EASTER DAY

Had a nice turkey meal with Kelvin parents. Then came home and got my bike out and did my first little ride of the season. Wanted to make sure the bike was in decent shape plus wanted to see how I would feel on the bike much liter weight then last year at this time. It felt great! I was like WOW I feel good and will be able to ride more this year and looking forward to riding into to work maybe one day this week.

GETTING OVER COLD

Well since I returned from my vacation I caught a cold. It was not much until last weekend it got worse, I took a sick day on Monday went to Dr and got some meds so feeling much better now. Still got a little of it left so hope it goes bye bye soon! I did my first run in awhile yesterday it wasnt to bad I did not go to fast since I do want this cold to go away. My weight has gone down another 2 pounds YIPEEE for me I am within 2 POUNDS of a goal of 140. I would like to reach it before summer and maintain it through out the triathlon season.

BACK FROM VACATION

Well has always the time went way to fast! I arrived on Thur at 2:00 in the afternoon, flight out to west coast went well just long day of flying. I stayed with my parents and had a great time! It was great to just be there alone with them both and be able to visit with them. Mom is not doing as bad as I thought but still hard to see her in bed most the day. She did get up to eat each meal even though she doesnt eat much. She showed me here exercises that the home health care has her doing, I even sat beside her and did them too. I explained to her that she needs to keep doing her exercises.

March 8th was the 5K at Crater High school in Central point ore. I got there at about 8:00 am and checked in. I met the race director Mike Barret he is 70 and years ago he worked with my Dad in one of the local saw mills. Check in was in the high school gym that was nice since outside it was very foggy and about 35. I kept thinking that the sun would come out about the time we would start at 9 am but NOPE! I did a few warm up laps around the track it is a very nice state of the art track with special coating very well taken care of. Before the 5k started they did the little kids run around the track that was really cute and fun to see these little kids run fast! I really enjoyed that. I was not able to have any friends there at the run to cheer me on but that was ok. BECAUSE when I was walking out to the track the first time I looked down and there was a PENNY! I bent over and grabbed it up! I said to myself, " find a penny pick it up and you will have great luck" those are famous words that my grandmother had told me years ago when I was a little girl and found a penny on a sidewalk. SOOOOOO I thought what the heck I can use all the luck I can get on this run. I knew it was going to be all flat and a out and back course. I was dressed for the fog and chilly damp weather. 9:00 I WAS OFF and running! Throught the parking lot over gravel out on to the local nearby streets in the area of the high school. Legs felt pretty good, ( i had run the day before about 1-2 miles) a little into the first mile there was this man next to me that some how I started chatting with said he was from the area and I told him I was back home visiting family but now live in Colorado. WELLLLLLLLLLL make a long story short I asked him his name and he said. Mark Mayfield! This was my oldest sisters first X husband! I said oh my gosh I know you and he looked at me and said, " your Cindy Hallin little sister Beka! I said YEP I was like still running and watching ahead to make sure I did not trip over a sidewalk LOL, He was there at the run to take some photos of friends. He ran most the run with me as we chatted. It was getting not far from the finish and he took off and I knew that I best picl up my pace since it was not much further and I would be doing the final lap around the track and coming to the finish shoot! I looked at my watch and it said 25 min I was like DAM I am not going to get the time that I want. But I thought well just run hard and do the best that you can! There was a lady in front of me I passed her but I could not stick with her so I let her go. I saw the finish line and the clock and my finial time was 31.00. Mark was there and got a photo of me as I finished. I wont complain about my time since that is a PR last best PR was 31:33. There was about 150 runners and I was number 118. I almost placed in my age group good news is I did get the award for the person who came the furthest! I got a box of Irish Spring Soap! I was so thrilled! what can I say I will treasure that!

The night before the run I went to a spagetti dinner at the local grainge hall there in Grants Pass it was yummy! I won a nice door prize! this large ceramic St Patricks day mug!

This was a trip back to my hometown that I will treasure for years! It was so hard to leave my folks knowing that my mom is so ill. Dad will be 75 in July and doing pretty darn well. I also spent time with my 2 oldest sis and her husband Matt. I went back to work today and dead tired! I did not get in last night till around 12:30! weather here today was great about 65 and sunny. So now got to get back to my daily runs and work outs I have a lot of events coming up in the next 4-5 months!

