My last Florence run

Last Sunday morning loop with my Sunday running buddies.  I don't want to call K & C old, but, really, if you add their ages they would total over 130 years.  They are fit, gorgeous, and both so totally positive.  Total inspirations, both.  We all exchanged big hugs over the whole Ironman thing, and I got the latest updates on their adventures, families, etc... Not only are they responsible for caring for all sorts of people and animals, but they both are involved in other area sports: exercise class, pickle ball, tennis, driving vans to and from Eugene, the list goes on and on.

Kris & Cathy

Kris & me

Cathy's rufus tattoo




Cathy got her tattoo to celebrate receiving her first social security check!

Chasing Kris

Last night at Mom and Dad's party Kris and I agreed that she would do oldtown then through the casino, to Mercer Lake Road,  and then water break at Fred Meyer and back to Greentrees, which would give her 10 miles for her half marathon in September.  I said I needed to do 8 miles, and we agreed that I could sleep in, then skip Mercer Lake and cut up Spruce and chase her down.  Kris argued that she would take the better part of 2 1/2 to 3 hours but I should have known that was way too slow.  When I left my house at 8 AM I felt so cheerful I decided that I would just shave the casino and freddy's, making it closer to 9 miles, and take the last mile easy alongside Kris.  Well, it sort of turned into, chase Kris for 90 minutes and never catch up.  Later on when we chatted we agreed that she overestimated the time it would take for her to do the course, and me, well, now I'm completely done.  A little spinning tomorrow and it's all jogs here and there. So after a fairly spirited 9 plus mile run today, i feel as comfortable as I'm going to feel in the next week.

Dress Rehearsal

Today was the first day here on the coast that it was sunny when I woke up.  Time for easy run, dress rehearsal style.  I think i'm going to stick to my comfy running shoes, so there's one decision made.

Ironman, Schmironman

if you look close at my hip/waist, almost gone, roadrash, et. al.

And what shoes WILL i wear?????

On the one hand, I want to throw in the towel and bag this whole thing. I mean, really, life isn't getting any easier and this has been another difficult year....then again, I'm getting serious: what shoes *will* i wear?  here I am, testing out the old t1s.

I'm so nervous I could die!

I'd rather be crocheting.

I went out for a jog with Kris this morning.  It was grey, cool, foggy.  I felt tired at three miles and Kris went home, but i went out Kingwood and 35th, making for  a 6 mile loop. What am I thinking?  An hour of running seems perfectly reasonable.  5 or 6 or more hours of jog/walk/running? ugh....

You can take the woman out of suburbia, but you can't take suburbia out of the woman

is the floor brown? now, it's GREY!

I could live in this space!!!!

when a woman tapers in her own home, things tend to get VERY TIDY and VERY ORGANIZED.  So, what happens when a woman tapers about two thousand miles away from home?  Her car gets VERY TIDY and VERY CLEAN.  This is probably the best thing that has happened, just about ever.  After about three solid hours of vacuuming by hand with the rented rug doctor, I realized that there is a metaphor here....If I had shampooed this carpet once a year since we bought the vehicle, it wouldn't take two days to clean the interior.  But now, I have a deadline.  The RD is due tomorrow and I must move on to other activities.  Ironman is the same.  If I had put in a little more focus in say, march or april or even January or February, the challenges of July might not have been so great.   Oh....who am I kidding? I don't want to run twenty miles in February OR clean my car every year!!! Life is too hectic and the world is too harsh.  I'll take what I get, i suppose.  Meantime, I LOVE the way my car looks and feels.  New rule, for the time being: no crumbs, no gum, no coffee.  We'll see if these rules make it out of the state of Oregon.

I'm a Mature Woman

mist, my siuslaw, my cervelo, lovely

just about my favorite bridge, anywhere

 

 

 

 

 

 

Drivers are the same everywhere....

 

 

 

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Well, it's official. Eleven days to go and finally my roadrash is healed and my knee feels better.  Unfortunately, all semblance of speed, energy, motivation, and confidence has completely drained from my body and soul.  Ironman? What Ironman. Oh well, at least the week in bc will be fun and I'll be out of the states, which is always a relief.  I was able to chug out 33 incredibly pedestrian miles along our fabulous coast.  There was a day when I rode a TT bike and would be embarrassed to go too slow....now, i figure I'm becoming a Mature Woman, and if i have the cajones to go out there on a drizzly day in August, well, i can ride any speed I want!!!


I got buzzed on this bridge this morning. Egads, I guess Buckaroo Banzaii was right, where ever you go, there you are....