Back to Fun Stuff...

Ok, I promise not to get too serious again anytime soon.  Back to fun stuff...
Here are some fun events to do this year...

XTERRA OFF-ROAD TRIATHLONs 
    They're all over the country/globe and almost always is gorgeous locations!

XTERRA Trail Run Series
     Various distances.  It's much mo funner to stay off the pavement!

Leadville 100 MTB
     Which mortals will be allowed in this year?

Whiskey 50 MTB Race
      Be there or be square!

An Inevitable Implosion...?

It was inevitable I suppose.

The news out of the Middle East is wild, and I have to say, a little exciting.  From the youth twittering like mad, to Libyan pilots defecting with the multi-billion dollar fighter jets, to even Qadafi, with his "high-fashion" (tacky) ensemble declaring his dedication to martyrdom if need be, it's compelling to keep up w/it all  -- even though I, you, we, they,... will never fully grasp it.   Am trying not to be too swayed by the media images, as I personally know how they can be misconstrued.

With such the huge and disproportionate youth population in the Middle East who has now grown-up, matured and tried to become educated, along with the underlying electricity of the movement, being fed-up w/socioeconomic challenges, and a load of issues that non-residents will ever understand, the time has come.  It was inevitable.  Can only imagine how this might trigger a (another?) spark in Iraq.  Whatever does happen there, yep, it is inevitable.

It's difficult impossible for anyone to describe it all accurately, even for those living there and personally experiencing these protests, and what many would consider a revolution(s).  It's a wave -- based of fundamental desires of the people, likely with the dynamics of a mass movement.

And it's inevitable that the US will also evolve/change/degrade/pick-the-verb at some point.  Personally, I don't see it happening in the near future.  While we have some of the brightest and most motivated citizens, en masse, we are mainly a big lot of relatively content citizens (and perhaps sorta too lazy/complacent/spoiled) for any such uprising for change these days.  Yes, things are rough in the US for many.  And some elements of our government, such as health care, the frustrating tax system maze and education system, are embarrassingly inept.  However, overall, it seems the general population is content with the luxury and freedom to eat crap from fast food restaurants and sit around watching overpaid athletes play professional sports.  I won't even get into our youth's general lack of duty-to-country urges. 

I still think that everyone, yep EVERYONE, should have to serve our country (maybe state)  for at least one year.  It doesn't have to be for the military.  It COULD for be the postal service, the forest service, etc..   Defend your country, clean up litter in your country, etc...DO SOMETHING to...
   (a) contribute to your country and your fellow citizens;
   (b) appreciate the complexities, the luxuries and the career employees; and
   (c) learn the processes. 
From there, one can later be more versed on their gripes and complaints.  But most importantly, it would provide a stronger bonding and a sharper degree of nationalism to Americans.  We'll never all agree on everything.  Why would we want to? 

So, while it's compelling to watch the waves of movement, our limited peeks into the protests rising from under the veils of these long-time regimes, and unfortunately some of the violence that's involved, I can't help but to overlay some of it on our country.  What would we do differently?  How bad would it have to be for Americans to ever uprise like this?  What will happen next?  Whatever it is, we can't forecast it nor think we understand it. 

Whatever it is, it is.  It is inevitable.  Insha Allah!

Stick a fork in it...

Although I'm terribly outta shape (thx to, hrmmm, winter? lingering knee issues? no training plan for, um er, over a year????...yeah, probably mainly that one), I still partook in 4 races over the past 4 weeks.  Three of those were in the past mere 8 days.  Two MTB races, one desert trail race and one hilly hilly hilly (paved) half-marathon.  The two running races were totally last-minute...probably mainly in spite of that certain doc in Flagstaff who dismissively told me I'd never run again and to "go find a new hobby". I podium'd in both, so...take that doc!   (And thanks thanks thanks thanks to the best doc...Dr. Amit...who was honest, patient, and apparently pretty darn good!)   All in all, the knee is ok. Calves are screaming, but that's soft tissue, so I deserve that pain, considering I didn't train at all. 


