my pretty pony

you must see Matinée dance at the 2006 World Equestrian Games.

can you guess which is her favorite song?

pleasure spiked with pain

i was listening to the red hot chili peppers today while i did my long run, and then some dixie chicks to keep me mellow.

this morning miz nina and i enjoyed a leisurely walk through the baerenreid. we saw lots of flowers and heard lots of birds singing. we saw a group of four teenage girls come trotting by on two horses and two little shetland ponies. the girls on the little ponies were bouncing along so hard i thought their teeth must have been rattling! funny but cute too. wish i had my camera with me! nina and i were out for about an hour, taking it easy.

later on, i got in a little over 8 miles on my long run. whew baby i'm really really tard (as we say in the south!). the first 5.44 were the best - i did them in the Baerenreid in the shade of the forest. the first 2 miles of the uphill portion of course is hard, but the rest was quite pleasant. i covered 5.44 in 54 minutes, then i took a ten minute walking break, had some water, and stopped to shake the pebbles and other trail debris out of my shoes. next i ran back through our little town and did a quick loop through the fields. got lots of sun today, but it wasn't hot really. i had considered going further through the fields and back through the Buchsiwald forest but realized that would pushing it too much today. i actually wanted to be able to make it back to my house!

don't know what to do with myself now. i think i'm gonna have to eat a ham sandwich and take a nap. hope you are having a good day too!

Rise and Shine

don't hate me because i'm beautiful

in response to the Rise and Shine Challenge i found on two of my favorite blogs 21st Century Mom and Not Born to Run i posted my own "Rise and Shine" photo this morning. ugh. hopefully you haven't choked on your morning coffee. it's blurry, sorry, but i didn't have on my glasses.

so today is saturday. it looks like we might have some rain finally. it has been so dry! yesterday when i came in from my run, my legs and shoes were covered in gray dust. #1 son is having a terrible time with allergies. poor kid is producing his body weight in snot. he really wants it to rain!

i did "real good" yesterday on my run. i went 34 minutes without stopping, and that includes a series of small hills. i ran from the Hornussen Club house, across the fields, down the street, across the other fields, down the paved road towards Kirchlindach, then through another field and into the little Buchsiwald forrest, and looped through. i ended by going up this last hill which i finally ran ALL THE WAY UP! i did NOT stop once. i have a special name for this hill, but it's rude, so i will only share with you it's initials: S.A.H. i conquered the SAH yesterday! mentally i was doing a victory dance, thrusting my arms in the air like Rocky, but physically i was sucking some major air. ha. not very cool. i think i scared the farmer's cows with my wheezing. once i composed myself, i walked for about two minutes, had some water, then continued my run back through the loop towards the Hornussen club house. i enjoyed myself (except for the SAH part).

today i'm thinking i will take a rest day, and just go for a long walk with miz nina. hope you enjoy your day wherever you are.

are you stuck in negativity?

that question just jumped out at me from today's www.yahoo.com main page. (see article) so, i thought about it. hmmmm. yeah... i think i tend to get stuck in that negative muddy goo several times a year and i usually need something to give me a kick in the rear to get out of it. it wasn't until i was a "grown up" that i realized that the proverbial kick in the rear had to come from ME. i couldn't wait for someone else to recognize i was floundering and swoop in and rescue me. believe me, other folks have their own issues to deal with. no matter how dramatically i flounced around, the only person to get me out of those messes was myself. interestingly, i usually ended up there because i wasn't paying attention to where i was going, what i was doing, or lost sight of my goals.

that being said, i must admit there have been a special few along the way who have been there for me. i'm very fortunate that i've had them and that they didn't pull me out of the mud, but would stand there with their arms crossed and say,"oh my! i can't believe you just did that!" "well, what are you going to do now?" "why don't you try it this way?" "wow. sucks to be you. when you're finished flouncing about, let me know, i'll be here." thanks, guys!

so, today, at this moment, i'm not stuck in negativity. one moment at a time, right?

