NOT A WHITE CHRISTMAS

For Christmas I met up with my brother Dave, SIL Tina and neice Stella at my Grandma's house in Arizona. I got in a couple good runs while there -- wearing shorts! The picture above is on Mount Picacho on Christmas morning. I wussed out sadly on that adventure because it became a little technical for me all alone. There were rocks to be climbed via pulling myself up cables, and I was scared :p
The above picture is where I turned around. I ran into a really nice group on my way back who invited me to finish the hike with them -- they offered to share food and water even. I figured I should head back to Grandma's though.

This part I managed! A lot of steep rock on Mount Picaco!

Below is the star of the show, Miss Stella. She is a really cute and happy baby!!!

Below is my ultimate poser picture. I was really overheating in the longsleeve shirt. It's a scary reminder of how important acclimitazation is for Western States -- I am not used to heat.

Below is from Ted and my Solstice Celebration. We spent Christmas apart so we celebrated the solstice. Ted made me the hat.

I'll be back soon with snowy pictures -- I am going for a snowshoe hike today!

HOLIDAY CHEER

The past couple of weeks have been busy with lots of travel (for me anyhow) -- the upshot of it was that I got to go to Boulder Friday to see Joanna, Kale and the girls. It was great to see them!!!

Hedy amused and dazzled me with her dancing and brushed teeth!

Maggie showed me how much she doesn't care for people who aren't her mom.

But it wasn't all tears. See? We're peas in a pod. Finally, if you need some holiday cheer check out Hedy's graceful ballet performance -- set to Sufjan Stevens' rendition of Oh Come Ye Emmanuel (or whatever it's called). It's somewhat interpretive.

FINALLY!

We have snow and cold. Sonja and I ran this morning in the 2 degree weather and it felt really good. I missed winter!!! And as you can see from the picture below, we warmed right up after we safely returned home.

CUTENESS

Dave (my widdle brother) and Stella, my niece. I am looking forward to seeing them at Christmas at our grandmother's house (Stella's granny!)

Have you ever seen such ginormous cheeks in your life? I have a sneaking suspicion that the girl was "blessed" with the same healthy appetite I have (and my dad has and my grandmother Edythe had).

Half Marathon and Girls Weekend

Yesterday Sonal, Leanne, Callie and I drove to Missoula for the Freezerburn Half Marathon. I had low expectations for the race itself since our office Christmas party was the night before and I was still recovering from Thursday night's late-night Christmas party fun. I was short on sleep and heavy on belly. We had freezing rain Friday night so I wasn't sure whether we'd brave the roads but we did and we survived. However, the race course was pretty icy, which made me even less optimistic about the race. But the important thing was that we were going to go shopping afterwards and eventually bar-hopping. So the race didn't especially matter.

We lined up and started the race -- I had to pee so I immediately went to the porta-potty (yeah why didn't I do that before the start???!) and started the race as literally the last person. It was actually kinda fun passing people and moving my way up and I ran the whole race this way: trying to pass the next person ahead of me. I'm not a competitive person so I don't typically run this way but it was fun and kept me moving. Much to my surprise, I finished the race in 1:47 -- which includes my potty stop. Not bad for running on ice, taking a pee break and being relatively out-of-shape. I'm happy.

For the first time in my life I felt like my strength was better than my cardio capacity, which was an interesting feeling. I truly think Crossfit is helping me run better. Considering how fat and out of shape I am (relatively speaking obviously) I'm shocked that I ran as well as I did. Must be cross-fit and my fantastic playlist.

We met up with a couple of Callie's buddies, who were super fun and awesome girls, and had Mexican food. Kalispell has no good Mexican restaurants so it was nice to get a decent meal in the metropolis of Missoula.

Above is Leanne, me and Sonal all dolled up (dolled up for us that is) ready to hit the town.


Leanne and Danni at the bar. We first went to this bar called Stockmans which got really crowded and was really hilarious. Some country singer named Keith Anderson was there and the drunk girls were ridiculously following him around the bar. There was some confusion at first because someone said Trent Reznor was at the bar, which I suppose was possible since NIN was playing in Missoula that night, but instead it was this random country dude. Oh well :p

I was excited to run into the Missoula Hash House Harriers -- our running club will try to go down for a hash soon :-) (The Hash House Harriers are an international organization of "drinkers with a running problem.")



