To Love Someone is to See the Face of God

~Victor Hugo~

Recently, my sweet friend Shabby Princess invited me to spend a glorious evening at the Winspear Opera House, joining her to see "Les Miserables."   Of course, I jumped at the chance to spend some time with one of my favorite Dallas girls!  Now, when SP takes you out on the town, she does it up big!  We had VIP passes which meant yummy food and drink pre-show.  Yes, that is a Nutella and strawberry crepe.  I mean, it's a French story, how can you not have crepes?

The production was amazing.  I've never seen "Les Miserables" and it's by far her favorite.  I think I enjoyed watching her enjoy the show almost as much I enjoyed the play!  The theme of compassion and forgiveness really spoke to me.  I asked her if she's read the book and she said yes, she has started it many times. I'm intrigued now.  Maybe I should add this to my goals for 2012 - read Victor Hugo.

Well, as if seeing and hearing the magnificence that is Les Miz, wasn't incredible enough, SP got us backstage passes. We got to tour the Winspear!  Oh, it was a sight to see.  I wish I could remember all of the details.  I did learn that it has the largest orchestra pit in all of North America - can expand to accommodate a 298 piece orchestra!  Wow.  Just wow.  

We enjoyed poking around at all the props, everything so meticulously laid out.  

The Winspear actually has much more room backstage than a normal theater.  It is designed to accommodate TWO operas at once, that way they can run more shows.  I also learned that the Winspear started with a very generous $43M gift from the Windspear family.  And that to date they have received 134 gifts of over $1M each towards the completing of the opera house.  Dallas theater has some enthusiastic support!

Q

I had such a wonderful time.  Thank you SP for sharing the evening with me and showing much such a great time.  I always love hanging out with you, but thank you for sharing such a special day with me.  You are an incredibly loving person and I know she would be so proud of you!

And for those that I left hanging, I went with the sparkle shoes!  Every girls needs a little glitter in her life, right?

White Christmas

We don't get many of those here.  
Maybe one that I can ever remember.  And that's certainly not the expectation, a white Christmas.  It's more often in the 60's here at Christmastime than snowy.  But that's okay, it's Texas.  Santa still makes his way through the clear skies and into the homes of little Texans all over the state.
But this year, this year they were predicting a chance of snow for today.  Now, it is my personal belief that they just throw that in there to give us a tiny bit of hope.  
I woke up this morning to clear skies, albeit a little gray with the absence of sunshine.  I bundled up and headed North to Arbor Hills to run some trails with my trail runner cru.
We wove in and out of thickets of trees, up and down the hills, hopped over creeks trickling with what little rain we have had in recent weeks.  We talked and laughed and just enjoyed ourselves.  I haven't been running much lately - still coughing up a storm.  So it was nice to take it easy and enjoy some trails and new scenery.  
Towards the end of our second loop, Greg looked up and exclaimed, "Hey, there's Team K!"  How he was able to recognize them from so far away, I don't know.  But in fact, up under the pavilion stood Eric and Michelle, waving at us.  
We eventually met up with them - they knew we were out there and stopped by on the way home from the gym, hoping to run into us.  Success!  And as we stood there, it began to snow.  Real, honest to goodness snowflakes.  On Christmas Eve!  We stood in amazement and delight.  


A Texas version of a white Christmas.  And to think, everyone who slept in today missed it.  We were all grateful to have witnessed the Great Snowfall of Dec '11!

Thanks for the photo Fiona!

My wish is that you experience a Christmas miracle of your own.  Blessings to you and  yours.  
Merry Christmas!

Never Say Never

Absolutes.


I try not to live by too many absolutes. 


Flexibility is key to getting along in life. Keep an open mind and you never know what you'll learn. Especially when it comes to running. Never swear you'll NEVER run a marathon. Before you know it, you'll be running ultras. Promise there is no way you'll ever try to BQ and eventually you'll find yourself trying to decide if you should wait for the next age group and the extra 5 minutes that comes with it, or go for it now.


However, there are a few things I know for certain when it comes to my running. I know I'll never wear a running skirt. No judgement, y'all look precious in your running skirts; they just aren't for me. I am confident I'll never race in a tutu. Again, they look really cute, but I can't imagine racing with all that extra fabric.  Oh the chaffing possibilities.
And I'll never race in a costume. Again, extra fabric. If I looked like Lolo, I'd run in what she runs in.  I need all the help I can get, a costume weighing me down isn't going to do me any favors.
Check out this guy from the NYC marathon in 2009. Really though? I could never do that!