i went out for my run earlier today (about 7:30 am) so i could take miz nina along with me. it's been so "warm" lately, that it has been hard on her. (highs in the mid 70s. ha!). we ran the trails through the Barenreid. i kept her off leash most of the time and she loved it. i could listen for her tags dingalinging to know she was keeping up, and she was enjoying all the sniffing and investigating along the way without me yanking on her leash.

the trail i follow in the Barenreid is mostly uphill and then downhill. it's mainly a gradual incline, but whew, that's a challenge for me! i can still only keep going uphill in ten minute spurts, and then must take a short walking break. back in january, when i was on these trails, i found it hard to even go 30 seconds uphill. so, i'll take the progress i've made. it took me 20 minutes today to go up a mile and a half. only took me 15 to go back downhill the same distance. the downhill part for me is the FUN PART!

Her Majesty

Her Majesty Visits W&M in 1957

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II Returns to William and Mary May 2007

we are especially excited for daughter #1 who is in the Queen's Guard.

thank you, robert key

robert key, founder of www.faithfulsoles.com is one of my readers. thank you, robert, for following me on my journey. i'm thrilled to be your choice for this week's "runner of the week."

visit www.faithfulsoles.com today

accidento.

i dropped my pedometer in the potty. it's dead...i'm pretty sure.

i ran 4.55 miles today (without said pedometer...i mapped the route out on the computer).i was able to run about 35 minutes without stopping. it was really sunny today, mid 70s. i'm getting a tan.

daughter #1 is stressing big time. ten more days of classes at w&m, then 2 weeks of exams. i wish her well and remind her this too shall pass.

son #1 is his usual mellow self. tomorrow is his last day of classes, then 2 weeks of exams - no worries, no study, no problemo. i wish him well and remind him that hotel mama is closing august 31, 2007.

i just ate half a can of pringles. why the hell did i let them into the house. ugh ugh

mr. kicky is travelling - so i get to sleep sideways in the bed. love that! ha

the one with the attack

i am over "the hump!" i've reached my goal this month. i've run three times now going from 25 minutes to 34 minutes without stopping. i must admit i AM SLOW! i'll then take a short walk break, drink some water, then keep on going, running/walking as i choose all the way back home. i'm hitting a distance close to 5 miles total.

last tuesday night i had an attack of sorts. i couldn't sleep. my body ached so bad! i couldn't get comfortable. i was diagnosed with "fibromyalgia" in 2000 and actually once i had that diagnosis i've only had a few flare ups because then i started paying attention to symptoms, and not trying to always "push through the pain."

so last tuesday night, i think i had a major flare up. looking back at my activity level for the six days prior, it's no wonder. i ran every day, or i walked between 4 and 10 miles. it's normal to feel a little achy at my age after some exertion, but this was ridiculous. for me, a "fibro flare up" feels like the worst flu body aches you've ever ever had, plus i can't sleep, and i'm so stiff i can hardly make it up and down the stairs.

note to self: remember to plan rest days carefully to avoid fibro-flare-ups. ha

so anyways, i spent a miserable night tuesday night, then took the next two days to rest up. i soaked in hot baths, i took ibuprofen, i stretched, i kept moving, doing my usual things, just didn't work out.

by today i feel just fine again and just got back in from my latest run. i'm so excited! i made it through 34 minutes without stopping. the last few minutes were actually up a hill that i find even hard to walk up. i almost made it all the way up today. i think the next time i run, i'll be able to make it to the top without stopping. this is absolutely amazing to think that i've accomplished this! just a few weeks ago, literally, i was challenging myself by running 90 seconds at a time! i've been following the couch to 5K running plan - which is supposed to only take like 8 weeks...well, it has taken me since november to reach this point, but man oh man, i'm here!

my day off

i'm taking the day off from running, but i took a lovely long walk in the Baerenried today with miz nina. we walked to the top of the schupberg. lucky you - i took my camera again. what a beautiful morning. the forrest was filled with the sound of birds singing. i felt like i was in a disney movie.

yesterday i ran 25 minutes without stopping. i'm on top of that learning curve, baby! so today, i'm taking a break. tomorrow though, i'm going to eat up those 25 minutes. grrrrrr

virginia tech

....i'm waiting to hear from a friend if her child who attends V.T. is ok. :-(

my heart goes out to all those people.

