Juice and Joy

Sing-Song

familyvance@gmail.com (Jessica) — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 02:15:00 +0000

I have a new job.
I haven't run much.
My new job is full-time.
My achy running knees have been bothering me.
It's all an adjustment.
I ran a whopping 5-mile long run Sunday morning.
Is it okay to mention I'm scared of 7th graders?
Elijah rode his bike with me on my run.
My kids will ride the bus to and from school.
It was a glorious morning run.
It's hard letting them go...and grow.
You may run 10, 15, 20 miles, but I had cherished time with my son.
I don't get to be so present anymore.
Maybe it's time to shift to a new hobby?
I do feel blessed. Uh huh, I do. That's right.
I like the idea of cooking sit-down-together dinners each night for my family.
Who wouldn't with such a family as this?
I might leave the running to the runners. You out there, Runners?

Dreams

familyvance@gmail.com (Jessica) — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 13:16:00 +0000

"O, then, I see Queen Mab hath been with you.
She is the fairies’ midwife, and she comes
In shape no bigger than an agate-stone
On the fore-finger of an alderman,
Drawn with a team of little atomies
Over men’s noses as they lie asleep;
Her chariot is an empty hazel-nut
Made by the joiner squirrel or old grub,
Time out o’ mind the fairies’ coachmakers.
Her wagon-spokes made of long spinners’ legs,
The cover of the wings of grasshoppers,
The traces of the smallest spider’s web,
The collars of the moonshine’s watery beams,
Her whip of cricket’s bone, the lash of film,
Her wagoner a small grey-coated gnat,
Not so big as a round little worm
Prick’d from the lazy finger of a maid;
And in this state she gallops night by night
Through lovers’ brains, and then they dream of love;
O’er courtiers’ knees, that dream on court’sies straight,
O’er lawyers’ fingers, who straight dream on fees,
O’er ladies' lips, who straight on kisses dream,
Which oft the angry Mab with blisters plagues,
Because their breaths with sweetmeats tainted are:
Sometime she gallops o’er a courtier’s nose,
And then dreams he of smelling out a suit;
And sometime comes she with a tithe-pig’s tail
Tickling a parson’s nose as a’ lies asleep,
Then dreams, he of another benefice:
Sometime she driveth o’er a soldier’s neck,
And then dreams he of cutting foreign throats,
Of breaches, ambuscadoes, Spanish blades,
Of healths five-fathom deep; and then anon
Drums in his ear, at which he starts and wakes,
And being thus frighted swears a prayer or two
And sleeps again. This is that very Mab
That plaits the manes of horses in the night,
And bakes the elflocks in foul sluttish hairs,
Which once untangled, much misfortune bodes:
This is the hag, when maids lie on their backs,
That presses them and learns them first to bear,
Making them women of good carriage:
This is she—"

— Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet, Act I, scene iv

What we need more of in the world

familyvance@gmail.com (Jessica) — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 12:41:00 +0000

Aye! There's only two more weeks until school starts. My summer has flitted by with packing and unpacking, driving and waiting, sorting and cleaning, swimming and biking, and more packing and unpacking. Start of summer seems so long ago, but I haven't much to show for the time. Perhaps I'm too hard on myself. Shouldn't I have a finished home? Shouldn't I be ready for my new job? Shouldn't those memory books for last year's class be done? Shouldn't I be logging more than 10 miles on long runs?

Fiesta Texas: Monday, August 4. The boys had free tickets they earned through a school library reading program. Tickets expire August 10, so time was pinching in on me. I dreaded the crowds (I haven't had much luck with Fiesta Texas), but I knew it wouldn't rain (again, not much luck with FT).

It actually turned out to be a pleasant day despite my grouchiness early on. One I relaxed and noticed there really weren't many folks there, I was fine. I think going on a Monday with a projected high of 106 F maybe kept some folks away. We stayed until 9pm, so we were plenty tired when we arrived home around 11pm (love eating Whataburger in the car on the way home).

The rest of my week was filled with work and not feeling well and mostly successful attempts to unpack the boxes from our storage unit. The storage unit is empty, so that's a plus, right? My house is a disaster though, but hopefully it will come together very soon.

DV left on Thursday for his boys' retreat weekend to Colorado. Friday, Elijah, Joshua and I got up early for a Geocaching Event at Dick Nichols Park (8-8-08 from 8am - 8:08am). Afterwards, we found a cache that had evaded us a few weeks back. Saturday we found yet another cache with my sister and niece, so it's been a successful caching weekend for us.

Saturday long run: Scenic/Mountain Bonnell. Well, Coach says "Mountain" Bonnell so I like to say that, too, but in his accent. Just saying Mountain Bonnell won't cut it; you simply must say it with a Burundi drawl.

I'm already tired of running on Lake Austin Blvd, but it was fine. I ran with Barb to the 5-mile turn-around point. We ran into Emily, Allison, and Gayatri there, so we all ran back "together." We didn't really run back together at all. Allison stopped for a bathroom break, and the other three kept going. I waited for her, and we ran along until we caught Emily, who didn't feel well and was walking. We caught back up to Gtree and Barb at the water stop on LAB. Even though I asked them to wait so we would all run together, they took off.

It's for the best as my knees were killing me. I had planned to run 7-8 miles, but Barb asked me to run 10 with her. I felt fine going out LAB and onto Scenic, etc. I didn't really start hurting until around 6-7 miles into the run. Allison was also hurting so we walked quite a bit the last 3 miles (probably half of those last 3 miles). My IT bands and knees really screamed about that run the rest of the day despite minimal stretching and soaking in Barton Springs. Ah, if there was only time for sitting around with ice on my legs.

We need more poetry in the world. Also, if anyone has seen my cat, Simi, tell her we want her to find her way back home.

Glow Hard

familyvance@gmail.com (Jessica) — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 14:32:00 +0000

Lame, boring recap of past workouts.

July 19 was the Kids' Tri, in which I did the amazing distance of 200m swim, 5 mile bike, and 1.2 mile run. I tell ya though, that run was hard, really hard. Never underestimate a triathlon no matter what the distance. DV said it was hard, too, so it's always nice to know the fast folks feel the same as me.

I think the week before I met Allison to run around the 'hood and probably did 6 or so miles. I've been feeling really fatigued in my legs since the move, so some workouts have been difficult for me.

July 21 we did 700s, and Gilbert told us to do 6 at a slower pace. I went fairly slow, which was fine for me. I didn't even time them, and by the time the 6th one came around, I was pooped. It's been such a hot, hot summer, so running at 5:30pm has been fairly brutal.

July 22 - Total Body Sculpt at Lifetime Fitness. Ow. The entire hour and 15 mins I kept thinking, "I have do 800s tomorrow." It's a great class, but I seem to be sore from it for days...and it really is "total body."

July 23 was a fun workout, actually. That was the evening a crazy rain storm blew threw right as I was driving to running class (about 5:15pm). I knew the storm would keep tons of folks away. When I got to the track at 5:30pm, the rain had blown over and the sun was out. The air was thick with moisture, and the sun kept pushing the clouds aside determined to beat down on the few of us that made it to class. We were scheduled for 800s, which isn't a favorite of mine but don't do it often enough to truly fear it. Let me point out that Sarah and I were the only gals to show up. We ran most of them together, and at the start, 6 repeats seemed like a lot. We didn't think we could make ourselves go faster each repeat, but we somehow did. My last one was 4:44, which surprised me since I haven't been consistently running this summer. I really didn't think I'd be able to run that fast in the sauna we were dealt that day. I left really happy and proud of doing all 6 and doing them well.

