Take A Hike

It may be getting cooler, but the weather is still well within the realm of my favorite season!  Yesterday was practically a perfect fall day!  I got up before everyone else (as usual) and had time to mess around on the computer, do some morning meditation, eat breakfast and get in a good run.  I wasn't fully present for my meditation yesterday morning and felt a little discouraged, but the run was exactly what my soul needed.  One mile into it, I turned off my music and focused my mind on the goodness surrounding me.  I hope all of you felt the good energy I was sending out to you!  

After a good shower and some house cleaning (hey, I need a clutter free personal space to be happy!), the boys (Greg included in that grouping) and I went for a little hike at Canoe Creek.  Greg and Andrew made a list of items for us to retrieve - a hand made scavenger hunt.  Andrew was thrilled to look for all the items in nature.  Jake wasn't so thrilled about the scavenger hunt, per se, but he did enjoy the walk, and picking up large sticks to twirl around.  I would say the hike appeased his inner ninja for the day!  

A little pond on the golf course near my house.  I love running by it in the fall.  It's so pretty to watch the fog lift off of it, with the sun in the background.  A small beauty practically in my backyard! 

Another sunrise photo.  Can't remember exactly where I took this one.  Morning runs are so pretty, so inspiring! 

Sunlight on the trees - other side of the golf course, on my way home.  I always say that the camera fails to do justice to the beauty perceived by the naked eye.  It was truly a remarkable sight with the light on the orange leaves and the frost on the ground.  I'm sorry that some of it is lost in the photo.  

At Canoe Creek, getting ready for our scavenger hunt.

Crossing the spillway.  

We made it to the other side! 

Canoe Creek is such a little chunk of land, but it's also such a wonderful oasis of tranquility.  It has been one of my go-to spots since I was old enough to drive.  A little bit of nature, right at our fingertips! 

Feeding the fish. 

Found a couple of daisies holding on despite the recent frosts!  We also saw a little butterfly, but she was too quick for the camera! 

Heading back across the spillway. 

Jake had some serious ninja moves going on.  He's lucky he didn't send himself into the cold water! 

Greg and Andrew were a little more cautious. 

Almost there! 

 Later in the evening, my mom and I took the boys to the Hollidaysburg Halloween parade.  It's a big deal for a small town.  The parade lasts well over an hour, and brings people in from all the surrounding areas.  Apparently, we know how to do Halloween!

So, uh...Jake, tell us how you really feel about the Halloween Parade. 

Once the candy started pouring in, Jake's attitude lifted! 

The Candy Pauper Pose

He held his hands like this and pleaded with every float and truck that passed him by! I have to say it worked! And see that little girl in the pink and gray jacket behind him?  They were a match made in heaven, laughing and talking about toilet paper throughout the parade! 

That was yesterday in a nutshell.  Today looks like it's going to be equally as beautiful.  The boys and I will be heading to church soon.  Greg had his hair shaved into a Mohawk for a Halloween party yesterday, so I think he'll be skipping mass today!  (Anyone else suspect an ulterior motive for the hair-do?) After mass, I have a coffee date with my favorite great aunt, Carmen.  Can't get much better than that! Hoping that everyone's weekends have been just as blessed as mine!  

Cat Sitting

You're not really a cat lover if you don't have just as many pictures of your cat in your iPhone as you do of your kids! 

"What do you mean this isn't working for you?" 

"Excuse me. Your dishes are dirty."

"The king is not currently accepting visitors.  Come back later." 

There's nothing better than watching the moon with your best buddy.

Is this what you all mean when you accuse me of smoking cat grass? 

Appreciation of the great outdoors! 

"What does, 'Can you please not sit on my neck, Sam?' mean?  You're not comfortable?  You don't like inhaling cat hair?" 

"Your efforts of confinement are futile." 

"Doesn't everyone lay down when they eat"

"I don't know how trustworthy this thing is.  I'll keep an eye on it, just to be safe."

"Hey!  The new neighbors are moving in!" 

"There appears to be an alien cat sitting in our yard!" 

"Two things: 

1. This room is a mess, Dad.

2. Are you aware that there is no music coming from these speakers?  Dislike!"

Cat-sitting is exhausting.  It's time for a nap! Over and out, peeps!  

