Memorable Memorial Day Weekend

Memorial Day weekend began at 6a.m. Saturday morning when we pulled ourselves out of bed prematurely to run 3.5 miles to the start of the Trail Assail Memorial Day Race at Minooka Park. Any misgivings about being up so early on a Saturday (we usually sleep in 'til 8a.m.) were soon dissolved by the perfection of the day - bright blue skies, no wind, no humidity, not too hot-not too cold temperatures. We met up with Rosanna and took stock of the hardcore looking field of runners as we waited for the 8a.m. start. Through dew soaked grassy fields, into wooded paths, the route was two loops along trails familiar to us. Joe finished 3rd in his age group, garnering a medal (though the medal is yet to be received, as he had to head home before the awards ceremony)! This achievement was extra meaningful as it occurred on the 1-year anniversary of his first rotator cuff surgery - oh the difference a year makes! Having run to the park, knocking off the 10k, and then running back home, we were able to spice up the usual long run, be home and done before we typically leave for the long run, AND justifiably feel like badasses.☺

By noon we were out the door and headed for Milwaukee for my sister Christine's 50th birthday celebration - an historical cruise of the Milwaukee Harbor followed by a late lunch at Rudy's Mexican Restaurant. Never was there a better day for being on Lake Michigan. Calm waters, warming sunshine and a trail of Seagulls following the boat's wake (lots of fish get churned up to the surface) made this a relaxing and memorable day. Rudy's was a charming restaurant with really, really good tortilla chips ... or maybe anything would have tasted good with the hunger our active day produced! Home by early evening, we settled in with season finales recorded during the week - Hannibal! How will we live without this show until January? 

Uncharacterist ideal weather continued into Sunday, which after 9.5 hours of sleep, was a full day of yard work (following a belabored trip to Menard's for mulch, hanging flower baskets, etc.). I mowed down the tall dandelion puffballs covering our lawn, only to find them standing tall again today! Apparently it's impossible for the lawn mower to cut their stems, bending them long enough for the lawn to look good into the night, and then, voila!, resilience takes hold and up those stems go. Today, Memorial Day, greeted us with the not-so-harmonious sounds of the Waukesha South High School band tuning up (a mile away), their discordant notes being carried on a stream of humid air drifting through our open windows. The comfort of dry air was replaced over night with tropical humidity, and it was that tropical blanket of heat and moisture that we ran the neighborhood in this morning. The threat of storms and the need to prepare for the week ahead, has kept us tucked in to the climate controlled comfort of home. A nice way to wind down from a great 3-day weekend.

Trail Assail

At long last we're finding ourselves headed out for trail runs, a refreshing mental and physical break from the tedium of the road. There is a relatively new race series, Wisconsin Trail Assail, that offer 5k, 10k and occasionally half marathon distances on the trails of Waukesha County Parks. Next weekend, there is a Memorial Day race in our own stomping grounds, Minooka Park. Slotted for an 11-mile training run, we decided to register for the 10k race (6.2 miles) to add a little excitement to the normal slog of the long run. Running to and from the park, coupled with the race, the miles will go by quicker and feel like less of a chore. The other bonus is that the race forces up to get up way early, which we need to do anyway if we're to get our running done before heading to Milwaukee for my sister's 50th Birthday celebration. This race seems to attract a lot of teen cross country competitors, and based on an examination of past race results, adults who were once cross country stars, so I fully expect to finish in the bottom of the pack ☺

My 5k Club is going well. This week will be our 4th week of training. The clients who are running are dedicated and reliable. Rain or shine, they are ready to run every Tuesday/Thursday at 3:30. Watching the cumulative effects of training build is fun for me and a confidence booster for them. After just three weeks, client's were proud to run for a continuous half mile - this week they will run non-stop for .8 miles! The majority of the club participants are walkers and seem to like it for the social aspect of walkin'-n-talkin'. No speed records are being broken, and I've actually had to give them landmark destinations to reach rather than an amount of time to walk because motivation is feint, but it's all good ... I'm just happy they are coming every week and MOVING!

My month of being on the move with my Rock-n-Sole Half Marathon training, the 5k Club (yielding me double work-outs) and my hiking group does not seem to be wearing me down (knock on wood!). I'm logging 65-70 miles each week between hiking, walking and running. This weekend, I just crossed over the 500 mile mark for miles run and Joe is hot on my tail with nearly 400 miles run!

