Day 80: Thurs Oct 31st - Happy Halloween

Day Eighty: Happy Halloween!

Super quick and fast run. Just shy of 30 minutes, but I was in a hurry. Lot's to do!  But hey... it's Halloween!  Up early, get kids ready for their school celebrations, watch Halloween parade, run to Target for work candy and supplies for Halloween give-outs and of course, dress the dog. Poor thing. I've never actually dressed Jax up... but this is a surprise for my girls when I pick them up from school.  They will get a kick out of it. Jax wasn't sure what to make out of 'wearing' something. He's never had more than a brief cape or hat on in his life. After giving him a treat, he didn't seem to care.
He's going trick or treat with us tonight. Hopefully this year he doesn't try to chase after cats hiding in the bushes like he did last year. 
Be safe and happy running!

                                                                         Boo!!

Day 79: Wed Oct 30th - Lunchtime Fox Ambush

Day Seventy-nine: Lunchtime ambush, ear worms, foxes and afternoon therapy run.

Sitting peacefully in my office, working, making progress on my day while planning my lunchtime run...when suddenly the phone rings. The voice explains that they are coming (corporate) to film me for the holiday party and I have to lip synch to "What does a fox say".

HOLY... WHAT THE  !$!#!... was nearly my response.  I held back and begrudgingly replied "Today, really today?  To WHAA.....? 
I had heard OF the song but had never listened to the song.  
"Be there in 15 minutes" they said.. "Better YouTube it". 
Shit!  was my response (whispered to self as I hung up the phone).   So I Googled and watched the viral video that had already been viewed more than 174 MILLION times.

Afterwards... with head down, hand holding forehead... I *sighed* as I looked back at the video and reviewed the 6 lines I had to memorize before the shoot, in what was now 9 minutes.

They arrive, brought props... (yay me). On with tail, bow tie and ears ...I grabbed a stuffed animal fox and followed them to the hillside East of the property. I tried to ham up my enthusiasm the best my little introverted self could muster.  

Now I am stuck with an earworm.  For those who don't know what an ear worm is...

Earworm:   An earworm is a catchy piece of music that continually repeats through a person's mind after it is no longer playing.

Luckily I saved my run for the afternoon, so was able to shake off the worm and run out my post embarrassment anxiety and here I sit.  But all is well. I'm a good sport (though I loath such experiences). 

<---------- couldn't resist...

Day 78: Tues Oct 29th - Rainy Sunshine Coming Down

Day Seventy-eight: Rainy sunshine coming down.

Weather couldn't make up it's mind this morning. Between rain, cloudy, windy, calm and sunshine.
A mixed bag. Almost didn't bring Jax since I gave him a bath yesterday and he was so nice and clean smelling... instead of wet dog.  Funny enough, once I started getting my gear on, he got right up from his bed and went to the door. So he either needed to "go" (as in potty) or he wanted to go running... not sure, so took him anyway.  It was a nice, quick couple of miles at a good pace.

*my daily photo is not uploading :(  I will post as soon as I get it to work.

It was much cooler in person. (is cooler a word?) 

Day 77: Mon Oct 28th - Tale of Two Brains

Day Seventy-seven: Tale of two brains.

Brain One: Let's go! 

Brain Two: Really?? Again?  What are you doing?

Brain One: Shut it. It is beautiful outside.  

 (pulls out phone, takes photo of sunrise and yellow clouds)

Brain Two: It's windy, your contacts will get dust in them. Your legs are tired.  You...

Brain One: Enough. 

Brain Two: Seriously, you don't have to prove anything. 

Brain One: Just because. I don't have a reason. I just love it.

Brain Two: Watch it!  (tripping on a rock) See... you're tired.

Brain One: Be quiet... geez! I'm trying to focus.

                (ladies walking dog off leash, Jax breaks concentration and pulls to take a butt sniff)

Brain Two:  Grrrrrr those ladies should have their dogs on leash! I wonder if they will pick up their poop.

Brain One:  Be nice. They are walking in the woods, kicking the leaves, it is beautiful... it's okay. 

Brain Two:  Look.... fresh poo... I wonder if it is from them. Grrrrr

Brain One: What is UP with you today??!  Gee... this is fun! The wind is nice, it's perfect temperature and with the storm and cold front coming, just enjoy it okay?!

Brain Two:  *grumble*

Brain One:  I love this song.             (steps up the pace)

Brain Two:  Oh look... the ladies again. Same dang dogs. Why don't people follow the rules.. this isn't off leash.

Brain One:  Look how beautiful this path is. I should take a picture. 

Brain Two:  How many photos do you need??

Brain One: I could snap a zillion photos.  Like this one (taking photo of a purple flower). 

 

Brain Two:  Okay... maybe it's nice. But take it easy.

Brain One:  Jax is such a good boy, he looks so happy.

