Finally, right? We've been home a week now and I've had time to sort through and edit photos, and I've even received photos from a few other members of our hiking group - which I love! You're probably already aware of my 'the more the merrier' attitude about pictures. But I've enjoyed reliving our trip over and over through the photos, and I wanted to be sure I captured the story, too. The details.
So without further ado -- CLICK HERE for full trip report, complete with photos. Enjoy!
I watched a piece on ESPN today about the Make-A-Wish Foundation's attempt to bring a smile to the face of leukemia-stricken Brendan by arranging a meet-and-greet with Landon Donovan, his favorite soccer player. Even during the short snippet on SportsCenter, Brendan's positive spirit and inspiring story were undeniable.
This little boy has every right to curl up in a ball of self pity and defeat, but instead, he's smiling. He smiled the entire time. He smiled at his doctors during the video clips of hospital stays and brutal treatments. He smiled at his parents as they choked back tears and feelings of "what if?" and "why us?". But he smiled widest when Landon Donovan handed him his sweaty, dirty game jersey after a big win in Los Angeles. It was clear from the piece, this little boy has a twinkle and a courage of which the rest of us can only dream.
I have no idea what it's like to spend my life defying the odds. I'm healthy, educated, stable and loved. I don't have any stories about overcoming unbelievable obstacles or achieving the impossible. I'm just a regular girl with a regular life, trying to make myself a little better each day.
***
Meet Henry. Henry is a 64 year old attorney in Philadelphia. He's been living with Type 1 Diabetes for 17 years.
I'm lucky enough to know Henry because he was part of the group we were with last week on our hike through the backcountry of Yosemite. He hiked every step, right along with us. Every time I thought I might be tired or my feet hurt, I'd look up and there was Henry. He's reached an age when many people think about slowing down. Retiring. Taking naps and taking it easy. Vacationing, sure, but the slow paced, relaxing kind.
Not Henry. He spent a week of vacation hiking 40 miles of the high Sierras, wearing a 45 pound pack and hiking boots. Periodically checking his blood sugar, but never slowing down.
We could all take a page from Henry's book.
It's always something. Something that makes us say, "Maybe tomorrow." For some of us it's health problems. Others, fear or anxiety or nervousness. But for most it's a comfort level that's become way too - comfortable.
Life is so unbelievably short. And dismissing that as cliche doesn't make it any less true. Those plans you have for "tomorrow" are tentative at best. So whether you are facing illness, physical limitations or run-of-the-mill schedule-juggling and family obligations -- put the excuses in check. And get busy livin'.
Well, we made it. 40+ miles of hiking in 4 days. Those of you tuned in to Facebook and/or Twitter know that I reentered the world of social media with a bang as soon as I stepped back into any semblance of cellphone signal on Friday. What can I say? I missed you. I was getting the lack-of-technology shakes.
But I'm good now. The need to check-in at every stop and tweet every quirky airport sighting has subsided. I've spent most of the rest of the weekend looking through pictures and NOT being on my feet.
We had an amazing week at Yosemite and I owe you a full write-up complete with photos -- but it will be a few days. I'm waiting on more photos from other folks in our group and I'll be spending time this week sorting through everything and getting all my details straight. I also wore my Garmin the whole time, so I have nerdy elevation stats and maps for you! Aren't you excited?!
In the meantime, here's a taste. A photo of Jeff and me with Half Dome in the background. SPOILER ALERT: I have photos of us standing on top of it!
Things will be quiet around here for the next week while Jeff and I take our annual trek into the wilderness. There will likely be more bears and mosquitoes than cellphone signal, and that's just what we need.
So if you're looking for me, I'll be here:
See you on the other side.
I convinced Jeff to take the plunge with me and we tried Trail Running this weekend. You know - like this:
Hobbs State Park is Arkansas' largest state park and it's right here in our backyard. After seeing pieces of it this weekend, we're ready to take a day trip there with Colt to do some more exploring. Maybe when it's not so gosh darn hot...
