In My Nature

In My Nature

I found this article to be particularly intriguing. The author, Kristin Armstrong , is the ex-wife of Lance Armstrong...you know...Tour de France Lance. Trail running never fails to awaken my senses and heighten my awareness of this wonderful, beautiful, fascinating world around me. I think Kristin describes this experience very well. Enjoy :)

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Breathe

Breathe in...breathe out...breathe in...breathe out... this has been my mantra over the past few weeks. I wish I had been able to blog much sooner, as often times putting thoughts which tend to jam up my head on paper (or screen) is enough to make room to hear myself think. But here, today, finally, I write.

This morning I ran the Colfax half marathon in the fastest time over that distance in quite awhile...perhaps since college. I tacked on to some great pace setting guys and basically hung on for the ride. For once in a long time I did not allow self-doubt to sabotage my race...although I just about wrote myself off by not training. I know...you've heard that "no training" one before. This time I had a good excuse, and his name is Charlie.

Charlie, Charlie, Charlie! What did I get myself into? Charlie is a 1 year old Border Collie possibly Heeler mix we rescued from All Breed Rescue in Colorado Springs. We know very little about his background except that he was picked up as a stray and spent about 5 weeks in foster care. He is fearful of many things, and I can only imagine that Animal Control worked him over pretty well trying to capture him. However, in the 2 weeks that we have had him he has come a long way. He listens very well and does what is asked of him, as long as he knows what I am asking. With time I know he will feel more confident and comfortable around new people, dogs, places, things with wheels, guys in bike clothes (i.e. Sargent returning from a ride).

Scout is happy to play the role of big sister. They play on her terms and she sets the rules. She has been teaching him to be calm, to walk nicely on a leash, to sit before going out the door and to sit for treats. Charlie has actually reinforced in Scout what it means to come when called. It's nice to allow this info exchange between dogs instead of having to do all of the work myself. In addition, Charlie is learning to run with us. We are up to 3 miles, but they are dreadfully slow miles...hence the lack of training for me. Again, much as with his insecurities, it will take time. Good thing summer is here and I have a lot more time to do more than just breathing in...and out.

A tribute to women

March is Women’s History Month, so I thought it appropriate to pay tribute to all of the beautiful women in my life without whom I wouldn’t be me. Each of you has touched my life in a way that is profound yet subtle, constructive yet nurturing. Even though some of you have never met, together you have woven a web of love and support on which I rely every day.

My mom, Patty, from whom I have received the greatest gift, unconditional love.

My sister, Lori, who gives selflessly and tirelessly of herself to others in such a way I can only hope to do.

My grandmothers Emilie and Gladys, who have overcome so much adversity, and from whom I have learned to be strong and to never give up.

My friend, Heather, who knows me better than anyone…better than I know myself sometimes. In her presence I feel safe and secure.

My mother-in-law, Linda, who has been a rock for my husband, Sargent. Her sage advice is always welcome and has been instrumental in teaching us how to love and care for each other.

My grad school posse, Lauren, Natalie, Jenny Lynn, and Stacy. You come packaged as a group yet each of you brings something unique to our relationship. Whenever I need you, you come to me in a pack, magnifying your impact. You keep me real, keep me true to myself and true to my place on this earth.

My cousin, Anne, who keeps family close to home and close to my heart.

And the newest and timely addition to this web, Kellie. Her wit, humor, and wisdom have brought a new and welcome joy to my life.

There are many other women who have made a huge impact on my life. Please know that you have all helped shape the very essence of me. I hope that some day I can pay homage to you each and every one of you, even if it is a simple “thank you”.

If you are reading this, my wish is that you will take a moment to reflect on the women who have been influential in your life.

A bit rusty

I'm a bit rusty with this blog thing, as you can tell by the infrequency of my posts of late. To be honest, I really haven't felt like myself for a while. Not like myself physically, not like myself mentally as they are both closely aligned for me. It's like I got myself into a big rut with work, home life routine, running, etc. and couldn't get out. Funny how a change in routine, a change in environment can shake things up just enough to get you back on track. That's what happened for me anyway. A work trip to Florida was the catalyst I needed, not for the actual change, but to recognize I was in a rut and needed a change. I got a little sunshine, met a great new friend, and came back with some good ideas for work. All are energizing. So now I post.

The arrival of spring always seems to breathe new life into me. And although it is not here just yet, I am looking forward to the warmer months. Even though I grew up in South Dakota and weathered the winters in North Dakota in college, it's clear to me that I am not a cold weather person. I long to be outside in the yard, puttering in the garden, reading a good book on the patio, and hiking in the mountains, without having to dress in layers. When I say I "can't wait" for spring or summer, I feel like I'm wishing my life away. I'm certainly no spring chicken, as the aches in my body remind me daily. But I can't help to look forward to doing more of the things I love to do.

Today is a gorgeous day...near 70 and sunny. The next few days are supposed to follow suit. Tomorrow I'll be doing the "Runnin of the Green" with my friend Nancy. This is the first race for me since the Denver Marathon last October. Don't worry...I have NO expectations other than to finish (it's only 4 miles for pete's sake) so I won't be dissappointed. I signed up for the Colfax Half-Marathon on May 17th and so far training has been just ok. I look at my training plan and follow it some, but haven't been that serious about it yet. Hopefully I'll get into it soon.

In a couple of weeks I'll head to Fruita with Sargent and his friends for a few days good warm weather hiking. My friend Heather and Scout will be coming too, which will make it even better. I'll be vacationing much of the month of June...trip to Alaska, family visits. Sargent and I will ride the MS 150 on our tandem at the end of June. We hope to do one more overnight type trip on our tandem this summer as well.