Brain Two:  You're right. 

Brain One:  I feel great. Those inserts are really helping my feet. 

  (pushing repeat on awesome song)

I feel alive and happy.  This is why I do it.

Brain Two:  It doesn't make sense.

Brain One:  It makes sense to me. 

Day 76: Sun Oct 27th - Early Morning Rock Star

Day Seventy-six:  Early morning rock star!

Bright and early run with Izzy. Played at the park then back home again.  What a trooper! She woke up earlier than expected and wanted to join me on a run, which I always love. Izzy bounds with amazing amounts of energy considering she's 9 and ran the Haunted 5k yesterday morning (that actually ended up being a 6k... long story), now less than 24 hours later and she's running again, piece of cake.
Afterwards went to the last regular farmers market for the season to pick up some vegetables, green tomatoes, fresh garlic, kale and our favorite green salsa!  yum!
Now time to clean a bit, cook and best of all, relax on this gorgeous warm Autumn day.
Later on we will carve some pumpkins.

I hear a storm is on the horizon! 

Day 75: Sat Oct 26th - Haunted Run

Day Seventy-five: Haunted run, miscalculated race and beer

 Ran the Haunted 5k with the girls and family.  The race was pretty disorganized initially, but what was even more funny was that it was actually 4.1 miles. We've run enough 3 miles to know that it certainly was marked longer or someone made a mistake mapping out the course.  I've made a pact to try and not care about mileage and time for my blog... this race certainly challenged my runners instinct to want to know precisely to the 1/10 of a mile... how far we ran.   LOL  Afterwards we mapped the run and came up with 4.1 and 4.3 between me and my sister-in-law Kristin. But, it was still fun to get out and run with the family.  Kristin and her daughter Grace were black cats, Izzy and I were Christmas girls, Siena was a devil and Justin simply wore a witches hat and a long black cape; which made no sense to me until I was working on my 2nd pitcher of beer, (he was a warlock apparently.. with much debate).  

Happy Haunted Racing everyone! 

 
 
 

Day 74: Fri Oct 25th - Flowers before the Frost

Day Seventy-four:
Flowers before the frost.

The weather the past week or longer has been wonderful.
Forecasters say we only have a few more days before a bitter cold front comes along and sends a harsh goodbye to the remaining summer / fall flowers who have managed to stay alive so far. I thought I'd give them a farewell photo.


With the weather changing, I need to search out some long running pants for the upcoming winter season. On a couple of mornings last week I had to wear my black thermals to keep warm (you know.. the ones that look like long johns with 3 small buttons on them...no laughing.) Yeah.. I'm not proud nor do I give a !$#@ about being fashionable while running, but they are cotton and though initially they are warm, they are not conducive to wear during bitter winter runs. 

Today's run left me feeling like this ------------------------- >
It was fast and short, but left me feeling the buzz of a fabulous run.
Great morning.



Day 73: Thurs Oct 24th - Sweet Reeds

Day Seventy-three:

"Sweet reeds are made of this...who am I to disagree."

 

Hopefully I've given you a daily earworm that you will hum all day long. You're welcome.

If not and my play on the song escapes you, thank me... as it is not that good of a song anyway.

 

Fun morning run. Not much else. I'm running out of things on my route to take photos of, so I must be more creative.  The river was a bit higher today which was nice to listen to.  I'm hoping for a strong winter mountain snow season. Not only do we need it to fill up our reservoirs, but the Spring run off filling the main rivers will be strong, powerful and quite a sight / sound to behold.

 

Two more days until our Halloween fun run 5k.  Still haven't decided on costumes... Time is running out!

 

Day 72: Wed Oct 23rd - Yellow Everywhere

Day Seventy-two:
 Sun...Sunrise...Sunshine

Yellow everywhere! Bright, bold yellow.
Oh.. and a creature that bolted into the bushes too fast for me to identify it.  Jax saw it though and was anxious to sniff it out, but I'd rather not test fate and risk him getting sprayed with skunk spunk, scratched, bit or otherwise.  Haven't you seen Old Yeller?!?   Granted... Jax has had his rabies shot, but still.  <<shudder>>

My cold is a bit better today. Gotta love them zinc tabs from Wholefoods.  I need to remember to drink more water. I am terrible at drinking water, coffee on the other hand...yum.

~ Cheers

"What was that Jax?!"

Day 71: Tues Oct 22nd - Poor Snake

Day Seventy-one:  Cold blues, poor snake and more sunshine.

 

Still feeling blah... damn cold, but I'm better off than this poor guy.  

Not exactly an inspirational type photo... but it's not every day you nearly step on a recently run over snake. yuck. 
Jax was very interested in sniffing his guts. 