A Run Down Memory Lane

The days are getting shorter, which means that my morning runs are coming to an end, at least during the work week.  I just can't run in the dark.   I can't see well, and I worry too much about drivers. Even with reflective gear, it's just too dangerous for my taste.  Since my morning runs now have to be reserved for weekends (and weekends when Greg is home, to boot!), I have started taking a longer lunch break here and there to make sure I don't lose my distance conditioning.  I used to think that the area around my office wasn't great for running.  There are a lot of busy roads and traffic - not exactly the best conditions for finding peace during a run.  But recently, I have been expanding my running area and have found that there are actually some really good running spots...I just have to trek through a little traffic to get to them first.  

I don't mind the trek if it has a reward at the end, and I'm finding lots of rewards that I never knew existed...and some that I knew about but just didn't really take advantage of.  There's a great little cemetery that I have been running through for a while now.  It's small, so to cover any distance in it, I'd have to loop it too many times.  But it's great for a short run, and last week I actually turned my music off and focused on the sound of my feet, the crunch of the leaves, the feel of my body.  I've always held  fast to my music, even though I know I don't actually listen to it more than half of the time.  This week, I decided to let go and just be aware of my surroundings.  What gift that decision turned out to be!  And what a statement as to how we (I) clutter our minds with useless, and in fact sometimes counterproductive, excessive noise.  I'm not saying I'll be running without my headphones all the time, but I will definitely be silencing them more often! 

This week, I also ran a route which took me past my early childhood home.  As you know, I grew up in Hollidaysburg, but before my parents were married, my sister, my mother and I lived with my grandparents in a semi-rural outlying section of Altoona.  I don't work terribly far from there, and I am so glad I took advantage of my proximity to make a quick run down memory lane! 

This is the road I lived on.  Our house sat just at the top where the trees seem to merge together.  My bus stop was right where I was standing to take the picture.  The house to the right of the photo belonged to an elderly woman named Mrs. Cupp.  She had some old farm buildings at the back of her property, including a little outhouse.  My cousins and I used to love to "hike" through the woods between our house and hers, and pee in her outhouse!  Ah....the little joys of life!  When you gotta go, you gotta go!  In fact, I have been know to pee in people's yards as recently as September!  

My bus stop was at the stop sign.  Our dog would walk to the bus stop with me every day and wait for the bus.  When the bus came, I would say, "Go home, Abby." and she would bolt back up the hill to the house.  On the first day of second grade - my first day at a new school, and my first time ever on a school bus, the dog got on the bus with me!  I was mortified at the time, but it's such a sweet memory now.  Even though I'm not a huge dog-person, I do see the sweetness in their loyalty and unconditional love.  

One day, I believe it was in 3rd grade, I found a kitten in the trees near the bus stop.  I was so early that I had time to scoop that kitten up (I actually put it in my back pack!), take it to my house, and walk back to the bus stop with plenty of time to spare before the bus arrived!  Even in early elementary school I planned ahead!  We didn't keep that kitten.  My grandmother was not as impressed with my cat saving skills as I was.  We took her to the Humane Society that afternoon.  Poor kitty.  I hope she found a good home! 

The house.  It looks a little different now.  The siding was white when I lived there, and there was a huge pine tree on the side by the shed, so you couldn't see back into the yard.  The current owners have put a rather nice deck around the pool, but I didn't want to take too many pictures.  They might have wondered what the heck I was doing! 

Back of the house.  See that little window that's cracked open on the far left?  That was my bedroom window.  If I close my eyes, I can still see the entire layout of that house, wallpaper, carpet, decorations...

View from the top of the hill.  So pretty! 

More view - across from the driveway.  How blessed was I to have this as my scenery as a young child!  

This road is just down a little from the one our house was on.  When I was little (way too little, in my opinion), my friend Janeen and I used to ride our bikes down Spook Hollow Road to Uncle Bob's (or was it John's or Joe's - who remembers?) Pop Shop for candy. The trek from my house to the pop shop is approximately 3 miles one way!  And look at that road!  No sidewalks, not many houses (way more now than 30 years ago) and blind curves!  My mother was nuts, and my grandmother wasn't any better!  God surely followed me on those trips.  I'm lucky I wasn't kidnapped or killed by a car! 