Yep, make declarative statements like those and the next thing you know...

Well if that doesn't look like a costume then I don't know what does.  Each year the local run store that I coach for hosts a Christmas Light Run.  We traipse through the neighborhood, oohing and ahhing over the light displays, then enjoy some music, fellowship and hot chocolate back at the store.  This year was no exception.  Except, this year, they asked us to wear costumes.  And it gets worse.

Oh yes I did.  Apparently, I have no shame.  There were some great costumes!  A tree.

 Alan sported a sweater that was quite snug. And, according to him, quite uncomfortable to run in!

 Here I am with Dan, aka The Grinch.  Running in a beard is HOT.  I don't know how Santa does it!  I kept getting white fur in my mouth. Ew.  It's worth pointing out that this was my first run since WR and of course, it was raining!  But my beard stayed intact and my buttons didn't run so I'd call it a success.

Everyone seemed to have a great time.  It's always fun to get together with the local running community and have some fun.  I think my runners enjoyed seeing me make a fool of myself, so that's always a bonus.  


Now, I'm still not sure that I've violated my edict, as I haven't raced in a costume.  But watch out world, this Pink Girl may be sporting a tutu in her next marathon.


Heaven help us if that is so...


Have you ever run in a costume?  If so, what?

Hardware

Recently, someone tweeted the question, "How many race medals do you have?"
I thought about it, mentally calculated my races and replied, "25+"


And it got me to thinking, I wonder how many medals YOU have? And which ones mean the most to you?


Runners come in all sizes, shapes and ages. And we all run for different reasons. So here are a few medal stories, some frunners, some fellow bloggers but each and every one, a runner.


Sare Bear, my running bestie, was the first to send photos of her hard earned medals.

I was with her the day she earned her favorite. Watching her cross that finish line in January was incredible! She selected her medal from the 2011 Houston Marathon. "This one means the most to me because even though it was one of the worst races I've ever run, I proved to myself that I could be a mom and a full marathoner." (yes, SB has two of the cutest kiddos on the planet!) Training for a marathon is no joke - it's like having a part time job that doesn't pay very well! I'm always in awe of how moms of little ones manage to devote time to training and STILL be a rockstar mother! My hat is off to motha runnas.

Rachel was next to reply to my call for medal pics! This is one spunky lady and I fully expect to see that neck full of medal grow in the next year - she's on fire these days!

She says, "It's hard to pick a favorite, as they all mean something special to me. But if I had to pick something, I would pick the Savannah race. It was the first race that I really poured my heart and soul into and I finally started loving to run. I trained like i should have and finally considered myself a runner when it was all said and done. It was my first girls weekend trip and I ran it with some awesome friends!"

Mama C has a neck full of medals and her son can verify, they are all very heavy!

She says her favorites are: Dallas White Rock Marathon 2004 - her first full marathon, Marine Corps 2005, her 2nd full and special because of her family history in the Marine Corps, and finally NYCM 2010. "Because I waited 4 years for it and trained for it like I had no other. It was a dream come true to run New York."

Lauren has earned no less than 22 medals!

"Out of the 22 medals, my favorite 2 are my second Hyannis marathon medal (2010) and my first Cape Relay medal (2010).

I ran Hyannis as a full twice. The second year I raced "smarter," although I am still just a slow long distance runner. I can run close to a 2 hour half, but get slower and slower in the second 13.1. Even so, I was proud of finishing, especially since it snowed for a majority of the race.

I was really proud of the Cape Relay medal because it was my first experience in a relay and as a captain. We came in 45th out of 200 teams, and I was proud that we followed the rules (other teams didn't stay in the same order from leg to leg, etc) and that we finished strong. Although we finished 7th out of 217 teams this past year, I am still more psyched about that first year's experience!"

Who doesn't love a Canadian? One of my favorites is Leigh! Here she is with her medals.