Lessons learned:
There was a photographer snapping pictures at the start line, and - though Jeff smoked me by nearly 10 minutes - there is proof that we did actually START the race together.
Since Jeff was running too I didn't have my usual paparazzi at the finish line so a few hazy iPhone pics will have to suffice.
We ran the short race - only 4 miles - so we finished in a weird spot. This was our finish line -- the blue flags. Kinda anti-climactic. But we hopped on a shuttle that dropped us back at the start/finish line for the 9mile/25K/50K so we could celebrate with the rest of the finishers as they came across the line. Below: With our finisher medals -- clay arrowheads -- pretty cool.
I hope you're enjoying these weekend running/race updates as much as I am. I'm trying to ride this exercise wave as far as it will take me. (Let's hope it has enough steam to carry me through an Arkansas summer.)
A few weeks ago I posted about completing my second 5K, and - naturally - I celebrated with my friends and family via multiple social media outlets. But one Facebook comment in particular has stuck with me. My Uncle Brian commented: "you've kind of got that working toward a goal thing well in hand, eh?"
Yeah. I guess I do. For whatever reason, I've committed myself to this idea of planning excitement and spontaneity. Setting goals for myself that are fun and attainable and stimulating.
Which doesn't ENTIRELY sound like me, I know.
I'm not a thrill-seeker or a particularly outgoing, grab-life-by-the-horns kinda gal. But a little over three years ago, things started happening that shook me up a little. My brother Tom and my cousin Sherlock - both of them the grab-life-by-the-horns kinda people I was not - died tragically and much, much too soon. And I became a Mama, which has changed me in ways I can't even put into words. This intersection of life and death really put me in motion. And I remember having these swirling, overwhelming thoughts about how precious and fleeting and uncertain life is -- and how important it is to really LIVE.
Tom and Sherlock didn't wait for "tomorrow". And without them, I was determined to be that inspiration for my own little guy. So I wrote THIS last year. At the time, it meant fun and spontaneity and trying something new.
"It’s not about having some sort of Cool Kid Resume when you die, it’s about making plans to break routine and intentionally filling your life with unforgettable moments. For me, it’s about taking inspiration from the “cool” things I’ve already done and ensuring that I keep that adventurous spirit alive in myself. It’s about showing Colt, through my example, that life can be really, really fun. And that there’s just very little in this world that isn’t available to him."
When I wrote that, I couldn't have known how special to me this little project would become. I've already crossed off a few things and have plans to cross off a few more this year. But as much as it is absolutely about setting and working toward these 100 individual goals, it is so much more than that.
All of it. Every word of it. Every time I've ever said, "let's go there" or "let's try that". Every time I have the chance to put it off until "tomorrow". All of it.
"It’s about showing Colt, through my example, that life can be really, really fun. And that there’s just very little in this world that isn’t available to him."
That's it. That's the goal.
It now seems like a hundred years since I wrote this. Can that really have been just six months ago? I don't know how obvious it is from THAT post how doubtful I was that I would ever get to write THIS post, but trust me - it was iffy.
I admitted to Jeff this weekend that I didn't realize I would be so committed to "this running thing". And, honestly, I didn't. Back in October, I downloaded the Couch to 5K app on my phone and did a week or two of the training before getting derailed by the holidays and a hundred other excuses. I had always considered running a "someday" thing, and I guess I was resigning myself to it being more like a "some OTHER day" thing. And I didn't mind. Too much.
Somewhere in there I broke my phone and any history of my first, failed attempt at C25K was erased. I had a clean slate I probably didn't deserve. But there I was. Back to square one.
After deciding a real, live goal might light my fire I registered for the 2011 Komen Ozark Race for the Cure 5K. I had six weeks to complete a nine week training schedule that would take me from zero ("couch") to my first 5K. Stranger things have happened.
And happen it did.
We woke up at 5:30, dropped the kiddo at Nancy's and headed to Rogers to meet up with 16,000 of our closest friends. Yes - 16,000! This race has grown so much the last few years!
