Look out Bruce Lee...Claire Rios is makin' her move!

Did you notice the karate belt? This is one of the many things, including but not limited to rapping and beat boxing, that Claire has been learning on the playground at school. She has learned the rapping and beat boxing from her little friend Allondra...and according to Claire, via Allondra, Allondra's dad was caught kissing someone other than her mother...and now Allondra lives on a boat and has a wooden leg. Whatever happened to tether ball at recess?

Best scent ever???

Orange Blossoms! Our orange trees are in full bloom and the scent is so strong, we can smell the blossoms in our house when the windows are open...yummy!!! Interestingly, oranges are ready for harvesting in the Winter but the blossoms bloom in the spring. Hmmmm. My roses are just getting ready to burst open...fragrant, large blooms...I love my rose garden...I wish it were bigger!!

Took a phenomenal 90 minute yoga class today...all I can say is wow!! The instructor was the best I have had and it was a perfect blend of traditional yoga with a little contemporary twist. Perfect balance. The yoga studio (www.zudayoga.com) is expanding and Pat is doing the addition to their site so I decided to see what all of the talk was about. They were voted the best yoga studio in town and I can see why. Highly recommend for those interested in enhancing their practice or adding a little extra to their workout program. Room temp is set to 85 degrees and the sweat just pours off...feels great!

Going to Pacific Grove for a little R&R for mothers day weekend...can't wait...Pat needs a little break...I guess we all need a little break. As for running, need to get back on the horse. Had a sinus issues for a couple of weeks but feeling better so it is time to start building the miles back up! September...doesn't seem so far away.

Pic from first part of Muir Woods Race

I know...it's a little small... I am supposed to purchase the picture versus trying to "steal" it from the website that took the pics... they can ensure you are unable to reproduce a larger image. oh well.

BRUTAL!!!!!!

The race Saturday starting on Stinson Beach and heading up the Dipsea Trail and then up Steep Ravine was THE most physically demanding race I have completed thus far. To give you some perspective, it took me ONE HOUR AND 41 MINUTES TO COMPLETE 7 miles. I typically complete 7 miles in a about an hour....so I was doing a 14 minute mile. HARSH!!! The first 3.5 miles went straight up...not just a hill but CLIMBING STAIRS, made of rock, wood, etc., and it never eased... never a flat straight stretch of trail to catch your breath, but a constant hard climb up, up and up....oh and let us not forget the wooden ladder we also had to climb. That first half took me a little under an hour to complete. I reached that anaerobic phase quite a few times and was cursing myself for doing this until I started the descent...just a wee-bit of a break. Switchbacks all the way down!!! More stairs...I thought my knees are going to blow out or I am going to sprain an ankle...very hard on the body going down...trail was narrow, muddy, rocky and A LOT of tree roots, etc. I completed this race quite a few years ago but i guess i forgot just how difficult the run is...oops. I went with my friend Marie who had never completed this trail before and she had a few words for me when we met up again after the race...sorry Marie! Considering the unknown terrain, she did very well. We started home and ran into a lot of bicyclists on the road coming into Stinson and leaving. There is no shoulder so the bicyclists basically take over and cars have to follow...made for a long ride home. No offense to the cyclists but c'mon...it is really dangerous and the cars would, of course, be responsible if any accidents were to happen. (Heather, since you cycle, your input on this would be welcomed.) Drove a couple hours home and we could feel our legs getting tighter and tighter the longer we sat. My quads and glutes are spent from all of the climbing but it was worth it...and yes, I would do it again. Easter was nice...went to the Sutter Club for brunch. Claire was set on seeing the Easter Bunny...it has taken her about four years to warm up to the very large bunny but she has now become quite fond of our furry, egg delivering friend!















I think I consumed about 4,000 calories today just at the dessert table...it was delicious and Claire had a great time. Hannah was with her dad this weekend but she is looking forward to San Francisco next weekend for a little shopping expedition to celebrate her 13th b-day!!

When did I get old?

Running has been a little tough these past few weeks. I have been attending Hannah's track practices to help with her form and increase her speed... and well...as much as my mind still thinks I am...I am not a teenager and I do not run fast...especially on poorly packed tracks. The track had just received a fresh layer of sand/gravel/dirt which made for poor traction, and my poor, old legs suffered...oh did they suffer. Did I mention I do not run sprints? I found that out as well. Sooooooo...needless to say, it has taken about two weeks to get my legs feeling relatively normal. Went for a great run this weekend with Darcy and Kelly at Lake Natoma. (see pics) It is a little over an 11 mile loop but there was no way I was going to be able to complete the full 11 with the leg soreness. I stayed with them for the first three miles and turned around and headed back. Did I also mention that I have no sense of direction? Having to follow the path that you see above, I guess I took a wrong turn and made a very large circle. sad. I passed some large man-eating turkeys along the way that seem to be a little angry...perhaps over the whole Thanksgiving issue. Who knows...maybe they didn't enjoy my photo shoot. The run was beautiful and we couldn't have asked for a better day. This next Saturday I will be going to Stinson Beach for a 7 mile trail run through Muir Woods. 3.5 miles straight up and then down hill the rest of the way. Tough climb but it will do me some good.

Me Kelly and Darcy at Darcy and Matt's annual St. Patty's party.