Our 10 year anniversary!

 

The first thing that comes to mind when I write this is the fact that My husband and I don't really need a special day to celebrate and tell each other how we feel about one another.  But, 10 years IS a milestone.  Loving sentiments are things that we say to each other-things that we sit and talk and WONDER about- almost on a daily basis.  I'm blessed (and a little intimidated!) by the ways Miles always words his love for me...  He can encompass what lives in both our hearts and navigates our days together in just a few beautiful sentences...leaving me lacking in words and loving him fiercely.

I love that after 10 years, holding hands, laughing together, displaying our love still comes so naturally to us…it’s apparent to everyone and I hope it inspires.  These last 10 years have gone in a blink of an eye and yet have been SO FULL with all the amazing LIVING we do.  I am unendingly grateful for this life we share full of love, patience, laughter, tears, support, respect, worry, exploration, admiration, evolution, joy, and contentment.  Miles Pruner, you are my best friend and soul mate and I am honored to walk through the years of life with you.  The greatest happiness is looking forward to many more.

I love you beyond the beyond, my husband…and I thank you for being YOU.

The Odd Couple!

And on this Father's day, to the man who lives to be a DAD, one rarely meets a father who loves so intensely, who is so dedicated, who's soul's food is his family. I adore you and THANK you, my LOVE...

And then heading off to the Double Musky in Girdwood for dinner!

Make that 5 MILES, not 5K!!!

Duh.  I spent a month and half after signing up for this race thinking it was a 5K.  I even trained on the course, wondering why the hell it was taking me so long to run 3-ish miles!  Imagine me on race day, watching the MILE flags marking the MILES pass by one after the other..."Oh, SHIT!  It's 5 MILES!"
The Alaska Run for Women, to raise money for breast cancer research, is a big wonderful event here.  I HATE that this race has to exist... but it does, and with promoting breast education and empowering all involved, it's a great thing.  I signed up with The Brewbies, our team representing the Great Northern Brewers Club that Miles and I belong to.  A couple of us ran in the 5 mile timed race, some in the untimed, and the rest walked in the Party Wave.

Of the 3 races I've run this summer, this was the more grueling.  Thinking I just had to blast out 3 miles, I ran it hard and fast.  It was a bit of a shock when I realized it wasn't 5K, and I did slow down a little at the end, but I'm proud of my effort and time...41:36!  I ran in honor of Megan and Tina.  I held them in my heart as I ran and while I have NO idea what these women have gone through/are going through, thoughts of their strength gave me wind in my wings, power in my legs.  You are WonderWomen, ladies!  I came in strong at the finish and passed many splats of puke as I slowed to a walk to find Willa, Miles, and water.  Stopping made me feel woozy, so I kept meandering and waiting for my other running teammate to finish so I could greet her.  After she finished we had a bowl of fruit, hit the potty, and found other Brewbies to cheer on.  I missed the last of our bunch because they decided to make a pit stop in the park to drink homebrew with some of our GNBC "supporters" and I had a regatta practice to get to (that'll be another post).
All in all a strong race day for me...and a morning of joy, empowerment, grief, education, teamwork, strength, camaraderie, and HOPE.

Pre-race with my biggest fan

Entertainment around every bend!  This bluegrass band gave me a happy blast of energy!

The steady deep beat that the Tomodachi drummers where laying down as I came into Westchester Lagoon had the hair on my arms standing on end!  What an unexpected and COOL surprise!

About to cross the finish line

An example of the fun and outrageous costumes

Willa loved getting to wear a big flowery bra for this silly photo op!  Guess who's obsessed with boobies now?!

The Skinny Raven Twilight 12K!

2 Races in under 1 week!  Whoo-hoo!!!  And I'm headed to another one (The Alaska Run for Women 5K) this morning-making it 3 races in 2 weeks.
 A couple days after the 1/2 marathon, I got an FB message from our friend, Martin, wanting to know if I wanted to join him for the following Friday's Skinny Raven Twilight 12K run.  Still quite sore, I figured, "Well, what the hell...I can make it an easy run and just enjoy the atmosphere...".  Miles wanted to join, too, and by Friday we were both freshly UN-sore and ready to KILL it! 
It was a MUCH larger run-about 3000 runners as opposed to the half marathon's 200!  Such a great vibe going on at the downtown starting line at the Skinny Raven running store!  Martins wife, Mary, and their son joined Dylan and Willa as our cheering section both at the start and the finish.