"My favourite medal is a tie between my Centaur Subaru half marathon medal and my medal for my sprint triathlon. Both of the medals represent different yet important things about my experience and my life. The Centaur Subaru half marathon medal means a lot to me because it was my first half marathon. I only started seriously running and training in the last year. Before that, I was casually running in an effort to lose weight for my upcoming wedding. At that time, I could barely run 3k without stopping or feeling like I was going to die. My half marathon medal showed me that if I put my mind to something and train for it, I can do anything. That half marathon was such a great experience for me and I came under 2 hours. which blew me away! My medal for my sprint triathlon means a lot to me because it represents that even though a race may be hard, I am tougher and can overcome anything. I will admit that I was not trained enough for the triathlon, but I went into the race telling myself just have a good time and finish! During the swim, the water was colder than I expected and I totally panicked. I just remember telling myself to make it to the next buoy and not to drown! Once I was out of the water, I was beat down mentally during the bike and the run, but I still finished and that's all that matters to me."

My friend Robert recently ran his very first marathon!

"I earned my two medals in the past two months — at the DRC Half-Marathon in November and the MetroPCS Dallas White Rock Marathon on Dec. 4. While I am certain I will earn more in the coming months and years, I am uncertain I will cherish any of them more than the one I earned at White Rock.

I became a serious runner about 8 months ago when I signed up to run the Rock. I took training seriously; I stuck to an absurd training schedule (9-mile runs at 4:30 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays) ate well, drank fewer adult beverages, learned to listen to my body and take care of it (brrrr, ice baths), etc. My hard work and dedication were rewarded with nasty, cold, wet weather on race day. My hands and arms were practically frozen by mile 12. My legs started cramping at mile 16 (had to stretch at every aid station for the remaining miles). My iPod ran out of juice at mile 20 (yep, right before those Dolly Partons).

But as bad as all of that sounds, it really was a beautiful day. Strangers — complete strangers — yelled words of encouragement as they stood shivering along the cold, wet course. Fellow marathon runners kept me from going insane by chatting with me during my final, 6, music-less miles. And the highlight: seeing and hearing my sister as she cheered for me at mile 9 and then later at the finish line. She pumped me up, and the crowd at the finish line took me to another level, which was captured in asweet finish line photo."

Next up is blogger Clair. I haven't met Clair, yet, but let me tell you, this is a woman with a huge heart and amazing strength!

"I'm a race walker. I'm never going to win an age group award or stand on a podium, so I'm pretty happy with every piece of race bling I bring home. But the medal that means the most is this year's Bay to Breakers medal. It's a commemorative medal of the 100th running of the race, which is as much San Francisco street party as it is serious road race. It's a blast, and I've raced it with friends the last several years. When I registered for it last year, I was hoping to break my course record before joining friends for a beer at the finish line party. Then I was sidelined with an injury. I was recovering, and still had a shot at a good race, when my mom died. Her death was sudden, completely unexpected, and absolutely devastating. I figured I would sell my bib to a friend. I'd lost my desire to be on the course. And the last thing I wanted to be part of was an all day, city-wide party. But when I work up early on race morning, still jet-lagged from my flight home from my mom's house the night before, the sun was kind of shining. And I figured I'd have friends to hang out with if I went to the race start, which was better than being alone. And if I was going to have to figure out how to get by without my mom around, putting one foot in front of the other seemed like a really good start."

Michelle also just ran her first marathon. But this girl isn't lacking for the hardware! In this collection she has earned medals for 29 half marathons, 1 25K, 1 20 miler, 1 relay, and 1 full marathon! She says that it's too hard to pick a favorite, "every single one of them has a story!"

Sweet Lucy has quite the collection of medals herself. She recently ran her 2nd marathon securing a shiny new PR! I asked her to pick the most meaningful and she replied, "They are all special! 3 of them have been in the rain, one was with a busted knee the day before, but I guess the most special was Wine and Dine with my sisters:-)"

Derek takes hardcore to the next level. In the last 28 days he has completed 2 marathons, a 50K and a 50 mile race. Just reading his Daily Mile report each week makes me tired!

He picked two meaningful medals/awards. First is the "USAT/SMW Regional Duathlon Championships and I was the overall winner on the short course." Also, Rocky Raccoon 50 mile finish. " It was my first trail race I ever did and finished the 50 miles with a smile on my face! :-)" Now, THAT'S an accomplishment!

