Chris' Birthday Weekend and etc....

Wow, I have not been good about updating this at all! Looks like I'm just going to have to give you the highlights.

Chris' parents and his sister Alicia came for a visit this past July. Chris and I did our best to impress with our mad cooking skills and showed off the tourist attractions. We even put Chris' dad to work in assisting us in building a wall in our room to bring us closer to getting our closet finished.

I'm still not doing any running other than the occasional oh-crap-I'm-running-after-the-dog-and-I-didn't-even-realize-it. My foot still feels "funny," which is the word I've found to be best able to describe the kind of sensation I'm experiencing. On the upside, I did 45 minutes on the elliptical this week and thought I might pass out. I took that as a good sign.

This past weekend, our friends David and Becka, joined us up north to celebrate Chris' birthday weekend. It makes me jealous each year that he has a fun summer birthday while I'm stuck with one two weeks after Christmas. My parents' place in Glen Arbor was rented until Saturday, but we drove to Bellaire on Friday and stayed at a B&B in town. We also went to Short's Brewery, where we ended up talking to some random patrons from Dublin, OH, Jack and Libby. What are the odds, really? They were staying at their friends' place in Bellaire but their friends bailed last minute.

Jack and Libby invited us out on their pontoon boat for the day on Saturday and we readily accepted. You can never have too many friends, I say! We had a glorious time pontooning through a chain of lakes to Torch Lake, which is absolutely gorgeous. I probably would never have gone there save for this happy meeting. We swam, some of us imbibed while some of us were still recovering from Friday night's consumption, and rediscovered our mutual love of Dorito's.

We had so much fun that we missed our dinner reservation for raclette in Traverse. We showered up at Jack and Libby's quarters, downed a margarita or two, and bid our farewell. Jack said we're welcome any time! HaHA! Starving, we stopped in Traverse anyway, missing the coveted Glen Arbor sunset! We rolled in around 9:30, relaxed a bit, and then started all over Saturday with new friends and a new pontoon boat---wait, no scratch that.

Sunday we toured a few wineries (check out Circa and Gill's the next time you're touring the Leelanau Penisula), took a lot of pictures, cooked dinner and watched the sunset. I never get sick of sitting out on the deck and watching the sun sink as I blink my eyes. It's pure heaven.

Btw, while we were out of town, Elvis started up a Facebook page. Check it out and friend him if you feel so inclined. He's a busy little puppy.

The next three fun things on our agenda are our neighbors Mark and Julie's wedding, a visit from our friends Chris and Anna-Lena over Labor Day (the lucky two who are getting married this May in Sweden!) and the DIY Fair in Ferndale, the weekend of September 19. We'll be working feverishly banging out new products for sale. Hope to see you there!

Three More Weeks

Well, I did not get the news from the doctor that I was hoping. Bring on the pity party! I now have an exciting new cast that I'll be hauling around for another three weeks. It's black. I let Chris pick the color this time! The soft tissue damage I had between my third and fourth metatarsals is on its way to healing (my third toe is no longer angled outwards) and my tibial sesamoid revealed the tinyist of cracks (was that a crack or a shadow, really?) and is still a bit tender.

I know these six weeks will seem so insignificant compared to the rest of my life, but it's still hard. I'm experiencing one of those time-standing-still phenomenons that we only wish could happen when we're having fun. Thanks everyone for your well wishes and for making me laugh. And you're right, I am getting along pretty well in this thing!

Bayshore 2009

This weekend I traveled with friends to Traverse City for the Bayshore Marathon. My training partners and I had all trained for the half, with one of us doing the marathon. Back in November, we orchestrated a brilliant plan to crash at my parents' condo in Glen Arbor, due west of Traverse. We imagined consuming gobs of food and wine while recanting great points about the race, celebrating on the deck overlooking an incredible sunset into Sleeping Bear Bay, and giggling relentlessly while clinking to a great year of running.


Fast forward to how the weekend actually went: with a headcount of eight, we lost five due to injuries. Of the five, three opted out of the trip altogether, and two earned stress fractures on opposing feet (which, as one would imagine, brought lots of jokes about being twins competing in the three legged division). This left three runners who were (mostly) injury free. One of us was beaten down by the marathon at mile 25, and two finished the half unscathed. Statistically speaking, it was not a stellar weekend for running. Foruntately we were able to drown our sorrows in platesful of pasta with homemade sauce, chicken enchiladas, and eight different kinds of cookies.

I honestly thought I would be OK going to the race. Though the weekend was about running, I focused on the trip as a weekend long experience rather than a 13.1 mile race. Running takes you to so many amazing places and sometimes, as in my case, it takes you to a place where your foot is enveloped up the knee in plaster. Even so, I was elated to be hosting my friends at a place where I grew up over swaying trees, summer tennis lessons, and chair lifts. Of all the places I've been, it's one of my favorites, and I had the chance to share it with some of my favorites.

