Manitou Cave Dwellings

This morning I just had to finish up my sight seeing with a visit to the cave dwellings which date back to 1100-1300 AD. I was one the of the first there this morning which was great because I could climb through all the caves and read all about the people that used to live there. They had some interesting habits – like burying their dead in the garbage pile (only during winter months). Also to give their corn meal more flavor the women would chew it first and then spit it back into the mix – supposedly it made it sweeter! Yuck! Aside from those habits they seemed to be interesting and they kept dogs as pets so I have to like them.

This was my only real sight-seeing for today although I did go for a run on some great trails. The first half mile of running seemed hard but after that the altitude did not bother me too much. Going up one steep hill I was wheezing but I figure if I can run every morning before class I will at least have done something good for my fitness!

I still have a sore throat and swollen glands – but I figure it can’t get any worse so I am just going to get back into the routine and hope that it goes away soon. I HATE being sick, it really puts a cramp in my activities!

Sick Tourist and Lots of Rocks!

I have never taken so many pictures of rocks. There are all sorts of cool rock formations, different colors, different sizes, shapes - with awesome views behind them. Pikes Peak will be in the background of at least half of my "rock" pictures. The rocks here are even named - Siamese Twins or the Kissing Camels. Most rocks are posted too - NO CLIMBING OR SCRAMBLING (climbing higher than 10 ft). I have to admit the temptation to climb is great with all these cool rocks and views.
Yesterday I made a tourist day. No running or biking just touring – something I don’t really do too often but I decided that I could make it a new sport! I started the day with a visit to the Olympic Training Center. I got to see the women weight lifters at work. WOW – that was impressive! Then a woman wrester working out, a shooting competition, a gymnastics competition, a bunch of stinky wrestlers from all over the world training together, a volleyball camp for girls from all over the country. There were even a few people swimming. I could have stayed there all day long and watched. I love learning about the different sports and watching people who are striving to be the absolute best. The motto for Beijing is “Amazing Awaits” which I like. I think I might even adopt it. The Ironman slogan of “Anything is possible” is getting old.

After the Olympic Training Center which held my attention for much longer than I had anticipated I headed for a train ride that had been recommended to me. I have not been on a train in the US since my cousin took me to Madison Square Garden to watch the Globe Trotters when I was 5 so this was an adventure. As a side note I almost missed the train. I misjudged the distance and ended up being the last to board. I enjoyed a cup of Starbuck’s and an amazing view of the cliffs and the river and the highest suspension bridge anywhere in the world. Of course in the pictures the bridge just looks like a line in the sky. My photography skills just have not been able to do the landscape here justice. The ride was really relaxing – only 26 miles but it was great. Ironically the place where the train ride started is called Canon City. There are at least 2 prisons there and the town’s signs all read “Come do time with us”!

After that the day was pretty much over. I took a short break and then walked through Garden of the Gods – which is where many of the interesting rock formations are found. It was breathtaking – and not just because of the altitude.

For one day of sightseeing I was quite pleased with my progress! Aside from the fact that I still have a sore throat I am feeling pretty good.

Building Wheels and moving forward...

Some of you know that I am in Colorado and for those of you who did not know before now...I am in Colorado Springs for 2 weeks. I am taking an intensive course at the Barnett Bicycle Institute (BBI).I have already been through 3 days of classes and learned more than I ever expected. Their teaching style here is one that really works for me. First they show you and then you have to go to a work bench and do it. Thus far that has included taking apart and putting back together an entire headset, bottom bracket, and rear hub. Today was a very exciting day because we got to build wheels! There was something really satisfying to me to lace those spokes up all by myself and in some way it was fun too. I don’t know why I waited so long to learn how to care for my bike. I have always enjoyed tinkering with it but now I am really going to know how to take care of it inside and out.

More importantly this class has given me the opportunity to learn something completely new. For some reason as adults this seems to take us out of our comfort zone and we tend to just do things we have always done. We miss out on new opportunities to learn and grow. I admit it was hard to get my life organized enough to go out of town for two weeks but I can already tell that the wealth of knowledge and the change of pace will far outweigh the stress of getting ready to leave town.

I have not done any training (yet) but that is only because I got a terrible cold when I arrived and have not been able to get over it. So as soon as I am feeling back to normal I plan to check out the trails that are out the back door and get my fill of training at altitude. Snow is in the forecast for tomorrow, but around here it will be business as usual!

For those of you who still think I am on vacation I have class everyday from 8:30-5:30 and then at least 2 hours of homework. The homework has to be turned in the next day so it is mandatory. I forgot how much fun it is to go to school! The days are flying by.