There is no shortage of fun at this thing -- people show up in hopes of outdoing the next person in wacky, nonsensical pink clothing/hair/makeup. Tutus, pink zebra spandex, wigs -- if you can dream it, they can "pink" it.
My running partner for the race was my friend Jennifer - who got all fancy last year and decided to up and run a marathon! Maybe if I continue to surround myself with these running muses it will start to wear off on me!
After a quick "before" pic, we headed to the start line. And don't forget the other 15,998 people! They were there, too!
Jeff was able to snap a few pictures before/during/after the race, but I have no idea how he managed to find us in this mob. As this photo was taken, Jennifer and I were probably still standing in the back somewhere, waiting to GET to the start line. At one point, she turned to me and asked what time I was hoping to make. And then broke the news that we probably weren't looking at any personal bests while wading through that crowd...
Do you see me? Do you see me?
There I am!
That photo was taken just out of the gate and the crowd thinned as we ran, but it was pretty cozy for the first mile or so. I hadn't had time to walk/run the course before the race so I was crossing my fingers that there weren't TOO many hills.
Yeah.
The whole darn thing was uphill! Never incredibly steep, but a good solid incline -- for (what CERTAINLY felt like) the whole way!
Jennifer was a great pacer and we had a good run. NO WALKING! That alone was a huge accomplishment for me. I walked during one hefty uphill stretch of the Cow Paddy last week, and I had yet to do 3 miles - no stopping. So I feel great about that.
The race was chip timed, but as far as I can tell, all timing started when the gun went off. So... remember that slow start and waiting to GET to the start line? Meh.
I'm calling it good. 3+ miles, no stopping. And two 5Ks in 8 days.
The only New Year's Resolution I made this year was to accomplish five things on my Life List in 2011. Well.
PLUS
EQUALS
Incidentally, it also equals this:
My friend Molly recently told me, "5Ks are the gateway drug to running." I guess we'll find out soon enough. And maybe there really is something to this whole adrenaline and endorphins thing. Because I maaaaaaay have let myself get all excited this weekend and I maaaaaaaaaaaaaay have already registered for another 5K in less than 3 weeks.
Well, that. And I downloaded B210K on my phone.
B210K (Bridge to 10K): Specifically designed for C25K app (Couch to 5K) graduates. Pick up where C25K app leaves off and get to the 10K distance in just 6 weeks.
Giddy up.
The race is less than 3 days away! And all of you have been amazing with support and motivation and donations -- I can't thank you enough. And I want to make one last push.
I'm running on the Saatchi & Saatchi X Team. I've hit my personal goal of $1000 (THANKS TO ALL OF YOU) and SSX has raised just over its initial goal of $4000.
BUT!
Wouldn't it be cool for the team to raise an even 5K??
Didya see what I did there?
So CLICK HERE to help us get to $5000. And pass this link on to anyone who might be interested. You can donate in my name (LINK HERE) or anyone else on the team. It all goes the same place!
Thanks so much! And pray for a nice, sunny race day!
So... you know that 5K I've been babbling about for a month now? No, no - I'm still running it. But I let my friend Amy convince me to do a dry run. Ha. I wish that were a pun.
About a week ago, Amy mentioned a local 5K that she and her husband Jake planned to run for their Friday "Date Night." Yes, they are kooky enough to consider running a 5K together "Date Night." The weather has been completely crappy around here for over a week, complete with tornadoes, hail and days-on-end of rain, so when she mentioned the race I was hesitant. Pick a reason: horrible weather, lack of confidence in my 5K-readiness (having only "officially" reached Week 7 of my 9-Week iPhone app training program), general nervousness. Yeah, any of those will do.
But she's very convincing. And before I knew it I was registered for my very first 5K. A week before my OTHER very first 5K.
And why SHOULDN'T it have a cow theme?!
I swore Amy and Jake to secrecy. If I collapse halfway through this thing, it never happened. Got it? No one else knows about this.
