Is this really my SECOND post in 2015???

Well yes, yes it is. This blog is hanging by a thread right now given all that we have going on. But I am determined to keep breathing life into it, every now and then. We may miss alot of stuff b/tw now and the time the dust has settled on our Victoria life but I'll keep trying......

I have lots of wonderful photos and stories from our trip to Victoria in late Feb but I'm afraid those aren't likely going to make it onto this little blog. And there has been other cool stuff to document too, like Kai's first sleep over during spring break with his buddy L, turning 45, beach time, and many small moments. But I am going to post a few photos about our spur of the moment, one night camping trip to J-Tree, where the kids got their rock climbing on!

At the last minute we decided to forego Easter egg hunts in favor of packing up our camping gear and driving 150 miles up to Joshua Tree National Park to join our friends who were already out there. It was quite adventurous of us, particularly as we had lost cell phone contact with our friends and weren't entirely sure if they were really expecting us or not. It was well worth the effort. J-Tree is amazing. And every camping trip with the kids gets a little bit easier. They definitely have a taste for it and they do love s'mores.

That little 3-pronged tree just right of center in the picture is a Joshua tree. They are not much to look at really but forever associated with U2 in my mind and somehow it was weirdly cool to see one (once I learned how to differentiate it from your garden variety Yucca). 

We caught the full moon while we were there and I barely slept. It was like someone left the lights on all night. It was just so bright. When Teia woke me up at 6 am, I seriously thought it was still night b/c that moon gave off just as much light as the rising sun. It really was pretty incredible. I'm not really a desert person but there is something incredibly peaceful about just being in the desert during those quiet, not burning hot middle of the day, moments. 

After plenty of hiking and free climbing/bouldering around the campsite and area, dinner and campfire, and a reasonable night's sleep (the moonlight only seemed to bother me), the kids had a chance to actually rope up and do a top roped climb, with one of the Dads serving as the top anchor and belaying the kids from above. 

I really didn't think they'd be up for it and figured they would just watch their friends but curiosity got the better of both of them and once Kai did it, Teia was game too.

We were so stinkin' proud of them. They just took on the challenge despite their apprehension. So awesome! Teia was so fast that Dave, the belay guy, couldn't believe it was her first time (and Greg nearly didn't get any photos in time!) And Kai - he had nerves of steel the whole way up and down. The boy was all business. When he makes up his mind about something, look out. 

I just love this photo of Kai on the top with Dave, looking down at all of us with the biggest smile on his face!

I wish we'd had a few more days. The kids just couldn't get enough of the incredible boulders. And it was the perfect place to inspire T and her buddy P, to play coyotes all weekend long. Our drive home was exciting as well. A pick up truck went up in flames on the freeway just ahead of us and exploded its tires just as we were driving past and the fire department was arriving. And somehow we managed to take two hours longer than everyone else to get home, despite the fact that Greg was breaking land speed records for most of the trip. We can blame some of it on the traffic caused by the burning truck, some on taking the "scenic" route back, and the rest on picky eaters. 

When we got home we found that the Easter bunny did not forget our house, even though we weren't home but the chocolate eggs were not nearly as big of a highlight as the kids' climbing adventure! 

Is this really my first post in 2015?

We are on a little working vacation. But oxymorons aside, I promised myself I'd do a little blogging with the down time. So I finally pulled up the blog tonight to discover how neglectful I've been. I actually looked to see if I had something in drafts, but no. I haven't blogged at all in 2015 and its nearly March!

Its not that stuff doesn't happen. Stuff is always happening. But I'm just too worn out after the kidlets are in bed to write any of it down. But I need to get better about it. Because I really do think the kids are going to enjoy reading all of this one day.

Our big event for January was Disneyland. We finally went. We had an opportunity to purchase some discounted tickets which meant our family could go for just a few hundred dollars, rather than like an absolutely ridiculous amount. Because, you know, a few hundred dollars to go to a theme park isn't ridiculous. But we bit the bullet and did it. It was both selfish and selfless. Selfless because I actually really didn't want to go, but felt I owed it to the kidlets. Selfish, because now we won't ever have to make a trip back to "do Disneyland." Its not that we wouldn't want to come back to SoCal to visit friends or warm up, but coming just to do Disney, nuh uh.

Overall, the trip was a big success. Traffic was not abhorrent, the kids lasted a full five hours, the rain held off until the parade in the afternoon which we still got to see and we were ready to leave by then anyway. (And you know there is a drought here but it did rain during our one and only day at Disneyland. Go figure!) The kids even went on a few rides and Elsa waved at Teia. Success.