July 26 - Blanco Out-Back Tri. I didn't do it, which was a wise move on my part. I cheered David, Linda, and Snowdene on (as well as DVs friends). I did a 45 min long run around 11am - just ran all around Blanco State Park. It was hot but lovely. It's a nice little park.

Later that day we drove to SeaWorld for a Cub Scout sleepover. What a nightmare. The SeaWorld counselor tromped us all over the park from 5:30pm - 10:30pm with minimal breaks. Familyvance was beyond exhausted and would have happily gone to bed at 8pm. However, SeaWorld had our sleeping bags and luggage held hostage. We finally were given permission to lay down around 11 or 11:30pm. We slept in the Shark Habitat, which sounds really cool but was really horrid. The closest bathroom was maybe 1/4 mile away, and we slept on the hard floor covered by thin, filthy carpet that thousands upon thousands of people walk on daily. It was a mixed blessing when the lights were turned on at 6am. I got to get off the hard floor, but I had to interact with our fellow scouts and the SeaWorld counselors. We headed off for more tromping around the park until about 9am, when praise God, we got to be regular visitors at SeaWorld who can stop and sit down and do whatever our hearts desire. I honestly think we walked miles with that slave-driver SeaWorld counselor. And besides, she wanted us to sing summer camp songs as we walked through the park. "Peel bananas, peel, peel bananas. Oy! Stomp bananas, stomp, stomp bananas! Oy!"

Monday, July 28 - mile repeats. I forgot my watch. I ran them slow, and I did 3, even though I probably should have done 4. They weren't anywhere near my past mile repeat times, but I didn't care. My legs were beat up from SeaWorld.

Wed, July 30 - 5 mile fartlek - 3 on/1 off, 2 on/1 off, 1 on/1 off and then repeat. I went to the 5:45am class, and I got to run with Gayatri and Leslie. It was a new fartlek experience for me as there was a large group we were to stay with (Group A). I think there were 12 or so folks in this group. The faster runners would turn back on the "easy" minute to the slowest runner to make sure we stayed as a group. The thought was really nice, and I don't know that I'm against it...just new to me. The group really should have been 2 groups b/c the speeds were a little too far spread out, especially during the really rough 3 mins "on." So maybe a A1 and A2 group is in order, but it really doesn't affect me right now as I'm an afternooner where we don't need no stinkin' groups...er...at least fancy organized groups with letters assigned to us.

Sat, Aug 2 - 8+ mile long run with Leslie and Gayatri. They started at Robert E. Lee, and I met them at LAB and Exposition. I felt fine other than some muscle in my right outer calf bothering me. It's been bothering me since SeaWorld or perhaps even the triathlon on the 19th. It was humid, but I still thinks it's easier to run in a humid morning than 105 degree afternoon. Gayatri ran 14 miles! Yea! Leslie did 12 miles. Yea! Glow hard, ladies!

Now I get to unpack more boxes that we brought from the storage unit. We are never moving again.

Some amazing photos!

familyvance@gmail.com (Jessica) — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 12:18:00 +0000

Why post something about myself when other things are more interesting?

YMCA Kid Pitch Summer 2008. Joshua loves playing catcher.

Elijah throws it in from the out field.

The boys at bat.

Joshua pitched the last inning of the last game. He got 2 strike outs, and the fielders got an out at 2nd. He's only 6.5 years old!

Familyvance did the Hill Country Kids' Tri last Saturday. Here you see the two cutest participants. I do have pics of me and DV which I might post when I have more time.

And we can't forget Joshua at his first ever Horse Show. He's cowboy and horse-obsessed, and here he is riding his beloved Brownie. Joshua attended a week-long camp at Bee Cave Riding School.

Diary of the SuperSlow

familyvance@gmail.com (Jessica) — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 13:11:00 +0000

Running has been a struggle. Moving has worn me down inside and out. We had a horrible time with our buyers showing up on our last day in the house. It turned into a nightmare that is too long to blog about at this time.

I didn't run for a week after the Saint and moving. Last Sunday I met Allison in the 'hood to run. We both were fine going slow and walking when needed due to each of us having ailments (her shin was busted and my IT bands/knees aren't happy with all the trail running and moving). I think we ran maybe 6 miles, could be more or less. I didn't really keep track of time or distance. It was my first 'hood run from the new house, and I briefly thought about having us run by my old house. I thought better of it knowing I'd get emotional.

Monday was circuit. It was hot and muggy after some rain passed through. Lunges always get me. I'm weak in the core and suffered through the core workout. I generally love circuit, but this week was not my favorite.

Yesterday was tempo. I haven't run a tempo run in months and the last ones I did were when I was in my best running shape post-3M half marathon. If I hadn't switched gears to train for the MS150, maybe I would have stayed strong. Maybe if I hadn't switched gears and focused on moving and trail runs. Maybe if it wasn't hot, and I wasn't carrying a blubber roll around my middle.

I was determined to run 3 miles, even though Gilbert wanted most of us to run 2. I knew if I dropped back down to a 2 mile tempo, that it would be hard for me to go back to 3 miles. I felt tired in the first 400m, but my pace seemed fine. Pace seemed fine through 3/4 mile where I slowed a tad bit. I was trying to push but stay within a decent range for someone very out-of-shape. Gilbert was standing at the mile 1 marker and said, "Jessica, just turn around and do a 2 mile tempo. You'll have extra miles in the cool down." I stopped and replied, "If I don't do 3 then I'll never do 3 again." He waved me on, and I went toward the 1.5 marker.

That 2nd mile has been the slowest in past runs, so I knew it would be again. I suffered a lot and had a pain that wasn't a stitch and wasn't anything I was interested in "running through." So I walked. I knew any decent time was shot after the first walk, so I just ran and walked a few seconds here and there the whole way back. I debated stopping my watch back at the 1 mile marker and calling it a 2 mile tempo so I could walk the mile back. I didn't do it though, and I ran back with intermittent walking. I ended up with a time of 32.34, which was actually faster than I thought it would be with all the walking I did. It's a true testament to the shape I'm in physically and mentally, and hopefully, I'll get faster next time.

Am I just plain out-of-shape? Am I tired from moving and trail runs as my legs have felt weak since then? Did I struggle b/c it was the first real hard run in the heat? Have I weakened mentally with all the slow trail runs and slow long runs and cookies?

No matter how slow it was, I'm happy to have done the 3 mile tempo.

I have a little over a week to train for the Hill Country Kids' Triathlon. I'm on a team with Elijah, and our team name is The Course is With Us. David and Joshua remain a team and kept the same name from last year - Team Bob. Boys will do 100m swim, 2.5 mile bike, and 1K run. David and I will do a 200m swim, 5.1 mile bike, and 1.2 mile run. Even though those distances are super short, it's still a killer to do a tri...especially when I haven't trained.

100th and 6th

familyvance@gmail.com (Jessica) — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 14:22:00 +0000

Hey, this is my 100th post. Aren't I supposed to get a cake or something? Does a new house count?

Yes, we are in the new house. It's been a pretty hectic and emotional week as we closed on our beloved little house last Thursday and leased-back until Monday when we closed on our new house. We spent all of Monday moving and were rewarded with a new fridge installation along with two batches of brownies from friendly neighbors. Ah, we now relish the joys of unpacking.

I am a fairly anxious person. Perhaps not so externally anxious, but those who know me, know that I can fret over the unknown and pending change. I've been getting little sleep, and it's caught up to me. Yesterday reminded me of the weeks after having a baby. I wanted a nap so badly, but I kept getting visitors to see the new house. When I finally got my chance to doze off, a child called my name as he attempted getting orange juice from the top shelf of the new fridge (he christened the new fridge with a big spill).

