That's the song that was in my head when I woke up this morning. For some weird reason. And then I realized it was the manifestation of all the insanity that's happening in Washington DC. If you don't know the lyrics, check this out:
Just thought I'd share that for fun! Could be the theme song for POTUS Number 45.
I haven't posted because life has simply been too busy, between trying to write a little for the book but having fifty gazillion distractions over the past few weeks. Now I am excited to get back into a routine.
I got on the scale and exceeded my previous highest weight ever, so now I can say I do have 20 pounds to lose and I have set a goal of the end of the year, I think two pounds a month is reasonable. I'm not going to restrict myself very much, just pay better attention to eating smaller portions, trying not to stress eat and drink, which I realized has been a problem for me since about November (hmm...)
Running-wise I have been fairly consistent getting the miles on my feet. I want to build up to where I feel comfortable with signing up for at least the 24 hour at Across the Years. I'd like to do the 48 hour but I'll have to see how this year unfolds. I'm thinking about the six-day race in a few years, maybe for my 55th birthday goal.
Speaking of birthdays, I'm having a Donut Triangle Run next weekend. It's about 53 km but probably a little more than that. I have decided that if the weather sucks, I'm not doing it. I have nothing to prove, and I don't feel like being miserable.
I held a workshop 2 weeks ago that went well, I might do some other ones occasionally on different topics. I have an art show/display coming up, I'll have my work at Elevation 5003 Distillery here in Fort Collins during the month of March.
The girls continue to grow. Velcro now has most of her adult teeth and Gypsy is starting to get hers. Gypsy still looks little to me but se has grown, a lot. She just looks small compared to Velcro. We've been hiking, and the weather's been so warm we've been dipping our toes in the Poudre River. The girls love the water.
Last weekend was the Human Powered Brewery Tour, which we attended with the girls. We only went to New Belgium and Odell, neither of us had the energy. The girls did well. Other than trying to steal our beer, they enjoyed seeing all the people and the other dogs. Gypsy barked a lot, she is learning to make her voice heard. We start obedience training next week. I can't wait.
I was talking with a friend the other day and we shared our coping mechanisms since the Trumpocalypse started. I think we are getting a little better handle on living with the uncertainty and insanity, though it's still stressful because every day you wake up not knowing what else he has in store for you.
I've been calling my pathetic excuse for a Senator Cory Gardner who is afraid to meet with the public. These buffoons are so scared now, they know they have pissed off their constituents and the ones who have held public meetings run away and escape through the back door. They make excuses and say things like there are paid protesters. I wish I could get paid for this!
They think they are entitled to their positions as elected officials but they need to remember they work for ALL of us, not just Republicans. I have been calling for nearly a month and only twice I have spoken to an actual staffer. I get tired of leaving voicemails, but I continue to do it.
I went to the Planned Parenthood rally in Old Town a couple of weeks ago and there was a great turnout. If Obama was so bad, why weren't people marching in the streets and calling their elected officials and demanding public accountability then? This has taken the lazy, self-interested politicians by surprise. They were so comfortable in their jobs and not having to deal with a crush of phone calls and angry protesters all the time.
I have a call with my mentor/publisher this morning and I'm really excited about my progress despite the distractions. I'm looking forward to getting back into a routine.
Oh, and did I mention? Spring is here. Crocuses are blooming, little green leaves are opening up on the bushes, and this morning it's raining. February at 5000 feet and 40N latitude. Just a little early.
Back to work. I want to post more, and that might happen now that I can focus on writing. See you again soon. Thanks for reading!
I can hardly believe I am now going into my tenth year of writing this blog.
I started the New Year off at 3:20 am with the girls face fighting on my head. Fortunately I went back to sleep. I went over to the Runners Roost fun run, which was about a 2.4 mile 5K, which I ran at a fast pace, I was able to run sub 9 minute miles, something I don't do very often anymore. I could still talk, not easily, but I could have a conversation.
Last night we celebrated New Years in the Azores time zone, which put our celebration at 6 pm our time. Perfect, since we were in bed by 8 pm. I found myself missing Across the Years this year. It's been a while. I need to get back there eventually.
I hung out at the Roost for a while, socializing and telling people about my upcoming workshop, and then I came home. I wrapped up this week with a little over 40 miles of running. Awesome.