The kids at "hollywood land"

We began our day at California Adventure which is right next to Disney and has Cars land. We had heard that the Radiator Springs Racers were not to be missed so we headed there first. The mythical line ups at RSR weren't so bad that day, thanks to it being a non-holiday Monday, rain in the forecast and measles. In 20 minutes we were strapped into our little carsmobile and headed out for what we thought was a fast rip around a scenic race track. That part was absolutely awesome but it was at the end of the ride and only lasted about 10 seconds. The first part was dark and filled with Cars characters jumping out at you. I'm not sure how Kai and Teia made it through but they did, with vows of NEVER doing THAT again. We did catch sight of the real Lightning McQueen, Mater and Red the Firetruck, which is good b/c we didn't see Mickey anywhere and there weren't too many Disney princesses walking around as we'd expected. But pretty much every character Teia spotted terrified her, even Sully, the big blue monster from Monsters, Inc. of whom she is normally a big fan. We went inside the Frozen palace with hopes of spotting Olaf and we did. Except that he was the size of an adult human instead of a small child as advertised in the movie, so Teia immediately wanted to vacate the premises.

Here is Teia as the RSR ride was getting started. She had no idea she was about to be quite frightened poor little thing.

The ride on RSR didn't completely ruin the kids and they did agree to go on the Finding Nemo submarine once we headed over to Disneyland. So we all climbed into the yellow, claustrophobic sub that goes around a small pool with cheesy fake ocean stuff to look at from the windows. But of course, the scariest parts of the movie just had to be included. Once the ocean outside of our window exploded and that scary fish with the light and big teeth showed up, Teia's hands were over her eyes and Kai was mildly panicked. He held it together nicely and just kept telling me in a worried whisper that he wanted to get the heck out of there. I'm not quite sure why the rides designed for children all had a shock and startle element but if I could give Disney any feedback it would be to have rides for children, be like, for children....

After that, we were able to get them on the monorail, an old red trolley and a horse drawn tram but they were pretty much done with rides.

We did alot of walking and checking things out, but no more rides. The parade was a nice ending to our day, particularly b/c there was Elsa and Anna and a small automated Olaf on a float, waving and making eye contact with all the little girls. Teia was starstruck.

In February news I did another Xterra trail race. This one was a 15K at Mission Trails Regional Park. It was uber hilly, up and over the Fortuna peaks X2 - about 1700 feet of climbing and really technical. It had all the makings of a great trail race, except a forest. There were stairs to climb (known in these parts as the "thousand stairs" even though someone has actually counted them to be more about 300). It was epic and painful but I somehow survived. I would have had a much more interesting race report had I blogged about it less than 23 days post-race. But here is my race photo. I paid money for it so I had to show it off somewhere. 

I did get these super cool Salomon Speedcross trail shoes on sale at REI. I bought them for Victoria b/c they're designed for wet, soft, technical trail but I decided to use them for this race given how technical it was, even if not wet. They are just awesome. I'm calling them my gecko shoes b/c the traction is incredible! I credit them with keeping me upright for 15 K that day! 

We Wish You a Merry Christmas!

Christmas really crept up on us this year with family visiting, our trip and illness. Before we knew it we were behind with the advent calendars, family calendars, Christmas cards, shopping and pretty much every other holiday preparation. So we hit it - Christmas preps 24/7, and we made it and slid into home with pretty much everything ready to go.

It is amazing how my perspective of this magical holiday has changed over the years. As a child I was completely smitten, a star-crossed Christmas kid, soaking up and enjoying every single moment and small detail, to the point where I didn't even sleep on Christmas eve until my 20's. As a younger adult I could still feel the magic, despite a lack of religious affiliation and Santa-stuffed pillow sacks no longer on my bed on Christmas eve. Now, as a parent of young kids, to be honest, it has just become SO MUCH WORK. Greg took out our boxes of decorations this year and I shocked myself when I realized that I had actually said "ugh." I don't think its that Christmas is really that much more work with kids, maybe there is a bit more shopping, but there is just less time to devote to Christmas preparations, just like there is less time for pretty much everything. It becomes about the work, the to do list, the teacher gifts, the racing to meet the Christmas mailing and ordering deadlines, fa la la la la, la la la la....

So I turn to my children, to soak up a bit of their spirit. In their faces I see the anticipation and how they are slightly mystified by this overwhelming and confusingly magical holiday that eclipses all others, even their own birthdays. They welcome Christmas in their own ways. This year they slept with their doors open for the first time; I think they are a bit more comfortable with the idea of the man in the red suit coming into our house while we sleep. Teia writes notes and draws pictures for Santa. Some of them she sets out with Dasher, our "giving deer," to take back to the North Pole each night. This year both kids were brave enough to sit with Santa at Greg's work party and Teia gave him explicit instructions about the doll house she wanted for Christmas. Kai was satisfied with the Lego ambulance he received from Grandma and Poppa Mike at our early Christmas so he was leaving Santa in the dark.