Sunday we ran the third and final trail run in the Rogue trail series (the Saint). I was beyond tired, and my body felt it the first mile or two. I ran with Leslie A., and it was once again a fun and beautiful run. We ended up running faster than I thought we were going to run. I felt sluggish and even took a migraine pill before the run. David took a hard fall, but he ended up winning 2nd overall for the series. I got 6th place overall for the series...er...6th from LAST PLACE! Geesh, I know I'm extremely slow, and I know I ran those races for fun. But it's still sucky to see my slowness posted on the internet for the world to see. I try to comfort myself by saying, "Lots of people didn't run all 3 races," or "Think of all the people who slept in all those Sundays." Ya think it works?

I never did post about Day 2 of the MS150. For my own sake, I will be posting that eventually.

I have to start biking again and swimming as we may do a couple of triathlons later this month. Nothing big or fancy. The boys are going to do a kids' tri that has a team option with a parent (race separately but times combined). At the end of the month is the always fun Blanco Out-back Tri. Dust of the tri shorts, y'all.

May memories

familyvance@gmail.com (Jessica) — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 12:31:00 +0000

I want to remember two really beautiful and memorable runs from May. I've settled with myself that I'll never go back and catch up on all the runs, workouts, and things of interest. In fact, I don't even remember much I want to share. I did write a tiny snippet about the Maze, so I'm covered there.

Mother's Day morning, I ran with Gayatri and Elizabeth, who were kind enough to join me even though they did their long run Saturday. We ran 6 miles along the north side of the trail from 1st street to Longhorn Dam. Details fade, but it was a glorious spring morning. G-tree and Elizabeth talked of seeing a Swan family the day before, complete with 5 baby swans. "What are baby swans called?" we wondered as we ran toward the dam. I secretly hoped we'd see those little puffs of downy fluff. I don't think I have ever seen a baby swan.

On our way back, I spotted swans in the reeds along the riverbank. We crept in and saw 5 darling baby swans (cygnets for you precise folk). They were brownish-gray with small, black beaks. It was the sweetest scene as the family nestled in the reeds. I felt it was the perfect start to Mother's Day. I haven't seen the swans or cygnets again since then, but perhaps I'll look a little closer next time I'm on the northeast side of the trail. I'm curious to see how the babies have grown and changed.

Mother's Day we also set out to find some tadpoles at Barton Creek down off Lost Creek Blvd. Joshua and Elijah kept a tadpole a piece (along with an accidental minnow), and I took a tadpole to the preschool for the kiddos. If you've never watched a tadpole metamorphosis, then you might want to jaunt down and get yourself a tadpole. I was more interested and fascinated than the kids, I think. Elijah named his tadpole "Taddie" and Joshua named his tadpole "Morphy." On Father's Day, we took Taddie and Morphy back home to the creek because they were now froglets.

Tiny baby Morphy

Elijah holding Taddie

Now, the other run I want to mention is perhaps one of the most beautiful runs I've ever done. I mentioned before that David took me to Dallas for a short anniversary trip to see the LA Galaxy play FC Dallas. We drove up Saturday and ate dinner at a really yummy, recommended restaurant called Cafe Izmir. Maybe some of you have been there. Sunday morning we woke up and drove to White Rock Lake to run. It was fun for us to run together where David had run his sub-3 marathon. We started out together on the concrete and asphalt trail as cyclists zoomed by. This trail is clearly more popular for cyclists than runners.

Once David realized I would be safe running alone, he took off in a blur. I had already pointed out wildflowers and made us stop to smell them and get a closer look. The lake was very lovely. The sky was clear blue with smears of white clouds as though someone ran a icing-laden finger across the sky. I stayed on the pedestrian trail whenever possible rather than the asphalt road. It was mostly shaded and just lovely. Downtown Dallas peeked into view around turns and up hills (which there weren't really any hills).

I did and out and back run while David ran the whole trail loop. I had to stop again for some flower admiring. There was a thistle that was over 6-feet tall. The pedestrian trail went through some grassy areas with flowers that were over 3 feet tall, so it felt like I was running in a field.

My chest was bothering me where my bra strap lays, so I tucked my shirt under and felt better. I ran this way until shortly before meeting up with David back where we started. As I walked toward him I pulled my shirt back down straight, and he asked me, "What happened?" I looked down at my white shirt to see blood and sweat swirled around. I was surprised. I had no idea I had been bleeding. My new bra had rubbed enough to make me bleed, and I was able to sympathize with running men who have sweaty-blood driplets from their nipples.

Both the White Rock run and the Swan run were times I wish I'd had a camera. I don't do justice to the sereneness of those runs, but hopefully you've had a run just as stunning, peaceful, and full of beautiful nature. I think the White Rock trail would be perfect if it had an actual trail rather than concrete and asphalt.

So, I can't close this post without sharing a picture or two of the soccer game. It was really thrilling to see David Beckham play. If you can't spot him in the pictures, he's the one with the long-sleeved jersey. BTW, LA beat Dallas 5-1. Ouch!

Beckham Direct Free Kick (notice the time and score of the game)

Beckham on Defense

Fast and Fine

familyvance@gmail.com (Jessica) — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 14:18:00 +0000

In the early morning sunrise, I met Ginny and Leslie for a Greenbelt run. The air was cool and refreshing, and the dew on the greenery along the trail sparkled in the sunlight and gently splashed against us as we ran by.

I adore that trail. I don't know why more of my friends won't run the trail with me. No one fell or got lost this time, so really, why not join me? I understand the desire to stay on the road for mileage, but my goodness, it's so dull sometimes. I am so happy that there are running buddies willing to try out the trail on a Sunday morning, so I don't have to run alone. It's hard sometimes to coordinate with my running spouse, and I appreciate those friends who will switch from the Saturday pavement norm to join me in the glorious nature spectacular the Greenbelt offers.

We had some mud and puddles this time thanks to yesterday's storms. We had some enlightening conversation about right and left-brain and how your brain works while running on a trail. Fascinating! Anyone who's run on a trail knows that zoning out just can't happen, and I learned today that both sides of the brain work hard while trail running. So it's good for your soul, your body, and your mind to trail run.

We chatted the whole run and had a fun time. Ginny runs T/Th afternoon, so I told her she'd probably seen David there. She asked what he looks like, and I said, "He's fast and hot." LOL. But seriously, I never really use the word "hot" to describe anyone simply because that's not from my era (my boys use it and it's so hilarious to hear a 6 and 8-year-old describe girls as "hot"). David is hot, mind you, but I prefer to think of him as "fast and fine." You gotta say fine with a really drawn out "I"...fiiiiiine (and maybe nod your head a bit while saying it. Try it!).

The Saint is next week, and I think Leslie will join us for that fun run. We also talked about adding in a trail run at least once/month for a long run or even adding it as a secondary run during the week. If I see Lake Austin Blvd. any time soon, I think I'll yak. I get so tired of those same, tired run routes. I am sad that I missed the Grove route this week as I've never done that one (minus the trail part, of course).

Next week is also our last weekend in this house. I don't think it's quite hit me yet even though I've been packing and prepping. David's taking down the tree house. I'm a very sentimental person, and this is the house where my boys were babies. This is the house of Familyvance. It's going to be hard to say farewell to it. I am sort of hoping it's so frantic next weekend and on Monday when we close and move.

My boys got their first sunburns yesterday. I think by their age, I'd become an expert on sunburns. Joshua actually wants a sunburn. It's like riding the bus to school. It sounds so fun until you have to do it every day.

I have a "girls' only" blog topic that I want to post. I'll have to warn the men that if they read it, they might regret it! Coming soon...