See, Jake and Amy are REAL runners. They run half marathons and marathon relays. For gosh sakes, they are the kind of people who run 5Ks for Date Night!
I, on the other hand, am "a person who runs." I'm cool with that. Learning to like it, actually.
So. Race Day. The weather broke a bit and it didn't rain ALL day Friday, but I started psyching myself up for a very rainy race. Ugh. As race time approached, it was looking pretty gloomy out, but we headed to the park to make the best of it.
Colt thought I might need some help attaching my timing chip. Overall, he wasn't wild about my running away in the opposite direction, but he eventually settled down and cheered for me from the sidelines.
And here we are before the race! Jake and Amy - and me. I was optimistically still wearing my iPod sleeve, but it was looking stormy enough that I took it off before the race started.
It was sprinkling a little as the gun went off and I was just sure the sky was about to open up and storm/hail/tornado all over my very first 5K experience. But, shockingly, it held off. A few drops here and there, but no real rain. And certainly not the hail storm we were anticipating.
So I toured 5 kilometers worth of East Fayetteville, then headed toward the finish line. I had never actually run the entire 5K distance before so my legs were talkin' to me for the last few minutes of the race, but it felt good. Lack of music was a bummer but not a deal-breaker. I survived.
Here I am headed to the finish line - photos courtesy of my coach and cheering section.
Yah! I finished! Honestly, that was the goal. I'd never covered that distance before so I set a goal of FINISHING.Here we are post-race, ginormous water bottles in hand.
Amy is fancy and won her age division! And then she convinced the race organizers to give me a cow trophy for my very first race!
Otherwise, no trophy for me. Ha! I'm not breaking any land speed records here folks. Just crossing the finish line.
All things considered, I'm hoping to break 30 minutes this Saturday at the Race for the Cure. Oh, and I've broken Jake and Amy of their vow of silence. I suppose since I didn't collapse or get hit in the head with hailstones, it's safe to tell our friends about our wild and crazy Friday night!
Yes, I'm still running the 5K Ozark Race for the Cure. This Saturday. And while I initially worried the Cow Paddy might take some of the fire out of me for that race, I'm now so glad I will have done both. Knowing what to expect and having some emotional and psychological confidence will go a long way.
Slow and steady wins FINISHES the race.
When I was originally compiling my Life List, I spent some time looking over other people's lists to get ideas and inspiration. And among the common items like "Go skydiving" and "Learn a second language" was something that struck me as interesting -- Be a tourist in your own town. It came up time and time again, but it was usually on the lists of people who live somewhere fabulous like San Francisco or NYC or Boston.
I didn't add it to my list because I thought it would be too easy. I thought I'd pretty much done what it takes to "tour" NWA so I left it alone. But the last few weeks have changed my thinking about what it means to truly experience your own hometown.
I Googled "Fayetteville Arkansas bucket list" and stumbled across a countdown compiled by The Free Weekly - The Top 40 List of things you must do to be considered a true NWA resident. As I read through it, I was shocked by some of the things I haven't done. But I had several nice, nostalgic moments as I remembered the stories of the items I was able to cross off.
The Fayetteville, Arkansas Bucket List
40. You must have been to at least five small towns that are off the I-540 corridor — and by “been to” we do not mean drive through: You must stop and talk to at least three people.
39. Have a Facebook chat with Fayetteville Mayor Lioneld Jordan.
38. Hike Devil’s Den State Park.
37. Party on the Patio at Powerhouse Seafood and Grill.
36. Know what business was in a building at least three businesses ago.
35. Share a kiss by the cross on Mount Sequoyah.
34. Have a Bloody Mary at Common Grounds in Fayetteville.
33. See a show at the Rogers Little Theater.
32. Have lived in a Lindsey apartment complex. You get extra credit if the complex had Links or Greens in the name.
31. Buy a piece of art from a local artist.
30. Experience the linear parking lot that I-540 becomes at certain times of the day, like between 6:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. to about 7 p.m.