We met up with Kent, one of our running buddies, who had a friend visiting from Boise. The group of us is pictured below. It was fun to go barhopping (ok we went to two bars :p) in Missoula with the college kids. I wouldn't want to do it every weekend but it was really fun. We actually closed down the bar. Aren't you proud? That's way past my 9:00 pm bedtime.


Because Leanne's college experience involved drunk Pita Pit, we hit the Pita Pit before returning to our hotel room. Lord knows I needed more to eat.

It was a really really fun weekend and a good race. Thanks girls!

HOLIDAY IN BANFF

much to be thankful for!

Thursday morning Ted and I loaded up the car and drove to Banff, AB. The drive takes about 5 hours and is beautiful. It's only about an hour to the Canadian border (Port of Roosville) and then most of the drive goes through British Columbia. It's a lovely drive and very beautiful. We met up with our friends Erik and Krista, pictured below.
En route, we experienced some of the finer things Canada has to offer, like Tim Hortons:

and coffee crisps and dill pickle potato chips:

When we first arrived, I headed straight for the spa. The spa at the Fairmont Banff Springs hotel is incredible. Mineral pools, hot tubs, waterfall hottubs, sauna, smelly sauna, steam room, tea, fruit etc. I had a nice massage too -- although I don't think I have enough stress in my life to justify the luxury. We had cheese fondue for our Thanksgiving meal and went bowling. I'll leave the bowling pictures out.

Our room was very nice, and below is the view outside our window when we woke up Friday morning:

One of the best parts of our trip to Banff was that Banfassador extraordinaire, Leslie, took me on a running tour of this amazin area. She is in the picture below. First, a word about Leslie. She is awesome. She is such a neat person and I hope to return and spend more time with her. And meet her husband. I really just can't get over what a warm, funny, cool chica she is, and how nice it was of her to take me on the Banfftrailtrash tour in 3 hours or less. Anyhow, I think she's just swell.

I took a lot of pictures but they didn't all turn out as awesome as it looked. Leslie above is looking at the frozen falls.

Above is our hotel, seen from the other side of the river which I believe is the Bow River. The Valley is the Bow Valley.

Isn't Banff beautious?

Here I am, happy as a clam. I think I was in heaven.

Leslie looks towards Banff in the valley below (above).

Blurry shot of us post-run in the lobby of the hotel. My hair froze solid into pippy-longstocking like chunks. Pretty funny.

That night we went to the German restaurant and I enjoyed braised cabbage, sauerkraut and spaetzle. Mmmmmm. And beer.

Those beers were big!

I was just looking for an earring, I swear.

Anyhow, it was an awesome trip. The rest of my pictures are here

We definitely have much to be thankful for. Life here is just wonderful. It's our 2 year anniversary basically of our new life and it just gets better and better. I'm thankful for new friends and even newer friends. I miss and love my old friends and family too and am thankful for their support in our lives. Life is good!

BE VERY AFRAID!!!

Another photo lifted from the Crossfit blog (http://crossfitflathead.blogspot.com) Coach Buf took the photo. This was tougher than it probably looks. We had to flip these darn tires as part of our workout on Saturday. In other news, we've had such warmish and lovely weather. The group ran this morning and we had no fewer than 7 dogs in the mix. Tom took a picture and I will post it if he sends it to me. I think I need to show him how to upload photos to a computer :-)

WE'RE GOING TO CANADA EH?

I'm very excited to report that we're going to Banff for Thanksgiving. Erik and Krista were planning to go and they invited us to join them (that's my story and I'm sticking to it!) The best part is that we're going to stay in Leslie and Keith's cottage while we're there (pictured below). Their servants will give Krista and me massages and serve us cheese fondue and bartend all the while. I'm so excited. I'd be interested in any suggestions for short-ish adventures that can be had before the rest of my gang awakens. And I'd be interested in a run-in with the local (trail) trash eh. I love vacations! Yay us!

Oh, do I need bear spray in Banff? I wonder if I can even bring it across the border??? I wonder how much snow there will be? I could bring my snowshoes. Oh joy I'm so excited.