Eats, Shoots, and Leaves

familyvance@gmail.com (Jessica) — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 04:12:00 +0000

I'm a grammar nerd, and when I make grammar mistakes, I don't like it. I don't mind making them, but I mind that I don't edit them properly. Usually my errors are due to rushing through while typing or editing.

Anyway, yes, I'm a total grammar geek, and I'm proud of it. I recommend the above book for anyone with half a brain (you must have half a brain in order to giggle at all the horrible grammar mistakes).

Along this topic, David took me to Dallas in May for a belated anniversary weekend. We saw the LA Galaxy (David Beckham!) play FC Dallas. The field is in Frisco, and we planned to have lunch in Frisco before the game. We drove around looking for a place to eat. I told David we had to eat at this restaurant simply because they punctuated their sign correctly. Amen! The food was really yummy to boot (lol, soccer pun).

Poetry for a dad or two

familyvance@gmail.com (Jessica) — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 14:36:00 +0000

For my dad:

"My Father"
by Yehuda Amichai

The memory of my father is wrapped up in
white paper, like sandwiches taken for a day at work.

Just as a magician takes towers and rabbits
out of his hat, he drew love from his small body,

and the rivers of his hands
overflowed with good deeds.

For my husband:

1723
by Emily Dickinson

High from the earth I heard a bird;
He trod upon the trees
As he esteemed them trifles,
And then he spied a breeze,
And situated softly
Upon a pile of wind
Which in a perturbation
Nature had left behind.
A joyous-going fellow
I gathered from his talk,
Which both of benediction
And badinage partook,
Without apparent burden,
I learned, in leafy wood
He was the faithful father
Of a dependent brood;
And this untoward transport
His remedy for care,—
A contrast to our respites.
How different we are!

Also for my husband:

"Anecdote for Fathers"
by William Wordsworth

I have a boy of five years old;
His face is fair and fresh to see;
His limbs are cast in beauty’s mould,
And dearly he loves me.

One morn we strolled on our dry walk,
Our quiet home all full in view,
And held such intermitted talk
As we are wont to do.

My thoughts on former pleasures ran;
I thought of Kilve’s delightful shore,
Our pleasant home when spring began,
A long, long year before.

A day it was when I could bear
Some fond regrets to entertain;
With so much happiness to spare,
I could not feel a pain.

The green earth echoed to the feet
Of lambs that bounded through the glade,
From shade to sunshine, and as fleet
From sunshine back to shade.

Birds warbled round me—and each trace
Of inward sadness had its charm;
Kilve, thought I, was a favoured place,
And so is Liswyn farm.

My boy beside me tripped, so slim
And graceful in his rustic dress!
And, as we talked, I questioned him,
In very idleness.

“Now tell me, had you rather be,”
I said, and took him by the arm,
“On Kilve’s smooth shore, by the green sea,
Or here at Liswyn farm?”

In careless mood he looked at me,
While still I held him by the arm,
And said, “At Kilve I’d rather be
Than here at Liswyn farm.”

“Now, little Edward, say why so:
My little Edward, tell me why.”—
“I cannot tell, I do not know.”—
“Why, this is strange,” said I;

“For, here are woods, hills smooth and warm:
There surely must some reason be
Why you would change sweet Liswyn farm
For Kilve by the green sea.”

At this, my boy hung down his head,
He blushed with shame, nor made reply;
And three times to the child I said,
“Why, Edward, tell me why?”

His head he raised—there was in sight,
It caught his eye, he saw it plain—
Upon the house-top, glittering bright,
A broad and gilded vane.

Then did the boy his tongue unlock,
And eased his mind with this reply:
“At Kilve there was no weather-cock;
And that’s the reason why.”

O dearest, dearest boy! my heart
For better lore would seldom yearn,
Could I but teach the hundredth part
Of what from thee I learn.

One last poem for fathers that I find amusing:

"On the Birth of His Son"
Su Tung-p'o (c. 1070, trans. Arthur Waley, 1919)

Families, when a child is born
Want it to be intelligent.
I, through intelligence,
Having wrecked my whole life,
Only hope the baby will prove
Ignorant and stupid.
Then he will crown a tranquil life
By becoming a Cabinet Minister.

Saturday Morning Adventure

familyvance@gmail.com (Jessica) — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 22:09:00 +0000

I couldn't let this morning's run go into the queue for this very back-logged blog. Barb and I met at 6:30am at Barton Springs to run on the Greenbelt. We looked forward to a nice change of scenery, and I wanted to practice for the Saint in a couple of weeks.

How can I express how pleasant it is to run off-road? I have tried to convince running friends to join me, but few have taken me up on the offer. It's so wonderful to be running along side greenery while hearing birds chirp and smelling the occasional flower blooming. It's also very fun and exciting to run on the Greenbelt.

We started off well enough with a map and some directions from Andre. Andre was starting later and he's faster, so I figured he'd pass us along the way and make sure we were on course.

Things went well until we were about 2 or more miles in and got a little lost. Once we saw the trail, we realized how obvious it was. But we were looking down and chatting, so we ended up on some high rocks. I heard feet running nearby, but I couldn't see anyone. I knew whoever it was I could hear was running on the trail we wanted to be on. I yelled at Barb, whom I couldn't see thanks to tons of huge rocks. I even told her that I thought it was Andre running by, and I'm pretty sure it was. Andre did indeed keep us on course.

The next excitement came when we approached detour signs to steer folks away from a washed out foot bridge. Maybe we are directionally-challenge (well, I know I am), but we got on a wrong trail here, too. We were being attacked by huge horseflies, and Barb cracked me up when she said, "These horseflies are so huge, they have saddles." That image still tickles me. Our wrong trail sent us to an office building, and I could hear the 360/Mopac interchange. Turns out that the office building is where Andre works. Too bad he didn't leave a note on the wall by the trail telling us we had gone the wrong way. ;o)

We had to turn back at this point without getting to 360 - time and water was running out. On our way back, Barb tripped on a very rocky section and fell really, really, really hard. It scared me how hard to she fell (she was behind me but the sound of her fall was not a good sound). Fortunately, she was okay...a skinned knee and a sore back. A little rest for us for Barb to get her bearings, and we were off again.

We are happily running along, chatting about how fabulous it is to live in Austin and have such a great place to run. A man approaches with three dogs, and only one dog is on a leash. I'm in front, which leaves Barb a little blinded. One of the unleashed dogs is small and in front and heads past me. I hear a horrible screech that I thought was from the dog, but in fact, it was from Barb. The dog had jumped up at her, and she thought it was a wild animal attacking her from the bushes. We had a good laugh about it once she was calm. I offered her to go in front, but she said she was fine.

Happily we are running again, albeit I'm going slower and slower. I catch my toe on the tiniest of rocks and fall really far for a really long time. Even Barb thought I fell in slow motion. I fell on a soft part of the trail, and skidded into the greenery. Another good laugh for us after we made sure I was fine and hadn't landed in poison ivy.

Soon thereafter, Andre and Paul come running past us. We chat with them for a minute or two about our adventures thus far. Andre confirms that it was them that ran past when we were lost in the high rocks. They speed off in search of a cool (and free!) swim at Barton Springs, and we slowly follow for our turn to dip our legs on the cool water. Of course, we went to the always-free part of the Springs.

Lessons learned:

Bring more water
Apply bug spray
Pack a tiny, but useful first-aid kit

We had so much fun. I hope more friends will run with us next time we are on the Greenbelt.

MS150 Day 1

familyvance@gmail.com (Jessica) — Mon, 26 May 2008 13:08:00 +0000

Where does the time go? Well, in my case, I've been busy with keeping our house tidy and clean as it's listed on the market, taking my boys to various activities (T-ball is finally over!), and all sorts of other things that life presents to me. I feel like I've been exhausted since the MS150, and I've been sleeping a lot this holiday weekend hoping to remedy that feeling.