Pictures will be posted when I am home…

Tybee Island Marathon

Of course I am smiling since I am finished! 3:21 was my time...more to come

Tybee Island is a little island off the coast of Georgia close to Savannah. It is charming and at this time of the year quiet. Ironically during the marathon you never venture very far from the finish line - at most a few miles at either end of the island which you tour 2x. For the first half I was entertained by the quaint homes and the pretty marshes and my own escort. Yes, for the first 12.5 miles of the marathon I was leading and had the honor of running next to a cyclist wearing a yellow shirt that said "Lead Female 26.2". It made me smile every time I saw him. The last time I had an escort in a race it was because I was dead last! I admit that the first half of the race I had to hold myself back to make myself stay on pace 6:50 miles were clicking off easily but then that became 7:00 and then 7:15 and then 7:30 and then my wonderful Garmin died. Somewhere at about mile 15-16 the flat pounding got to my quads and I started to get very tight and very sore. I had taken my ibuprofen at mile 11, I had already had 4-5 gels and drank water every 2 miles. The pounding on the flat pavement was affecting me because I ran all my training runs on trails. It is the only thing I can attribute it to. Either way it did not matter I was going to finish and despite the world of hurt I was running in I tried to embrace it. After all it was a marathon, it is supposed to hurt! I enjoyed the run anyway, the beautiful weather, good tunes on my I-pod (a first for me) and all my fellow friends from Anderson, SC who were raising money for the Cancer Association as well as friends from Landrum (Scarlette completed her first Half and Dr. Walters who zoomed past me at mile 22) Yes, there was a crowd of people out there who I knew and that always seems to make it more fun. But the most memorable moment in the race has to be what Chasse did. I have coached Chasse for years and have often gone back out on the course to cheer her on as she finished. Well, as I was coming around the corner towards the finish line there was Chasse who had already finished the Half Marathon and she still had some spunk left because she started sprinting. Maybe she wasn't but it sure felt like it. She was full of encouragement and still running fast while dishing it out. This is when I realized I was getting a good dose of my own medicine! I crossed the finish line and could not help but be anything but happy to have completed another marathon.

In the afternoon I walked around on the island and even had the hair-brained idea to walk up to the top of the lighthouse. 174 stairs would normally not faze me but after the marathon going up was hard...coming down was worse! The view was worth it and the experience was priceless. I love to explore and going up in the lighthouse and walking around the museum satisfied that need.

Later in the evening the group from Anderson - the Daring Divas and their Dashing Dudes went for a nice dinner together where I was able to catch up with more friends. Some who have run in the past and were just there to support and others who were happy to have completed their first marathon. (Congrats to Fred!)

On Sunday on the way home I made a quick stop in Savannah to check out the sights. I had been there once before about 15 years ago and remembered that it was beautiful. I would have liked to have walked around more but my legs were not cooperating. Before I knew it I was back in the car and heading home. Relaxing weekend and fun race all complete.

I am fortunate

Most of my days consist of getting up long before dawn and either heading to the pool or my computer. Then I dash around the rest of the day, squeeze a workout in here or there, a few coaching sessions, volunteer work with Pet Therapy or Ache Around the Lake and don't forget my Little Sister, Hai'lee! Oh yes, and be a friend to my friends and clean the house and cook and walk dogs. Yeah - I know I don't work (technically coaching is working) but I am just way too busy to work 9-5 plus I am convinced that I was not made to do the corporate thing. I tried it for some years and did enjoy jetting around and dressing up, but mostly I waited for the clock to turn to 5 so that I could literally run out the door and bask in the fresh air. So now I really live life every day. I am normally exhausted at the end of the day, but at least I know that on a daily basis I do things that make a difference for people. Some days I forget this, some days I am frustrated, but when I stop long enough to look at my life I can only be grateful to live the way that I do.

Manx

Now I know that you are thinking that I left the little dog at the Greenville Humane Society and then took this other dog home...but you have to know me better by now! On the way to the marathon at Tybee Island I stopped by the Greenville Humane Society and broke Manx out of jail. Despite rumors that he was hard to handle (I even stopped at the vet to get tranquilizer!) I found Manx to be very sweet, well behaved and a great runner. We did a few laps in the parking lot before heading on our journey. He knew that I was taking him to a better place and he won my heart on the way. I met Elena from Weimaraner Rescue in Charleston at 1-26 & I-95 and handed over Manx. Over the weekend she worked with him and found that he was already trained to retrieve, swim and loves children! They renamed him Mike and now have him up for adoption. Ahh, another happy ending.

Dog #7 - Hairy Harry

This is a picture of Harry. Harry is a long haired Weimaraner and is very very rare. Fortunately Harry has not let that fact go to his head. Aside from being a little depressed for the first few days, hairy Harry is now settling in. He is calm, sweet and loves to be brushed. Brushing a Weim is something new to me since all the others have short hair, but we have been using it as our time to bond. Harry likes to hide his head underneath my arm pit and absolutely loves to snuggle his 90 lb body up against me. He has a very cute overbite and has some cool "bubba" teeth that I need to get a picture of. Thank goodness Harry is easy. He just follows the other dogs around the house and has not even thought about "marking" in the house - because that would certainly make him an outside dog very quickly! So despite being dog #7 he has not put me over the edge and we all see to be getting along.