“Rest” Week

August was a long, tough month of training but I finally made it to the “rest” week. (FYI – I did manage to complete the 3 hour run Sunday at 7:44 pace which was the last workout of the block). I put rest in quotes because none of Karen’s workouts are all that easy! I love it though…this is what is going to make me a better athlete.

In terms of scheduling, this week was kind of tough. The YMCA decided to close their pool for a week of maintenance. I freaked a little, trying to figure out where I was going to swim. Fortunately, the CNY Tri club has a link that lists all of the local training opportunities in central NY(including swimming) and I was able to find an open pool out at Caz College for my 1000yard time trial. The only downside is that they are only open 6:30a-7:40a. Fortunately the swim only takes about 30 minutes…plenty of time (or so I thought). Had a lifeguard showed up, it would have been plenty of time. After standing in the locker room with 6 other scantily clad women, it was announced that the pool would not open today because there was no lifeguard. AAAAAHHHHH!!!!! Now what? I suppose I could have just skipped it but instead, I searched for another pool. I had to be at work at 10am and still had a 90minute run to get in so it would have to be something open after 7pm on a Friday night! Luckily, the downtown Y was open until 9pm so after work, I headed down there for the time trial.

Considering that I had run 90 minutes around Caz Lake in the morning and then stood at work for 9 hours, the time trial went fine. I managed a 13:11 which was only 2 seconds slower than last month. A solid effort in my opinion. Next up was a 3 hour ride on the Syracuse 70.3 course in the morning.

This was my first time riding the official approved course for the Sept. 19th race. It was tough. The first 10 miles or so are just climb after climb with no real downhills. Eric let me use a ZIPP 808 wheel on the back to see how I liked it. The wheel had a different cassette on it and I noticed it as soon as we did the first climb…I am still not familiar with the numbers and everything but this cassette was not as easy as mine for the hills. This was supposed to be an easy ride but whenever Eric and I get together, it always ends up being hard. Basically me, pushing to keep up with him since an easy ride for him is 22+mph!! Anyway, by the end, we managed the course in 2:44:51. On the 15 minute run that followed, I felt great. Good and strong!! I’m not thrilled with how I felt on the course, but I guess what matters is how I feel on race day. I am not sure how I feel about the race wheel. Everyone says it makes such a difference compared to the stock wheels I am riding but after one ride it’s hard to form an opinion. Eric said I could hold on to it for now and try it on my rides this week.

After the ride, I went to pick up my girls. We headed out for a trip to Beak and Skiff to pick some apples. It was a beautiful day for it and they were picking Paula Reds…one of my favorite kinds of apples! Both Phoebe and Maggie had a blast climbing the ladders to pick the apples, riding the tractor and checking out the beehive in the store. Next we headed to Target for some back to school shopping, Wegmans for some groceries and then home for a bath and dinner. While dinner was cooking, all three of us devoured some homemade guacamole! A great way to end the rest week.

Almost There!!

I am now one day away from completing this endurance block. This has been an extremely heavy week in terms of training. On top of it all, Karen has been in communicado for the whole week while she vacations in Placid. Nice for her, but stressful for me! I have been relying on others to calm my usual training anxieties (did I go hard enough? should my time have been faster? was that a good avg mph for the ride? … ). Here’s a recap of the week:

Monday: 5.5h ride followed by 1 hr run brick. This went really well until I hit mile 6 of the run. Major bonk. I am still trying to figure out what happened. I felt really strong on the ride, especially early on. I drank regularly and followed my nutrition plan same as always. I did not use any electrolytes and I did not have any UCAN left to drink. I wonder if both of those would have helped me.  On the flip side, I always have one bad workout before a big race and hopefully this was it.

Tuesday: much needed day off!!!!!! YAY!!!!

Wednesday: swam at the Y – 2 sets of a ladder. I only had 15 seconds rest between reps but did manage to negative split the 2 sets. I was basically very consistent although a little slower than Karen had wanted.

Thursday: big day! I swam 3×1000 at the Y pool in the morning. I was really good with my nutrition having a chocolate milk and english muffin with nutella after the swim and then some pomegranate-blueberry UCAN before the ride. My mom came to hang out with the girls while Eric and I headed out for a 3 hour brick mid-morning.