I rented a 10x20 garden plot in the community gardens just down the street. That will give me more space to grow cucumbers, squash, zucchini, eggplant, peppers, tomatoes, carrots, and potatoes. I'll still plant my herbs and a few other things in the planter boxes around the patio, but the larger veggies will have room to grow in the community plot. I'll do some more work on the front yard flower garden. Perhaps I can talk Sargent into finally letting me remove the ugly water wheel that doesn't work. I look forward to spending time with friends and family this summer, on the patio, grilling garden veggies, sipping wine...

Scholarship Update

Woo Hoo! We've raised $1,500 for the Rob Luecke Memorial / Jamestown College scholarship! Of course, this wouldn't be possible without the financial contributions of all of you who donated to this scholarship. A huge THANK YOU to James, Destry, Craig, Harry & JoAnn, Stephanie, Scott & Kathleen, Brent & Heather, Patty, Julie & Rob, Lauren & Lucy, Tim, Julie, and Nancy. Your contributions will help one GHS student attend Jamestown College next year. If you are reading this and your name is not listed, PLEASE LET ME KNOW. I have heard from some of you that you made a donation, but it may have gone into the general fund at JC. We want it in this fund, so let me know so I can make that happen. If you haven't yet had a chance to donate, it's not too late. Click on the link to the right. Be sure to identify "Rob Luecke Memorial Scholarship" in the comments section of the online scholarship donation site. Once this scholarship has been awarded, you'll be the first to know (well maybe second - I suppose we should tell the actual recipient first).

THANK YOU!!!

One year of blogging

Sunrise on 12-30-08 from our back porch

It's been a long time since my last blog post...3 months to the day, in fact. Quite frankly I've been thinking a lot about what you might want to see in print about me, my life. So with the new year upon us, I thought this might be a good time to reflect on the year of this blog, and provide some updates as well.

It seems much more than a year since this blog was created. If you recall, I began this blog as a way to journal, publicly, about my re-entrance on the running scene, log my training miles, and float the idea of beginning a scholarship in the memory of my coach, Rob Luecke. For those of you who have followed through the year, you know that it became more than that...at least for me it did.

For me, this blog has become a means for self-reflection, motivation and connection. Think about it...how often do you sit quietly and reflect on your life, the path you have chosen and where you might be going next? Then write it down for all the world to see? Maybe a bit deep, perhaps, but this blog has forced me to do just that. When setting the goal of qualifying for Boston (which I didn't attain, but more on that later), I also enforced my personal motto of "I will not sacrifice personal for professional". In other words, setting good boundaries and leaving work at work and home at home makes Renee a happy girl. Training for the marathon caused me to take time for myself I might not have done otherwise. I also got into better physical shape than I had been in a while, so that helps with the motivation as well. But perhaps most importantly, writing this blog has allowed me to connect and re-connect with people on a more intimate level than I otherwise would have done.

This past year, you followed me as I logged over 500 miles on trails through Wheat Ridge and Golden, Scout by my side nearly every step. You comforted me when the window fan fell on my head in the middle of the night, scarring the bejezers out of me, and took my side when Sargent tried to kill me with moldy water. You sat with me under the grape arbor on warm summer nights as I became all philosophical (I swear it was only wine in the glass). You kept believing in me even though it became quite clear that I was a huge head case. But most of all you gave me your full support as I attempted, and failed, to qualify for the Boston Marathon.

Although my goal of qualifying for Boston was lofty, my intentions were good. I had run 4 marathons in the past, but had never trained for one, and had set no other goals than to finish. To me, qualifying for Boston was the ideal goal to set. I stated my intention in this blog, found a "fail-proof" training plan, and went to work. What I realized, however, was that the work I needed to do was not just physical, not just putting in the miles and paying my dues. I also needed to do some mental and emotional work by way of self-reflection, which I gain through the time spent running.

Over this past year I realized that 1) things don't come as easy as they used to; 2) I must not take for granted the gifts/talents I do have; 3) the marathon is not a good distance for me; 4) I would be lost without my best running partner, Scout; 5) allowing for vulnerability (i.e. blog posts) reaps huge rewards (i.e. connection w/ others); 6) my friends and family mean the world to me.

So what do I do about this? I will continue to run and train for key races. I will enter into some 10K's and half-marathons this spring and summer with the goal of a) having fun, and b) maybe an age-group win or two. Any race I can run with Scout, I will. In fact, we are looking at the possibility of adopting another border collie so Scout has a four-legged running partner as well. That covers numbers 1-4 above. I will continue to blog, openly and honestly, about my life and the little that makes it interesting. Feel free to read if you wish, but I'm not promising a lot. That's #5. And lastly, #6 is true. I let "life" get in the way of staying connected with you. This endeavor has brought us closer. It made me realize that I don't have to be perfect, I can just be me and my friends and family will love me for who I am. Thank you for that.

It wasn't pretty, but it was a finish! (and a new PR)

Ok folks. So I know I said I was retired from marathons, and I am, for sure, really, now that I got this last one out of my system and actually FINISHED. I'm not exactly sure what got into me. Yep, I pulled a Brett Favre. I signed up for the Denver Marathon yesterday and ran it today. It was a beautiful fall day in Denver, and what better way to spend a gorgeous Sunday than running through the Denver parks with about 3,000 other people. So that's what I did this morning. What did you do?

My goal was to finish, and that's what I did. It certainly wasn't pretty and it wasn't fast, and it sure wasn't a Boston qualifying time, but I did beat my previous best time by about 10 minutes. To me this means that training is totally overrated. My previous best time was set when my longest run was 6 miles and I probably ran a grand total of 5 times in "training" for that one. This also means, as I had previously suspected, that the marathon is definitely not the best distance for me. After putting in the training I did, there is no reason on paper that I shouldn't have ran faster over the 26.2 miles. Oh well. Now I'm done - for sure this time. With marathons, that is ;)