Training Day

Training Day #1.  For the San Francisco Nike Women's Marathon on October 16th.  Only 125 more days of training to go!  So I'm back to running.  I always knew I'd end up back as a runner, I just didn't realize it'd be by necessity.  But I'm glad to be back here.  I forgot how good it feels to run and be in good shape to do it.  Ah, the running endorphins...  So 10 1/2 months after breaking a femur, I'm training for a marathon.  5 months ago, I started out with shuffling/walking/jogging sessions.  In March, I did a duathlon with some awesome friends, and limped through the run, but finished out in 2nd place in my age group, go figure!  And 2 months ago, I ran the Run Through Redlands Half Marathon on a whim and finished in 1:57, when I never even thought I'd be able to run the whole thing without walking in the first place (which I did).  So I'm so thankful to be where I'm at: healthy, happy, and walking (or rather running).  This weekend I did a 9.65 mile road run and a 9.35 trail run (19 miles total).  So I figure I have a pretty good base to start out my training.  My goals for this marathon aren't big.  I have no illusions of setting a PR or qualifying for Boston (which I was 5 minutes off from the last time).  I just want to make it through and finish.  (But with a semi-decent finishing time, of course.)

You Pick

I felt like I was in Michigan today.  Well okay, minus the 90+ degree weather with 90% humidity; it has actually been cooler here in sunny Southern California, than in my home state, go figure.  But I won't complain.  But anyway, who would've thought that I could do some good ole' blueberry pickin' down here in the desert.  I planted my own blueberry bushes last winter, but they have only yielded 4 ripe blueberries so far (with not much more to ripen on the horizon -- but considering I can count the number of branches and leaves on each bush, that's not so surprising).  So yesterday, I was driving down San Bernardino Avenue and saw "U PICK BLUEBERRIES" on the corner of San Bernardino and Dearborn, and I just couldn't get the thought of blueberries out of my mind.  So after a beautiful run up Crafton Trail, guess where I ended up?  And the best part?  I could eat while I picked.  Yum!

Things that annoy me when....

Before today, I wasn't sure which to write about:
Possibility #1: The things that annoy me when I'm driving -OR-
Possibility #2: The things that annoy me when I'm riding a bike.

Well, this morning decided that for me and I'll have to save #1 for a later post.  So that means #2.  Let's just say I've had enough injuries while riding a bike.  So I thought I had solved this by: A) Mostly running, B)Riding by myself, C) Not racing (and therefore riding by myself), and D) Not riding a mountain bike.  Well, as most riders know the number one annoying thing about riding a bike (nearly equal to riding with people who are squirrely on a bike) is CARS.  And, unfortunately, you can't ride a road bike without riding around a bunch of really stupid drivers.

So this morning, I decided to take an early morning (that is, relatively early because I have trouble getting out of bed too early) short spin out to Greenspot Market and back.  On the way home, I specifically avoided riding past REV (for all you non-Redlanders that is Redlands East Valley High School), because everyone knows that teenagers are the absolute worst drivers.  So I headed up to Citrus (which in reality isn't that far from REV but at least it doesn't go directly by it), and as I ride down Citrus (note: downhill = fast) some idiot teenage driver (or it could be an equally idiot driver parent, just to be fair), takes off in front of me from the King Street stop sign to head to the school.  Should I have been 0.5 seconds later, I would have been roadkill.  I think all of the cars waiting at the stop sign (and there were quite a few) probably heard my scream of shear terror.
 
So all of you drivers out there, ONCE AGAIN!:
1.  No, our breaks do not stop us as fast as car breaks stop you... Do not pull out in front of us, or turn in front of us, or stop fast in front of us, because we will not be able to stop!
2.  Don't drive too close; Share the Road means SHARE, not drive as closely to us as you can without actually hitting us.
3.  Yes, we don't come to a complete stop and unclip at all stop signs, but slowing so as to make sure the way is safe and clear is safe riding too. We will stop fully and clip out, if needed, no problem.  And if you still don't understand this, get off your f** a** and try riding a road bike and see what a pain it is to clip out at every single stop sign in Redlands: There's a lot of them!

Okay that's my rant about cars and cycling.  I'm sure if I thought longer, I could come up with more things, but that's about the gist of it.  Stay tuned for my rant about cars and driving...

The Scene

I went back to the "scene of the crime" today (as Matt would put it).  Or rather, the scene of the end of my short but sweet mountain biking career.

Note: realatively straight and very wide.  Freak accident at it's best.  Anyway, this time I was, sadly, on foot.  I hiked/ran to the gate at the top for a total of almost 11 miles.  It was a beautiful but bittersweet day.  It reminded me of how much I miss the beauty of mountain biking.  The road (as in cycling) just doesn't hold the same feel.  But trail running definitely gives mountain biking a run for it's money.  So I'm back to keeping my two feet on the ground and enjoying my return to running.  From personal experience, Crafton Hills is a gorgeous run too; those of you who pedal it should try it.

Spring has sprung

Spring is definitely in the air, and not just because the temperatures are finally going up.  The aromas are fantastic and the the trees are in bloom.  Drive down many a road in Redlands and the scent of orange blossoms is almost overwhelmingly sweet.  And not only are my orange trees blooming but so are my apples trees.  It's hard to believe that a little over 2 weeks ago, there was snow on the ground.... a rare event in Southern California, much less in April.  I've almost felt as if I live in Michigan again: warm temps one day and blustery cold the next.  It's been a bipolar spring.  I'll certainly miss the cool temps of winter, the green hills and the refreshing air.  But the brilliance of spring is hard to complain about.  Here's just a hint of the the  rich blossoms adorning my yard:

That's a load of garbage!

I'd never been to the dump before.  In fact, my vision was one of what I'd seen in movie and TV shows.  But it certainly was nothing like what I'd imagined: a huge pile of junk with old broken TVs, radios and bikes and with banana peels strewn all over the place and garbage divers looking for treasures.  In fact, I was blown away by the whole organized process of bringing junk to the dump.  The stations to drop off metal, wood, palm fronds, and green waste by huge dumpsters.  The massive bulldozers to plow the junk under the dirt.  I was also floored by the amount of junk we produce; and a little bit sickened at that.  Of course, we were adding to that heap of rubbish being entombed in the earth.  Here was the first load:

All 800+ pounds of it.  And that was just the first load.  But it sure looks a heck of a lot better behind the garage.  Unfortunately, there are more loads to come -- there's that spider infested shed in the garden that I have to tear down and which some rabid animal has made it's home.  But for the time being, I'm recycling even more.  Might as well try to make up for that little part of the earth that I'm helping to contaminate.

I blame my father.  The homemade white bread, wheat bread, rye bread, sweet rolls... And my mother, for that matter, with her homemade cookies, bars, coffee cake... and the list goes on.We didn't know what "store bought" was in our house.  Sure there were the occasional oreos or english muffins, but that was rare.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining.  But now, I love carbs.  I NEED carbs.  Ice cream?  No thanks.  Show me the bread.  I love bread most of all.  Bread with peanut butter.  Bread with butter.  Bread with honey or cinnamon.  French toast.  Grilled cheese.  Yum!  And then there's bagels (good bagels, Bagel Beanery bagels; we're not talking Sarah Lee here).  I would eat bread for breakfast, lunch, and dinner if I could.

Can I really live without bread?  Well, I guess I'm going to find out.  I'm on my 2nd day of 30 without bread.  I figure if I put it on my blog, I'll have more incentive to stick with it.  Already, I find myself thinking, "What the heck am I going to eat for lunch today instead???"  Well, I guess I'm going to find out because here goes the next 28 1/2 days....  (I'm not counting down or anything.)