My mother was a little late arriving so Eric, Phoebe and I went outside to practice transitions. Maggie just rode around the cul-de-sac on her bike watching us. Let me just say that if you have read my blog you know I stink at transitions. Well, I did not perform any better in practice than in the race! Eric wants me to learn the “flying mount” with my shoes rubber-banded to the bike frame. This means I run barefoot pushing the bike and then leap on (without damaging any integral body parts) and get my shoes on and start riding off into the sunset. Eric demonstrated a few times and then it was my turn. Little did I know that Phoebe was watching Eric, also. My first attempt ended with me not even getting my leg over the bike. Next thing I know, Phoebe is showing off doing the flying mount with no trouble. She laughed at me and loved the fact that she could do something I couldn’t. I acted annoyed but secretly I was thrilled at her bravery to try something new and succeed … especially at something mommy couldn’t do.

After a few more tries, I was able to perform the task passably. So then we went to the dismount. Again Phoebe performed it like she was born to be a triathlete. This time, though, I managed to almost look graceful. It will still take a lot of practice but at least I have my own personal live-in expert to help me out!!

Finally, Eric and were geared up and ready to ride. We started at the Nice n Easy and did the Truxton loop (my absolute favorite ride). I finally had a good day and was able to stay close to Eric the whole way. Near the end of the ride, there is a nice downhill stretch where I have always tried to break 50mph. I glanced at my computer and hit 51.1mph!! Then a bee flew into my jogbra, couldn’t get out, got mad and stung me…**OUCH**!!!

We finished 56 miles in 2:39. Both of us ran out of fluids about 6 miles out so transition took a little longer as we downed water before running. I felt super strong on the run and (smile, smile) pulled away from Eric after the last hill. We actually held 7:05 pace for the run …a good solid effort after Monday’s workout.

Friday: a nice swim out at deruyter…peaceful and serene. After a bottle of UCAN, I managed to do my 90 minute ride with tempo intervals. Nothing exciting to report there.

Saturday: and finally…today. I felt terrible starting out as I ran to the track. A 90 minute run with 6x1mi at 6:45 pace with 5 min zone 2 running in between intervals was on the schedule. I didn’t think I’d make it through the first lap but I actually hit every interval spot on. I felt great on the run home as my thoughts turned towards the only workout not crossed off the schedule yet – the 3 hour run at 4:15am tomorrow.

Tests!

Since this is rest week, it also means testing week.  Once every 4 week cycle, Karen has me do a test in each of the 3 disciplines. This week there is no run test (YAY – because I hate the run test.  Try running a 5K race alone…totally painful!) but I did the 1000yard swim test and 30 min bike test this morning.  I must be really rested because they went better than I could have hoped!!!

I was not even going to do the swim test until tomorrow but the lanes were clear at the Y so I figured I’d go for it.  I felt tired and sluggish during the warm-up and the 5x50yard sprints.  I decided I would just take it out hard and see how I can hold on.  I wanted to just focus on “long and strong” – pulling all the way through and kicking with straight legs (Scott noticed I bend my legs a lot when I kick). 

I went through the 1st 100 yards in 1:11 and I knew I was on.  Every lap I checked the clock and was way ahead of my usual splits.  I hit 500yds in ~6:35 and brought it home in 13:15.  A PR!!!  The straight leg kicking has really made a difference for me lately.  As I cooled down with an easy 200 yards, my mind was already turning toward the bike.

The bike test consisted of 10 min warmup and cool down with a 30 minute all out effort.  After some easy high cadence spinning I was ready to go.  I had found a route that was generally flat with just a few small rollers out in Minoa.  I took off and pushed as hard as I could.  I got through 11.3 miles in the 30 minutes (that is 22.6 mph for those of you that are math-challenged!!) with an average heart rate of 142.  YAY ME!!!  Scott told me I am not allowed to be jealous of his cycling speed anymore .

After the ride I raced in to Target with minutes to spare before picking up Maggie at preschool.  I grabbed a bunch of new summer clothes for the girls plus a birthday present for a party they are going to tomorrow.  I ran into another mom and we agreed that whomever got to the school first would watch the kids until the other mom got there.  Nothing like getting the most out of every minute!!  I made it first, hung out on the playground and then took Maggie home.  I showed her all of the new clothes and in typical Maggie fashion…frowned, told me she didn’t like blue, said she wouldn’t wear them and crossed her arms on her chest with a hmpphh.  Even though it is frustrating, I wouldn’t change that personality for anything! She is just so Maggie!  Oh well, maybe I will have better luck with Phoebe.  Otherwise it’s back to Target for me!

Maggie “Armstrong”???