Speaking of the MS150, I never wrote anything but a short blip about it. I have so many runs and events to talk about, and I wondered if I should start with my most recent event (Saturday's long run) and work backward. Instead, I decided to go chronologically, so we'll now jump back to Friday, April 11. I guess six weeks late is better than no report at all. :o)

MS150 - The Long Version, albeit not as long as it would have been 6 weeks ago, lucky you, but it's still ridiculously long.

David drove me, my bike, and gear down to Houston Friday afternoon. I don't remember being nervous, which is a good thing for me. Ah, Houston traffic greeted us as we found our hotel (the hotel with the expo). We unloaded bikes and gears and found our rooms, and then wandered around the expo. We went to the St. David's room which had some food and drinks for the team members. It was all fairly boring, especially for David, and we eventually headed out for dinner. I can't remember where we ate, but it was an overpriced Mexican restaurant. I can't even remember what I ordered! See the details you get 6 weeks later?? Amazing!

I was sad for David to leave, sad to be without someone there who loved me, sad to be alone with my impending nervousness. Michelle, Lynette, and Lonnie are very nice, and all made me feel welcome and wanted. We went to our rooms to get our gear ready, and I got a bed to myself, which made sleeping a little easier. I actually slept fairly well considering my normal anxiety. 5:00am chimed, and we were up and at 'em.

We were supposed to meet the St. David's group in the parking garage at 6:15am, but it was pitch black at 6:15. I was ready, but Michelle and Lynette weren't quite done. I think we finally headed down around 6:30am. We loaded our bags into an SUV. I thought all the St. David's peeps got to put their bags in this SUV, and I wondered how 160 people's stuff was going to fit. I later learned that just those folks who donated to the Jabboury Foundation put their things there.

Me, Lonnie, Lynette & Michelle in the parking garage, ready to go:

If you want to see maps of the route as you read, click here. These include elevation maps, as well.

As soon as it was light, we headed out from the parking garage. We avoided the start at Tully stadium, but within a street or two, we had merged with those riders. I have never seen so many people on bikes in my entire life. I was nervous and gripping my handlebars so tightly. I didn't realize this until we were stopped several miles in to the ride at a stop light. I am still amazed that there weren't more bike wrecks.

I finally settled down. We didn't stop at the first break point. My gears were making lots of noise even though I had just had them checked and fixed the week before (after the Rosedale ride). We made it to the 2nd break point (BP from here on out). I took my bike to the repair section, where I was informed about my "half-gear." The mechanic clicked my gear half-way and the clanking stopped. I felt like an idiot. I had tried that, b/c I did indeed know about my "half-gear." Of course it magically stops for him. Relieved nonetheless, I thanked him and weaved through the masses to get a snack and drink.

Here's a picture of the 2nd BP, our first stop. I used a disposable camera, and this picture doesn't do the crowd any justice:

The first 40 or so miles of the ride were flat and pleasant. Honeysuckle was growing along the road (FM 529) for a good 20-30 miles, and it was sweet bliss. I let the aroma of those yellow and white flowers wrap around my like a shawl, and with each inhale I was taken back to the honeysuckle vines in our yard growing up, popping off the tiny green tip of the flower and sucking the wee drop of nectar.

The last 10 miles before our lunch stop in Belville had some hills. I think this is around the time the wind picked up. It may have been there the first 40 miles, but I don't remember it causing a problem. The hills were manageable, but I was surprised how many people were already struggling up the hills.

We rolled into lunch and found the St. David's tent, where we were treated to Jason's Deli boxed lunches (rather than the PBJ sack lunch provided for all riders). We sat in the shade, and it was actually chilly. The weather thus far had been ideal temperature-wise. Standing around was chilly, but after riding and getting warm, it was perfect. It was sunny and mild...highs in the low 70s. I was warned that the next 50 miles to La Grange were hilly...all the flat was behind us.

Small aside - we rode together in a sense. We always met back up at the BPs, but due to differences in speed and ability and how we were feeling, we always separated. Lonnie always finished first (to ride with us, he was riding much slower than his usual pace). Second was usually Lynette, with me third, and Michelle last. Michelle wasn't feeling 100% on day 1.

Lunch was over too soon, and we were headed out again. I wanted to stop at every single BP from lunch to La Grange, but my riding buddies wanted to skip some. I told them fine, but that I was stopping. The wind was brutal, and at BP 4 (approx 10 miles), all of us stopped. We lamented the head-wind that made the hills that much more challenging. All the riders felt it, and those that aren't used to hills or didn't train much, were suffering.

What I remember of those 2nd 50 miles on day 1 was lots of head-down-into-the-wind, slow riding. I just went from BP to BP. I told myself, "only X many miles to the next stop." I was texting David and Sarah at every stop to let them know of my progress. My right knee had been hurting since around lunch time or after. Even though it was windy, I still took the time to enjoy the scenery. We rode through some beautiful areas, and one town in particular touched my heart. I want to say it was Fayetteville, but my memory is poor. The entire town came out, it seemed, to cheer us on as we rode through their downtown streets. Many were yelling "Thank you for riding!" and one man was out in a wheel chair cheering and yelling "Thank you!" They had flags and banners and all-around goodwill. I was so moved that I teared up and choked back a sob. I felt that the emotion from that town would carry me through to La Grange...another 20 miles away.

The emotion did carry me, but the wind and fatigue overpowered it after a few miles. I tried to hold onto those faces cheering, I thought of David struggling through the last miles of his sub-3 marathon, I thought of Elijah's and Joshua's sweet faces chanting "Go, Mommy!", I remembered Sarah saying, "If I can do it, then you can do it," when she first talked me into riding the MS150, and I talked to God a lot. My right knee would hurt, so I'd try to use only my left leg for pedaling. I never felt like quitting. My neck and shoulders were aching beyond anything I had imagined.

We finally made it to La Grange. I was elated to see the city limit sign. I begged Lynette, Lonnie and Michelle to stop and take a picture. Lynette and Michelle weren't thrilled, but thankfully Lonnie backed my idea up as a good one. We stopped for a photo. This one is of me and Lynette with Michelle in the background.

Because we were with team St. David's, we didn't go the fair grounds. We rode ride passed them and headed to Pink's. I didn't really know what Pink's was, but I did know it was a house. A house that had food and a massage therapist. A house that I wanted to get to in a bad way. We made it there, and I finally figured out that only those who donated to Jabboury went to Pink's house. Pink is a woman who is active in the Jabboury Foundation. The suburban was only for those of us who donated and had host families. Ah...I understand now. There were team St. David's folks who did go to the fair grounds and camp or have family members drive them to a motel.

Our host, Hugh, was waiting for us (I honestly can't remember if that is his name!). We rolled in at 6pm - 2 hours later than the year before when Sarah rode with Lynette and Michelle. 2 hours later than we thought we'd arrive, and we were beat. We found out that everyone was later than years prior thanks to the wind. I heard over and over how much harder this year's ride was due to the wind. I heard folks say it was the hardest year they could remember. Yea for me, I thought sarcastically.

We ate delicious Carraba's food, and I waited a long time for my 20-minute massage. It was so worth it. My back, shoulders, and arms were stiff and sore. Our host had taken our bikes and bags to the house we were to stay at, and he was coming back for us. His daughter, Dana, was preparing a lasagna dinner for us at her house.

It turns out that our host is a very interesting man. He's a retired professor of Physics at Sam Houston (but still has an office there), he owns several houses and property in and around Winchester, where we stayed. At first, one might think he was a good ol' Texas country boy, but then he talked and told us of his jobs and Physics professorship, and we soon learned that this was not a typical good ol' boy. I wanted to ask him about String Theory, but I was too tired and shy.