Christmas Eve arrived with the extra excitement of picking up Auntie, Uncle and Baby M at the airport.  A bit of a San Diego tradition has been to watch the sunset on Christmas Eve at the beach. We all miss the snow terribly at Christmastime (even Teia, who doesn't remember her white Christmases but desperately wants one), but we try to embrace the beachie Christmas as best we can. We enjoyed the sunset on the pier. 

No dolphin sightings this time but there was a storm swell so the surf was big and hammering the pier and making it shake. The girls in the family must be the nervous ones b/c after one particular sway of the pier, A, T and I all looked at each other said "Earthquake!" and prepared to run off the pier. If a quake does hit, the dilapidated crystal pier is definitely not where you want to find yourself. The boys thought it was all quite funny but we decided to head back to solid ground anyway. 

After dinner and fondue, we tracked Santa on the Norad website. The kids were pretty riveted. Thanks to Auntie for grabbing this shot. 

So our kids were eager to get the cookies, egg nog and carrots out for Santa and his reindeer and scurry off to bed. When I checked on them sleeping, I swear I could see the sugarplums dancing around Teia's little sleeping head. 

And Santa made his delivery. Despite not quite knowing what to bring for Kai, he did alright. He also remembered to drop off stockings for baby M and his mom and dad. The kids were interested in how the heck did he know to do that?

Once again, we were treated to kids who slept through the night. I guess they have not inherited my can't-sleep-on-Christmas gene. It seems I was the one waking up repeatedly, wondering if they were awake yet. 7 am sharp, Teia was beside our bed announcing "Merry Christmas!" and before I could stop her, waking up her brother to tell him there was a red van in the living room. Quick like a flash, they zipped from his bedroom and directly into the side door of his new VW van tent without noticing anything else under the tree. Santa's last minute inspiration paid off. 

Here they are opening their stockings in the morning light. 

Kai watches with quiet anticipation as Teia sorts through the gifts under the tree. Love his face. And his backwards pajamas (of course). 

Auntie, Uncle and Baby M joined us as our own real live snowman, rudolph and baby elf on Christmas morning! So silly and cute! 

Santa delivered with the dollhouse and Teia didn't even notice that it didn't come with a second bathroom as per her request to Santa, nor an entire family. A miniature human replica has not even stepped foot in that dollhouse yet, nearly a week past Christmas. It has been inhabited exclusively by tiny animals, wooden and/or soft. Its kind of more of a furnished zoo, than a doll house really. 

She was also completely thrilled to receive a booster seat. She has been asking since she was about 3 when she could ride in a booster and sit in the 3rd row of the mini-van and this Christmas, both of those dreams came true. 

Baby M enjoyed exploring his Christmas prezzies and those of his big cousins and generally just charming everyone. 

Here he is all ready for Christmas dinner with Dad. 

And a San Diego Christmas day wouldn't be complete without a little bit more beach time, even if it was a wee bit chilly and a king tide meant that the only dry sand we could find was the big man made piles. Didn't keep Kai out of the water. 

LOVE!!!!

And what Christmas day wouldn't be complete without a picture of exhausted children and decadent desserts????? They finally fell asleep after a wonderful, magical day where they opened presents from morning til bedtime b/c they are so lucky and spoiled by family and friends, and where they got to share in their littlest cousin's first Christmas, something they'll likely never forget - as well as special time with Auntie and Uncle. 

Our post-Christmas hangover has included runny noses, throwing up and clogged drains. Greg has become quite a good amateur plumber thankfully, and I do my best as a mommy-nurse. AND its snowing in the mountains as I write. So Teia may get her snow after all, so long as we can find a pair of snow boots for Kai in a San Diego store tomorrow. Seems we just don't keep stocked up on stuff like that these days....

So after my whining about how much work Christmas is, and the general grumbles about commercialism and people not saying Merry Christmas anymore lest it offend someone, watching a child experience something as magic, a dream come true, and believing in something that they can't see or touch, and feeling the love of a family coming together really does make Christmas a pretty special time of year, no matter what you believe in. Its about celebrating a connectedness that we often don't slow down enough to appreciate the rest of the year. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night! 

Victoria Adventure

Louise and I flew back from Victoria recently.  I was there for a job interview and some dinners related to future employment opportunities (ie, who is going to give me the biggest bonus so I can set up my hand-built standup paddleboard workshed?) and Louise came along to hang out with the hubs sans kids, look at some more schools, take me to at least 3 restaurants a day that didn’t serve Timbits, check out some more neighborhoods, and get more Mount Royal bagels (in a paper bag).

