Xmas in July

Remember Mother of kindness and love. Always patient and calm, always firm but bending. Giving all the best possible under difficult circumstances. Pause a moment today to recall in the Xmas of July 25th 1927 you were born to this earth, conceived a family that has now almost run it's course. Looking back on all the treasured times of sharing, today thoughts of you flow into a smile. There is no way to know where you have gone, but if you have taught us anything you would say just look beyond and to the future, for there the roses you have planted are in full bloom. Your presence remains and you are missed while we are parted. Hope is to know what your faith has taught us. Soon we will walk and share at at our banquet feast once more. Happy Birthday Mama Mia RIP.

My Bad

So I was feeling kinda of exciting cause I thought it was a friends birthday. I had calculated sending a Birthday card so it would arrive precisely on the day. Picking up the phone and getting an answer I go into "Happy Birthday, are you taking the day off?". The words coming back from the other side of the phone was " my birthday was Monday!", silence...wow I'm two days off. I feel sucky now, definite nose dive. The funny thing is I bet the card arrives today, like I planned. It's not the same when you mess up stuff. I could write down the date for next year, but I might not remember where I wrote it down. I could add ten days from mine, and that would be it, but once again, would I remember? What is obviously strange is for the last many years I had the date right till now. Magdalene's feast day is the  22nd, and the day before, his birthday, could be like Fat Tuesday where you have fun. Then on the feast day, it's back to the grind! Now I know I'll mess up again, how would I remember that, oh well, the road to paradise is paved with the best of intentions.

101 Dalmations

One Hundred and one miles churned off this past week, can't say that has really happened since 100M races were completed in any particular week. Muleshoe lost, and we finished that 60K, it was a lot cooler night, after all the low for the day was 67 and the high was 85, but now we will start the summer oven. Remember heat is my friend. Doing 64 then going to a race scheduled five days later is not most peoples idea of a taper. Yet the days of running miles as long, as close together, back to back, excessive extremes are looking very over. Is it age, desire, concern? Maybe a little of all three. More so it amounts to what you have actually been putting in the bank, withdrawing, sharpening the cycle till your tolerance can handle the load. Many things in ones life change that, and mostly they revolve around time and will. But the key factor is probably excitement of doing something that you just have passion for. The sparks fly and things combust, and your off feeling good about stuff. If you follow your dream, shoot high, because living it is entirely another story. But somewhere in-between is where you'll land.

Happy Birthday Rick

We shared the cabin and meals at Tahoe City, before we both took off on the adventure of Western States. At Cross Timbers we stayed at the cabin at the marina and enjoyed more ultra running fun. At Vermont and Umstead we slapped high fives as we passed one another. We played photo opt on the loops of Palo Duro, and Grasslands. We picked up Joyce off the rocks where she busted her head and we got her into the closest aid station at Arkansas Traveler. Sure there was Rocky 50K and "The Coon", and every one of Lewis's runs. You were like at everything, everywhere, yes you were the Go Guy!  The last time we talked was at Capt. Karl's as we tailgated waiting for the start. Capt's Muleshoe is tomorrow, how about another night shindig? Many friends you still have waiting on this side, you've finished the race you started. You always were the biggest heart, because your waiting now for the rest of us to come in.

Blueprint for a 72 Hour

Boodini in dog years and I in mutant form are both at this time sixty three. Friday marked that union and after her 7am. 5K it was time by 9am. for my private run. As the miles clicked by the thought of running my age in miles came to mind, not that original, a few of my acquaintances have easily done this. But these days running 100K plus is a challenge, closest to that happened in January at Bandera, and that was difficult having had severe diarrhea before the first loop was even completed, and 19 and half hours later it was a finish. With my hook in the time slots of habitual life, juggling miles done weekly and the lack of Will power to get moving, running my age now in one day outside of races would be next to impossible, at least it seems so. I have never really had the aspiration anyway. Well then the idea came to me for the next three days I would be off, and dividing the miles if I did 21 miles each day it could happen, seventy two hours. So I headed to the Great Hills loop and bagged 13. Then home I went and returned in the afternoon to kill the deficit of 6, that gave me the first day of 21. Saturday began with no support from Boodini, so scratch that 5K, and by ten am. off I ran for 15. Then the phone rang and work had my butt going in for fixing a problem, and by the time I was home it was church time. So at seven Saturday nite I decided to sit it out, so now I was deficit 6 miles for the day. Mentally it is tough anyway but looking down the barrel of a twenty seven mile Sunday seemed really tough. So the mind started thinking well it doesn't matter anyway, so forget about your little challenge. Sunday am. though came around and Boodini was back in form and we killed 3.75 miles. Then it was time for me to head to the easy loop at town lake of ten, parking was a bitch but it got done. So now I'm somewhere behind the half marathon distance. Well it hit 100 degrees yesterday and that's when I knocked off 8.5 miles. Now it's down to 5. My time cut off started at 7 am. Friday so I had till seven Monday am. And at 4 am Monday I knocked off the five and completed 64 and change miles. Thanks to Garmin for counting the clicks and keeping the log, the ice chest full, and gu's and nutrition mix, a bed to sleep in etc. This attests to the saying " it takes me all night long to do what I used to do all night". Yes the glory days have passed, and now it's just pushing back the clock as best as the cut off permits. Now the next dog day comes quickly this Saturday at the "all nighter " at Muleshoe 60K.

Nothing Doing

5:45am and the walk in the hood seemed normal, and as Boodini is sniffing around there is something   flashing, flying above pole light height around the corner. Let's get closer for a more up and personal look. Yes it is a lighted flying UFO, more like a lighted flying remote controlled toy that zooms around in circles, up and then down and then towards and away from us. To try and get even closer, the curiosity is intriguing. As we move forward my arm is pulled to the socket as Bodini wants to flee the scene. She has spotted the flying lights and absolutely wants nothing to do with it. It is way too freaky this time of the morning for her. Off we go in a run for safety, at least in her mind. Guess we will be ahead of the regular schedule today.

What's that Smell

It's just a matter of time before it's get near and the barn will be smelling ripe. When that is said, it can go one of two ways. This time at the finish, if there is another race to be had, we will be pushing towards a personal best. After all, if you are going to do this thing you might as well give it your best. What it simmers down to is setting yourself up for success, how better to do that if you have your bag of proverbial tricks always before you. It might be like having those small cards laid out wherever you go, but that is kinda of funky, more mental jogging reminders is what it should be like. Always keeping in mind what you want, what your after, because when the other smell of the barn comes around you will recognize it for what it is and not so easily jump on that trail. Hopefully given time which we don't have much of we'll get where we want to go. That's right a personal best. Well it's a deep well to ponder, and right now the list of why it doesn't happen is all to evident. Aim for the smell of that barn on the PR side will be the plan. Don't forget to ask yourself how long will this last.