CROSSFIT

(photo by Buf, shamelessly lifted from crossfit blog)

Normally, when the workout for the next morning is something along the lines of "row 5k" I skip the workout and run instead. Last night I forgot to check the crossfitflathead blog and failed to see that "row 5k" was on the menu. Ugh. Can you see how much I was not loving it in this picture? I sucked at it too. I was the last to finish and finally floated to the dock in 24:xx -- even now I could run faster than that. Despite all this whining, the truth is the workout was excellent crosstraining and I secretly enjoy it. . . in hindsight. Crossfit is really good for me I think, both physically and mentally. There are things in life other than running. It makes me stronger. It reminds me that I have to work hard at athletic stuff to avoid embarassing myself.

And maybe when tricked into doing stuff that isn't running I might not mind it all that much.

SUNDAYS
are the best, wouldn't you agree?

LATE FALL UPDATE

Today Leanne, Callie, Sonal and I braved the rainy cold and enjoyed a late season trail run in Jewel Basin. We ran on the Alpine #7 trail and enjoyed the dense fog and faint noise of gunshots in the air. I have been kind of "meh" about running the past couple of weeks, but trail running had me feeling much more "yeah" about it. It was just so nice to get out, even if we all had frozen wet fingers by the end of it.
Our neighborhood is the premiere trick-or-treating neighborhood in Kalispell, so this year we made sure we wouldn't run out of candy and we dressed for the occassion. Below is Ted, who seemed to truly disturb the parents when he went to the door to hand out candy.
And below is me, in my outfit that doesn't quite qualify as a costume but isn't what I normally wear around the house (complete with Moeben sleeves to keep warm):
I am waiting for snow. I am very ready to get out on my XC skis and snowshoes and even my new/old alpine skis. I'm also enjoying learning to box in Crossfit. I've learnd 1,2,3 and 4. Oh, jab, something else, left hook and right hook. Who knew it was so fun to wear big gloves and punch stuff!!! I'm thinking maybe I need a bag of my own :-)

HAPPY HALLOWE'EN!

There's no better time for the following educational video:

Fall is the Fat Time of Year

Not that anyone cares, other than me, but I am highly capable and skilled when it comes to quickly packing on weight. My good eastern european stock compels me to prepare for the winter. Or that's my excuse anyhow. Every fall, at the end of the racing season, I seem to gain weight that I then have to lose in January. It's a cycle that seems like a bad one. But, somehow I seem to be full throttle in that insulation mode -- but I need to nip it in the bud. It concerns me only because I used to weigh about 30-35 pounds more than I do now, and dieting has left me damaged and somewhat overly preoccupied with these things.

I'm only declaring this publicly because I really need encouragement to stop being such a slug. Or maybe am just inviting people to commiserate. Do you have an insulation period? Does it keep you warm? :-)

JOANNA'S LITTLE GIRLS

Sorry that this has become baby central :-) I was just looking at the latest pictures of Joanna's daughters, and I thought this one was really cute. It's so funny to see Hedy, the older one, pretty much looking just like Joanna did when I first met her when we were 4 years old. Hedy's not quite 4 but she's not that far off either!

My Niece Stella

her smile just SLAYS me

Le Grizz 2008

where danni gets her zen on

(update -- I finished second in my AG! 6th woman)

By way of background, for those of you who are not familiar with this 50 miler that runs along the Hungry Horse Resevoir in northwest Montana, Le Grizz takes you along 50 miles of twisting and turning gravel and eventually paved road. There are rolling hills throughout the race, but the course is gentle and pleasant and, above all, gorgeous with views of the mountains and changing fall colors.
The race director is Pat Caffrey, who is a very funny and neat guy. He seems to enjoy firing the starting rifle. I guess I probably would enjoy that as well.
Last year when I ran this race it was the first 50 I completed and I was stressed out for much of the race and finished in 10:19. This year, I felt relaxed the whole day and did nothing more than enjoy music on my iPod, chat with the occassional runner and zone out. I ran whatever pace I could run without pushing too hard, and enjoyed each moment while in the moment. I finished in 8:53, which is about an hour and a half improvement. And, considering my "A" goal was 9:30, I'm thrilled that I was able to sneak in under 9 hours.

Leanne crewed for me, and Deb and Ruth came out and cheered and crewed for me later in the race. I love my friends! And these pictures were all taken by Leanne by the way. I have to admit I get by with a little help from my friends.
I've decided that solo road trips and ultra running compliment each other very well. Both utilize the same "zen" ability to relax and enjoy the moment without worrying about when one will arrive at their destination. It makes driving and running both infinitely more pleasant and relaxing. I've always been good about this on shorter runs, but typically on longer runs I'm ready to be done after a couple hours. It was really refreshing to do a run where I wasn't counting down the mileage until after many hours (I was totally ready to be done by mile 45 though, I can't lie). I think doing a 100 miler forever changed my perspective of how many hours are too many to be out on a race course. 32+ hours are too many! 9 hours, just fine.