On  occasion I am lucky enough to see a live snake basking on warm rocks, a fox running from brush to brush, deer and other animal tracks frequently leaving clues in the dirt and sand. I love to catch a glimpse of the diverse wildlife along the trails, sadly a glimpse is all I get and *poof*... they are gone before I am able to get my camera out.  

Back to the deceased snake. It's a bummer when I find an animal that faced a sudden demise. I would usually never take a gross photo, but today. I did. 


Quite appropriate for the near Halloween holiday. Boo! 

                                                     The sunshine is beautiful outside.   

Day 70: Mon Oct 21st - Seventy Sniffles

Day Seventy:  Seventy Sniffles

Yay 70!.. Boo sniffles :(  I hate to admit I am starting to fight some kind of evil nasty.  My nose and head are feeling blah. As for today's run, despite the sniffles, it was good, if a little chilly. I cannot get enough of the bold gift of colors given to us by nature. I'm at awe with each turn on the trail and find I could take photos all day.  Time to grab some zinc, make a super smoothie and then drink some hot tea. Girls are back in school after an active 4 day Autumn break. Our race is this Saturday, though we still haven't decided on what our costumes will be...?   Any ideas?

 

Day 69: Sun Oct 20th - What a Bountiful Day

Day Sixty-nine:  Vegetables, fruit, a good local beer..... and poo

Went running on the trail while kids and Justin went searching for more werewolf clues.  Siena was a bit bummed out as there weren't as many clues to be found. The park was also quite busy for a Sunday. Afterwards we went to the Farmers Market. One of my favorite places.  I love all the fresh fruits and vegetables and dream of the many yummy recipes for each.  Sadly the market ends next Sunday :(

The weather couldn't have been more perfect. 64 degrees, Autumn sunshine, leaves and pumpkins. 

Hmmmmm.....now what to make first!  Love our local farmer's markets!

You had one job (mysterious dog owner) and you half -assed it. 

 

Day 68: Sat Oct 19th - Werewolf Hunting

Sixty-eight: Evening run, the moon and werewolves....

Went running  / werewolf hunting this evening before dinner with Siena. We were in search of evidence of the werewolf due to last nights spectacular full moon. We found many clues... you be the judge   ;)

Sun slowly setting before dinner.

Siena spotted a den.

Large paw print, unusual shape

A secondary print.. much larger than Jax paw

.

Close up view of the den, surrounded by large thorn trees. As we were leaving we both heard a loud low growl... after which we took off at a fast sprint off the trail and back home.  

 

 

 

 

Happy werewolf hunting!!!

 

Day 67: Fri Oct 18th - Sunshine and Playmobil

Day Sixty-seven: Fall sunshine, afternoon runs and Playmobil

Another not so easy getting up kind of morning. lol   So an afternoon run was on the schedule. Well, at least something today. On my lunch hour, my daughter Iz and I went for a quick run, played at the park for a minute and ran back, just in time to shower and get back into work clothes! Whew!
Now I am at my desk eating a  yogurt and feel rejuvenated.  57 degrees and sunshine, it was lovely outside.  If I had my way it would be this temperature all year round... with occasional storms thrown in to mix things up. I'm definitely not a summer kind of girl.
Iz brought a Playmobil character on our run, she was not easy to keep up with, neither was Iz... she is so naturally fast!

 

Day 66: Thurs Oct 17th - Wings on dogs



Day Sixty-six:   Wings on dogs.

We flew today. Literally my feet felt like I was gliding across the ground - thanks to Jax! I love days like this.  Jax started the run fast.  You could tell he was in the best energetic mood, tail wagging to the beat of his feet. He usually runs right by my side or slightly behind, but today he kept moving forward, urging me to move my feet faster. When he saw that I would speed up, his tail would wag enthusiastically.  Occasionally he would glance back and I swear you could see a big smile of happiness on his doggie face.  So I pushed my feet and lungs.... and it was perfect.   We even climbed this quick steep sand hill to exit the trail and by the time we were heading back home, it felt like we were flying.

Day 65: Wed Oct 16th - Frozen Leaves and Thorns

Day Sixty-five:  Frozen leaves, thorns and an ouch.

 

Frost covered most things this morning, including the thorns Jax's feet seem to be highly attracted to.  The thorns are plaguing him more lately. As if the little buggers come out of hiding in the frozen ground and seek his warm paw bed to attach to, bringing us abruptly to a halt. Again and again, the routine is whip lash from the dead  stop mid-stride (as if I'm that fast.. ha!), affected paw up in the air, stretching the hamstrings as I bend and flick off the evil prickly thing and then off we go again... only to another HALT!!              Stop... Repeat. *sigh*

 

My ouch is actually more concerning as the right side of my right foot has been aching badly the past two days. I worry about developing a stress facture, as frankly, that would be a pain to deal with right now. While I run, it doesn't hurt as much once I'm warmed up, but if I land on that side, due to the uneven trails, it is instant pain.  Afterwards it is a dull ache all day.