 
The course was a challenging one with a few long hills leading us into various Anchorage neighborhoods filled with spectators-some solo on their front lawns and some holding block parties greeting us with music and cups of water-there was even a duo playing violins on one corner! Sweet!  At one point I saw a guy sitting  comfortably in a camp chair in his driveway with a rack of beer next to him...I thought,"Kinda wish I was THAT guy!".  Then I thought,"WTF?!?!?  I get to be out here RUNNING with good people, my Hunny, my friend, on a very pleasant evening through Anchorage, Alaska!  I can sit on my ass and drink a beer anytime!"  PLUS, at the end of the race BEER and PIZZA would be waiting for us at the finish line in the Park Strip!!!  What's sweeter then well earned beer and pizza?!
I ran a really good race even though I forgot my fucking Ipod...my aural motivation.  But it was ok.  While coming down the Government Hill Bridge, I pulled ahead of Miles and Martin(who had to make a pit-stop) and got into a nice zone.  NOT having the tunes allowed me to focus more on the crowds, my running mates, and everything going on around me.  Martin the Marathoner caught up to me toward the end and really encouraged me to finish strong up the last hill to the Park Strip.  Once on the grass, I was like,"WHERE'S that fuckin' finish line?!?!?"!  Martin said, "Just around the corner...I'll race ya?".  We kicked it in and pounded it out HARD to the finish line!  Of course he beat me...but what a fun end!  Miles came in 2 minutes later, we found our cheerleaders, changed into warm clothes and enjoyed the spoils of the race's end.  Food, brew, and friends.

Willa waiting at the finish line

Martin and I about to cross the finish line

Friggin photos always make it look like we're trotting when we were totally CRANKIN'!!!!



Here comes Miles!

My first race blister

Ahhhh!!  Liquid reward!



And Ms. Peggy was there!!!  Willa's Waldorf kindergarten teacher!!!

My time !!!

Cheer squad-thanks guys!!  <3!

Photo booth was set up at the finish party-SILLY!

Fresh babes in da house!



Smoochie boochins!

God DAMN, we truly live in such a fantastic place!  It's been a LONG time since we've had much moose activity on our property, let alone a mama and newborns taking residence!  Our record snowfall is finally melted, the grass is greening and the buds are finally popping(what wasn't devastated over the last 2 summer's worm blight).  What a treasure to come home to this new family relaxing about 40 feet from our side door!  I was tromping indelicately up our stairs, laden with groceries and about to go into the house when I caught the twitch of an ear out of the corner of my eye.  I looked over to see Mama laying there with her 2 babes splayed out in the sun.  The fact that she didn't rise as I clomped up the steps was a good sign.  As a mother, I fully understand her instinct to fiercely protect her babies...and I have been on the receiving end of a mama moose's intensity.  I was treated the other day to the site of her chasing another huge rogue moose off the property into the neighbor's!  SERIOUS crashing through the brush!  DON'T mess with her, Dude! 
She hasn't seemed to mind our humanly comings and goings and the activity inside the house.  We've taken a lot of photos and video right outside Willa's bedroom window.  She was excited to have "Lick, Snack, and Mama" sleeping over outside!  What an amazing event to witness !  We can sit out on the back deck and watch/listen to Mama munch on tender grasses, strip bark from the trees and nurse her babies.  And there is nothing friggin' cuter then those little ones frolicking and playing with each other!  Barring any upset, Mama will probably hang around the area for the next week or two while her babies grow stronger and faster on their gawky legs before heading off for new territory.  While it's a pain that we can't venture out onto the property to play, that we have to be very cautious walking around the house, and that we have to keep an eye out for grizzlies hunting moose calves, I think it's a great trade for the opportunity to observe this fierce and tender wildness.  What a spectacular place to grow up in!!!!!

Someone is tying to make pee pee

It can be quite unnerving how quiet and still these huge creatures can be.  You can stumble right on them if you're not careful!

Glorious 6am nursies

I RAN A 1/2 MARATHON!!!

After the race

And while I didn't "eat those 13.1 miles for breakfast", I did kick my own ass and surprise myself!  A week ago I ran 12 miles up here on our hilly roads-keeping my running light and easy-in about 2.5 hours.  I figured if i can tackle monster hills up here, I could take on 13.1 miles in relatively flat Anchorage.  My goal was to finish the race in under 3 hours-pushing for the 2.5.  I finished in 1:58:26!!!  Miles ran it too, kicking ass at  2:06-ish.   And that guy ran the whole things in his Vibram Five Fingers!
The temps Saturday were perfect, about 55 and partly sunny.  It wasn't a huge crowd, only about 200 runners-this being a more obscure race dedicated to a mother and son who where killed by a bear while out running.  We got there on the early side watered and fueled, hit the honey pots, stretched a bit, and did some warm-up jogging.  To be on the safe side we decided to get on the now very long line to the honey pots and try to evacuate any "leftovers" before the race started.  Nothing like running a good distance with a crap on deck...or a full bladder.  We were  just hopping out of our respective cans as they started the 10 second count down!  Joining the back-ish of the line I fumbled with securing my tunes to my upper arm and even tried to take a couple phone pics of the runners ahead of me. 