follow up:
my friend says her child is safe. she had been informed about the first incident and didn't go to campus. her roommates however were already on campus and spent several hours in lockdown.

spring scenes

i took a lovely little 4 mile walk this morning with miz nina and took my camera along today since yesterday i told you how pretty it was. i'm going out for my run later this afternoon.

interestingly, yesterday was the first time i had ever ever ever walked ten miles. doing the "nordic walking" was a lot of fun too. today i can feel that i really got a work out yesterday, but i am not sore -- except i have a blister of the ball of my foot. that's my only complaint.

click here for more info nordic walking

the one with the nordic walking

today is absolutely gorgous! sunny, mid 70s. the colors of the day are: pale sky blue, grass green, dandelion yellow, alpine white. there's a light cool breeze. days don't get much prettier than this. i wish i had brought my camera along so you could see too.

i decided to take a long walk today instead of going for a long run. my knees are a kind of achey and i wanted to rest them a bit, but not miss out on an aerobic workout. so, i went NORDIC WALKING.

it was glorious! my pedometer says i went 10.97 miles - i'll take that as an estimate. i walked 2 hours 40 minutes and covered all my running routes in one giant loop. what's nice about nordic walking is that it's more of an exertion than normal walking, but not as rough on you as running. i felt strong and powerful the entire time. let me tell you, there's an enormous difference in tackling a big hill with the poles, than running up one! i only stopped a couple of times for some water, and to change the caps/tips of my poles (rubber stoppers -- or die gummipuffers -- for the asphalt and steel tips for the trails). click here to see my route and elevations.

if you're looking for a new sport that's a great cardio workout, but gentle on the ol' bod, try nordic walking!

nordic walking pic from http://www.hostatt.ch/sitee/pix/nordic/nordic3.jpg

the one with the 100 miles

the Barenreid. from the top of the Schupberg. taken by my lovely daughter.

as of today,

i've run 100 miles in 2007 !

not too shabby for a 48 year old woman who was never a runner!

this calls for champagne!

yesterday, i ran up the schupberg on the trails. nina went with me. it was nice and cool in the shade. going up the hills though is HARD. from my house to the highest point on the schupberg is 200 feet.

i had a good run today. i managed two 10-minute runs with 3 minute walking break in between. i stayed to more gently rolling hills, than steep, like yesterday. the time spent on the incline yesterday paid off. today felt easy in comparison.

venting:
aside from my running-life, i have so much going on, that it's starting to freak me out a little. it's time to get organized to pack out, got to get miz nina's shots and health papers ready, i need to travel to virginia to attend #1 daughter's college graduation, also need to organize #1 daughter's summer travel, then i need to travel back to switzerland to attend #1 son's high school graduation, then it's time to pack out the middle of june. what happens next with any luck is i'll run away to florida for a week at the end of june to attend my 30th high school reunion (florida high class 1977!!). next i'll go to virginia and take possession of our house we've rented out since 2000 and start making repairs, shop for a car, then the rest of the family and miz nina will join me, and we'll anxiously await our HHE (household effects). i think i'm going to be a little crazy until october. by then i think my life will have settled back into a groove again. oh yeah..and hopefully i'll find some employment that i'll enjoy.

throughout, i will run. with any luck
i'll stay a step ahead of the stress and my husband will think i'm a cool,
groovey chica who has her act together. (yeah right!)

p.s. happy friday the 13th!

shameless bragging

my daughter - what can i say? she has so much talent. visit her photo page here.

she has an amazing "eye" and her prices are reasonable. buy something - help support my college student.

we are both going to run in the schweizer frauenlauf bern on june 10 ( if all works out!). probably just the 5K since we'll be jet-lagged.

mark your calendars:
may 20 - my #1 daughter graduates from W&M
june 2 - my #1 son graduates from ISB.