Helping us on this adventure (mis-? You decide, read on…) were Grandma Barb and Poppa Mike.  Selflessly flying three more time zones just a few days after a long trip from France, they absorbed the download from Louise on the many nuances required to keep up with which animal Teia may be impersonating at any given moment or which vehicle Kai might be loving.  We were thrown for a loop by a late-breaking fever on Kai but after some reassurance he would survive (including Teia’s kindergarten teacher priceless observation “I’m sure the grandparents have dealt with a fever before”), we confidently marched out of the house towards victory (job offer, school choice, dream neighborhood, Mount Royal Bagels in a paper bag).

We were also hoping for some relaxing time alone, enjoying a quiet kid-free trip for a change.  Just as Hannibal’s plans to invade Rome went pear-shaped in the Alps (elephants don’t do well on snowy cliffs), so did ours go pear-shaped in Seattle airport (boxes of chocolate don’t walk by themselves).  Louise had purchased some chocolate in San Diego to give to a friend.  After the flight into Seattle, we boarded one of the trains that go from one terminal to another when a woman next to us blurted out “I forgot my poster!” and darted out the door (I initially thought she said “I forgot my COASTER” which made this action even more surprising.  She may as well said “I forgot my floor mat!” or “I forgot my canuba wax!”).  As I was thinking about what else one might forget as random as those things, Louise looked up at me with a start “I forgot the chocolates!” and sprinted off (seemingly in pursuit).  Without a second to think, I ran after her, narrowly avoiding a vivisection from the closing train doors.  I can only imagine what the other passengers in this train must have been thinking.  Surely they weren’t expecting such excitement or profound forgetfulness.

Now, some may not realize that Louise has wanted to run a sub-seven minute mile for awhile.  Recent injuries and life’s demands have made it difficult to train for this goal.  However, leave some chocolates abandoned somewhere in Seattle airport, and brother, that 7-minute barrier gets broken like a dry twig.  Stairs were taken 2, 3, 4 at a time.  Her body angled around the corners like she was on a banked track.  As she approached the potential drop zone, she realized they might be near a water fountain.  A logical person may reason that the difference in speed from a 2 mph saunter and 20 mph sprint isn’t significant over a 20m distance (its about 27 seconds).  But lost chocolate does not lend itself to logic or calculations.  So onto her toes for the final sprint did Louise go, zipping around the corner to a mighty “Huzzah!  Huzzah” as the chocolates were found by a water fountain.

(the chocolates were a gift for Louise’s friend & colleague, Dorothy.  If only she knew how much panicked passion and cardiovascular output went along with that gift)

With the heartrates down and back in the terminal for our connecting flight to Victoria, we boarded a tiny Dash 8 for the 30min trip.  So far, other than the poster mis-placer (and ourselves), we hadn’t met too many interesting characters.  That was about to change in a toque-bundled flash.  Many of you may know of Bob and Doug McKenzie as pretty famous but over-the-top stereotypical Canadian “hosers” in “Strange Brew” and various SCTV episodes.  Well, Louise and I sat in front of their cousins on the flight from Seattle to Victoria. 

I’ve never heard two people talk so much… about almost nothing.  It was sort of a stream-of-consciousness on various male interests.  Getting drunk in Burger King waiting for a flight, watching the landing gear go up and down (and the subsequent changes to drag and speed, unless power was increased), takeoff distances of the Dash-8 versus other aircraft models, commentary of the geography and terrain below us (whether there were clouds or not to block our view, it didn’t seem to matter: clouds merely led to discussion over what we had just flown over), comparison of current credit card limits vs. the taxes for a new Breitling watch for sale in Las Vegas, and on and on.  It was a pretty quick 30min flight.

Prior to our trip, one of our selling points to the kids (other than they’d have Grandma and Poppa Mike spoiling them crazy!)  was that this would be a business trip for mom and dad.  No fun would be missed. No kid-friendly activities.  Our first indications we had inadvertently lied through our teeth came when we were walking from our hotel towards the harbor.  We only intended to walk along the water then grab a bite.  We quickly noticed folks hanging around each street corner.  In some cities, ne’re do wells hang out on street corners; they ask for money or smokes, occasionally they let you know their opinion on things at the top of their lungs.  I thought it odd that in Victoria, the ne’re do wells were young families with kids in strollers, but hey, I’m flexible on the socio-economic classification of vagrants I should be wary of.

But as we walked further along, we noticed more & more families.  So the corner-stalkers weren’t actually stalkers, they must all be waiting for something.  But what?  We asked a couple young people in BC Transit safety gear.  The answer: “ Trucks.”   Um, what kind of trucks?  “Lighted Trucks.”