Dana, his daughter, is interesting, too. She rescues animals and had about 9 dogs on her property that had been rescued. We ate dinner at her house and then headed back to the "town house" in Winchester proper to sleep. We had the house to ourselves, and I again got my own bed. We all took turns taking a shower and using the 1 bathroom before collapsing into bed. The house was literally right next to the first BP for day 2. It was also right next to a train track.

Trains rolled through and blew their horn about 4 times during the night. I was lucky and fell right back asleep after it woke me. Lynette, Lonnie and Michelle had a harder time falling asleep and staying asleep. The grandfather clock in the house also chimed and kept them awake, but I never heard the clock. I was determined to sleep until 6am, but I heard the others awake and moving around around about 5:15am. I did lay in the bed until 5:45am. It was a decent night's sleep considering.

Upcoming highlights from Day 2:

* 38 degrees and no long sleeves or pants
* insane hills in Beuscher State Park
* skipping lunch and bonking really, really hard
* Hello, Austin! You sure look good to me!

Short-n-Sweet

familyvance@gmail.com (Jessica) — Wed, 07 May 2008 03:44:00 +0000

I had a fairly lame blog typed up, but it's not worth printing. To keep it short, familyvance has been swamped with house duties as we prep to list our house this week.

I still plan to write something further about the MS150 because I do want to remember it, even if everyone else has forgotten they wanted more details.

DV and I ran The Maze on Sunday, which is a very fun trail run that we ran last year. That race is so darn fun, but I am so out of shape for running. That 10K run was the longest run I've done in weeks and weeks. Barb and Allison ran with me, and we had so much fun. Trail runs are so fun (or at least this one is fun). The next race in the series is The Loop, and last year, it was so difficult for me. I said I'd never run it again, but I'm probably running it again.

I love power washing. I could be a professional power washer, I think. And if I didn't marry a handyman, then I'm married to one now. Mmm, mmm, mmm.

Joshua loves Wilke

familyvance@gmail.com (Jessica) — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 12:39:00 +0000

Wilke wasn't so bad. Honestly, there's not a work out I can think of that is harder or more painful than a few parts of the MS150. Wilke is steep and long, but it's over in a few minutes or less. Tempo is painful and often makes me anxious, but again, it's over with rather quickly compared to 165 miles into the wind.

I only did 4 up and 2 backward b/c I'm still in recovery-mode from the MS150. I do think this week will bring back my normal workouts. Joshua, who is 6 years old I remind you, did 6 forward Wilkes yesterday. Can anyone other than Gilbert and Joshua boast of doing the same number of Wilke repeats as their age?

The Maze is this weekend. We've been so busy getting the house in order to sell that we've kind of let that race go. I'm not ready to do that, so I talked Gayatri into running it with me as a long run and not a race (as if I "race" anyway). Hopefully it will work out that we can do it because it was really a fun run last year.

More Joshie-isms:

"I'm a good forgetter, so if you want me to forget something, tell me."

Correction from the previous post: "I love sports, bugs, sleep, and Star Wars." Ah...we surely couldn't forget Joshua's love of bugs.

"Who's faster, you or Nate?" (Nate is Joshua's guitar teacher and runs in the 5k/10k class)

"Who's faster, Nate or Daddy?"

"Who's faster, Daddy or Bernard?"

The Darndest Things

familyvance@gmail.com (Jessica) — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 01:55:00 +0000

My friend, Kendra, reminded me this weekend that on my birthday I'd be twice as old as I was when I graduated high school. Thanks, Kendra! I never thought of it that way.

Yesterday, Joshua said, "I love sports, sleep, and Star Wars."

My class had Painted Lady caterpillars. They were tiny. They came in a clear, plastic jar complete with food of some sort. They ate and ate. We left one Friday with tiny caterpillars and returned Monday to these really large caterpillars. It was astounding how quickly they grew. That very day one after another formed a chrysalis. How do they do that? Spit? Molting? The children were amazed. The teachers were amazed. A little over a week later, chrysalis after chrysalis started to shake. It takes them a long time to come out. I waited and waited hoping to see one actually come out, but I never saw one emerge. I'd see a chrysalis shaking and then later there would be this quiet, lovely Painted Lady butterfly next to the empty shell. We admired our Ladies for a couple of days. I gave them watermelon over the weekend. Yesterday we released them, and I hope they have a glorious life of sucking flower nectar. What a great thing to be. Fly from flower to flower sipping nectar, helping with cross-pollination, just being all-around beautiful and graceful. People like butterflies. It would be a different story if you were say...a roach or a spider.

Elijah has this front tooth that's been sticking out like he was kicked in the face with a hoof. It's a baby tooth just dangling by a few roots. His permanent tooth is growing in behind it. I tried to pull it last night but don't have the stomach for it. David didn't even try to pull it. We are the weak-stomached parents.

Speaking of David, he won another race. Maybe one day I'll actually get to be at the finish of a race he wins. He works really hard and runs twice a day, if you were wondering how he keeps improving. While he runs, I eat. Jack Sprat could eat no fat...

A child at my preschool had lice. My head itches all the time now. Have you ever had lice? I believe a poem is in order, and it's one of my favorites, too!

"To a Louse"
by Robert Burns (modern English translation below but do try the original!)

Ha! Whare ye gaun, ye crowlin ferlie?
Your impudence protects you sairly,
I canna say but ye strut rarely
Owre gauze and lace,
Tho' faith! I fear ye dine but sparely
On sic a place.

Ye ugly, creepin, blastit wonner,
Detested, shunn'd by saunt an' sinner,
How daur ye set your fit upon her --
Sae fine a lady!
Gae somewhere else and seek your dinner
On some poor body.

Swith! in some beggar's hauffet squattle:
There you may creep, and sprawl, and spr
Wi' ither kindred, jumping cattle,
In shoals and nations;
Whare horn nor bane ne'er daur unsettle
Your thick plantations.

Now haud you there! ye're out o' sight,
Below the fatt'rils, snug an' tight;
Na, faith ye yet! ye'll no be right,
Till ye've got on it ---
The vera tapmost, tow'ring height
O' miss's bonnet.

My sooth! right bauld ye set your nose ou
As plump an' grey as onie grozet:
O for some rank, mercurial rozet,
Or fell, red smeddum,
I'd gie ye sic a hearty dose o't,
Wad dress your droddum!

I wad na been surpris'd to spy
You on an auld wife's flainen toy:
Or aiblins some bit duddie boy,
On's wyliecoat;
But Miss's fine Lunardi! fye!
How daur ye do't.

O Jenny, dinna toss your head,
An' set your beauties a' abread!
You little ken what cursed speed
The blastie's makin!
Thae winks an' finger-ends, I dread,
Are notice takin'!

O wad some Power the giftie gie us
To see oursels as ithers see us!
It wad frae monie a blunder free us,
An' foolish notion:
What airs in dress an' gait wad lea'e us,
An' ev'n devotion!

Modern Translation

Ha! Where are you going, you crawling wonder?
Your impudence protects you sorely,
I can not say but you swagger rarely
Over gauze and lace,
Though faith! I fear you dine but sparingly
On such a place

You ugly, creeping, blasted wonder,
Detested, shunned by saint and sinner,
How dare you set your foot upon her -
Such fine a lady!
Go somewhere else and seek your dinner
On some poor body

Off! in some beggar's temples squat:
There you may creep, and sprawl, and scramble,
With other kindred, jumping cattle,
In shoals and nations;
Where horn nor bone never dare unsettle
Your thick plantations

Now hold you there! you are out of sight,
Below the falderals, snug and tight;
No, faith you yet! you will not be right,
Until you have got on it ---
The very topmost, towering height
Of misses bonnet.