I wasn't feeling panicky or nervous like I thought i would once "go!" was shouted and took it easy as we found a comfortable pace gaining some speed and making our way more towards the middle of the pack.  Miles and I didn't chat as much as usual, saving energy and concentration for the race.  I fought the urge to plug in my ear buds for the first 2 miles, enjoying the peace of the woods, ambling river, and me and my husband's foot fall.  The birdsong was beautiful...  But soon I started to get that "racehorse in the gate" feeling.  Biding adieu to Miles, I turned on the ipod and surged ahead to U2's "Beautiful Day"- I felt like I could fly!  I slowly made my way passing many runners up ahead.  The collective atmosphere seemed energized and joyful-smiles, words of encouragement and cheers from bystanders and kids offering water.  After a few miles, the first of the front runners started to appear as they made their way back to the finish line.  I tried to throw out a few "keep goin'!"s and thumbs up but around the halfway point I was starting to realize I needed to not break my concentration.  I downed a few Gu chomps, trying not to slobber as I breathed heavily through my chewing.  As I passed the halfway point I fast-forwarded through some songs to find something that would really get my spirit cranking.  After a minute or so, my heart took a leap as I saw my hunny approaching with his arm outstretched.  I let him know the that the halfway was right around the corner as we high-fived.  "I love you, Baby" I yelled and got to work on the last half of the race.  To push myself a bit, I would target anyone in front of me and try to pass them.  I have a habit of getting comfortable following...I get in a groove and zone out while they lead.  In the past this has translated into my life in general.  Somewhere in my mind a voice said to my inner child,"You can follow or you can lead...".  I did my best to lead-passing all but one young woman that I ran neck and neck with for awhile until she surged ahead toward the end.  In my naive mind, I had hoped to run steady until that last couple miles where I would kick it in and run hard to the finish.  Didn't work out that way!  The last 2 miles were TOUGH!!!  4 of the people I had previously passed eventually overtook me.  At one point I broke out of my zoniness to realize I was alone on the trail and wasn't seeing any markers!  I got a bit freaked out thinking it would be just like me to take a wrong turn as the trail branched out quite a bit in that area!  But I soon approached a familiar park and knew I was on track. 

At one point I came SO close to walking...but I snapped out of it, telling myself,"You KNOW that in about 10 minutes you will be DONE and able to rest and revel!!!  Don't you fucking WALK!!!"  All thoughts of slowing down left as I passed under the last tunnel and could see the finish line and people up ahead!  Those distant cheers of encouragement uplifted me, giving a boost of energy and speed to fly over that finish line!  What an incredible feeling!!!  I walked about for a couple minutes, passing a last minute speedster bent over and maybe puking in the lake. I stretched my quads and turned my attention to the finish line to wait for Miles.  I walked back along the trail about 50 yards and after a few minutes he appeared.  I yelled out something like,"GO baby!!!" and ran parallel to him through the crowd to grab him at the finish.  We were both THRILLED with our bad selves..having exceeded our own expectations!  I'm STILL high...

I've spent the last couple days nursing some intense soreness!  Sunday was misery as we continued work framing our interior walls.  As of today only my calves are still crying...but I'm hoping they'll recover by Friday night's Twilight 12K run!  Hey, I know it's soon, I know my second thought after that 1/2 marathon was,"I'm not running for at LEAST 10 days!" (After-race brain fuzz?!?)but there is a BEER GARDEN at the end of this race, yo!!! 
Ok, I'm totally hooked on running races!!!!!  I've always had the urge to RUN since I was a kid, begging my friends to run in the Town Journal Run with me(I never did).  If I could go back in time I would DEFINITELY join the track and cross country teams in school.  Back then, I never had the confidence....couldn't handle being in the public eye.  But now, at 42 years old, it's there-a little late, yeah- but now is MY TIME!!!!!  And I can't wait for my new Subaru to come in so I can slap that 13.1 bumper sticker on the back window!!!!

Runs with phone