GETTING READY FOR SEA LEVEL

I will be flying out in a few days to head to southern Oregon. I am going to visit my parents, my mom has had ill health for a long time now and I have the time to go see her and jsut let her know how much I love her, plus maybe take a little stress of my Dad has he has been the care taker of her. I cant wait to see them both. This coming Sat I will do my first 5K at sea level YAHOO cant wait it is in the town of Central Point and will be a flat course so I want to give it all I got! It might rain but that will not stop this mile high girl!

Tonight I got looking at a event guide that has runs and events coming up here in Colorado. My eyes landed on the Mt Evans ascent run 14 miles up to the top of Mt Evans, this is the highest paved road in the USA! elevation to climb on this run is 4000ft. You have 4 hours to complete the run. The finishers get a medal! and I would love to have that one for my collection, they allow only 350 runners to do this event and there is still spots open for 100 more. So I have some serious decsions to make about this one. The weekend before this event I have my first sprint traithlon of the season, so that is something that concerns me will I be recovered enough to make a 14 mile run at at that elevation?

CLIMB THE REPUBLIC BUILDING

what a great event! Kelvin and I arrived at 7:00 am. he checked in for volunteer duty. He was given the water aid station on the 35 floor, this was the last stop for anyone to get water before the get to the finish at the 53 floor. Official chip time 13:49

I went and sat down near the start area, so that I could see the elite runners start at 8:00 am. It was a great time I got some great photos. I am not sure what the first place time was but I did hear that the record was like 6 minutes. I really enjoyed being with such a large group of people it is just awesome. My start time was to be at 9:50 but the line was not to bad so I snuck in at 9:40. My legs felt pretty good considering running 10 miles yesterday. I had a little talk with my legs and said, "OK just get me to the top and I promise I will let you rest a few days after all this work this weekend" SO off I went through the start door. I started my heart rate monitor so I could see how hard I was pushing. 4th floor I was talking to myself saying wow 53 flights LOL guess I better keep moving. After that I just kept breathing and breathing I told myself you can do this! Legs were not feeling to bad. Next stop 35 floor I peaked in the hall way to yell at Kelvin. I said I AM HERE GOING UP!!! I had water on me so need to stop along the way at all.

Before I knew it I was at the 45 floor and knew I was getting closer to the 53 FINISH LINE!

It was great when you get to the finishe line. there was volunteers there that put the medal around your neck and then you also had them remove your timing chip. The view was worth a million! I got some great photos out the window looking at the sky line of Denver! It was all so worth it! I felt like I was on top of the world. OK OK I was on top of the highest building in Denver.

Once done taking photos I was into the elevator that takes you down to the lobby. The lobby area had great food and other goodies! I picked up my shirt YAHOO. I will also be getting a nice technical running shirt. April 15 the CO lung association will have a get together at a nice bar/grill restaraunt down town, they will honor the people who raised the most funds plus the people who finished in top spots. I will get my running shirt then. I raised so far 300.00 I want to say thanks to any and all who supported me on this.

What a wonderful weekend this was! Sure I will bit sore tomorrow but I would do it all again in a heart beat.

SNOWMAN STAMPEDED 10 MIL RUN

I did it! Yes I ran the complete 10 miles not at record pace but I am happy with what I did today. Considering a year ago there would be no way I could of run that distance. My time was 1:57:33. The weather could of not been better, this was the last race in a series of 3 that I did called the Winter Distance. Now that is done so lets get Spring coming here in Colorado! My friends Becky and Andria where at the run today also Susan from Evergreen was great to finally meet her. OH also a few other ladies that blog on BT too. My legs towards the end started feeling a little like lead LOL. At times there were not many other runners near me so I did lots of thinking about things like THE STAIRS that I have to climb tomorrow LOL. But that will be a fun event and a great cause! stay tuned for that story tomorrow

WHAT THE HECK WAS I THINKING

This is a weekend that I will most likely always ask
myself what was I thinking! Tomorrow I will be
participating in the last of the winter distance
series runs. This is the snow man stampede
10 mil run at Cherry Creek Reservoir. Weather
looks like it might not be to bad. I have done many
runs in 2007 and now continuing in 2008 this
will be my longest event run ever done. Getting
ready for a half marathon in May here in Denver.

This Sunday will be the icing on the cake LOL I am doing the Colorado Lung Assoc Climb the stairs of the Republic buildin here in Denver CO. It is the tallest building in downtown Denver. It has 53 flights of stairs and a total of about 1018 steps to the top. More to follow after these events are done and completed. So tune in.......... ..... as life be happening for Rebecca :)