OK, let’s check it out!  The Lighted Truck Parade, as we’ll call it, was running a little late, but was pretty spectacular once it cruised & honked on by:

The quintessential Canadian moment:

After the lighted truck parade, we watched the slightly quieter, slower, more stately lighted boat parade, then decided to check out the Empress, a famous hotel in Victoria, with equally famous Christmas Tree competition. 

As we crossed the street from one direction, another family crossed from another.  We met at the corner, stopping before a collision. The following conversation occurred (it doesn’t really matter who said what):
“Oh sorry, excuse me.”

“Sorry, excuse me!”

“Go ahead”

“No, no, you go ahead”

“Its OK, sorry, you go ahead.”

“Oh no no, its alright, you go ahead. So sorry!”

How do you break a Canadian Sorry Spiral?  Apparently, you need an American (me), to steer Louise around the back of the other family before we spent the rest of the night on that street corner trying to out-sorry each other.  As we walked away from each other smiling, laughing, with prolific, apologetic head nods, a woman from the other family stated proudly/humorously: “Canadians!”

Yes, indeed!

Hallowe'en - Almost a month ago

I haven't blogged in so long the cookies in my computer forgot where our blog was (at least I think that is what they are called and the reason I had to actually type the entire address into my browser window - again taking a chance that I am using the right techno-terminology).

The holiday of costumes and craziness is past and Kai wore, you guessed it, a box again. Greg was pretty pleased this year that Kai chose to be British Airways once again. Since Greg pours so much of his sweat and tears and love into these box costumes, we just can't seem to throw them out. So British Airways is still hanging around, a little faded and a little worn but definitely ready to be re-worn with a quick spruce up.

But after several years of Hallowe'en complexity, it wasn't to be. Kai changed his mind. Yes, the boy of firm Hallowe'en intentions switched it up on us with about 2 weeks notice. This year's request: an Ambulance. And because Greg is the master, he pulled it off. Complete with the word Ambulance written in a mirror reversal across the front. Because that is how real ambulances do it. It's all in the details, man.

Grandma Carolyn was out for a visit so she got to share in all the Hallowe'en fun of the school parade and carnival and the real after dark trick or treatin'. 

Teia was a Disney statistic. We didn't mind though. One trip to Target and 30 bucks down and she was finished. She did ask for "high up" shoes that we did not purchase. Her already blue, already Frozen running shoes worked just fine. She was cute as a button. 

And she wasn't alone:

That Elsa dress on the left? Not from Target. 

Everywhere you looked was blue. Even on the monkey bars.

Here is Kai with one of his teachers in very cool Dias de los Meurtos make up. Kai took one look at him on Hallowe'en morning and said "you look weird.....and cool." 

In other news, I took a trip to fall. It was wonderful :-

Baby turns 5

Hard to believe our little one is 5 years old. I can still scoop her up and carry her around for a little bit. But soon she'll be too big for that and it'll look silly too. Kai still occasionally asks to be carried to bed or to the bathroom and I indulge him but he really is too big now. Soon Teia will be too :-(

But misty-eyed Mommy moments aside, it was a fabulous celebration and Teia thoroughly enjoyed her big day. We tried really hard to put all the special-ness in place that she was hoping for. She was very excited and we counted ourselves lucky that she didn't wake us up until 7 am. She was as alarming as our alarm clocks tho; we were awakened by a loud and persistent "FIVE, FIVE, FIVE, FIVE, FIVE!"like machine gun fire. I'm sure there were more but I was too groggy to really register them.

We'd been up late the night before making this:

(its a horse, in case you weren't sure)

Which started out looking like this:

Then this:

Even if it looked a little funky, it was yummy. And the parents appreciated the vegetables and were asking for the recipe. It's my mom's chocolate zucchini cake made partially organic with no chemicals or food colorings :-) I'm actually getting pretty good at homemade buttercream icing. I was a bit worried about being able to make two different shades of chocolate but dark chocolate cocoa came to my rescue. We used berries to turn the bridle pink. 

Peach started off her day with diving into her presents. We'd been pacing her a bit by letting her open a few presents early which was a good choice b/c she's the kind of kid that likes to play with each one for a good hour or so before moving on. She got to enjoy each one thoroughly that way.

She was pretty excited about her paw patrol bracelets.

The unicorn pinata was also a hit. I was worried she'd have trouble actually letting it get destroyed but she was the first one getting right in there and whacking it. It ended up as a gruesome headless unicorn with body intact but no one seemed to mind. One other little girl asked to take the head home and I've since seen it showing up in Facebook photos. 

More paw patrol gifts and more big smiles. 

