Guest Blogger

I thought i would take a page from my incredibly talented kick butt friend and fellow blogger Leslie and ask a few of my athlete friends to talk about sports and themselves. I checked in with a great friend and fabulous Runner, and I meant it with a capital R, Lisa. Lisa, Leslie, and I all ran together once a week and fully enjoyed the running and the conversation. Lisa is a seriously committed runner and i admire her greatly for that and for her parenting skills. She is truly a woman to look up to. I asked her to write something for the blog today and here is what she wrote. Thanks Lisa.

One transformational and memorable moment for me as an athlete was when Tonya, Leslie, my daughter Carly and I ran the Seven Sisters ridge (I believe that is what it is called) 4 or so years ago. Here's why:

We were a group of women supporting each other with a common goal that was challenging and wicked FUN!

We were out in the woods: quiet, peaceful, beautiful.

It was a pivitol experience for Carly, exposing her to the fact that she is capable of more than she imaged and has taken that spirit into her adult life style. Actually when we talk about that day she says it changed her life and how she sees herself and what she is capable of.

It was a bonding experience between me and my friends, people I have only felt love and support from and for, and deepened the bond with my daughter.

In challenging situations,the truth of who you are is revealed. On that day strength, friendship and pure goodness was revealed for me. Can you get any better than that?

Thank you Tonya and Leslie for the gift of this experience.

it feels good to kick a**

As Silly as it may seem, those of you who know the power of the words spoken to me today will understand, it made my day. I was running up one of local mountains, hills to you west coast ladies, and as i was running up i met another woman doing a side step down in the snow. She looked great, athletic and strong. She looked at me shook her head and said,"You are hard core woman!" I smiled and said thanks. Maybe she knew that her simple words made my run 10 times easier and way more fun, maybe she didn't but i owe my early March attitude shift to her. I had been contemplating my lack of hard core-ness recently and wondering if i would ever see it again. Maybe i will never believe it entirely myself but having another woman athlete tell me just is excellent!

It feels good to kick ass! Why? I am not sure, i think there are myriad of different reasons for different people. For me currently i think it is validation that life is still long and bountiful. That i have so many more opportunities to do things with my body even though my children are growing up.

Today i was having tea with a dear friend and she was talking about having an emotional reaction to watching the olympics. Her reaction was based on her pre kids devotion to skiing and that she has not gotten on a mountain nearly enough and hasn't had a chance to tear it up in a long time. We immediately made plans to spirit away a few hours from work and children to ski our butts off. It changes everything that feeling of freedom and strength.

The pictures above are of Skinner Mountain in South Hadley, and me right after running up and down it. If you look a little to the left you will see the Summit house up there looking small. It was beautiful and completely quiet up there today.

Here is an invitation to anyone reading this to tell their transformational moment to me. I would love to hear them.

found my good time

What a great race yesterday. It was a glorious selfish day to myself and i fully appreciated it. The beach was sandy with just a little snow, the crowd was huge and the sun was shining. I had no idea that there were fancy parts of Hampton Beach. The mansions were palatial in size and the grounds were quite like those of manors. I really had no idea. I thought Hampton Beach was all leopard print and half shirts. The run was really lovely. There were 3 other barefoot runners in the crowd, all men but 3 others none the less.

I met so many women and watched so many of them kick asphalt! It was so inspiring and it was certainly good timing for my morale with the olympics in full swing. I used a few key words in the last few miles of the race. I borrowed Leslie's COURAGE, and my STRENGTH, and POWER. I seemed to really have needed them from miles 10 to 13. It just goes to show again and again that training isn't really that necessary. I think i will train for my next race and see if i can really kick it into gear. Do any of you have any training vs non training stories you would like to share? Let me know...and get out there and play and feel proud of yourself.

game face

Rock it Ladies!! I am in New Hampshire in a hotel on the edge of the ocean waiting to run a half marathon tomorrow morning. I am watching the Olympics, women's super G race and am just amazed by the strength. These women are going for it! Beautiful, strong, and determined. These women embody the feeling that i work towards every day. Playing like girls!

Today i stood beside my daughter, me on my two feet, her on her crutches and was overwhelmed by her strength. We were talking and laughing last night about how she has never really been injured before now and we were laughing about her falls from horses, her broken helmets, her broken tooth the day her teacher mistakenly hit her in the face with a hammer...i suddenly realized i have a kick butt girl fearless and funny and positive. She gives me the strength to believe in myself tonight as i contemplate my race tomorrow.

Tomorrow i rock the five fingers in the half marathon. I will let you know how it feels and if i recommend it. Wish me luck! I will be thinking of you Leslie and your 7 miles, please think of me and my 13!

a literal break for my girl

With a sadness in my heart i must tell you all Indra will not be running, riding, or playing outside for a while. Indra broke her leg while riding out in the woods and fields with a friend. She was enormously brave and handled it better than i probably would have but the winter has taken on a bit of a different shape because of this.