I stopped over at Warren Lake on my way home to look at the scenery. It is, after all, the first day of spring. I could hear the ice melting on the lake, that gurgling sound that reminds me of whales. I don't know if that's what whales sound like, but that's what I think of when I hear it.
A running friend came over with her daughter to meet the girls, and Dennis went down to see his mom. I got a little writing done, and now I am tired, ready for a nap. I don't think I'll be getting enough sleep for quite some time, until the girls can both sleep through the night.
I am looking forward to reviving the blog this year, I want to have more of a focus on health-related running issues, things that affect both women and men but of course I can speak much better for women's running experiences. I'll be adding more video content too. I want to do more running, of the suburban adventure-type, so there will be more stories about that. When I say suburban I mean, outside of the city of Fort Collins, which includes some awesome scenery and trails.
Since I'm writing my book this year, I'll probably drift into a few healthcare-related tangents and maybe even some good rants here and there.
And of course, the Stay-At-Home-Dog-Mom chronicles.
Happy New Year. I wish each of you the best of fun and health in 2017.
I have been super busy, and not running much, though I am doing quite a bit of walking. I've done about 55 miles a week on my feet for the last 3 weeks. I have so much work and replying to people, that I just take my phone with me and walk the bike paths and get my work done. I did get 20 miles in one day last week, though I only ran an hour and a half of it.
This morning I participated in a "boot camp", for a group I've joined of like minded healthcare people who want to change things to do a better job of caring for the patient. I spent a couple of hours listening to the other people in the small group and working on telling my own story, which was very empowering for me. I've told it before, in different parts, but I finally sat down and wrote the whole thing out, leaving out a few things I would like to have said but really were just me blowing off steam.
It felt so good to finally tell it, and I plan to tell it in various ways in front of small and large groups in the near future. When you tell your story, it brings up emotions in other people who can relate to the same feelings.
I've been trying to back off on the expectations of myself with running because every time I think I've overcome my lack of motivation, I take two steps back. I love getting out and walking, it's not helping my clothes fit any better, but at least I am being outdoors and moving.
We started looking at puppies. Talking to breeders in Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska. I'd say there's a pretty good chance that by this time next year we will have two Australian Shepherd puppies. The next generation.
I have been busy doing research, finding people who want to do research, marketing my services, speaking to groups in person and online, writing blogposts, and talking to a lot of people all over the U.S. and Canada, too.
I just wish I could feel like running. I have no problem getting out the door but I don't know where Alene the runner went. Maybe I'll find her. Maybe not. Maybe it will take a couple of Australian Shepherd pups to drag me along to get me to run again.
Maybe I'm content to sit here in the woman cave watching the sunset throw light on the back wall of the house, lighting up the new green leaves across the yard, watching the delphinium grow taller every day until they pop open with bright purple blooms, which should be any day now.
I'm enjoying spring here and May is still ahead, the most colorful month this side of summer solstice.
Yesterday was a typical Fort Collins spring day. A walk on the Power Trail, some yard work, followed by a trip to New Belgium brewery and all the local breweries were packed full of people.
We met some friends, had a few samples of new beer. I tried some kind of seasonal melon summer brew, it was light with just a hint of melon- I liked it.
Later we met with some other friends from Dennis's running days at Western State College. One of the guys on the team was visiting from DC, so a bunch of us got together for dinner and caught up on life in general nearly 30 years after they were teammates on the cross country and track teams.
Laughing about slowing down, gravity, gray hair, baldness, and reading glasses. And of course, rehashing some of the old crazy antics from their college days.
I'm just planning for my week ahead, I will go out and get a few miles in today. It looks like rain. Everything is getting green and blooming. Just a few scenes from around town over the past few days on my runs:
It's so weird. I've noticed this thing lately. I don't know what it is, so I'll call it a "thing".
Lately as I've been running along the Power Trail, or different parts of town, I have noticed a lot of people giving me the thumbs up sign.
I have no idea why. I'm trying to figure it out. Either it's because I'm so slow and I look like I'm struggling to run, maybe my form has deteriorated so badly that it looks like I'm about to draw my last breath, or maybe it's the gray hair.
