Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Turning the Page

I'm finding it difficult to post on CoyoteGirl. This was a blog dedicated to my trail adventures and they are few and far between now. Between caring for the kids and the dog there just really isn't any time left for lonely jaunts in the woods. All adventures include canines and kidlets now.

And I'm sure that is pretty boring for those looking for trail posts.

I'm starting a new blog - The 4 Musketeers. It's of course, about our adventures and my new hopes and dreams. Please come by and join me if you'd like.

I'll leave this blog up for a while and then probably lock it down.

As far as my running is concerned - I've been following the three day a week rule in the FIRST program, albeit less seriously than laid out. I haven't been running barefoot because I bruised my left foot a few weeks ago...but I feel I really need to go back to my VFFs since my hip is tightening up again. So I'll be hitting the streets in my VFFs again. It will be easier to do so since I no longer have any plans or aspirations to race so I can take my time building up my strength running barefoot and just having fun with it. I've been swimming a few times a week too and I'll be adding to that and swimming more in the future.

I've started writing a novel and will be working diligently on that project too. Fiction is new to me since I've been a copywriter for 15 years and really just always thought of myself as a good writing technition, but not terribly creative. I don't think I was giving myself much of a chance. We'll see what gels.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

At the dog park yesterday morning I was calmly having a nice conversation with other dog people when we were rudely interupted by a blood curdling scream.

The four year old in the bushes.

I could tell that this wasn't an "I'm hurt scream" so I wasn't worried. No rattlesnake bites or twisted ankles. This was an I'm terrified scream. I was pretty sure this was due to a spider of some sort.

"MOM! Nadya has a spider in her hair!!!"

Now, I ain't brave when it comes to spiders. They give me the eebie jeebies. I'm not proud of that fact.

I thought, it's probably just a little one, like the size of my fingernail, no problem. When I get over there....well, it's a LARGE garden spider in a radioactive looking green/yellow shade marching down my goldilocks head. Just in range of her sight. It was heading for her shoulder.

I bravely handed a stick to her sister to have her wipe it off. My excuse is that they were behind a pointy bush and I couldn't get to it. Maya did the honors without fear.

Too bad I didn't have my camera. Nadya screamed for another ten minutes. My ears are still ringing.

Monday, August 17, 2009


It really feels like we're heading towards fall.




It has been dry and warm...very fall around here. And there's much talk at the dog park about all the kids going back to school. Divine Miss M will be taking her place in her first grade class two weeks from now. I wish the other one were going too -she gets so jealous of her big sis.




I've been swimming more than running...Getting back into it takes time and hell, it's just darn enjoyable. I don't seem to have lost much technique-wise as I'm back in the lane that I left two years ago.




I can pretend that I'm having a tropical vacation while swimming. This fantasy has ballooned in my mind since I ran into a lovely couple at the dog park with their Anatolian shepherd. They were taking him for a final walk before crating him up and flying back to Costa Rica where they own and run a B & B. I've been googling "moving to Costa Rica" all morning.




Apparently it's no problem moving to Costa Rica with your dog. And people there are very kid and dog friendly. I find that out here I'm the most hated person because I have kids AND a dog. I annoy those who hate kids (there lots of them around here) and those who hate dogs (plenty of those too). 'Tis sad. They are missing out by closing themselves off to nature (dogs) and people (kids).




I've always wanted to take up surfing....there's lots of surfing in Costa Rica....


Wednesday, August 05, 2009


The pup weighs 63 lbs! Big girl!


++++++++


I'm about 2-1/2 weeks into my FIRST -style program. I haven't been rigid with figuring out the correct pace for the tempo run so I'll call it a FIRST-style program until I get it all knocked out. But so far, I feel better. I have more energy AND my track intervals are getting faster! My times have been steadily decending by about 3 seconds per 400m per week. And I feel more like my old self out there on the track.


For my crosstraining I'll be adding swimming in. I miss swimming. I think it's the best complement to running since it's completely unlike it. I'll be able to better rest my running muscles.