My friend A* who because of her job, wishes to remain anonymous. Her story had me in tears.

"I've realized that running has practically saved me from some of the most miserable times I've been through.

The first medal is from a 30K I did in Sugarland, Texas on December 11, 2005. I was training for my 4th marathon- Houston. At the time I had been in a pretty unhealthy relationship for about 3 years. I just didn't know it. . He was an alcoholic. I remember him promising he would come and cheer for me at this race. I woke him up the morning of and he was still drunk from the night before. I drove us to the race. He said he was going to sit in the car for a few minutes because it was so cold. I ran the race, but I never saw him on the course. When I got back to my car, he was still asleep. I remember sitting on the curb crying. I realized right then that I had to do something (unfortunately it took me awhile). I realized that I deserved more and that it was up to me to get it. So I keep this medal and look at it often to just remind myself that I deserve all the happiness in the world, and that it's up to me to make sure I don't settle for anything less. (BTW: We broke up a year after).

The second medal is from a half marathon I ran in Austin in 2007. I had just broken up with boy from story # 1 and I was feeling pretty helpless. He had moved out- my house felt so empty. I just felt so ALONE. Alone is a scary place. I remember going with some girlfriends to Austin who weren't runners. We all went out the night before, but I had to get up at 4 am to go to the race. I took a cab downtown, and ran. But my friends met me along the way- at miles 5, 9, and then at the end. They made posters. They made me feel wanted and not so alone. I just remember this race and the time of my life as being a "starting over" point for me. I remember feeling happy and loved and not so alone. So I keep it to remind myself that no matter what happens, I'm never really alone."

Thank you to everyone who draped their medals around their necks and shared such personal stories with me. So many of us are running for so much more than a medal. For so much more than to say "I ran that race." Those medals represent handwork, commitment and most of all, belief in ourselves.


What was your most meaningful race?

My Favorite Color is Glitter

That title has nothing much to do with this post.  Except that it is as random as is this post.  
Monday was supposed to be the Return To Training.  I have a marathon to run in Houston next month and I have some pretty loft goals.  I gave myself a week of complete rest and gluttony after White Rock.  The plan for Sunday was bike ride, yoga then hit the pool.  
What really happened was bike ride, nap, wake up feeling like a cold had bit me in the Double Donkey.  
Ouch.
Fortunately, I had scheduled to be off a few days this week and I spent those days either sleeping or in a half comatose state while I watched many, many Christmas movies.  So here, for your entertainment (yawn) is a recap of the past few days in pictures.
On Friday I shopped for shoes for my dressy date with Shabby Princess.  Note, before then I did not own a pair of heels, dressy or not.  All of my shoes are practical and flat.  Here are just a few of the options I tried on.  Wanna know which ones I got?  Well, you'll just have to wait for my date!

 Discovered what has to be one of the world's largest poinsettias.  Everything indeed is bigger in Texas.

My boyfriend, aka, the mail man, brought me a few items to pass the time.  Worked out well as my 3 days prone required hours of viewing and reading distractions.  Yep, there is nothing like reading about swimming when you're sick.  But I'm set to be a slippery swimmer now!

Saturday night I partied with Jules and Creeshy.  I actually walked the 2 miles to Julie's house (in a mini skirt and boots no less) so that I could enjoy the Christmas lights in our neighborhood. I just love that the same houses do the same light display year after year.  I'm not one for change; I like consistency!

To fight this cold I'm taking much Mucinex and using the Netti pot twice daily.  And, I've really tried to stay on top on my water.  Usually, I can be found with my pink Camelbak in my paw.  But lately I've favored this adorable little guy!  Gotta love a $1.99 Target find.

So the other day I polled Twitter to see where y'all keep your thermostat set in the winter.  I got responses from 58-72.  Boy, some of y'all really like to keep the house warm!  Me?  I see no point in wasting the energy to heat an entire house when I take up so little space.  So I prefer to just bundle up and cozy up to a warm cat.  But the biscuit sure is chilly at night!  So I went out on a hunt for an affordable electric blanket.  Not to sleep with it on, just to heat up the bed before sliding in.  I drug it to the couch to keep me toasty during my Christmas movie marathon.  My cat is pretty much in heaven.  We managed 14 hours Sunday night and 2 naps.  Monday night I *only* slept 11 hours and took just one nap.  Granted it was 3 hours long, but only one!  This blanket has already paid for itself in sleep!