I get this from men of all ages, and never women. Where I used to get catcalls which really pissed me off and occasionally resulted in me saying a few choice words to the offender, now it seems like I get the thumbs up everywhere. I prefer it this way. Even if it's like giving a ribbon to the last place kid for self-esteem, no one catcalls their grandmother. I'm pushing the crone age group, I suppose.
I'm okay with it.
Maybe I'm just assuming things here. Maybe I have toilet paper trailing out of my running shorts behind me or something else embarrassing?
Just a thing I noticed.
It's spring, and allergy season. I've been sneezing and have a runny nose sometimes but it's not too bad this year.
I have another blogpost brewing, it also has to do with gray hair, but it's not as pleasant an observation.
I did 13.1 miles today according to my phone app. I ran an hour and 45 minutes of it, the rest was walking. That's my longest run in a while, since February, I think. Maybe I did a 2 hour run in March, I can't keep track anymore.
What I do know is that I'm not feeling the motivation to train for anything. I'm getting out and trying to run an hour most days but it isn't always consistent. I do get the walking in, since I can get a lot of my desk work done while moving, it keeps me out of the butt vortex.
I have a lot of writing and blogging to do, you might see me here more often these days. I'm going to be writing a piece on cancer for runners as a guest blogpost for another blogger soon, and it will be a long piece with a continuation to here and my new work blog.
Have a great weekend and see you soon. Thanks for sticking with me, readers. It's been a rough run, lately.
I'm back. I know, it's been 2 1/2 weeks since I last posted. Completely and totally unacceptable. I've been busy with the launch of Cancer Harbors, making the switch from development to marketing, and time just gets away.
I have been running about 3-4 days a week, and feeling pretty good. Nothing exciting to report, I've been so busy that I just go through the neighborhood, down the Power Trail, or somewhere that doesn't involve taking extra time to drive.
Today is the Horsetooth Half Marathon and I am so glad I didn't decide to run it this year. Last time I ran it the weather was like this, actually worse because of the wind. It's 37 degrees outside and we have a big heap of wet snow outside, it was accumulating only for a few hours and now it's melting as it hits the ground. I'm glad because we have blossoms on our baby apricot trees this spring and I don't want any hard frosts to hurt them!!
I'm busy making videos and writing blogposts, press releases, tweets and social media posts, and other stuff. I know this doesn't have anything to do with running, but I am going to write a few posts for athletes and runners because we are not immune to cancer.
Here are a few links to my Cancer Harbors posts, articles, and so on... If you know someone with cancer, who has either recently been diagnosed, is going through treatment, or has recently (within the past year or two) completed treatment, send them to Cancer Harbors, because there are so many quality of life issues that go unaddressed by current medical practices in survivorship care.
Unlike the other day when I took the picture of my guardian squirrel, right now it's snowing outside the woman cave as I write this. Not very motivating weather. I am proud to say I have run for three days in a row now. Haven't been out to run yet today and this blogpost is just another procrastination strategy. I really do need to get out there. I hate to interrupt my streak...
I've been working on talking with people, social media, spreading the word, putting some finishing touches on the website for the big launch of Cancer Harbors on Monday.
I was interviewed on a podcast, this time about nursing, listen if you're interested. It's been nearly two and a half years since I left the hospital and a lot has happened and I've come a long way. Every day is still full of learning and uncertainty, but I keep pushing ahead. It's an ultra, and ultra is what I do best.
Last night I ran with Wheaties Boy again and we talked marketing strategy. He put my mind somewhat more at ease with some things I've struggled with. It was raining and he was in shorts, I was bundled up in winter clothes. Now it's snowing but not sticking to the ground. Spring in Colorado is always interesting.
If I can somehow get brave enough to go in the house, change into running clothes, and get out, even for a half hour, I will feel so good. I should get my butt out of the vortex and go!
This morning I dragged my butt out of bed at 5 am so I could run up the big hill at Horsetooth with my friend Connie, whom I haven't seen in months. It was entirely worth it, to see her and to see the sunrise, which was awesome. Instead of taking a million pictures I decided to share it in a video. The moon was setting above Horsetooth Rock, you could see the reflection of it in frozen puddles alongside the road, the deer were out, and the light on the snowy foothills was pinkish-orange.