We have discussed our plans of running and playing when she has healed,(in a couple of months) but until then i am trying to entertain her with books, games, and borrowed dvds of Myth Busters and Little House on the Prairie. I thought this would be good time for crafting, but then i remembered that i am the one who likes to craft not Indra. Ah well.

On the up side Indra got her braces off about a week after her break and subsequent surgery so at least her teeth are happy.

I am currently procrastinating while my time is slipping away. I will go on a run, i will go on a run, i will...you get the picture. My man and i are signed up for a Valentine's weekend race and i want to be fast. Kamal wants to finish. We shall see how we both fare. I am vaguely preparing for the Hampton Beach Half Marathon, emphasis on vaguely.

I have been running in my Vibram 5 fingers shoes and am loving them! The one downside i am experiencing right now is the cold. My toes are like little lumps of frozen meat during some of the run. I will post some photos of them soon. Indra and my friend Leslie had vowed not to be seen with me while i was wearing them but Leslie relented.

happy new year

A new year! I used to feel like the days barely crept by when my children were young but now they are flying. The playtime outside is amping up with the snow and we are trying to shield ourselves with winter coats made of ice cream, cookies, and hot chocolate.

I have just come back from a run in the winter wind and was appreciating the sun reflecting of of the snow. If only we could have more. During my run i was reflecting on the good fortune i have to know so many talented, wonderful, funny, smart, different people. It really feels that as i get older life gets infinitely more interesting. I am inspired nearly every day by something a friend is working on.

We had our annual Solstice bash and were rewarded by great snowy weather and a luscious batch of children. There were nearly 80 families and wonderful kids lighting candles around the living room this year. If anyone reads this and has pictures please send them to me. I would love to post them. Winter was welcomed and the festive mood was high. I took a brief hiatus from my daily running to work on knitted mittens, socks, homemade cookies and such.

The new year was rung in with good friends and family and my sons classmates. I cannot tell you what a blast it is to have that many teenagers roaming around and sledding down the hill with you after midnight. We had a lot of late night new year sledding and revelry. Indra even took Allegro out after midnight and rode through the blue moon lit field with the sledders.

I have only run a handful of times this year so far but i am preparing for a sweetheart race with my sweetheart on February 13th complete with chocolate and flowers post race and a half marathon this winter at Hampton Beach. I didn't make it there this summer so i might as well try this winter. Maybe i will even plunge into the Atlantic after the race...Only time will tell.

it's been a great fall

So it has been a while since i have written. We still have not fully figured out Indra's infection at this point. Her running has been sporadic as her foot is still a subject of concern. She did however participate in both the Gorge Apres Gorge and the Hot Chocolate Run. She was awesome and a trooper.

With solstice swiftly approaching and the cold winter running months firmly in place already, it seems a great time to reflect on the running and races and importance of moving throughout the year. After the Hartford Marathon i ran the annual run for Tara in Easthampton. I love this race because it is a great way to raise money for eating disorders and the families struggling to find care for their loved ones, and Tara's family are just a lovely group of people. The race is a quick 5k through fields and woods and a tiny bit of road. There were so many interesting people there this year. I met a very kind woman from CT who struggled with food in her teen years and drove up to participate in the race. After the race there is an epic raffle and a local chorus sings and we all sing happy birthday to Tara in order to remember her. Even though running is the ultimate solo sport it's amazing how it draws us all together to support and admire and share how great it feels to be alive.

I ran the Monson half marathon this fall and it was excellent. All hills, but nothing like the hills around my house. I had spent the whole time believing i would get a serious butt whooping only to be pleasantly surprised. The weather was unusually warm, the people were wonderfully friendly and the course was pretty and fun. Lot's of food, live music and lounging was shared by all after the race. I left feeling elated, pleased and looking forward to next year.

The Thanksgiving week held the Talking Turkey race and the Gorge Apres Gorge. Leslie and i ran the Talking Turkey 6 miler firmly believing that it was a 10k. Needless to say we were surprised and sprinting at the end. It was insanely windy and very packed. The top male finisher ran an average of a 4:50 mile i believe. It was fun to run with so many committed runners from the region. It almost felt like we were running by the ocean as we ran over the spits on the reservoir, there were little white caps from all of the wind. It was great to sprint across the finish line with a great friend holding hands. The following day was the best run of the season the annual Gorge Apres Gorge. Leslie's baby. So many people came out and ran and walked and strolled. This got both Leslie and i thinking how wonderful it would be to have a hill town race series.

I will find photos of these events and update about the Hot Chocolate race next time