That said, the races weren't exactly pretty.  And the MTB race...yikes...definitely not pretty.  Very technical course.  But I'll keep on keeping on; if anything, 'racing' on the technical crap will hopefully just push me to be a stronger rider.  (BTW, I'm not bothered at all though that the Cat 1 winner of one of the MTB races is actually a pro XTERRAn and world-class athlete.  And she's super nice, so...can't really complain about that one :-)  Not every day a nomad like me gets to share a podium w/that caliber, so...coolio.


As it was winter this trip home, there wasn't much sweating nor dirtbiking going on, altho we did let "Donkey" out of his stall a few times.  I did try out a hot yoga class which was the best non-hokey yoga class I've ever attended (definitely sweated in there:-)   


And CB and I became temporarily obsessed w/trying to 'capture' one of the area mountain lions on film, via our new motion sensor wildlife cameras.  Unfortunately, I couldn't stand to wait more than a few days to go see what the cameras caught (who me? impatient? b'lash!).  So, there wasn't much more than a deer (actually, just its butt), a stray hiker, lots of wind (trees a'blowin), and me and CB who imitated a herd of wild javelina in front of the camera to test if the motion sensor was working.  So, there's that.


So, am now tired.  Stick a fork in it.  Am ready to take a break for a few days and to make the most of forced rest while travelling.  Might even read a book or get back in the pool or something.  Next up is a 50-mile MTB race, some more MTB ego-crushers, and of course some XTERRAs.  Come play!!


Some random shots...

Snack break.

Cool shot.

Shwag (another XL for CB).

Just more technical crap for me to make me go 'uggh'.

"Javelinas" testing out the camera.

Parting shot.

Happy trails...

Happy new year to me, MTB and Donkey!

Yep, the trails are still here.  The rocks are still red.  The sky is still blue.  And the air is clean.  It's a bit colder than the norm...but yaaaay, am home! :-)

Ya know your knee is better when...

...the worst thing about your morning 80min run was merely an almost-blister, and only because you just took brand new shoes outta the box.  Alas!!!   Hollah!!!  

\

(These Newtons rock!)

Still kickin...for the most part - Part II

As for me...lots of work but squeezed in some cool R&R here and there...

- tested out the knee at a race -- yep, XTERRA baby!;
- visited some great friends in NV/CA; MTB'd at Tahoe;
- ran  "Donkey" into the ground;
- hosted some cool family members in and around AZ & even discovered some things;
- was "bullied" into some shotty bungee/slingshot flying appartus (which was operated by teenagers...ugh);
- paddleboard'ed in the pacific;
- snorkeled about every day in the pacific until my face was purple and I was freezing my tata's off;
- tried (again) to partake in some yoga (ugh); 
- finally got my motorcycle license (during which I popped my first wheelie...oops);
- reconnected with some long-time friends, most of whom need to get their butts to AZ to visit! 
    (KK&KK!)
- watched in amazement when CB did all sorts of awe-inspiring stuff...willingly shuttled donkey up casner mountain, smiling, when I couldn't; built some gorgeous furniture; levitated up gnarly trails on his new 29'er, and more!
- returned to Cochise county...even got in some MTB;


I'll try to add some good stories over the next few days, but for now, here are some pics...

Still kickin...for the most part - Part I

Ok, well I'm not even sure where to start because I've been somewhat MIA from this site all summer. Lots going on and my head is still spinning...in a good way of course. I'll put together a few short posts to bring ya up to date....

First and foremost, our super cool Papa passed away a few weeks ago....after 92 solid years! While it's horrible for all of us, especially my grandmother (they were married for 68 years!!! wow!!), he was certainly ready to go and was tired of not being able to be more active as he was pretty active his entire life. He was such a great man, a cool buddy, and of course we will all miss him terribly. A great inspiration for all of us! :-)

Blue....

