It’s been a while…

Yes it’s been a while since my last post, almost a full year to be exact…This has always been something I have wanted to do and I am still going to try and move forward. Stay tuned for posts coming soon!

Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time. Thomas Edison

Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.

Ride On!

Saturday morning…we know what that means! Yes coffee…see my Facebook post for this week’s coffee muse! At this time of year Saturday mornings also mean riding.Riding my bike has always been one of the best ways to enjoy nature, exercise and do so while moving at a good pace (NOT like running!) Running is something I have to do, keeps me and Guinness healthy, but it is so not as enjoyable as riding!

This time of year leading up to the Pan Mass Challenge I am doing serious riding, every weekend.Trainging and today, I rode with my favorite riding buddy….

Here we are after our 37.7 mile ride, tired but so happy to be done!

Our ride (borrowed from the ( Charles River Wheelmen) this morning took us down some of the most beautiful  roads in Massachusetts. You know me, I love to take pictures all of the time of the beautiful things that make my heart sing…but I was riding with the task master!  I was allowed one photo on Mill Street in Natick however. This farm was on a very old and bumpy road that rose above the Charles near the Elm Bank Reservation.

What followed for the next 25 miles of rolling…and I mean rolling hills (mountains :0 !) was nothing short of breathtaking. The beautiful farms, houses and landscape made 99% of these hills go buy without a thought.  Only as we neared the end of our ride did we “grumble” about those last little hills! Tired legs!

Happy to be back at our cars and on our way home for showers, it is hard to complain, we remind ourselves that we train and ride for those who can’t and in memory of those we loved and lost. We train to ride in August in the PMC and to raise money for life saving research at The Dana Farber Cancer Institute.

So showered and Guinness walked…he was smiling when I got home…

I splurged and made myself a batch of parsley and pumpkin seed pesto, few tomatoes…kinda looks like the Italian Flag! Yum! A little soccer this afternoon and resting up for my next riding adventure.

#RideOn, #NeverGiveUp, #PMC2016

Oh What A Beautiful Morning…..

Vacation is AWESOME!  Time to rest and recharge! April vacation is my favorite. Just the sound of the birds in the morning (though sometimes at 4:30am!), but still the sound so sweet with the promise of another day!  We have been blessed with beautiful sunshine this week and very mild temps.

Time to garden, spring clean and get in those early morning runs or bike rides! Have to watch that pollen, with beautiful sunny spring weather comes very high pollen counts!

Just a little glimpse of this morning as Guinness and I went for a morning run!

Guinness’ new “friend”

Cranberry Bogs in Rehoboth

Thought for the day…And when I wake up, You are still with me. Psalm 139:18

A little bit of Joy in a Package

After a gloomy start to the day and another asthma attack I was looking forward to coming home grabbing a cup of tea and cuddling with Jack the Cat. After setting the groceries down and checking the mail I saw a package for me!  A very thoughtful surprise from my sister Cindy to remind me that spring may indeed be hiding today, but this beautiful hand towel shows the promise of gardens, flowers and riding! Thank you for lifting my spirits!

Autumn arrives in early morning, but spring at the close of a winter day. Elizabeth Bowen

Love and Life

1 John 3:18 Dear children, let us not love with words or speech, but with action and truth.

 

Window of Sun

Sleeping with no alarm is just so good! Waking up to bright sunshine is just heavenly!

And so on the second day of vacation I was up and out of the bed for a morning run with Guinness. I went to sleep with a 22 degree temperature and snow falling out of the skies only to wake up 50+ degrees, blue sky and sun! Out the door and on to a 2.5 mile run!

This was my “window” of opportunity to get outside and enjoy!  Oh was it a window, only halfway through my run and the clouds had returned along with the looming threat of rain.

My running buddy.  Always faithful, never complains about weather and ready at the drop of a hat.  Our goal, to find a 5k that we both can run. My goal, to complete a duathlon with Chelsea. The ultimate goal, cross training to be healthy and strong as we get ready for the PMC in August!

“Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars” Casey Kasem

Please support my ride this year! We can fight Cancer together!

My PMC Page

 

Unwind?

After four days off…it was back to work.  Clothes ready, lunch packed and shoveling plan in place!  Surprise …still dark when I woke up, though the sky was beginning to lighten.

It felt like a Monday, but by the end of the school day when I flipped the calendar it did say Wednesday! (and 3 more wake-ups til Friday!) The day was long, but seeing the still light sky as I left the building gave me just the encouragement I needed to make that run when I got home.

27 degrees means I need my superhero face mask! (really hoping that no one thinks I have just robbed a bank!)

and can’t forget these…thank you Chelsea, about the closest I will get to having Jack the Cat run with me!

A shorter run, trying ..to get faster! Little by little I will get there. My goal this year to run a 5k and maybe even a Duathlon. The bike part I’ve got thankfully!

In closing, enjoy another winter pic…reminds me of when I was a child, these were everywhere!

And so it goes……! (Linda Ellerbee)

 

 

 

 

Spring or Winter?

So….today it is 45 degrees! The sun is out and the snow is melting.

After watching a VERY spirited debate last night I settled in for a long winter’s nap…8.5 hours to be exact! Dog walk, breakfast and church. A great sermon by Brian Hess, leaving me uplifted and ready to attempt those things that may have seen out of reach!  Courage!

Home and out for a run with Guinness, enjoying the beautiful sun, we ran 3.5 miles.  I won’t share my time, it was slow as a snail, but we did it!  Now to work on speed! Any suggestions?

The 3.5 Mile Smile!

My training buddy for my first 5k and the PMC!

…and did I mention we have more snow on the way!!!!!

Matthew 11:28

#ILoveSnow

 

Not many words can describe the beauty in these pictures. Surely God’s handiwork at play! Snow can make for inconvenience for some, dangerous travel, extra time to get to work…but for me it is a beautiful reminder to slow down and take note of my surroundings. A time to lounge and enjoy the smell of fresh coffee  before heading out to that dreadful chore…shoveling! Isn’t this just an alternative to the stuffy gym? Watching my silly dog tunnel through and eat the snow and running under the spray of snow as I “lift with my knees” to empty the shovel! Doesn’t laughter burn calories? So I’ve covered my cardio and retreat to the warmth of the house, to watch the snow fall from the trees and enjoy that special treat with my inside buddy saved just for days like this!

 

“Good Night and Good News”….Ted Baxter

 

2016

Well, my attempt again at keeping this blog going! My last entry was the PMC Eve…then came the fall! Back to college, soccer, a new and busy year at SHS, holidays, family…but not much snow!

So in the middle of “winter” I am finding some bits of time to just post a picture or send a little snippet.

I have again committed to my 7th PMC. The PanMass Challenge last year have a record donation to Dana Farber of 45 million dollars.  We get closer by the mile to beating cancer.

I have started to run, something I have always wanted to do. My buddy, Guinness and I have been at this since September and just tonight crossed the 2.5 mile mark…

I know…Glowing Eyes, but hey, we are just so excited that we ran 2 and a half miles!

40 minutes. I know, a snail’s pace, but we are running and our goal is to complete a 5k in under an hour! Getting stronger and cross training for the BIG ride! Not getting any younger here!

And so long until tomorrow!