REST WEEK!!  Yay – I made it through another 3 weeks of hard training and get an easier week to kick back and relax.  I love this week because I get to spend even more time with my girls, I have some energy to do things around the house and I get some nice easy workouts (well, not really…none of Karen’s workouts are easy…they are just shorter this week so you are in pain for a less amount of time!).  BUT I hate it because I tend to feel lazy and sluggish and eat too much!

Yesterday was a prime example of both love and hate.  I had an awesome workout in the pool…I hit 5×50 in 33 secs and 5×100 in 1:10.  Those are the fastest times I have ever posted for those intervals.  I was psyched!

When Scott was here over the weekend he fixed Maggie’s training wheels and she was itching to get on the bike and try it out.    We had a “spring party” planned for 4 of her friends so trying it out had to wait a bit.  I’d like to say she was patient but…

At 1pm all of the girls came and they played hopscotch, rode scooters, bikes and played on the playset.  They decorated cookies with more icing than I thought a cookie could hold (and this is where I ate too much…I managed to taste lots of the cookies…too much sugar for me ).  We all went for a walk and Maggie rode her bike – tentatively and slowly.  The girls finished their party with a little Strawberry Shortcake video.  There was lots of giggling, but also the inevitable arguing and tears you get when five 4yo are thrown together for an afternoon.  I spent the 2 hours refereeing, doing underdogs, cleaning up sprinkles and drying tears (actually Maggie only had 1 tantrum…a big improvement over last year).  They had a blast and the party was a success! Still, I was exhausted after the 2 hours were up!

After dinner, Maggie, Phoebe and I decided to go on a bike ride.  Phoebe, as always, is a speedster on her 2 wheeler. I love watching Phoebe ride…she is such a natural athlete.  Maggie again started slowly but after just a few minutes her legs were pumping up and down like mad, trying to keep up with her big sister.  Phoebe was awesome, slowing down so that Maggie thought she was keeping up.  We had such a great ride together.  Maggie asked me if she could be in the “bike race” (triathlon) with me “another day”.  On the way back home we were riding side by side (and she was up at 9mph!), and she said, “One day I am going to ride like you.” It totally brought tears to my eyes.  I told both of them that one day soon, I would be trying to keep up with them.  This brought huge smiles to their faces!  Phoebe asked how soon she could get a bike like mine.  I am so proud that I can be a good role model for them when it comes to exercise and staying healthy and fit and that they emulate that in me.  The night ended with a girl’s night watching The Biggest Loser.  I got to cuddle with both of my girls on the couch under a fuzzy, warm blanket.  Heaven.

Vacation!

The week in Myrtle Beach flew by – beautiful weather!  I fit in all of the workouts plus had lots of extra time to spare for tanning, reading, eating out, playing on the beach with Mima (my mom), Pop-pop (my dad) and the girls (paddle ball, making millions of sand castles, sea shell searching, taking lots of pictures), feeding the seagulls, swimming in the indoor pool, having the Easter Bunny come early, miniature golfing, etc. So besides spending every day at the beach, here is what I did:

Sunday I went for a super windy ride along the ocean for my 20min ez, 20min aero, 20 min ez ride.

Monday I went to the pool for the 4300 yard workout (100s in 1:15, 1000s in 13:50), lifted and then ran the 45 minute tempo run.  I averaged 6:35 pace and 155 heart rate.  It was flat but still a bit windy (no hills in Myrtle Beach!). I was wiped out after that!

Tuesday I rode 2 hours up the coast towards North Carolina.  It was super bumpy with lots of traffic but I felt really good.  I did 20.2 mph for 44mi and it felt easy.  Tuesday afternoon we went down to Murrell’s Inlet and visited the Grand Strand Bike Shop.  It was an awesome store with really friendly employees.  It reminded me of Fleet Feet – same personal service.  They invited me to ride with them the next morning.  They were doing about 35mi at 20-25mph pace…an easy day, they said.  I decided I would definitely ride with them so I juggled the workouts around to make them fit.

So, Wednesday I got up super early and did the 3400 yard swim workout (200s in 2:42 and 500s in 6:45) and then headed out to the shop.  I rode with 4 local guys and 1 other out of towner. It was an awesome ride!  The time went by so fast riding with other people.  We drafted and were hitting 25-26mph on the straightaways! We ended up at 34mi at 21.0 mph.  I was so proud to have kept up with them.  I hate to hold people back and was glad no one had to slow down for me to stay with the group .  Visit the shop if you are in Myrtle Beach! Thanks Tim, Chris, Dwayne, Todd and the older guy from Poughkeepsie (didn’t catch his name)…I wish I could ride with you guys all of the time!!