Treacherous as the road may have been, it surely was (and still is) a pretty one.  I thoroughly enjoyed my run down memory lane this week, and I'm eager to run along some of the other roads in the area during my lunch breaks over the next few weeks.  Fall weather is perfect for running and creates some ideal conditions for reminiscing.  Those touches of sweet nostalgia always feel good to my soul.  They remind me of my blessings, long ingrained since birth, and keep me grounded.   From a runner's perspective, as long as my feet are swiftly moving beneath me, grounded is the perfect place to be! 

Only Half Crazy...For Now...

"I am healthy.  I will run fast.  I will finish strong."

That was the mantra I repeated to myself all day Friday and at many points yesterday morning while I ran the October half-marathon in Hollidaysburg.  As far as training goes, I was well prepared for this race. I have been covering double-digit distances regularly for a few months now and I was confident that I could easily complete it without feeling terribly taxed.  I don't care a whole lot about time.  Running is my sanity.  Yes, I push myself at times, but not to the point where it becomes stressful. I am not fast.  Nor will I ever win a race, and that's perfectly fine with me.  I'm overjoyed just to complete them.  That said, I don't really want to be last either.  I think I would probably be a little embarrassed if I was the last one across the finish line when I talk so much about running.  BUT...on the flip side of that thought - I am not in any way belittling the people who were the last to cross the line.  Someone has to be last, and last certainly does not mean least.  I would much rather be last than not participating!  On one of my runs at the beach in September, I ran past a woman who had to be in her late 80's.  She was all clad in a matching jogging suit and a visor, and was running at about at 20 minute pace.  I was beyond impressed with her!  I looked at her and thought, "I sure I hope that when I am her age, my feet are still hitting the pavement like that!"  (Well, maybe minus the jogging suit.)

So, even though I felt that I was prepared for the race as far as conditioning goes, I wasn't prepared to get the first cold I have had in I-don't-know-when!  Seriously!  I don't get sick.  Ever.  (I'm not counting the food poisoning I got in January, because that wasn't an immune system malfunction).  I can't remember the last time I had a cold.  I had an ear ache for about 3 days in December, but no other symptoms.  Otherwise, it's been years.  Knock-on-wood (or perhaps it's too late for that!),  I'm pretty darn healthy.  I started taking zinc as soon as my nose started tickling, but by Friday it had moved out of my head and was beginning to settle in my chest.  I thought I was going to have to skip the race.  Breathing is a pretty essential function, especially when running.  But then I thought again...and I decided to try out some positive thinking and healing meditation.  Several times during the course of Friday, I envisioned a healing green light circling my head, throat and chest, and cleaning out the illness.  I consciously pulled positive energy from my surroundings.  I ate my lunch outside in the sunlight. I focused on staying calm and happy all day, and I repeated my mantra, "I am healthy.  I will run fast.  I will finish strong."  By Friday evening I had already started to feel better.  When I woke up Saturday morning, I felt good!  Great, even!  I ran the race without even a hint of sickness until around mile 9.  I coughed and tasted that disgusting flavor of infection in my lungs (sorry, hope you weren't eating).  But that was it.  I didn't cough any more during the race, and I didn't feel sick again until well after I got home.  I definitely have a cold.  My mantra and meditation didn't cure me, but it did put me in the state of mind I needed to over-ride it!  There's something to be said for the power of positive thinking!  Now, don't think I'm totally nuts, saying that you should disregard illness and run half marathons as long as you have a positive mantra and envision green light coursing through your body.  I'm a healthy person with a good immune system, and this cold isn't that bad.  I lucked out, and I'm super grateful that I did!

Speaking of meditation, though, I thought I would throw this in - I have said time and time again that I don't meditate because I don't have time, and I can't quiet my mind enough to meditate.  Those high-strung, mind-churning personality traits have not disappeared.   However, I recently read a book called Soul Soothers, Mini-Meditations for Busy Lives, which has changed my outlook on meditation.  It's an easy read, and I recommend it to anyone who feels like they can't mediate. (Click the link if you want to read about the book.)  I started it with the attitude of "What have I got to lose?" and ended it with a true feeling of purpose.  I use the tips all the time, and I can honestly say that I feel better about a lot of things!  It gave me some practical tools to access the areas of myself which I previously felt were inaccessible, and doing so is helping me to be calmer, more positive and more centered.  It's an area where I need a lot of practice, but at least now I feel like I can actually master the skills some day instead of just look at others with envy.  

