Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Happy Birthday to me

I haven't had any ugly race pics to post lately, so I am just taking this opportunity to remind you that there are only four more days for you to pick out a birthday gift for me.  I will again be turning 25 years old.

Oh, and on that day, I will be running the Freedom 4 miler.  It's a 4 mile race held in honor of my birthday every year and runners oddly show up dressed in red, white, and blue.  And then I will eat fried pickles and fried jalapenos and fried fish and fried shrimp and whatever else Darlene & Adrian can find to fry. 

And (hopefully sometime before that), I will work in a 12-mile run.  Because it's marathon training - ON time.  Which also means it's Summer in San Antonio - which is represented by all of the red boxes below.  Bring it on, extreme danger, just bring it...


Saturday, June 19, 2010

Carrabbas HM Relay

This morning was the hot hot hot and humid Carrabbas half marathon relay.  I ran the first leg, then volunteered, cutting off timing chips and dripping sweat on everyone. 

Here's the start


And - check it out - I look FAST!

Thanks to Tom Lake and Ceci Iniguez for the pics

Friday, June 18, 2010

ooo Mexico - I've never really been, but I'd sure like to go

and I DID it.  (These are my katrinas.  I did not buy many things, but I really liked these.)  The region we visited is famous for their Dia de Los Muertos celebrations and katrinas - this is a dog with a futbol americano and a cat with a pulpo.)

I have been to various bordertowns over the years, but I had this chance to visit Pátzcuaro in the State of Michoacan, Mexico (kind of South West - in the mountains) thanks to Jenna and Yoli.  While there, we visited Santa Clara de Cobre, Janitzio, Morelia, Uruapan, Quiroga, Tzintzuntzan, and other pueblitos.  It was wonderful.  One highlight was ziplining over Lago Zirahuen - scary but amazing views. Here is the video of me jumping down the second line. 

One of the difficulties we encountered was not, in fact, banditos, but trying to find limones y aguacates.  Who would have thought it would be hard to find LIMES and AVOCADOS in Mexico?!  Especially since Uruapan is the avocado capital of the world?  (And there were avocado plants EVERYWHERE - but our driver, Salvador, said they sell almost exclusively wholesale - so the ones I bought today at the HEB grocery store were probably from there). It was a wonderful trip with a neat bunch of gals who had more stories and life experiences than I could ever aspire to experience.

Anyway, I am now obsessed with starting an avocado plant (I had a 2 ft tall one I grew from seed in Germany) and tending to the lime tree my sister gave me, which is in the front yard. Because I now fear being without limones y aguacates.  Kind of a strange PTSD.

In fact, tonight, I ate an avocado de Mexico for dinner and hung the seed by toothpicks in a salsa jar in the window.  Then, I went out to check on my lime tree and found the NASTIEST caterpillar EVER.  When I tried to scoot it off the lime leaves with a stick, it reared up, stuck out some kind of reddish thingies, and STUNK.  Bad.  In fact, I came in and googled "caterpillar lime tree stinky" and immediately identified the suspect:  the Giant Swallowtail Butterfly.  Believe me, they really stink.

Alas, I did not run in Mexico.  We locked ourselves into the casitas at night, so I could not sneak out for a run.  But, between the walking, climbing la isla Janitzio (tough with altitude), and fighting 7,000+ feet altitude at all times, I was exhausted.

Now, I think I have reverse-altitude sickness -- I am exhausted and could not catch my breath on last night's 5 miler.  I hope that resolves before tomorrow's Carrabbas Half Marathon Relay.  At least I just have to run about 4 miles.  At an elevation of around 700 ft.  But now I miss Mexico.

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Back from Mexico

I spent the past week in Michoacan, Mexico - no running, but plenty of walking, climbing, and zip lining at over 7000 ft altitude.  It was great!


More later after I unpack, wash laundry, catch up with critters, figure out how much OT I now need to work, and get back on the training schedule.

This pic is in the National Park in Uruapan.

Sunday, June 6, 2010

First Friday and Almost Ugly Famous

I didn't run any races this weekend, but I did head out for the First Friday cruiser ride.  We start off with dinner at Guillermo's



Then we headed down to music on Main Plaza



The crew


And then we hit the VFW on the River Walk North


That's Joe playing air accordian

Then, I attended the San Antonio Road Runners party at Roger Soler's ranch in Helotes (pics to follow).

This morning, I ran a hot, humid run with Fleet Feet and mowed the grass before showering and crashing.  When I woke up from napping to read the paper, I saw this:

Yikes.  Talk about your ugly pic.  This was taken several weeks ago.  After I ran a running tour, I tried to inconspicuously hit the famers market (sweaty, no makeup, tired) before heading home for a much-needed shower.  No such luck, apparently.  The paparazzi, they stalk me!  I'm going to hide from them in Mexico.

Friday, June 4, 2010

Wedding weekend

I refrained from racing last Saturday for my cousin, Sammi's, wedding. It was very sweet and this, apparently, was the calm part of the weekend (in which the latter part I was NOT a coconspirator, victim, patient, or party to the carnage). Yes, this is what you get when your family is fun (or crazy) on both sides!  Here are the pics before chaos, apparently, ensued.



Thursday, June 3, 2010

Miscellaneous ugly race pics

Round up of some pics folks sent me, now that I re-hooked up my scanner... here's soaking wet, 50 mph wind Beach to Bay marathon relay lovliness...


And here are some pics (thanks to Elva) from the Bird Lovers' 10k - looking sweaty and tired, but I'm smiling!