hornussen

so...yesterday i ran one of my usual trails, going by a spot i've gone by numerous times before and always wondered about. yesterday there were men out practicing the sport -- something i'd never ever seen before. i did a google-search on traditional swiss sports and came up with what it is! it's called HORNUSSEN and looks like a combination golf/baseball/shotput kinda event. i saw the guy holding a pole that was long and bendy like a fishing pole, and he was flinging a wad of something down field. pretty darn interesting i must say! it freaked out miz nina though. i'd love to see a full game so i'll keep checking back now that the weather is better. those crazy swiss!

photo from http://www.businesslunchclub.ch/img/hornussen.jpg

i'm registered for the 5K in the Bern Grand Prix on May 12. now it's official.

in other news, my run yesterday blew. i didn't feel well but at least i went. today i'm not going. i'm a wimp. tomorrow i'll run. tomorrow tomorrow tomorrow

another sport i'm fond of -- HURLING.

i discovered that in ireland. now THAT'S a REAL GAME!!

hurling pic:

http://images.google.ch/imgres?imgurl=http://www.tipperary.com/postcard/images/hurling.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.tipperary.com/postcard/ecards.aspx&h=480&w=640&sz=72&hl=en&start=1&um=1&tbnid=GBcgrBMFIjkKhM:&tbnh=103&tbnw=137&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dhurling%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26newwindow%3D1%26safe%3Dactive%26sa%3DN

my trip was great!

i had a wonderful time in trier. lots of laughs! lots of fun! great to see old friends again. i've known these gals more than 30 years now. my buddies. :-)

the oldest city in germany

tomorrow, i'm taking a little holiday to visit with some good ol' florida gals! i'll be in trier. did you know, that trier is the oldest city in germany? i've been there several times. it's lovely! the moselle river runs by it. there are also many vineyards in the area, as well as numerous ancient castles and fortresses. i'm leaving my running shoes at home since this is just a quick visit. i'll be back saturday night. photos will follow.

oh! and..i was good. i ran yesterday. :-) train photo by my daughter

fondue's revenge - or - the first time i ever ran 8 miles

we had fondue last night. my husband always makes it on the weekends during the colder months. it's very delicious - if anyone wants to know how to make a real swiss cheese fondue, let me know and i'll send you our instructions. we dip vegetables into the pot of bubbling cheese, as well as bread - which probably isn't so swiss, but we feel better about ourselves when we do. be forewarned: there is such a thing as that last bite too many of fondue. you'll know it when you reach it. aaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwgggh.

this morning i was determined to get out there and run. i still felt like i had a 2 pound ball of cheese in my belly. i ate oatmeal for breakfast, and drank practically a liter of water before i went out. the first twenty minutes were not easy breezy. they were cheezy-cheezy. ha. i completed a 20 minute jog for the first time following the 5th week program of the couch to 5 K workout without stopping. i credit this to staying on some absolutely FLAT trails i found yesterday while walking. there is a stretch about 3/4 of a mile long, which i stayed on, repeating back over it several times until i completed the 20 minutes. not fun. hurt a little. had to push myself. but i did it. it's a challenge to find flat areas to run on around here.

afterwards, knowing i was finally warmed up, i headed over to the other side of the road to the fields i love, and ran around those fields, down to the next little village, cut into the forrest, ran through the forrest, then doubled back through the forest, then ran back the entire way i came. i stopped a couple of times, usually at the top of the steepest hills, to walk for about 30 seconds when i felt my heart rate was getting too high.

i was almost all the way back home, when i had to stop again because i found myself behind a farmer who was flinging barn straw/manure/sludge out over his field behind his tractor. it was quite aromatic, and consequently, i gave myself permission to walk so i would stay a fair distance behind all the flinging. once i cleared that mess, i ran the rest of the way home. whew. i'm going to be tired!!

my wonderful friend ctclady ran in the Iron Girl 10K yesterday that was held in clearwater, florida. she said it was a harder race for her than the 15K run she just completed in jacksonville on the gate river run. she came in 123rd out of 261 women in all. 17th out of 34 in her category. her time was 1:00.11 which gave her a pace of 9:42. no wonder she felt like it was harder than her last race. she ran at a much faster pace! yay for you, ctclady!!

now it's time for me to get back to my summer move preparations. it's time to PURGE! anyone want some junk???