I've been meditating in these little clips quite often over the last few weeks.  In fact, I found myself unintentionally doing some of the meditations before the race began - observing the ebb and flow of the crowd, tuning in to my own emotions, asking for God's protection for myself as well as for all of the other runners.   When the race started, I couldn't help but be mesmerized by the simple sound of so many feet hitting the ground at varying paces.  People were talking, obviously, but I don't remember hearing their words.  I just listened to the cadence of their feet, and felt soothed by the communality of racing, the collective energy.  It was awesome.  OK, maybe I am getting a little cooky, but that's OK.  I kinda like it!  And I think it's a great sign that I am finding myself doing these meditations without force.  To me, that means I'm actually getting it!  It's about time!

I always pray during my runs, and yesterday was no different.  Praying is a true source of energy for me while I am on the road.  I have also been adding the meditations to my routine, which is another great way of centering myself, paying attention to the world around me and appreciating it.  All of those things - the prayer, the mantra, the meditation - they all merge and culminate into one nicely rounded, and terrifically powerful emotion.  If you don't know what's coming next, you really oughta read my blog more often.  Yep, you guessed it - gratitude.

I spent so much of my run being thankful for so much - the big and the little.  Let's face it, Robert Brault was right when he said, "Enjoy the little things in life, for one day you will look back and realize they were the big things."  I don't have that posted at the top of the blog page for nothing!  What was I grateful for?  Well...

• For the beautiful area I live in! The hazy fog burning off the fields and the bright ball of yellow sun behind a milky sky created some truly peaceful scenery.   Looking out over the landscape always fills me with awe, whether I'm at the beach, on a mountain top, wherever.  When you think about all the nuances, it's hard not to see that nature is awesome.  Man's ability to create is also truly awesome.  They are awesome alone, and sometimes awesome combined.  Did I say awesome?  If not, that's what I meant. Awesome.  

• For the cute couple who ran either ahead of or behind me the whole way.  They gave off all kinds of positive energy!  They had just started dating, and were full of that new relationship giddiness.  I didn't really listen to what they were saying, because I was lost in my own thought most of the time, but they were full of happy banter throughout the race.  It was sweet, and it made me miss Greg.  After the race, I talked to Greg and he has committed to making some lifestyle changes and running a 5K with me in the beginning of next year!  In return, I said I would learn to fish.  I'm sealing the deal by making it publicly known.  Please feel free to ask him about his progress at any time!  He doesn't know it yet, but he's getting a pair of running shoes for Christmas! (Well, I guess he knows now!)

• For such great supporters.  I was surprised at the number of spectators there were, especially since this is a small area, and the race was run on semi-rural roads.   Several runners had family who followed them to various points in the race to cheer them on.  My in-laws drove Andrew to see me in two spots, which was super sweet!  What's better than getting a good-luck kiss from your baby mid-run?  Around the 7 mile mark, I heard a ton of loud cheering.  I assumed by the ruckus that it was someone's family who came to cheer them on, but as I got closer (this took place for probably about a quarter of a mile), I realized that it was just two race marshalls cheering like heck for each runner that went past!  I don't know who those women were, but they were having a blast, and I know the runners couldn't help but absorb some of that good energy and enthusiasm!

What else did I think about? I was/am grateful for...

• My health
• My family and friends, their health and happiness.
• My husband who will come home after working 15 hours and say, "I'll watch the kids, Babe.  Go for a run.  You don't want to fall short on your training."
• My in-laws who trekked all over the loop with Andrew to watch me.  
• My parents who watch the boys all the time.
• The Y and all its volunteers who made it possible by organizing, ushering, watering and cleaning up after the runners.

I could go on and on, but I don't think it's necessary.  You get the point.  I feel good.  I was healthy.  I ran fast.  I finished strong.

And I can't wait to do it again!