Speed Drills

Yesterday was Day 3 of Week 1 of my training plan for the Richmond Half Marathon.

It called for speed work - 5 x 400 @ 5K pace (7:50 min/mi avg for me).

And I nailed it.

A first

A running first at that.

Yesterday, after a couple of false starts, James and I ran a good chunk of the Capitol Greenway in Raleigh.

In the rain. In the pouring down rain.

Surprisingly, it wasn't half bad. Our spirits were pretty high, despite the leaden shoes, pruned fingers, and rat's nest of a ponytail I finished with.

It was breezy and warm and the rain was cool. We chatted about the past three years of running - remembering our lowest moments and our breakthroughs - and talked about those to come. James is officially in training for the Richmond Marathon on November 10th and after a lot of debate, I've decided to run the half.

It will be my tenth half marathon and I'll run the course on which I ran my first.

I've got a really lofty goal for this one.

I'm terrified of typing it because I'm afraid the moment I do, the procrastinating will begin.

The Crew

Summit County Colorado

The Macauley Summit in Summit County Colorado was as spectacular of a trip as I could have hoped. Not without its bumps, bruises, and unforeseens, but all good vacations need some legendary stories.

Taken the first morning we were there, we drank up this view while drinking our coffee. A small group of us planned to hike up Buffalo Mountain.

You can see the full slide show of pictures here: Buffalo Mountain Ascent

The hike was by turns, exhilarating, brutalizing, and inspiring. It left us all a little hobbled and thankful we attacked it the first day we were there.

After a full lower body work-out on Day 1, Day 2 found us in the grueling Class V Rapids of Gore Canyon, guided by the extremely talented folks at Liquid Descent. I'll detail that trip later when I have the pictures to go along with it. Unfortunately, my filmed experiences were less than graceful, but our boat (Joel, Emily, James, and myself) managed to defy our guides expectations and a) keep a hold of our paddles and b) stay in the boat.

As I often do, I contracted some sinus mess while up in that dry, cool mountain air and came home with a bit of a head cold, which I have been nursing since Thursday with lots of couch time and Olympics.

This morning, watching the DVRed taping of the Women's Olympic Marathon, I couldn't help but feel excited. (Okay, so maybe it was the multiple cups of coffee in me, too.)

I wish I could say it has inspired me to want to run a full marathon. I'll leave that to James, his mother Cathy, and my sister Emily; but I do have a new goal in mind. And it will be good.

People You Love = Home

I am forever indebted to my friend Meg for showing me Talkings Heads Stop Making Sense. She has a bit of an obsession with the band and one of my fondest memories is dancing to the entirety of the Stop Making Sense album at her wedding. Good times.

I'm getting ready to go on vacation to a place I love, but more importantly to be with people I love. Having moved around, I've always maintained that home is people, not a place.

Happy Friday!



"This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)"

Home is where I want to be
Pick me up and turn me round
I feel numb - burn with a weak heart
(So I) guess I must be having fun
The less we say about it the better
Make it up as we go along
Feet on the ground
Head in the sky
It's ok I know nothing's wrong . . nothing

Hi yo I got plenty of time
Hi yo you got light in your eyes
And you're standing here beside me
I love the passing of time
Never for money
Always for love
Cover up say goodnight . . . say goodnight

Home - is where I want to be
But I guess I'm already there
I come home she lifted up her wings
Guess that this must be the place
I can't tell one from another
Did I find you, or you find me?
There was a time Before we were born
If someone asks, this where I'll be . . . where I'll be

Hi yo We drift in and out
Hi yo sing into my mouth
Out of all those kinds of people
You got a face with a view
I'm just an animal looking for a home
Share the same space for a minute or two
And you love me till my heart stops
Love me till I'm dead
Eyes that light up, eyes look through you
Cover up the blank spots
Hit me on the head Ah ooh

The Summer That Slipped By

It's July 21st? What?

As the media reports, America is caught in a heat wave - especially in the Midwest - but the mid-to-upper 90s for North Carolina is pretty par for the course.

But combine that with the regular storms that are rolling through, and the hours for running after work slip away before I can even realize it.

James and I are trying to enjoy ourselves in other ways, this summer. We feel we found a bit of a gem with the North Carolina Museum of Art's concert series and enjoyed both Andrew Bird and Neko Case in one week.

Sometimes we feel isolated, in the small Eastern NC town we live in. We get sucked into the 7-5 grind of work, eat, and sleep; and despite the longer hours of sun, the summer heat sometimes makes it worse. But finding some cool grass to dig your toes into, a good bottle of wine to share...

 and some good music to listen to...it goes a long way.

Even better, a week from today, James and I head west to Summit County Colorado for some much needed time with my dad's family, the beautiful mountains, and some hard playing in the form of hiking, water water rafting, bicycling, and rowdy dinners with good food and drink. I look forward to being exhausted every night.

But I'm craving this getaway the way in more ways than one.

I have some peace to make there up among the rocks.

Summer makes an even bigger procrastinator out of me

Dinners, concerts, days by the pool, and runs in all kinds of weather....

Watermelon Salad with Goat Cheese, Pickled Jalepenos, and Crushed Pistachios

Waiting for Andrew Bird

Listening to Mavis Staples, dry

Watching the threatening clouds

Andrew Bird, rocking out

Listening to Andrew Bird, wet