It's been a busy week, I only ran twice including today, and it's all about being in the butt vortex for work. I should be able to break the seal on the chair again soon. For now, enjoy the video, and I'll have more adventures to share soon.
Life goes on. I hit the big 52 on Thursday. I took the day off and went to Boulder, as I often do on my birthday. I don't know why, maybe I feel like I have to go down there and remind myself that I'm glad I live in Fort Collins? I stopped at Union Reservoir in Longmont to take a picture of Longs Peak reflected in the water. Soon it will be time to get back up there on the trails.
I ran several days this week and felt pretty good. I'm not accumulating very many miles. The motivation has been off and on. Once I get a schedule in place, it will help. Just another couple of weeks and I will have that in place, too.
The weather has been so nice, we are finally getting a few 70 degree days. We did some yard work and cleaned up the front garden. It's too early to plant anything as we will get at least one more major snowstorm and many hard frosts before we're safe to plant outside. It's supposed to snow this week. That's a good thing, we need some moisture. It's been so dry since the last snowstorm.
My butt is healing. It finally stopped itching over the last day or two. Honey Boo Boo has a sign hung on her gate to her backyard that says "Dangerous Dog". I am sure the people who own the house love it. Maybe she should have thought of that before she let her dogs run wild.
Nice pic of my 1/2 smiley face tramp stamp surrounded by rash and adhesive-trashed skin. You can see two of the punctures and then the deep canine puncture tunnel makes up the half smile. It's healed up really well. I looked at my jeans and I can see why the one puncture on the right went so deep- the front teeth caught me through the pocket of my jeans, the canine was in the area where it was only a single layer of fabric. I'm lucky I was wearing jeans and not running shorts or tights.
I saw Wheaties Boy today. He's been injured, struggling to come back. We made a pact to start running together on Tuesday nights now that we're on daylight savings time again and we have the light in the evenings. Hopefully this will be the thing that pushes me past the edge of trying to motivate myself. I've been doing pretty well but since the bite I haven't been as motivated.
I launch my new online service, Cancer Harbors, the week of April 4-8. The website will be launched that week. For now it's still the temporary landing page. I'm going to do an online open house, using Twitter, Facebook, the website, email, and other social media.
I'm excited, scared, nervous, relieved, and all kinds of emotions about it. I can't wait to make the switch to marketing though, I have had enough of sitting on my butt for a while!
This picture from 1992 is of me and two of my three running buddies who joined me on the original leap year run, The Quadrennial Quagmire. The original run, which happened twice, in 1992 and 1996, consisted of a circuitous out and back loop from town, around Horsetooth Reservoir, through Lory State Park and Horsetooth Mountain Park, up Redstone Canyon, and back. It was about 50 miles.
I am in need of a birthday challenge this year, but a "lite" version. I decided that given my minimal training and my need to keep doing the vertical, I'd do an easier challenge. Hence, the Quad Quag revival. Except this time, I'm calling it the Quadrennial Quadriceps Quagmire. It will be simple, consisting of just four Rock Repeats. Seventeen miles, 4400 feet of climb and the same of descent. Easy, right?
It's easy logistically, too, because the up and back course allows returns to the vehicle every 4 miles and change. No need to carry a bunch of gear. I plan to do it regardless of the weather. Quagmire or blizzard, sunny 70 degrees or downpour, I'll be there. I'm inviting any local runners to join me. Should be a fun time, regardless.
Welcome to a new feature on Journey to Badwater: Vicarious Vlogging by Alene.
It's where I take you with me on my running adventures, short and long, sharing snippets of my runs. If you've never run in Fort Collins, Colorado in the winter, you are missing out on one of my favorite places to run hills.
If you're lucky enough to catch it on a day like today, you can get the full effect of the sandblasting gusts that cut your face with ice shards, stab you with spears of dried grass, and steal the breath out of your mouth before you can inhale.
I wanted to get 10 miles of hills today but I only got 5 because the wind was blowing so hard I couldn't see. I pulled my hijab-like neck gaiter and head coverings up over my face and around my sunglasses, but I had to hang on to the edges so gravel and debris wouldn't blow into my eyes. And since I didn't have my arms at my sides for balance, the wind picked my up off my feet a few times and nearly knocked me over.
The snow blew so hard across the road that there were sections of slush all the way across the width of the asphalt.