Swam around the island from this remote spot.  The water was soooo clear...lotsa little fishies, starfish, etc.

Another beach.

Ran up (not down) this hill almost everyday...notice the little church at the top (for perspective).

(the same church)

Incredible...these famous ol' maidens!

And a modern-day ol' maiden  :-)

(...flanked by about a thousand other tourists.)

 (Sorry, couldn't resist!)

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WHAT'S YOUR "FIX"?

as much as i hate traveling/flying these days (as it seems that's all i do anymore), i made one of the best decisions ever earlier this week:

i chose to fly home to az to spend a mere 38 hours. but ya know what? it was so eff-ing worth it!!  i totally got my fix! :-)  later this week, i'm going on one of the 1st 'vacations' i've been on in a long time....the mediterranean!  actually, the thought of flying back across the atlantic yet again seems overwhelmingly daunting for this girl who can't stand sitting still for more than 5 minutes, but geeeez, i really really really needed to ride my bike, to try to run on a knee-in-mending, breathe the northern AZ air, smell the junipers, hear the quail, etc.. it's totally like a drug for me! (the good kind of course!)

so, is it crazy that i flew all the way from WDC to AZ (looong flights, crowded airports, coach seating, long drive home from the airport, etc.) JUST TO RIDE MY BIKE for less than two days??? absolutely not! here's what a gal can do in such a short amount of time...

* mtb!
...rode the mountain bike for 8-9 hours! lots of fun, twisty singletrack, uphill, downhills (which i handled quite smoothly this time, yay!!). thunder mountain, deadman pass, cockscomb, dawa, soldiers pass, up the ol' standby schnebly mountain, down munds wagon trail, templeton, ht, the jumps behind courthouse rock (woo hoo...caught some air...yes me!), some road in between.  i finally got to test out my new Team XTERRA shorts.  they were fantabulous and i'm hoping to be up for at least one xterra in the next month or two.  on that note, mtb state finals have come and gone, and despite the knee issues, i had a great time and got to learn a lot of new lines!  looks like i'm a cat-1 lifer!

* hike!
...nothing major, but got up at around 5am to sip on coffee and hit the trails behind the house in search of javelina and the perfect sunrise spot.   the perk of jetlag is that i always wake up so early in az....another yay!

* donkey! 
...took "donkey" out of his stall (garage) and straight to some ol jeep trails. he was so happy to be outside that he didn't even try to buck me off even once! also, i think i've finally gotten the whole kickstart ordeal worked out.

* splash!
...nope, i didn't suffer thru any boring laps. i simply went to the pool with my smoked MTB legs and jumped in the cold pool. soaked all my lactic acid away so the legs would be ready to play again asap!

* run!
...well, sorta.  the knee definitely is not 100% as it still sorta hurts (and it might forever), BUT BUT BUT it is much better since all those little bone shards were removed (from the surgery), and so i galloped a fun 6-miler on the trails behind the house. i jogged the downhills and blasted the uphills.

* critters!

...in the short span, i saw a fox, coyote, roadrunner, lots of rabbits, jackrabbits, tons of lizards/geckos, companies of quail, etc....but no javelina, no mountain lions...which is probably a good thing!

i'm gonna have to brush my teeth a zillion times just to get all the bugs and dirt out of my teeth, for i couldn't stop grinning and hanging my teeth out for the entire time i got to spend at home. yep, i'm a mtb-riding, juniper sniffing, crack-addict....totally fixed, totally reinvigorated, totally recharged, and ready for whatever comes next, which, sadly, is taking another red-eye tonight back to WDC, just to catch another red-eye tomorrow to the mediterranean (where i actually plan to sleep siesta sleep siesta; it's been a busy few months).

anyway, it was a lesson learned in squeezing what ya can outta life.

what's your fix???

absolutely smashed!! :-)

Things are looking up...