And the piece de resistance, doggy day care. Teia spotted this in a magazine awhile back, circled it and has been reminding me daily how important it was that she receive this for her birthday. The satisfied grin says it all...."my tenacity and persistence clearly paid off." 

Later in the day she received her birthday balloons and pink roses from her Dad. I still have the petals from the 5 red roses I rec'd from my Dad on my 5th birthday so we thought it would be nice if Teia had some too. 

Kai was pretty into Teia's birthday too. So into it in fact that he refused to be separated from her all day, lest he miss some important part of the transformation. His Saturday appointment had to be cancelled so he could hang out with little sis. He even willingly posed for a birthday photo with her, although I should have made sure he'd wiped the mac and cheese sauce off his face first :-/

When did they get so tall?????

Teia's horse party did not include any real live horses but we did our best to give it a horsey theme. And the kids had a trampoline and a pool to play in so I think they were well entertained. Lucky for them, this is the first year we've still been able to use the pool on Teia's birthday. Guess all that hot weather has been good for something. 

Greg was the life of the party, and seemed to have kid-barnacles attached to him the entire time he was in the pool, many of them - all at the same time. Originally, I tasked him b/c of his face painting skills but we ran out of time to do any face painting. I'm not sure that he liked his alternate job any better but he was a good sport about it. Such a great Daddy. 

Back to our horse theme: we had "horse food" aka carrots and apples (and of course stinky cheese for the grown ups). We did a horse scavenger hunt that the kids really enjoyed and pin the tail on the horse. 

I was pretty excited about these real horse show ribbons that I was able to get as prizes. I just had to fake a little horse show and a little farm to order them. It was worth the effort b/c the kids thought they were really cool. 

Here's a pic of the pinata whacking. My kids lead such exotic lives (from a Canadian perspective). I had never even seen an avocado picker until my 30's and T gets to whack a pinata hung from one on her 5th birthday! Luckily the avo tree seems to finally have run dry so we could safely whack away below it w/o fear of anyone getting a concussion. Although I am going to miss those avocados. 

Post-pinata T got to open her gifts. I am usually not in favor of gift opening at the party, although it is fun for the guests to see their gift opened and enjoyed. It is just a bit overwhelming for the party kid and I worry about feelings getting hurt given that kids don't really have an edit button. But we talked about it before hand and T promised she would take care of her friends' feelings, no matter what when it came to the present opening. She delivered. She hugged each friend and posed for some of the cutest pictures ever. I'd love to post them but haven't asked the parents. (yes, I am old school when it comes to online kid photo etiquette). I was really proud of her. She's growing up :-( :-)

Ragnar Race Report #2: The Year of the Steep and Heat.

The Cougars emerged from the den for another go at Ragnar Trail in an attempt to defend our large metal belt buckles from 2013. We were almost the same team, with one last minute swap out of one speedy sleek cat for another.

The race organizers made a few changes from last year. It is arguable which was the most significant or impact-ful on our experience. They changed the date, bringing it up by 5 weeks, so we got to run in the sweltering October heat during the hottest and driest summer/fall on record in awhile. They changed the names of all the trails, while keeping them essentially the same resulting in debates and mental calisthenics among the Cougars.....red is yellow, no red is red, yellow is green this year, it goes green, yellow, red...you know, like a traffic light and so on.... They did add an extra mile (more on that in a moment), and they went for budget composting commodes this year.

This year I was runner 3 so ran each leg a few hours earlier than last year. This meant my first run was at about 415 pm in the sweltering heat. But at least I got it out of the way early and could look forward to cooler trails for the remainder of the race. I contemplated jumping in the lake before I started but thoughts of chafing put an end to that idea. So I settled for an ice cube snuggled in my cougar bandana and a camelback full of icy water.

I started on Red which is Ragnar trail code for the.hardest.trail. It wasn't the longest at only 4.5 miles but they were nasty miles. Last year this trail was Green but they added an extra mile and did a color swaparoo. I was familiar with the first climb from last year and remembered it involved a lot of walking so started off in not too much of a hurry. At the top of said climb I turned right and entered the unknown terrain of the new mile. I was the first Cougar to do so and my race report was being anxiously awaited in the "village." Single track, shade, backside views of a lake....so far I was liking it and appreciated the opportunity to run in the day when I could actually enjoy the view. A sharp left and it was a steep drop down into trails clearly designed for mountain bikes, not runners. The legs took a pounding dropping in and then quick up then down then up then down again and again. Then another left, this time to begin going up and up and up and up. Words fail me on how to describe the experience of "running" up this section of the trail. First of all, there was no running involved. It was the kind of trail that brings hikers to their knees b/c it hurts just to walk up it. And you're not really walking. You're bent over, hands on knees b/c the only other option is knuckle-draggin' (or crawling and that would have looked really silly). I actually encountered two retchers on this section of trail and several people just plain bent over and miserable and not moving. The heat + incline was putting people over the edge. Back down in the village I heard later that the hill was a 20% grade. For reals. This section went on way too long. When it was over I struggled to get into any kind of running groove. I didn't even really enjoy the downhills, usually my favorite part, b/c I didn't trust my weak, still shaking and jello-like lower appendages to carry me safely downhill. And did I mention the heat? I know most people really don't like running in hot weather but I think I dislike it even more than most. Or at least I complain about it more.