Also, I've decided that music is downright delicious on a long long long run. Tired ears and brains get to hear music a little differently. Maybe a little like drunk ears and brains? :p The best music for Le Grizz, though incongruous, was "the Outsider" by a Perfect Circle (I sang out loud and yelled accusatory lyrics at trees and a narcissistic drama queen chipmunk), "Cold Black Water" by the Doobie Brothers ("I wanna hear some funky dixie land. . .") and NO! SLEEP! TILL BROOKLYN! by the Beastie Boys. I had a good time yesterday, yes I did. :-)

P.S. I attribute my huge increase in performance this year to 1) more running this year (duh!) and 2) crossfit :-)

RANDOMNESS

Le Grizz is this weekend and I'm not sure how it will go since I've been doing mostly Crossfit and little running, other than the 25 miles at Bear a couple weeks ago. I've been loving short and sweet runs -- where I can run all the uphills hard and not worry since I don't have to run all day long. Where I can run without any water. Frankly, I'm so ready for snow -- skate skiing, classic nordic with Ted and maybe Alpine this winter. (I scored at the ski swap and left with K2 Public Enemy skis, fancy bindings, poles, boots, a helmet and goggles all for $160. ) Anyhow, my "A" goal Saturday is 9:30 or better and my "B" goal is sub 10 hours. My "C" goal is to finish without whining and (temporary) plans to skip Western States and all races over 50k. We shall see. I am very busy at work the rest of the week and am travelling and stuff so we'll see how rested and prepared I am come Saturday.

Oh, interestingly, a former associate at my old firm is coming in from Chicago and running the race. Small world.

Funny

CREWING/PACING THE BEAR

(pictured above is the view of Bear Lake, near the end of the Bear 100)

This weekend I drove to the Cache National Forest in Northern Utah to crew and pace my friend Craig, who was running the Bear 100. You may recall that Craig paced me to my 100 mile finish at the Headlands 100. I figured it would be good to repay my karmic debt and that it would be fun to be a part of the event without having to run 100 miles. Indeed it was a much less painful way to partake in the excitement.

(pictured above is an example of the beautiful fall colors that were typical of the course)

I left Kalispell Friday morning at about 3:00 and drove straight to the "Cowley Canyon" aid station where I awaited the arrival of what is known among crew as "my runner." I quickly met some fun and cool folks whom I would see on and off for the next 24 hours. I was really nervous at first because I wasn't sure what Craig would want in terms of help, but I quickly realized he's pretty easy to crew since he can live off Sprite, ginger cookies, water and hot soup. I was pleased that he enjoyed the plain cheese tortellini I am now so fond of while running.

(pictured above is the part of the race where you cross into Idaho from Utah - me being a dork)

At mile 75 I got to take off my crewing hat and put on my pacing hat (or bandana as the case may be). Pacing is the best way I think to enjoy these events -- you get to run a substantial part of the course while enjoying it fully on fresh legs. Above all, you get to enjoy aid station food without being sick from having 75 miles under your belt. Or at least I felt that way. The course is beautiful with gazillions of aspens changing colors. The 25 miles was mostly very easy (weary runner = nice easy pace ;)) but near the end Craig just started bombing this long downhill and we ran fast to the finish. Craig finished strong in 30:47.
Crewing and pacing gave me a much better idea of what's involved and leaves me with some ideas for how to best use my peeps at Western States. For one thing, I know Cheryl gets sleepy without sleep and so I will make sure she gets sleep at some point.

Pictured above is the descent to the finish -- I have never run so fast downhill before. I felt like I learned to just fly and hope for the best. Had I run down Danni-style Craig would have been a mile ahead of me in the blink of an eye. My quads and ankles are very sore -- but at least my knees aren't sore which I consider to be a good sign.
Above is the proud finisher!!!

In other running news, I'm signed up for Le Grizz -- a 50 mile road race basically -- and will probably show up on race day. I'm in better shape than I was last year and am a bit thinner -- so I'd better PR if I run it. I hope so at least.