Of course, no running yet, although I did trudge/run up the stairwell in a 26-story building many many many times (opted for the elevator down :-).  And after weeks (seemed like years), I continued to spin spin spin away on my road bike/trainer...even "rode" on the back deck a few times.

Now that I'm back from the long "roadtrip" down south, and up north, and back home, I hope to venture out on the mountain bike to reunite with dirt, endorphins and sweat!  The Doc still says no running and no extra weight to carry around, but that I'm waaay ahead of the recovery 'norms'.  I had gained pretty much full range of motion by week-2.  The scar tissue is still built up pretty thick on one side of my knee cap, and they say that might take 6+ months or more to dissolve.  As far as whether or not I'll be able to run competitively or even for fun anymore, time will tell.  Not even being able to try it now is at least keeping me optimistic :-)

So, to recap the past few weeks, here're some highlights...

--SURGERY -

Nothing I want to experience again.  I had an outstanding ortho surgeon who I'd promptly recommend to anyone.  He's young and athletic and though he's pretty strict w/me, he "gets" me and is on board to get me back on the trail soon.  Also, I must mention, I was the worst patient ever ever ever.  Grouchy and a big cry baby.  I went off the painkillers on day #1 (sick) and in exchange, sadly, made it more painful for a certain dude trying to take care of me.  Whah whah whah.  (If I act like that again, just kick me! :-)  Dedicated physical therapy, movies and ipod scrabble kept me occupied for a while, and I lasted a few minutes on Call of Duty before I hurled the controller!  (Bring back donkey kong and the simple atari joystick!)

--RABBIT -

The day I was loading up the truck for my roadtrip back east, lo and behold a white angora rabbit hopped up to the truck and just sat there staring up at me looking all pathetic. Well, as you might imagine, a white rabbit doesn't llast long in the desert, for ravens, coyotes, etc. love to chow down on such pristine sad little bunnies such as this one. So, I made the mistake of seeing him and subsequently felt responsible to find his owner. It was a week before Easter so I didn't want some dumb kid crying because his rabbit ran off. I posted a listing on craigslist and signs around the neighborhood, and then let him stay in the spare bathroom overnight. (Note: he loved leftover Whole Foods organic salad.)  As no one had called and I had to hit the road, I took him the next day to the Humane Society. (A few days later, the "owners" noticed the signs and called me...I directed them to the HS...tbd.)

--ROADTRIP -

The US is big.   Really big.  I've driven x-country numerous times, but its size continues to impress me.  Other than stopping regularly to stretch my knee and do some physical therapy, I pushed straight thru to FLA.  The truck (the Buffalo) is well equipped for long excursions -- a memory-foam mattress and satellite radio have changed my world!!  :-)

And caffeine and compression-wear kept me truckin on down the road!!

--FLA -

I have the coolest grandparents!  Papa more freely speaks his mind, and Nanny more freely assigns me chores.  It was great to spend some time with them!  Even got to reunite w/one of my bestest childhood friends ever!!!  ("Hoots and Glutes!" :-)

--DC/VA...and even some NC -

Did some jobscouting and hung out w/my 'nurse'...the one and only CB.  Speaking of chores...he even had me knocking out drywall.  It was fun for the first few whacks of the hammer...an hour later, not so much.  I also got to hang out w/some friends and even my cool cousin, all whom I rarely get to see! 

--WESTWARD -

Found a great pool/fitness center in Little Rock for a much needed swim and workout.  Even took the bike out for a light spin and saw some monkeys at the zoo.  Then, got to eat waaaay too many green chili's in the Sandia Mountains of NM w/my family.  Hunkered down there for a night and introduced my little cousin to the Nacirema essay.

What's next?  Well, other than weaning myself off 5x shots of espresso-a-day, I'm heading back to work for a few weeks and hopefully continue the rehab so I can knock out a few races this season.  Happy trails...

One more day...

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My New "Temporary" View