After the horrid hill section Red rejoined last year's trail. The crazy thing about this was that although I ran this trail last year in the middle of the night while it was raining, I remembered all of it. All the turns, ups, downs, bushes, really everything. Psychologically I think that sorta saved me and I really did need saving at that point. I had stopped looking at my GPS b/c I really didn't want to be reminded of how slow I was running. I was happy to reach another steep climb with a scramble at the top b/c I remembered it from last year so I knew that it was, a) much shorter than what I had already climbed and, b) getting me closer to the finish line. I passed one woman whose language cannot be repeated on this family blog but let's just say she was a bit unhappy about what she'd signed up for. I topped out on a spine that I'd run in the dark last year and tried to briefly enjoy the view this time. And then it was down, down, down back to the final quarter mile where all 3 trails merged into the finishing shoot. Runners go up a short but very steep hill and then across a timing platform where a beep goes off and the team names then shows up on a TV screen at the start/finish so the teammate running next can go into the transition tent to meet the incoming runner, knowing they are now a 1/4 mile out. Having done this last year I knew that my teammates would be cheering excitedly as soon as THE COUGARS popped up on that screen and then would be running to the fence for some good ol' hand-slapping as I ran by. This buoyed me to keep going and to not throw up despite the face that my stomach had been making that suggestion the entire run. And then it was over and I asked my teammates if they wanted the bad news about the new mile.

The nighttime runners made a liar of me, coming back from their runs ecstatic saying Red was "hard but awesome!" That is, until Laurel and Brandi had the privilege in the morning heat and their race reports sounded a lot like me. Ah, validation. Everyone needs it. And nighttime running has a way of sprouting wings. Honestly, I kinda wish I could do all my runs at midnight. The effect is amazing. If you're still with me....read on.

I didn't bother to try to sleep b/tw Red and Yellow, although I should have. I felt sleepy and a bit discouraged after my first run. I was honestly a bit worried that if I did sleep, I really wouldn't be able to get up for that 11:30 pm start time. Instead I ate some cold pasta and stale buns from the mess area, hung out with my teammates sending out and bringing home our runners every 45 minutes to an hour or so. And avoiding those composting toilets as much as possible. You might remember last year's composting toilets were a highlight of the Ragnar Trail experience. They had 24 hr attendants, were quickly replenished of supplies or cleaned when they needed it, and graced by candlelight at nighttime. This year we had the Walmart of composting toilets and it turned out that toilet paper was one of the smartest things I packed, next to my running shoes. They were set up in their own little "village" and all race long runners could be seen dashing from door to door trying to find one that was useable before someone else got there first. Useable = toilet paper, hand sanitizer and not overflowing. Actual sawdust or candles were not even on the radar this year.

So 11 pm rolled around and it was time to line up for run #2, on Yellow. I cost us a little time here because I'd dashed off to the horrible toilets for one last second visit when Lihini, our #2 runner, arrived in transition. I didn't even have time to think as I tightened my headlamp and pulled on our team timing belt and headed off across the beach to start my leg. Last year Yellow was Red and was my absolute favorite loop, mainly b/c I ran it in the early morning when I could see and it had amazing flowing downhill. The first thing I noticed as I ran was that it was 20 degrees cooler than my loop on Red and man did that feel good. It took a little bit to adjust to running in the dark and not knowing exactly where I was putting my feet. Then I started climbing and to my amazement I felt great, I kept going, I passed people. This was going to be a spectacular run. I ran all the way up the double track until I hit a sidewinding goat trail that I remembered from last year. I did not run all of those hills last year so I got my first mental boost of many to come.