Later in the day I finished up with a walk after the wind died down.
We are now three weeks past solstice and I already notice the slight difference in the evening light, past 5 pm. Looking out the back window I see this view.
I got 55 miles on my feet this past week. Three hours of which was running. Progress. It's been so cold, that's been the hardest thing to overcome.
I'm buried in editing work with my startup but enjoying it. I love it when I get the edits back from my team. They have so many great insights, and my blind spot is covered. I say blind spot because, not being a cancer survivor myself, there are many personal experiences that I don't bring to the work I do. I can listen and empathize to the best of my ability, but I will always be missing a piece. Thankfully I am not a cancer survivor. But I am aware of the potential for anyone, including myself, to become one.
Tomorrow I am being interviewed for a podcast by one of the longtime readers of this blog. I will share the link and info as soon as it's available. Sounds like fun. Thanks, Amy, for the opportunity to plog (podcast-blog).
Another busy week ahead, and every step gets me closer.
It's still Sunday. For now, back to the backyard gazing.
Welcome, nine days into a Fort Collins spring. Despite the cold and snow, I've been consistent, both indoors and out. Working on walking 10 miles most days, and doing a little running within those walking miles. I need it more for my head these days as my brain is overloaded. The walking time allows me to stop my state of panic, sort through my thoughts, and slow down.
For some reason walking does that for me, so much better than running. And since I'm not training for anything, the running is not all that important, so I do it when I feel like it. So far the running mood hasn't struck me more than two or three days a week. It is mental, and part of it is also my poor level of fitness for a higher level of intensity. It's not as comfortable to run. I know, no excuses, and once I get into the habit, it's won't be as difficult. But again, no race, no stress.
I've been enjoying the long stretches of bike paths in Fort Collins, that are always plowed before the roads. What drives me crazy is that the city doesn't plow the small streets, and they have poor drainage, so we get icejams.
We have this crazy system of garbage pickup here, we have several different companies that haul waste, and that means that almost every day there are trash and recycle trucks coming down our street. It's a waste of energy and is hard on the streets, in my opinion. But since we have this system, I say why don't we put blades on the trash trucks so they can plow the small streets as they go? I think that would help a lot. I'm sure the garbage companies wouldn't want that. But it's such an inefficient system, multiple trips down the same streets to collect garbage. And it would solve the problem of the small streets never getting plowed.
And as a pedestrian, the city is pretty bad about plowing sidewalks. Once the snowplows come through, they cover the sidewalks in snow and chunks of ice. Then, when they do clear the sidewalks, it's inconsistent and they don't enforce the sidewalk shoveling ordinance. The worst offenders are certain churches (ahem!) that should have plenty of young missionaries physically able to maintain their sidewalks and help their community...and apartment complexes. You would think these places bring in enough with the overpriced rental market in this area, but they can't seem to clear their walkways.
One of my neighbors on the other side of the street is the sidewalk Nazi. He calls the city on people. I wish he would follow me on my running and walking routes, he's be busy all the time. On our side of the street, our next door neighbor has a snowblower and usually wakes up early and does the sidewalk on our side, plus some of our driveways when he has time. I have a neighbor down the street who is in his late 70s so I try to get down there and move some of the snow if the neighbor with the snowblower hasn't been out.
I don't mind the snow, but it's the ice and bitter cold that gets to me. And the ice is worse than the cold. We have a serious ice problem in Fort Collins, as I've mentioned many times before. There is no drainage. A year ago the city replaced the corner curbs with wheelchair accessible corners, which is great for the times when there's no snow and ice. What happens, though, is the snow melts and slush and deep water accumulate at the ends of the streets, and the water backs up over the corner sidewalks, making treacherous solid ice sheets at every street corner in the neighborhood.
Brilliant. The marijuana money is helping with street improvements, but we need someone who isn't stoned to plan the improvements.
Well that's my snow and ice rant. I must be resentful because it's spring and we are getting all this snow. We did just plan a trip to Arizona, though, so I'm looking forward to that, if it's not snowing there. The other day I was on the phone with my friend Terri in Tucson and it was snowing harder there than it was here. And Flagstaff's snow this winter makes Fort Collins look like a tropical paradise.
Speaking of spring, I can't really complain because I have all this to look at as I walk and run the bike paths.