29. Get gas at what is locally known as the Gucci Gas Station, also called the Prada Pick ’n’ Tote, in Rogers. Its real name is Pinnacle Station Local Market.
28. Visit a taqueria — Spanish for taco shop.
27. Go boating on Beaver Lake.
26. Eat at the Monte Ne Chicken Inn.
25. Know at least three celebrities from the area.
24. Go to First Thursday on the town square in Fayetteville.
23. Cross state lines to gamble.
22. Feed the animals, or get slightly nipped by one, at the Wild-Wilderness Drive-Through Safari.
21. Have your photo taken with Dick Trammel at a charity event.
20. Call in to Jon Williams’ morning show on 93.3 The Eagle.
19. Take a flight from Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport or at least know where you are when you land.
18. Have a drink in at least five restaurants in Benton County — just not all in the same night.
While there are still no liquor stores, Rogers and Bentonville offer plenty of places to get a glass of wine, a swig of beer or a cocktail with your dinner — well deserving of the nickname “The Wettest Dry County in Arkansas.”
17. Buy liquor at Macadoodles on Sunday at the location in Missouri just north of Bella Vista.
16. Visit the home of the official Bluebird of Happiness - Terra Studios.
15. Get a ticket in Johnson.
14. Eat at Herman’s Ribhouse along North College Avenue in Fayetteville.
13. Visit the ruins of William “Coin” Harvey’s health resort — now mostly under the surface of Beaver Lake — in Monte Ne.
12. Experience the Arts Center of the Ozarks.
11. Attend the Rodeo of the Ozarks over the July Fourth weekend in Springdale.
10. Take either Scenic U.S. 71 or the Pig Trail Scenic Byway (Arkansas 23) to Interstate 40 to find out why I-540 means so much to all of us.
9. Know that Springdale is nicknamed “Chickendale” because of the presence of some big poultry companies, such as George’s Inc. and — the biggest of all — Tyson Foods.
8. Attend a concert at the AMP at the Northwest Arkansas Mall in Fayetteville.
7. Attend a show at the Walton Arts Center on Dickson Street in Fayetteville.
6. Shop at the Fayetteville Farmers' Market.
5. Go to a Northwest Arkansas Naturals game at Arvest Ballpark in Springdale and have your photo taken with Strike the Sasquatch.
4. Spend at least one weekend in Eureka Springs.
3. Attend Bikes, Blues & BBQ in Fayetteville.
2. Go to a movie at the 112 Drive-In.
1. Attend a University of Arkansas Razorbacks football game — or basketball game or baseball game or track event or gymnastics meet, or … well, you get the idea. To check this one off, you have to wear a red Hog hat and yell “Woo Pig Sooie!”
See original list with more detail and commentary HERE. And HERE. Thank you, Free Weekly!
Now that Colt is getting older, we're rediscovering Fayetteville a little. Last weekend, we hiked out to Whitaker Point (not on the list). And this weekend we decided to test our luck by taking the trail around Lake Fayetteville (also not on the list). This was only after we spent the morning at the Fayetteville Farmers' Market (ON THE LIST!). And I can't believe this is true - but I've lived here for 10 years and this past Saturday was my first ever trip to the Farmer's Market!
So here you go - a few tourist photos of our weekend in Fayetteville:
We walked around the Fayetteville square all morning, but if you ask Colt what we saw he will excitedly tell you, "Rocks! And water!"
See that face? That face has sound effects. Sound effects that were in full force for the first mile or so, but disappeared for good once we really got going. The trail is about 5 miles and we walked every last step. Colt walked nearly every one of them with us -- only riding on Jeff's shoulders or my back for short stretches throughout the afternoon. We ALL slept hard that night.
We aren't making a mission of it or anything, but I imagine we'll hit a few more of those NWA Bucket List items before the summer is over. Some of them we'll do over and over - because we're good little Hogs.
What's on your hometown tourist list? Anything missing from the NWA Top 40?