Thursday I headed over to the place where I had been swimming (Pepper Geddings Recreation Center) because Kayla at the bike store told me there was a track over there I could run on.  I parked at the rec center and started my warm-up looking for the track as I ran.  There were professional looking athletic fields behind the center and the track was as beautiful as the fields!  Wow – this was an awesome track!  It was an 8 lane, newly surfaced track surrounding a pristine turf field.  I had to go early and was concerned about seeing my splits for the interval workout – no need to worry.  It was completely lit up 24/7…I was running under the lights!  Only someone as obsessed with working out as I am would be literally giddy running on this track.  I had an awesome workout, too – 5×400 (86,86,86,85,85), 2×800 (2:57, 2:57) and 3×1600 (6:03, 6:03, 6:02).  Last week I did the same workout (but only 2×1600) and could not get the miles under 6:14 so I was super happy with the improvement.  I called Scott after to brag about the workout.  I am pretty sure he thought I was nuts when I started going on about the beauty of the track!!

That afternoon, Phoebe saw a girl running on the beach with her mother.  The girl was about 11 or 12 years old.  I told Phoebe it would be fun for us to run together sometime.  That, combined with the report from Scott that Daniel (his 11 yo son) had run 20 minutes a few days before must have fueled a fire inside Phoebe.  She asked if we could go for a walk.  Right after we started she took off at a sprint.  I caught her and slowed her down and we settled into a rhythm.  She told me to start timing her because she was going to run for 22 minutes.  She wanted to turn around after 11 minutes so that she would do a little more than Daniel.  After 11 minutes, we turned around and she wanted to walk.  So we walked for a minute and I asked if she wanted to walk more.  Her answer was to start running again.  After a few more minutes she informed me she was going to run for 8 more minutes when we got back to do a total of 30 minutes.  She did the whole run and even sprinted to our blanket at the end.  Then collapsed.  She insisted that I immediately text Scott after to tell him of her accomplishment.  She was super proud of herself but not nearly as proud  as I was.

I know there is sometimes some controversy about how far kids should run and at what age they should be doing it (see www.kidsrunning.com for some good information on this topic).  My feeling is let the child run at any age, when they want and how far they want.  Don’t force them to do more than they are willing to do and praise whatever effort they give. My goal is for my girls to view running as fun and approach it enthusiastically.  One of the coolest things Phoebe said to me on this trip was “how was your run, mommy?”

Only a Workout . . . Right?

Wow – I just realized it’s been quite a long time since I have blogged.  So much has been going on that I just have not found the time to sit and write.  Don’t worry, I have been fitting in the workouts though!  I finished month 2 (week while I was out visiting some of Scott’s family in Seattle. Lots of good food and good wine (but that’s a story for another blog ).  The tests at the end of the month went great! I am definitely seeing improvements already.  Both the swim and the run were faster than last month and my heart rate was 7bpm lower during the run (so I am running faster with less effort!).  I am still on the trainer indoors for the bike so I am not sure how my fitness is doing in that discipline.

Karen now has me doing a “run block.”  Which basically means that I am running more than swimming or biking for the next 3 weeks.  I only had 2 bikes and 3 swims this week but 5 runs.  One of the runs was a “2-a-day” session designed to keep my effort up but stress on the body down.  I ran this with Scott out in Seattle…it was tough!!  We ran the first workout in the morning…60 mins at 6:55 pace.

Then we all had a brilliant idea…lets go to SkyHigh Trampoline and jump on the trampolines for an hour.  This place was so cool! It is basically a warehouse filled with billions of connected trampolines (no, not billions ) and a big foam pit.  You just go jump and jump and jump some more!  We went with Scott’s 4yo niece and 2yo nephew.  What a blast!  I even broke out some old gymnastics tricks – even doing a double front into the foam pit.  The kids were so hot and sweaty when we were done (yes, I am including Scott!).

Later that afternoon, we went out for the 2nd session.  I have never done “2-a-days” so this was going to be a new experience for me.  I was not sure at all how I would feel.  Of course I’ve run and swim, or run and biked in 1 day so I figured I would make it – but how much would it hurt?  The workout was to run 50 minutes at 6:45 pace.  Scott and I finished together at 6:42 pace.  The 10 minute cool down lasted forever but we had made it!  It was easier than I had thought but still a tough workout.

