570.57 !

That's exactly how many running miles I have put these aging legs through in the last six months.    That's a smidgeon under 22 miles per week on average.  Had I not collided with a car last month and forced into some recovery down-time, it would have been more.   But all in all, my inner-tyrant-training-demons are quietly satisfied.

And summer is just beginning .....

Here are the upcoming highlights:

Mid-June is the Epic Relay.  Same format and approximate distance as our beloved Hood to Coast, but closer to home ..... in fact one leg of it runs right behind my house .... you cannot get closer than that!  It also has far fewer participants, is cheaper and easier to get in ..... BUT .... as much fun?  That remains to be seen.   It will be my first experience on an all-girl team.   I will be, like always, the oldest one in the van.   Some of my teammates are young enough to be my daughters, including my actual daughter, better known in this blog as Favorite Daughter and Favorite Running Partner.  But I am not the slowest which ..... means nothing really.   Relay teams are all about fun and not speed, which ALL slower teams say Because.It's.True.   Fast, competitive teams simply CANNOT be having as much fun as we have!   (Wikipedia would concur, if it was asked .....)

Late August will be my 4th Hood to Coast.  Will it be my last?  Every year from about January through June, I ALWAYS say I'm ready to retire.  And this year is no different, but I've learned to take myself with a BIG grain of salt.  So we'll see.  One year at a time.  We'll also see if HTC fixed their big mess of 2011.  They reduced the number of teams this year so we're hopeful it will go back to being our old HTC that we all know and love.

September brings the Best Dam Run .... my favorite 10K.

That's pretty much it.   Not that that's ALL I'll be doing ..... we have some BIG plans, but not everything involves running.  Yes, you heard that here.

Oh, and we finished our annual Run Run Ye Saints last week and it was a smashing success!!!  A post is forthcoming.

For now, revel in the fact that SUMMER IS JUST BEGINNING!!!

Birds, the Sequel

Just so we're all on the same page, you will need to spend a few minutes reviewing this post.  I'll wait ................................................................................. . . . . . . . . . . . .   .   .   .   .   .   .     .      .     .     .    Done?  Alrighty then.

After sailing through April un-accosted, I thought this must not be a year for birds.  Is there such a thing?  Just like those occasional years of fewer hurricanes in the mid-west, or when the price of gas inexplicably drops below $4 a gallon.  Sometimes it's best to just enjoy those tender mercies without always looking for the cause.

Last year, a suspicion of my paranoia was hovering around in the thoughts of a few of my readers; therefore, I was determined to gather absolute proof that:

Birds do not like me.  

They're watching.  ( You can click on any picture to enlarge.)

Thanks to Husband Dear, and his complex and over-priced camera, we got a lot of shots of me running ........ and ....  keep looking .... it's there .....

Black on black.  Kinda creepy.

Zooming out.  (The camera, not the bird.)  Do you see it?

Oh yeah.  This feathered piece of work, is SO guilty!

More evidence:  

The hood of my car, AKA the Bird Latrine.

That long stringy thing is a rubber snake.  Its intended purpose is to scare the birds and stop the nest-building.  Last year they built their nest on top of it.

I could add a photo of the poop-spattered street in front of my house, but I think you get the point.

So there you have it.  The Evidence.

I rest my case.

How to traumatize a driver

I was wondering what to write about this week.    Hmmmmm .....  What's new in my running life .... oh yes!  Last week I was hit by a car.

Yours Truly was running down the sidewalk on the left side of our town's major thoroughfare, and came to one of its many entrances/driveways.  A driver was waiting to turn right onto said thoroughfare, and since all oncoming cars would be on his left, left was his focus.  Knowing this probability, I usually stop or run behind any cars waiting to pull out.  But as I approached, I looked at the driver and THOUGHT we had eye contact.  Not.  So just before I got past him, he hit the gas and sent me tumbling.  I'm detailing this can-happen-all-too-easily scenario for you, in hopes it will be a reminder to all.  NEVER ASSUME THEY SEE YOU.  It nearly happened to me a couple of years ago, but the driver stopped as I jumped past his front left bumper. 

I wasn't hurt, other than a few scrapes and some prize bruises.  I even finished my run after picking myself up and comforting Shaken-Driver-Justin (yes, we exchanged info) who probably aged ten years and saw his entire life flash by him in that moment.  He would have hand-carried me to the nearest Mayo Clinic and donated a kidney, if needed. Worried-Justin called me later that day and I could hardly convince him that I was okay. He just wanted to stay on the phone and hear me say it a few hundred times.  

I have also gained a front-row education of what happens a few hours after any type of physical trauma.  Oh my.  Apparently muscles, particularly my knee which took the brunt of the fall, have this delayed reaction rudely initiated by Tightening, and promptly followed by a nasty companion called Soreness.   I became a hobbler for a day and fortunately remembered, the next morning, that Husband had a knee brace in his drawer.  That brace has now become my friend and is earning its keep. 

Note the new shoes!

I'm still a little sore, but healing.  The bruises are segueing from scary black to that ugly green stage.  And during my runs, Friend Knee Brace and I will remain partners for a little while.  I'm not sure about Justin, though.  His recovery make take longer .....

Back on ... track?

I've had a brief break from running, which is no big deal really, BUT it was my first break of any length EVER.

And we've all had a sizable break from this blog .... another first.   That is due to more serious blogging on more serious topics.  Brow-knitting, teeth-gritting serious .....

But the nasty ... be-grateful-I-didn't-post-pictures ... sore on my foot that ultimately chased all shoes off my foot for a week, has healed nicely and I'm back on the road.

Today I returned to our high school track, where they are cutting down perfectly good trees and cluttering up the lanes with big trucks and debris.  I stayed on the opposite end and far from their chain saws.  200 meter repeats, back and forth.

Oh, and I'd also like to introduce my new toy!

(Mine is the green one.)  It carries all my music, is as teeny as it looks here, and the best part ..... it clips onto my shirt!  Jacket-season, with the associated pockets, is waning, and now I don't have to endure another summer of sweaty iPod-armband-chafing!

Don't you just LOVE May?   One might question my taste in months because of our unseasonably cool weather this year, but I love May because of the anticipation it brings.  Summer is coming!  It's still ahead of us ... stretched out there full of fun!  And my little green iPod, my healed foot, and the treeless ...... dang, that means shadeless ... track, are ready.