The weather has been gray and chilly.  I mean, if you have to be stuck in the house tethered to the sofa, might as well be dreary weather, right?  


Tomorrow it's back to work and hopefully back to feeling normal.  I'm ready to get this marathon training plan back on the road.  


What do you like to do to pass the time when you're feeling puny?

Double Donkey and a Dog

Double Donkey.  

Everyone on Twitter was totes jelly of our Double Donkey adventures.  So we put together a tweet up for what was sure to be a great time.  It was also sure to be cold!  Checking the weather when I arrived at the high school it wasn't even yet 40.  Laugh all you want, most of us don't have appropriate cooler weather cycling gear.  We're all just a bunch of runners posing as cyclists anyway!  

So I pulled on my running tights over my shorts and layered up.  We were determined to have fun, even if the ride started off with some mechanical difficulties.  Fortunately, Heidi's husband was there to save the day each and every time!

We hadn't gone far when we spotted what we came for; the wild life!  The donkeys were apparently in warmer quarters but the llamas, alpacas and DOGS ran out to greet us.  Notice in this photo, all the girls are fawning over the animals and Robert stands there, probably thinking, "Haven't y'all ever seen a dog before? Silly girls."  But do you see how BIG those dogs are that I'm lovin' on?  Those dogs have got to weigh more than me - and they are nearly as tall as me!  (of course Mama C pointed out that's not that tall, ha!)

Thx for the photo Mama C!

Of course, my old friend the alpaca came to to give me some kisses.   Merry Christmas to me!

And I'm pretty sure this "ferocious guard dog" wanted me to take him home. Oh, they were so incredibly cute and sweet!  Notice I have my cheapo Target gloves OVER my cycling gloves.  So thankful I remembered to pack those!

Somehow, we managed to tear ourselves away from the cuteness and continue on with our ride.  This Double Donkey adventure was fraught with mechanical difficulties.  Not one, not two but THREE different flat tires and one chain issue.  Thank goodness for Heidi's husband who acted as team mechanic!  Lots of stops on this ride.  

Of course, all that stopping meant plenty of time for pictures!  Here I am with Gretchen...who I am furiously working on convincing to race with me in April.  We had a good time coming up with training plans...talks of 60 mile rides were thrown around.  Love this kind of talk!

  

Oh, and I think I managed to talk just about everyone in to signing up for Hotter N Hell for next year.  Maybe not everyone is interested in the 100 miler, but there are shorter distances and what a fun group camp out that will be!

We finally made it back in one piece.  It was so much fun to ride with some new people - I had a great time!  What a difference 60 degrees makes though. Greg had some sweet shoe covers and now that is high on my list of must haves.  My toes were frozen for a few hours after the ride!  That and knee warmers.  My tights kept my legs from completely freezing, but some toasty knee warmers would be even better because it's only going to get cooler.  Yes, I know, I'm Wimpy McWimperson when it comes to cycling in cooler temps.  Hey, I'm new.  Forgive me for not wanting to freeze!  

Photo thanks to Mama C!

Since we were out that way, we decided to try In and Out to refuel.  I had yet to take part in the In and Out craze since the stores arrived in Dallas a few months ago.  You know what?  It was okay.  I don't think I'd crave it, but it was a fairly decent meal for pretty cheap.  And now I know how to order. I ordered grilled cheese and they put some nasty dressing with pickle chunks on my sam.  Eeeewwww.

I always crave a good coke post long ride.  Mmm.  All that sugary goodness really hits the spot.  Even when it is cold!  French fries just sweeten the deal.  Being crazy crowded like In and Out always is, we had to sit outside.  And no, it hadn't really warmed up any.  Yes, we froze.  Here are Greg and Gretch post meal on the patio.  Love these two!  

And finally, Gretchen used her smarts to figure out a way to stay warm!  

It was a fun day of cycling, animals and friends!  Felt so good to be back on my bike after a few weeks off.  (you know, since the great fall)  I hope we can find a group to get together most weekends.  I'm going to need all the time I can get on my bike - and so are YOU Gretchen!  ;o)


What is your favorite post ride/post run meal?