My sooth! right bold you set your nose out,
As plump and gray as any gooseberry:
O for some rank, mercurial resin,
Or deadly, red powder,
I would give you such a hearty dose of it,
Would dress your breech!

I would not have been surprised to spy
You on an old wife's flannel cap:
Or maybe some small ragged boy,
On his undervest;
But Miss's fine balloon bonnet! fye!
How dare you do it.

O Jenny do not toss your head,
And set your beauties all abroad!
You little know what cursed speed
The blastie's making!
Those winks and finger-ends, I dread,
Are notice taking!

O would some Power the gift to give us
To see ourselves as others see us!
It would from many a blunder free us,
And foolish notion:
What airs in dress and gait would leave us,
And even devotion!

Good Times

familyvance@gmail.com (Jessica) — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 21:32:00 +0000

After looking at my "official" MS150 photos from Brightroom, I have once again vowed to lose 10 pounds. Of course, my birthday is Monday, and I'll be stuffing down oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and lemon cake. Perhaps Tuesday I'll get right on that weight loss goal. I have told myself before to carry around a really unflattering picture of myself and look at it before I eat a cookie or whatnot.

A long time ago, in a galaxy not so far away, I was sewing a Jedi Robe. Remember that? Well, Joshua didn't forget, and he asked about it a couple of weeks ago. He asked on a Sunday late afternoon, so I sighed and decided to bite the light saber and finish that robe. I only had to sew the sleeve hems and attach the sleeves. It went rather quickly and in under an hour, the robe was done. Fortunately, my client didn't care about all the horrible sewing. He thinks his robe is the greatest thing ever.

Last Thursday, David and I celebrated our whopping 9th anniversary. I've been wanting to go to the Melting Pot for a long time, so that's what we did. Of course we loved the cheese and dessert fondue. We didn't particularly care for the entree fondue. I guess we aren't big "raw food at the table" kind of folks. We were too impatient to cook it all, and we didn't like seeing the raw meat. It was an enjoyable experience overall, and we will doubtfully go again unless it's with friends or family.

I was a neglectful spouse and forgot to get David a card. I did send him some delicious cookies from Tiff's Treats. He sent roses to my place of employment, which we all know is required when sending flowers because why else do you send them if not for others to see you receive flowers and ooh and ahhh over them and think you're such a lucky person for getting flowers and wow, he must luv you and why are you getting flowers today, blah, blah, blah.

The real treat was the card he gave me at dinner. It wasn't an anniversary card, but rather a pig card. Inside was a printed slip of paper with a picture of David Beckham on it. He got me David Beckham for our anniversary! Awesome! Actually, he got us 2 tickets to see the LA Galaxy play Dallas on May 18. Truly awesome. I get a weekend away with my Darling of Darlings, I get to watch a soccer game, and I better get to see David Beckham on the field. Let's all think positive thoughts for no injuries or shenanigans.

For those interested in the MS150...I endeavor to provide a detailed ride report this weekend. For now, you can laugh heartily at my official pictures. You can also view my pictures from the disposable camera I took on the ride.

MS150 short version (super short!)

familyvance@gmail.com (Jessica) — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 12:52:00 +0000

Thanks to everyone who thought of me this weekend and wished me well. The winds were strong and made the ride very tough for everyone, but we rode through some gorgeous views. I'll give details later. I'm a little sore (shoulders especially) and very tired thanks to two nights of little sleep. Here's a picture of me and Lynette that David snapped as we approached the finish line.

I missed my boys, but it didn't hit me how much until I saw them as I passed by them going to the finish. There were several emotional times during the ride, but nothing like when I saw I-35 (knew I was moments from my boys) and then again when I saw my boys. It's a good thing DV and the boys were far enough from the finish so that I could compose myself for the photographers. Otherwise my official finish photos would show me blubbering.

Melting Goodness

familyvance@gmail.com (Jessica) — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 17:59:00 +0000

I've been without internet access for the morning, and I was planning on whipping up a magnificent post full of interesting bits on my first group class at a gym in 15+ years (Total Body Sculpting for 1.25 hours), my 9th anniversary, final MS150 training and prep, and general fun stuff about good ol' Familyvance. However, you are stuck with these few paragraphs.

David will be driving me, my bike, and my gear to Houston in less than an hour. I'm staying at the Omni Westside (Houston) with Michelle, Lynette, and Lonnie. Team member #5, Ms. Holmes, is rooting for us from New York. Hi Sarah! Love you!

We roll out around 7am tomorrow. Lunch in Belville. Overnight in LaGrange. Sunday we do the "Challenge Route" through Bastrop State Park. Think happy thoughts of me climbing every hill on my bike - no walking! Lunch in Bastrop, and then I'm heading home to sweet Austin and my boys.

If you want to see the detailed map, click here.

See ya in 180 miles.

Coming up Roses

familyvance@gmail.com (Jessica) — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 03:05:00 +0000

Ah, I love Spring. Wildflowers are so lovely, and I wonder how many folks just zoom right on passed them without noticing?

That was hard to do on the Rosedale Ride on Saturday. The route was down a lot of county roads northeast of Austin (probably most of them in Williamson county). I saw lots of quaint farm houses (and many that are far from quaint), two beautiful churches, farmers mending fences, calves weaning to a bottle, a boy shooting his cap gun at cyclists, and two sweet-faced girls in their gravel driveway giddily waving at passing bikes.

It's easy to forget how close by farm land is to Austin. Ah, the sweet smell of manure on a cool, damp morning...

The ride was great. I never struggled. I enjoyed pretty much all 63.1 miles. I think there were two times I complained, and those were because I was hungry. Perhaps I'll give a more detailed report later, but for now I'll leave you with a picture of me and Sarah at the end of the ride.

Me:

Sarah:

When your knees rule the roost

familyvance@gmail.com (Jessica) — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 22:12:00 +0000

Monday at Gazelle class, Gilbert stretched my legs and IT bands and showed me some strengthening exercises. He says I have no quad and butt muscles, and of course, I'm "weak in the core." My left IT band hurts when running, and my right hurts when cycling. I'm wondering now if my right knee is something else. Anyway, Coach said that my right leg was "a mess."

I've taken the week off from any strenuous exercise. My leg muscles felt like I had lifted weights after Monday's stretching with Gilbert. Tuesday, Joshua's T-ball team played their 2nd game. Go Mets! Joshua's got the best slugging percentage on his team. I'm not sure I actually know what that means, but I wanted to be an obnoxious T-ball parent and toot my kid's horn. David and I are far too quiet at games. We simply stand out in the crowd of screaming parents and coaches.

Wednesday I ran an easy fartlek at class with Sarah (Allison and Barb were ahead of us about 100 meters). My knees protested pretty much right after our warm-up. I did 4 (maybe 5) sets before walking during the "easy" minute. With 1 more set to go, I had to give up on running all together. I had caught back up to Sarah, and she kindly walked back with me to Runtex (almost a mile). Ice, Compression, and Elevation at home. Rest on Thursday and today.

Tomorrow is the Rosedale Ride. Sarah thinks we'll be on our bikes for about 5.5 hours for the 63.1 miles. The weather should be pleasant, but there's a small chance of rain. I really am not interested in cycling in the rain. I am, however, excited about the ride and am looking forward to riding with Sarah since she won't be able to do the MS150 due to her sister's surgery.

I will ask Sarah to take a picture or two of me on my bike to post here. If you want to see me on my bike right this very minute, you can look at pics of me at the 2006 CapTexTri.