Today I had the dreaded treadmill workout scheduled.  Due to the traveling this week, I had to swim 3 days in a row.  Today was the 3rd swim and I decided to do it before the run.  I was sooo tired in the pool.  My arms and legs just had that numb feeling you get when the bloodflow is sluggish getting there.  I made it through and hit the times I was suppsoed to but was obsessing about the run during the whole swim!  I got out of the pool, decided I was going to finish the workout no matter what and headed up to the treadmills at the Y.  I ran 5 mins at 8.6, 5mins at 8.9 and 10 mins at 9.2.  I had 5 mins of ez jogging before repeating.  I felt pretty strong and thought I had a good chance of making it.  I started the next set and felt really good.  I did the 8.6 then the 8.9 took a deep breath and started the 9.2 (6:31 pace).  The first 5 minutes seemed really tough and I decided to make my goal just making it further than last time (5mins).  Every minute that went by after 5 minutes, I had the same thought – just make it 1 more minute.  I did that all the way to 10 minutes!!!  I have had this awesome feeling of accomplishment all day.  Yeah, it was only a workout but hey, whatever lifts your spirits and makes you feel good about being you…right?

Olympics, training, blogging . . .

I feel bad that I have not blogged much recently.  Life keeps getting in the way of fun.  Plus, Phoebe and I have been obsessed with the Olympics.  All of our free time is spent watching or reading about them!  The Men’s Nordic Combined was so exciting!  I have never XC skied but after seeing that event I am ready to go out and give it a try.  Plus, I read somewhere that Deena Kastor skis in the off-season and if it is good enough for her, then…

Anyway, back to my workouts.  This past weekend, I had a series of workouts from Karen that were  very challenging but left me feeling stronger and fitter.  I am confident that she is helping me improve!  The girls and I went downstate to visit my parents and Scott met us there.  This meant that I had my training partner for the weekend.  I was psyched!  Saturday, Karen had me scheduled to do some hill repeats.  We found a 400-600 yard hill and after a brief warm up we started climbing.  My heart rate peaked at about 157 and I was concerned that maybe the hill was not steep enough because the workout didn’t seem that difficult.  Scott was ready to cool down after what he called a short workout when I told him we still had 3x1mile repeats at 5K pace to do.  Because the blizzard had hit a few days before we were without a track.  So, I went to mapmytri.com and measured out a mile on a stretch of road.  It was tougher, mentally, than on the track but I was pleased with the results.  I hit the miles in 6:13, 6:01 and 6:16.

Sunday we took a ride up to route 293.  This is the road that leads to West Point.  We used to run this road back in HS XC and I think Monroe-Woodbury still uses it today.  It’s an out and back, 14 mile, all downhill then all uphill run.  Definitely tough but beautiful.  I definitely recommend this run if you are ever down in Orange County, NY and want a challenge.  Our only goal was to even split the 2 halves.  An all out sprint to the finish got us in right when we hoped – exactly the same as our first half split.  We were wiped out and our legs were shot.  I guess the hills the day before were tough enough!  Afterward, Scott and I took Phoebe and Maggie out to the Monroe Diner for brunch…nothing like a Belgian waffle after a long run!!

Scott had to return to Virginia Sunday night so I was on my own for Monday’s run.
It was supposed to be a day off but the snow in the forecast for Tuesday scared me into going out Monday.  Karen had me scheduled for a hilly 30 minute tempo run at heart rate 154-160.  I did not feel like doing this at all!  The warm up was slow and painful, my legs were still tired from the long run the day before but I put on my gameface and gave it all I had.  A mile into it, I realized I was feeling great!  I ran 4.7mi with my heart rate averaging 159.

I was so encouraged by how well I ran all 3 days and am really looking forward to testing my foot speed at the National Half Marathon in DC in March.  Maybe I can close the gap between Scott and me!

Ann Arbor Trip

This past weekend, I took the girls and Scott out to Ann Arbor to visit my sister, Amy, and brother-in-law and their three kids.  Before we left, I did a 90 minute run at 6:55 pace – hr averaged 150.  I finished the run very strongly then grabbed a quick shower, chocolate milk and then hopped in the car for the ride.  Saturday was a nice, relaxing day off from exercise so we took all 5 kids to the local Y for a swim.  I was glad to have the day off but my body ached to get  in the pool when I saw the swimmers doing their laps!