I wrap it, ice it, ibuprofen it and the biggest feat of all, is ignore it. 

 

Any ideas on how to help, prevent and heal this area? (besides not running of course... as that isn't an option.. foolish as it may be ;)

 





 

Day 64: Tues Oct 15th - "Inspire" Uplifting Graffiti

Day Sixty-four: Uplifting graffiti and frozen hands

One word: Inspire.  Seen newly spray painted on the side of the building located along the horse trail. It got me thinking. My Mp3 died a few minutes before, so I ran in silence when I glanced at the word....'Inspire' and took the below photo.             A good time for self-reflection and a question:
What inspires you? What do you inspire?   Think about it today, I know I will.

(also, my hands were  FREEZING!)

Day 63: Mon Oct 14th - Is this Heaven? I think so.

Day Sixty-three: Leaves, leaves and more leaves

Need I say more?!  I'm surpised I managed to run as quickly as I did today as I wanted to stop and marvel at the bright and amazing colors surrounding the hillside. It was incredible. Some of the trails up here are really closed in and you become enveloped in leaves and the smells of fall.
I wanted to memorize the beauty, jump into the leaves and make a blanket out of them, basking in their fantastic ranges of deep red, orange, bright and almost fluorescent yellows in a background of deep green.

 My phone camera doesn't capture how beautiful it is in person.  Sadly, the photo below was a bright carpet of Autumn colors, but came out blurry and muted.
Have you been able to enjoy the Autumn season falling around you? If not, you must. It goes away too fast.  Soon the snows will arrive with it's own version of beautiful.

 

Day 62: Sun Oct 13th - Breaking Bad

Day Sixty-two:  Breaking Bad, beer and morning rain.
Rainy run, my favorite!  Seriously, it's true.. I love rain and running in it! Good thing I found a plastic bag in my jacket to seal up my phone as I wasn't quite prepared for the rain.  The one time I wasn't obsessively checking my weather phone app to see what to anticipate, it pours. I went out in my short sleeve running shirt, shorts and other gear in hand.  1/2 way on my route, rain started pouring down, but it was a mild temperature and lovely out. It was a fun surprise. 
Last night was unusual as I stayed up very late (for me), drank a few beers and watched the first four episodes season one of Breaking Bad (great show by the way), finally fell asleep after a restless time getting comfortable and dreamed a small snippet of a dream...that I was holding chemistry equipment, feeling confused about how to start a batch of meth to make money and I kept looking for Walter White (main character) to help me figure it out .  It was bizarre. 

Anyone watch Breaking Bad?  

   

Day 61: Sat Oct 12th - Baby Horse

Day Sixty-one:                                                      Nice afternoon run. 

I have to admit, this morning, when my alarm went off at just after 6 a.m.....  I slacked.  I pushed snooze on my phone and slept till I had to get ready for work. This is the first time in FOREVER that I ran in the afternoon as opposed to the morning. In the long run, sleeping that extra bit didn't really help as I felt groggy all day until I ran after work. My brain won this morning. However, after work it did feel good to get out on such a beautiful afternoon.  Siena ran with me on the trail. We dodged large dragonflies while on the look out for werewolves hiding in the brush.  Came across mama and baby horse in the pasture.  Baby was very curious about us and kept slowly walking to the fence line when we slowed down.  Mama horse walked over and nudged her out of the way as if to say "nope.. leave them humans alone" and then she stood at her side till we walked away.  Tomorrow supposed to be rainy... I can't wait!  I love running in the rain :)

Day 60: Fri Oct 11th - Funny Guy, not Funny Cold

Day Sixty: 

Happy feet :)  Fun quick run. 

 Cold-ish but nice out. 

I'm not sure who painted this funny guy on the storage door of this little building off the trail, but it makes me smile when I glance at it.  He points in the direction that I am going and I nod as if to say "yep... I'm heading that way".

It has been a fun sixty days. I think that I am going to add to my challenge.
Starting day sixty-one I am going to run the next 30 days on the guidance of this book I just purchased. http://www.nomeatathlete.com/book-info/ 
My family is just getting over a bad cold that wiped them out and I can feel myself fighting tooth and nail to keep it at bay. So I figured, why not do everything in my power to fuel my body with good nutrition, and day 61 is a perfect day to start.  It also keeps things interesting and fun for my brain :)

Time to make my list for Wholefoods, Sprouts market and Sunday's farmers market.  I think I will reverse that order and make Wholefoods last... as that place can be dangerous to my pocketbook.
A funny read:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kelly-maclean/surviving-whole-foods_b_3895583.html

Any tips on fighting these nasty cold viruses that jump up for attention this time of year?

Have you tried / or are you a vegetarian / vegan runner? I'm open to any great recipes as I love to cook. :)