Want to see Sarah? Look how cute she is (she's the one with the red hair). :o)

Snippets

familyvance@gmail.com (Jessica) — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 12:41:00 +0000

"Long" run on Friday evening - 60 mins.
Left knee hurt within 15 minutes.
Unbearable.
Switched to a fartlek with 2 mins fast/1 min walking to keep my knee from hurting.
Ran hard though (had to in order for me knee not to hurt).

No cycling this weekend.
Resting my IT bands.
Exercises to strengthen muscles near IT band aren't easy.
Foam roller, aka Torture roller.

65-mile Rosedale Ride this Saturday.
Gulp.
Easy running this week, if any.
Really up to the knees.

Ice pain. Heat IT band.
Ah, that is the answer.

MS150 in less than 3 weeks. Yikes.

Spring Equinox

familyvance@gmail.com (Jessica) — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 20:15:00 +0000

To celebrate the first day of my favorite season, I'm sharing my favorite poem. Enjoy.

Spring

Nothing is so beautiful as spring—
When weeds, in wheels, shoot long and lovely and lush;
Thrush’s eggs look little low heavens, and thrush
Through the echoing timber does so rinse and wring
The ear, it strikes like lightnings to hear him sing;
The glassy peartree leaves and blooms, they brush
The descending blue; that blue is all in a rush
With richness; the racing lambs too have fair their fling.

What is all this juice and all this joy?
A strain of the earth’s sweet being in the beginning
In Eden garden.—Have, get, before it cloy,
Before it cloud, Christ, lord, and sour with sinning,
Innocent mind and Mayday in girl and boy,
Most, O maid’s child, thy choice and worthy the winning.

-Gerard Manley Hopkins
1877

Still Recovering from Spring Forward

familyvance@gmail.com (Jessica) — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 20:53:00 +0000

I jokingly "wrote" a blog in conversation with David the other day:

I ran, blah, blah, biked 30 miles, two flats, Enchanted Rock, how much crap can can one tiny house hold?

I think there might have been one or two other snippets in the original, but the concept is the same. It doesn't really matter if I write in this blog or not. It doesn't matter if I give detailed reports of my running or cycling or anything. I'd like to recap for my sake, so if I ever look back and wonder how I did with running/cycling, I'll have a record.

My IT bands have been hurting since I added in the cycling after 3M. Two Saturdays ago, I met Elizabeth, and we ran approx 7 miles on the trail. We met at 1:30pm b/c our Davids ran in the freezing morning with the Gazelles. We ran on the east side of the trail up to Longhorn Dam during a rowing competition. The trail looks so different when it's packed with people watching a rowing competition.

Two Sundays ago I did a 30-mile with Sarah and friends. I had a flat before we even started biking. At 4 miles into the ride, "Blowout!" (say it like the dad in A Christmas Story). I had no tube with me and sent the others on down Mopac (we started from my house and were doing Mopac and Veloway). DV came and rescued me, changed the flat properly, and drove me back to the Veloway so that I could find my group. I found them and enjoyed the rest of the ride. Later that day I tried to ride for another 15-30 minutes, and I could not sit on the seat. My butt was so very tender, I literally could barely sit. But I forced myself.

I've been attending Gazelle class. We did a horribly painful core workout the first Monday of spring break. I suck at plank and should probably do plank every day. Last Wednesday it was the ladder workout at the track (600m, 400m, 200m). I usually love this workout but it was hard to do this time. I know we started out too fast (geesh, will I ever learn?), but I quickly fixed that on the very first 400. My knees held up through the 3 sets.

Two weeks ago was circuit and fartek, two of my favorite workouts. Few folks love circuit, but I do. I do remember this being a crazy weather day with extremely strong winds. We all felt like we could lean into the wind on the back side of the track, and it would hold us up. Fartlek on that Wednesday was the 4-mile loop again, which we enjoy much better than running around Auditorium Shores.

I was planning to do my long run last Friday, but I changed my mind after my knees were jolted into pain at Enchanted Rock. We took the boys last Thursday, and it was a fabulous time. David and I were in pain coming back down the rock - him with his shin and me with my knees. I figured I'd hold off on a long run or possibly run a little on Saturday. Saturday came and went with no running b/c I really need to rest up for the longer bike rides. It's exhausting doing long runs, long rides, 24-7 kids, work, cleaning out our house and prepping it to sell, etc.

Sunday (just two days ago! see how fast I can recap?): 50 mile ride with Sarah, Lynette and Lonny. I was nervous and my stomach hurt. I am always like this when I'm doing something for the first time. I had never ridden the route we had planned (Old San Antonio Road - basically riding from Austin to San Marcos and back). I also had never biked more than 30 miles.

It was really a pleasant experience overall. The weather was superb and the terrain very do-able. The wind could have easily made this ride difficult, but there were only a couple times the wind blew hard enough to challenge us (er, me). We didn't take a break until the turn-around point in San Marcos. We all visited the restroom of the Sac-n-Pac and ate an energy bar. Between miles 34-40 I was really struggling. It was mostly mental though. My right knee smarted, my neck, arms, and hands hurt, and I felt like the other 3 riders were going so fast and riding with ease. I was grateful when Sarah (aka, SpeedRacer) pulled into a convenience store for a potty break at mile 40. It was just the boost I needed. I just needed off the bike for a few minutes. I stretched my arms, neck, legs, and hands. The last 10 miles were enjoyable, so I have faith that I'll get through the MS 150 knowing that I can get off my bike at the frequent stops. When we finished the ride, Lynette said, "Okay now we eat lunch and then get back on the bike for another 50 miles." She was referring to what will happen on Day 1 of the MS 150. Gulp.

I did not attend Gazelle class yesterday b/c T-ball has started up again. Joshua is a Met again, and their first game was last night. He did great. He played 3rd base the first inning and made the throw to 1st a couple of times. He had 2 RBI singles and one awesome 3 RBI triple. He got a new bat, and I think it's making a big difference.

I've just finished a good book, and I recommend it: Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen (yes I can take a break from The Complete Jane Austen, lol).

Langston Hughes

familyvance@gmail.com (Jessica) — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 14:42:00 +0000

It's been far too long since poetry graced this blog.

Three poems by Langston Hughes for your reading pleasure (it was going to be two poems, but how can one choose only two from such a well of words?).

-----------------------------------------------

"April Rain Song"

Let the rain kiss you
Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops
Let the rain sing you a lullaby
The rain makes still pools on the sidewalk
The rain makes running pools in the gutter
The rain plays a little sleep song on our roof at night
And I love the rain.

-----------------------------------

"I, Too, Sing America"

I, too, sing America.

I am the darker brother.
They send me to eat in the kitchen
When company comes,
But I laugh,
And eat well,
And grow strong.

Tomorrow,
I'll be at the table
When company comes.
Nobody'll dare
Say to me,
"Eat in the kitchen,"
Then.

Besides,
They'll see how beautiful I am
And be ashamed--

I, too, am America.

-1924
-------------------------------------------
(click to hear Langston Hughes talk about this poem and read it! Awesome!)

"The Negro Speaks of Rivers"

I've known rivers:
I've known rivers ancient as the world and older than the
flow of human blood in human rivers
My soul has grown deep like the rivers.

I bathed in the Euphrates when dawns were young
I built my hut near the Congo and it lulled me to sleep.
I looked upon the Nile and raised the pyramids above it.
I heard the singing of the Mississippi when Abe Lincoln
went down to New Orleans, and I've seen its muddy
bosom turn all golden in the sunset

I've known rivers:
Ancient, dusky rivers.

My soul has grown deep like the rivers.

-1920