Going to my sister’s is always an adventure in eating because she is an amazing cook.  It is like eating out for every meal.  This trip was no different.  Homemade cinnamon rolls with icing for breakfast, homemade veggie chili with cornbread for lunch, homemade quesadillas with roasted red peppers, corn, chicken, cheese, guacamole, sour cream, etc, etc! This was all followed by homemade “cookies and cream” ice cream for dessert.  And of course we enjoyed some nice vino while we were there, too.  Actually, Scott whipped up some mojitos with my sister’s recipe and I tried one for the first time.  Yummy!  The only thing we did not get to do was go out salsa dancing.  My sister takes lessons and was really excited to take us.  Unfortunately the timing just didn’t work out this trip.

When Sunday’s long run rolled around I was ready to burn some calories!  Scott and I headed out around noon after a morning of sledding with the kids.  Karen’s workout was this: 7:15 pace for 100 minutes followed by 6-8 100m strides.  There is a beautiful road that follows a river right near their house and the miles are marked so we would be able to monitor our pace.  We couldn’t find the mile markers until about 3 miles in. Once Scott noticed them, he started timing our miles.  Needless to say we were not running 7:15 pace.  The first mile he checked we were at 6:56 and they pretty much stayed right there the rest of the run.  My hr averaged about 150 for the run and hit a max of 167 when we climbed the big hill back to her house.  I felt really strong and was excited to be pulling away from Scott at the end.  He was tired out and I kept saying “this is the end of the 1/2 marathon run at Buffalo Springs…first in your age group is right in front of you…go get him”!  We finished together but were both exhausted!  (Needless to say, we skipped the striders.  I’ll fit them into a workout later on in the week ).  Good thing we were headed to see Planet 51 at the dollar theater so we could relax a bit.  Scott actually fell asleep during the movie!  I admire someone that can relax themselves that much in any given situation.

Monday mornings at 5:45am, my sister attends a Masters swim program at Mack pool right down the road from her house.  Since Karen had me swimming that day, Scott and I decided to join her.  Getting out of bed at 5am was miserable but once I got to the pool I felt great.  Amy introduced me to Don, the swim coach.  He placed Scott and me  in the lane with the 2nd fastest swimmers (5 of them) and we were off.  I am not used to swimming with so many people around me but I decided it would be good practice for the tri starts!  200 swim, kick, pull.  This was followed by the main set 4×100, 200 pull repeat x3.  We then did 10×50 followed by 5 push ups on deck after each rep.  This was so fun beacuse we got to dive in!  I have never done that…so cool.  And my goggles didn’t even come off (that was my big worry!).  10×50 kick and 1×300 pull finished off the workout.

Don, by the way, was awesome.  I would move to Michigan just to have him coach me!  First of all, his 50 freestyle record was something like 20.5 seconds.  So, he pulled me out during the main set to discuss my reach.  He talked about pulling with my core rather than my arms.  Being sure to pull all the way down to my thigh.  He said I muscle my way through the water.  Swimming is the only sport that should feel easy when done right, he said.  He also helped me with arm position in the water.  These tips along with what George has told me so far will hopefully get me out of the water in under 30 minutes at Buffalo Springs!  He was very sweet and told me that I was very coachable.  I hope we get to swim with him again the next time we visit.  If you are ever in Ann Arbor, check out this Masters swim.  They meet every M-F at Mack Pool 5:45am.  It is a $5 daily fee to workout with the group – totally worth it!

Later that day, we headed back to Syracuse.  This was the first time Scott met Amy and her family and I am excited to report that everyone really hit it off.  Even my 8 yo nephew, Ian, told me that he liked Scott.   We are looking forward to a return visit soon – and maybe some salsa dancing next time!

Happiness and Peace

This past Saturday, my family buried one of the most wonderful, graceful women to walk this earth.  My grandmother died this past week after 92 years of living and sharing her knowledge, witticisms and life experiences.

As I drove back from the funeral Saturday, I looked up into the night sky and saw a shooting star…my first ever. I knew this was my grandmother speaking to me.  She said to me that 2009 was a tough year for both of us…she struggling to reach a peaceful end and me struggling to find a peaceful beginning.  We both had our own battles to fight.  My grandmother was fighting cancer and I was finding my way through a divorce and becoming a single mom, among other things.

As I headed out on my run this morning, I started thinking about 2010 and wondering what the new year would bring.  I headed down a steep hill and looked up.  A beautiful red-tailed hawk flew right over me.  I believe that  this hawk was my grandmother telling me that we were on the downhill part of the struggle.  She had found happiness and peace.  Now it is my turn for happiness and peace.  I am really looking forward to great things in 2010.  I hope you will follow my journey…