from Brewley's Cafe, Grafton St, Dublin
Second Course
Blue Cheese Potato Cakes with Creme Fraiche, Cafe Paradiso, Cork
Main Course
Cornish Hens with Apricot, Port, and Balsamic Sauce, Lettercollum House, Timoleague, County Cork
Dessert
Grace Neill's Chocolate and Guinness Brownies, Donaghadee, County Down
Enjoy!
The Ides of March...
...not just for Roman dictators anymore.
On the Front Range, March 15* is the date to start planting cool-weather crops. From now through April 15, seeds that can be sown outside include beets, carrots, chard, kale, lettuce, onions, peas, radishes, and spinach; roots and tubers that can be started now include onion sets, seed potatoes, rhubarb burls, and garlic (for slackers like me who forgot to plant it last fall--get your garlic cloves in the ground now, and the bulbs'll be ready to harvest in mid-September).
For those of us non-Colorado natives, gardening in Boulder's high desert climate can be a challenge; plants' need for consistent, near-daily watering doesn't always work well with out-of-town weekend running and cycling races! Try to recruit a friend with a different racing schedule to water your garden while you're gone, and be sure to reciprocate. Also, don't forget to give your garden soil some compost lovin'!
Don't go gangbusters on everything yet, though. Go ahead and buy the seeds now, but hold off on planting seeds for beans, corn, squash, sunflowers, and other cold-sensitive annuals like basil and zinnias until May 15. If you buy the plants from the garden store, melons, peppers, squash, and tomatoes can be planted at this time, also.
A great source for seeds is Broomfield-based, family-owned Botanical Interests: they offer a huge array of All-America, heirloom, drought-tolerant, and organic seeds--they're available in local gardening stores and even some grocery stores, like Niwot Market. All 500-plus varieties of seeds are also available online--they ship across the U.S., too. Be sure to get a packet of the Goldy Honey Bear sunflowers for your favorite honey bear--they're drought-tolerant and make gorgeous cut flowers!
Good local gardening resources for Front Rangers include Sturtz & Copeland, who feature a comprehensive Boulder-area gardening guide on their web site (from which I gleaned most of the above information); Botanical Interests; and Colorado Gardening.
Get your cool-season crops planted now, and you'll be enjoying, ahem, Caesar salad by May Day.
*Yes, I'm aware that I actually posted this on March 16--what can I say, I was out planting the garden all day yesterday!
On the Front Range, March 15* is the date to start planting cool-weather crops. From now through April 15, seeds that can be sown outside include beets, carrots, chard, kale, lettuce, onions, peas, radishes, and spinach; roots and tubers that can be started now include onion sets, seed potatoes, rhubarb burls, and garlic (for slackers like me who forgot to plant it last fall--get your garlic cloves in the ground now, and the bulbs'll be ready to harvest in mid-September).
For those of us non-Colorado natives, gardening in Boulder's high desert climate can be a challenge; plants' need for consistent, near-daily watering doesn't always work well with out-of-town weekend running and cycling races! Try to recruit a friend with a different racing schedule to water your garden while you're gone, and be sure to reciprocate. Also, don't forget to give your garden soil some compost lovin'!
Don't go gangbusters on everything yet, though. Go ahead and buy the seeds now, but hold off on planting seeds for beans, corn, squash, sunflowers, and other cold-sensitive annuals like basil and zinnias until May 15. If you buy the plants from the garden store, melons, peppers, squash, and tomatoes can be planted at this time, also.
A great source for seeds is Broomfield-based, family-owned Botanical Interests: they offer a huge array of All-America, heirloom, drought-tolerant, and organic seeds--they're available in local gardening stores and even some grocery stores, like Niwot Market. All 500-plus varieties of seeds are also available online--they ship across the U.S., too. Be sure to get a packet of the Goldy Honey Bear sunflowers for your favorite honey bear--they're drought-tolerant and make gorgeous cut flowers!
Good local gardening resources for Front Rangers include Sturtz & Copeland, who feature a comprehensive Boulder-area gardening guide on their web site (from which I gleaned most of the above information); Botanical Interests; and Colorado Gardening.
Get your cool-season crops planted now, and you'll be enjoying, ahem, Caesar salad by May Day.
*Yes, I'm aware that I actually posted this on March 16--what can I say, I was out planting the garden all day yesterday!
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Devil's Thumb
This winter, we're renting a cabin in Tabernash, Colorado with a group of friends. The cabin's a mile from Devil's Thumb Ranch, with great views of the Ranch Creek Valley, Winter Park ski area, and the Continental Divide.
I took these sunset photos from the cabin's front porch on February 7, 2009.
Devil's Thumb Ranch was named one of Outside Magazine's best romantic getaways in this month's issue; it's not hard to see why.
The 40-foot, hand-stacked, locally-quarried stone fireplace mentioned in the article:
View from Morningstar trail:
Cabin Creek Stables:
Meadow trail:
Devil's Thumb would be an impressive place to stay for a no-expense-spared weekend of luxury accommodations, outstanding local, organic, and seasonal cuisine with panoramic views of the Continental Divide, spa services, romantic horse-drawn sleigh rides, and over 100k of groomed cross-country ski trails...
...for us mere mortals, at $18 a day for a trail pass ($12 for Boulder Nordic club members), you can ski at Devil's Thumb for a week for the price of one lift ticket to fight crowds and dodge out-of-control snowboarders at Copper! And enjoy the same glorious views, pristine trails, and unparalleled sunsets.
If you're ever in Colorado, Tabernash and Devil's Thumb are definitely worth checking out.
I took these sunset photos from the cabin's front porch on February 7, 2009.
Devil's Thumb Ranch was named one of Outside Magazine's best romantic getaways in this month's issue; it's not hard to see why.
The 40-foot, hand-stacked, locally-quarried stone fireplace mentioned in the article:
View from Morningstar trail:
Cabin Creek Stables:
Meadow trail:
Devil's Thumb would be an impressive place to stay for a no-expense-spared weekend of luxury accommodations, outstanding local, organic, and seasonal cuisine with panoramic views of the Continental Divide, spa services, romantic horse-drawn sleigh rides, and over 100k of groomed cross-country ski trails......for us mere mortals, at $18 a day for a trail pass ($12 for Boulder Nordic club members), you can ski at Devil's Thumb for a week for the price of one lift ticket to fight crowds and dodge out-of-control snowboarders at Copper! And enjoy the same glorious views, pristine trails, and unparalleled sunsets.
If you're ever in Colorado, Tabernash and Devil's Thumb are definitely worth checking out.
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