Anniversary Getaway

Anniversary Number 21 began on our actual anniversary, Friday May 9th, and extended through the weekend. After knocking out 9-mile long runs, exchanging cards (not surprising that we both thought to give each other one serious card and one funny card each), and packing the car, we hit the road for the Glass House - a gem hidden in the woods of the bluff-strewn Driftless Area (The what? Look it up!) of Wisconsin. The Glass House is a one of a kind place in a private wooded setting about 2.5 hours West of us. It has been featured in travel magazines and heralded on social media sites as one of the best Midwestern getaways, which is why it may be a year or more before you too can reserve this "cabin" if my report and pictures pique your interest! 

The house is a comfortable airy space measuring about 20 feet by 15 feet. There are full length curtains that can be used for privacy or darkness (we only closed the eastern side at night so we could sleep without the sun waking us at 5a.m.), a gas burning stove with a cozy recliner next to it, a comfy futon couch, and a small table with two chairs for eating, writing, etc. The bathroom and kitchen are in a non-glass enclosure reached by crossing a catwalk that reaches over a ravine (see pic below). The Glass House is meant for true peace and quiet - there is no TV and no cell reception.

  

We arrived in time for an anniversary dinner of volcano tofu and East Side Ovens brownies. Stomachs full to the brim, we ventured out for a crepuscular hike on the property. Beyond our kitchen  we could see stairs leading to a trail - the Ridge Road, which, in fact, climbed steadily to a ridge where afternoon clouds gave way to a warm glowing sunset. When we returned to the house, a near full moon was on the rise. The moon provided enough light to guide us across the catwalk for middle-of-the-night bathroom jaunts, while adding ambiance to the night within the glass house. 

Saturday morning, blue skies and warming temps set the tone for a day of fun at Governor Dodge State Park. After oatmeal on the patio was done, a scenic drive along the Wisconsin River and winding hilly bluffs led us to the park where we donned our Camelbaks for a 5-mile run on the Meadow Valley Trail - a diverse loop with meadows, forest, 450 million year old sandstone outcroppings, marshes and lots of hills☺ Running on a new trail, not knowing what scenery would unfold, was fun and made this elective run worthwhile (technically, we'd already done all necessary training runs for the week).

Once refueled with chocolate milk, PB crackers, grapes and proteins bars, we hiked the 5-mile Pine Cliff trail, with views of man made Cox Hollow Lake, over gnarly rooted trails covered in slick (but aromatic) dry pine needles rising to picturesque vistas (pic below), and the serenade of frogs in marshland below.

Coated in fresh air and sun, we returned to the glass house for a shower (as it turned out, not enough hot water for 2 showers! Brrrrr!), and dinner of homemade falafel and hummus with a generous side of our favorite Garden of Eatin' Red Hot Chips (a rare indulgence). Looking forward to relaxing with a couple movies - Joe brought a laptop for this purpose - the unlikely double features of "Saw" and "What About Bob?" was not meant to be. The laptop didn't have the proper driver for playing these DVD's, so it was a night of Stephen King's Doctor Sleep for Joe and a stack of back logged magazines for Joy: Trail Runner, Running Times, Runners World. Two sound nights of sleep and it was time to head home ...a memorable, special anniversary.

Addendum

A final note on last week's race. Apparently, after we'd finished and left, a 33 year old woman believed to be drunk, turned onto the race course where marathoner's were still running. No one was hurt, but the irony is that this race was raising money for alcohol and drug treatment. You can see the full story via this link

http://m.jsonline.com/more/news/crime/257046861.htm
http://streetsblog.net/2014/04/29/drunk-driver-plows-into-marathon-for-alcohol-abuse-awareness/
http://theactivepursuit.com/driver-arrested-after-driving-drunk-on-course-of-aoda-charity-marathon/

In other news, we can't believe that The Boyz will turn 4 on Cinco de Mayo! It seems like forever and yet just like yesterday since they joined our household. We cannot imagine life without them. They are the sweetest, gentlest, funniest boys we know. Both are healthy and maintain healthy steady weights. Chaco is just under 13.5 pounds, and Denali is a solid 11 pounds.

And if we can't believe The Boyz are 4, we really can't believe that we're 21. Yup, this upcoming Friday, may 9th, Joe and I celebrate our 21st anniversary. To celebrate we're going out of town to the Glass House -literally an all glass cabin set in the woods about an hour West of Madison. Weather permitting, we plan to hike and trail run in some of the nearby State Parks. The next blog will detail that weekend and include pictures of the groovy "cabin".