I power hiked the goat trail and my headlamp zoomed in on a gigantic black beetle. Better him than a scorpion or a rattle snake or a cougar. This sent a little shiver down my spine and I had to fight thoughts of cougars for a short little while before I was zooming again. Yellow turned into mostly single track after this point with plenty of Danger Downhill signs and lots of airy sections on each side of the trail. Lots of runners were tentatively making their way down these sections but I was charging. Not as fast as last year, the darkness did slow me down a bit, but still enough to get that incredible feeling of floating in the dark night air as I zoomed by. I don't know if I was really zooming but I felt like it and that is all that matters. I didn't want this section to end. I just wanted to keep running and keep feeling so phenomenal. I didn't look at my GPS at all b/c I didn't really care what my pace was or how far it was to the finish and I actually kinda couldn't, you know, for safety. It is not advisable to look at one's watch when running fast down technical single track in the dark.

Yellow dumped me out from my trails of euphoria onto the road for a few short moments before sending me back up another big climb. This was a hike/run and as soon as it leveled off at the top I was off again for the downhill to the finish and that last quarter mile. I did not want that run to end. I wanted to hoot like I was on a mountain bike and truly, honestly, really would have gone right through transition and kept going if someone had told me I could run Yellow again. But that isn't how the race works so I had to hand off the timing belt and go meet my teammates. I honestly felt like I was buzzing. Who needs drugs when you can run Yellow by headlamp. What is better than that? Other than riding Yellow by headlamp, I imagine.

So now it was time to sleep. Hah. I think I have the adrenaline rush from my run as well as the caffeinated Cliff Blocks I took before it to thank for lying awake in my tent for 3 hours. That and my full bladder which forced unwanted trips to Toilet Village. Julia was my tent mate and she ran around 2 am. She was back in the tent with me and confirmed that I did sleep from 415-430 am which I suspected. Then I was up to wait for my next leg, which ended up starting around 630 am.

My last leg was Green, last year's Yellow. I did not like this loop. It was 6 miles long, relatively flat but with deep sand, except for a big, long roadie climb in the middle, and several climbs in the last mile. There was no single track. It was all double track and dirt road. For some reason around 5 am I went into GI meltdown. This meant that I almost moved into Toilet Village during Toilet Village's darkest hours. Whoever was manning this atrocity had clearly been disgusted into giving up on his job by 5 am and I can't say I blame him. This ordeal distracted me from any real mental planning for the final Green loop. I had a vague and lofty ambition to break 1 hour. Last year only 1 of our 8 teammates had done so and this year a few already had, showing the Cougars were truly on form. My time last year was somewhere around 67 or 68 minutes and I remember feeling pretty rough. So in the back of my mind I shelved that goal. I tried to run comfortably and reminded myself that I wanted to run a strong second half, which fits my running style more than going out strong from the gate. I was passing people for awhile and feeling like I was working hard. The sun was rising and it was cool but wouldn't be for long. I kept looking at my GPS and telling myself I was going too damn slow. But then I'd listen to my breathing and realized that I was running about as well as I could at that moment w/o sacrificing the negative split that would mean I'd had a good run. So I ran by feel and tried to hang tough. The woman ahead of me was running about the same pace as me and eventually a bit faster. I realized I was not going to catch her but I wanted to keep her in my sights. I threw out an invisible rope and kept my pace and cadence up a little more than I otherwise would have I think.

At the top of the big climb I realized that my average pace was just under a 10 minute mile at that point which meant that breaking 1 hour was attainable, particularly if I ran the second half faster and didn't fall apart (which I've been known to do). So I committed to that goal. This was a breakthrough run for me. I can put my head down and give it all when I ride my bike. I have a more complicated relationship with running and am more susceptible to negative self-talk and choosing less physical suffering over attaining a running goal, particularly on race day. For some reason the strong chief who sits atop my shoulders in a bike race, goes on vacation when she sees running shoes. I reflected on the awesomeness of my Yellow run and on how effortless and light I felt at the finish line. I wanted to dump all of that excess energy that I didn't expend on Yellow to be left on this Green trail. I pushed. I dug deep and the weird thing was I didn't really suffer. I just ran hard and it felt good. For probably the first time ever. I managed to find that zone b/tw running too slowly and exploding in a cloud of lactic acid misery. The last climb hurt but I stayed mentally tough. I wanted to break that hour much more than I should have wanted to for something that didn't really matter at all. But whatever, it was what it was and hopefully I can call on this new mental running strength some other time when I might need it for an important goal.

I was glad to see the finish line but I didn't throw up. I was in control. My watch said 58:33. Nice. Solidly whipped my own butt from last year, although I did have the benefit of daylight this time around. 14.5 miles down and time to go eat and rest and enjoy the final few hours as my teammates put in their last loops. We don't know yet if we won our division again b/c it takes the Ragnar folks a few days to figure it all out. I guess its complicated to run a race involving hundreds of teams of runners. Either way it was an epic weekend: 14.5 miles, 1500 feet of climbing and 15 minutes of sleep = exhausted, happy and bring on the pumpkin pie.