My mirror imagine and I made inspirational signs and cheered our friends on, and hobbled from spot to spot to catch a glimpse of what we were missing. Somehow, being together in the same situation, didn't seem so bad. We had each other, our markered "quit your crying" signs and our team spirit. It didn't matter if we couldn't run. A race isn't quite as fun without the loud mouthed bystanders. Despite my positive front, I can't say I didn't get a little misty and feel that twitch of excitement (tinge of jealously?) when the runners breezed by. It all just seemed a little unfair.

Between obsessive thoughts of removing my cast at home and carefully considering my post cast getting back to running program, I am doing some hard core resting. I'm looking forward to my follow up appointment with the foot doctor on June 2. Updates to come.

Race in Franklin, June 13, 2009

It's happening! I'm directing my first 5K race! Join me for this inaugural event to raise money to complete the Kreger Farmhouse. Back in December my parents, through the Franklin Historical Society, saved and moved a 1800s house and its out buildings from being demolished. They raised enough money to move it, and now they need to raise more to pour the foundation and complete the details. The house, barn and mushroom shed will all be used as community buildings in Franklin once this project is complete. The 5K run features a scenic route through Franklin, and a cool t-shirt followed by a pancake breakfast to refuel complete with sausage, OJ and coffee. Not a runner? Walk the course or bring your dog and enter the Strut Your Mutt event. Join me in making this event a success!

Races, Places & Faces

ARGHGHGHGHGH! It has been too long! So many things have happened in the past several weeks, both good and bad. I'm looking forward to simpler times as we approach the change of seasons and the promise of warmer weather. Oh, how the sun makes me feel better.

Yesterday, was my third St. Patty's Day Race in Corktown, a neighborhood of Detroit. The first year, 2007, I ran, in 2008 Chris and I volunteered, and this year I volunteered and ran. Unsurprisingly, only a handful of people got sh*tty with me because they expected that their race numbers would be in alpha order (I've never been to a race where they were), but overall, it was a good crowd. How many short races begin at noon and serve free beer at the finish line?

Of course, many of my favorite people were there and it was a warm sunny day. Just perfect for running, parade and people watching, and tailgating. I've had more productive Sunday afternoons, but they're generally not as fun. Even Elvis had a good time!

Traverse City: Here I Come!

I just signed up for the Bayshore Half Marathon! Who's in?

Instead of stupidly squeezing in one 5K, two 10Ks, two half marathons, three marathons, and one ultra, I am limiting my racing to a few halves and some shorter distances plus maybe a marathon or ultra. We'll see on that last bit.

Turkey Trot

Despite how my year has gone with respect to running, there's one race I would never miss, and that's the Turkey Trot! This race captures all of the reasons why I run: the cameraderie, friendships, fun, city views, and of course, the costumes. Although I could have done without the guy dressed up as a turkey with a$$less chaps, Angela, Julie and I had a great time making our tutus and fluttering about the course. The only thing we forgot to bring was a wand!

Angela & Libbie Run Another Marathon and are Still Alive plus Jerry Garcia's House

Yesterday, Angela and I completed our seventh and fifth marathon, respectively, in San Francisco, the Nike Women's Marathon. As girly as the race was themed, this was no race for the faint of heart. We climbed from 0 to 300 feet over a period of two miles three times between miles six and 15, and endured a serious of slow inclines and declines throughout the second half of the course. I think the most interesting thing about this course was how difficult it was, but we powered through it anyway, admiring the gorgeous houses, Golden Gate Bridge, crashing waves and all of the pink surrounding us. I still think that running through it is the best way to see a city. We smiled at all the photographers despite feeling like total crap (Angela, aching knees, me, annoying cramps reminiscent of the St. Louis Marathon). Even so, we finished in around four and a half hours (not great, but awesome considering the circumstances), and we lived to cross the finish line and grab our Tiffany necklaces from our firemen dressed in tuxedos, and scarf down some bagels and chocolate milk.

We headed to Haight-Ashbury, where the Grateful Dead and Janis Joplin lived in the seventies, for sloppy Mexican sustenance. Always the best thing to eat after marathoning. Check out where the Dead lived!

The Naked Women's Marathon, SF Oct. 19

Said to a fellow female Downtown Runner this past Tuesday: Angela and I are running the Nike Women's Marathon Oct. 19! We're so excited!

Woman (with shocked/horrified look on her face to Chris): Is this true?

Chris: Yup, absolutely!

Woman to Chris: And you're going too to watch?

Chris: I wouldn't miss it!

Woman: So you're running the Naked Women's Marathon? A whole marathon naked with all women?

Me (confused, silent for a minute): No, I said "Nike," not "NAKED!"

Look who's actually smiling!

On August 10 Angela and I participated in the Run4 H20 5K on the Riverwalk. Some of our Downtown Runners friends, Amelia Letvin and Kathy Brennan, put on the show. These two know how to put on a race: cute tshirts, great prizes, tons of yummy post race food, coffee, and the all important keg of microbrew that tastes best when consumed at 9:30 in the morning. We were slated to be volunteers but, at the last minute, we learned that our help could be better used as participants.

Having not run a 5K since high school, I wasn't expecting much. I had it in my head just to have fun, which has been my new goal since I started running again. After seeing too many miserable pictures of myself on the course, and beating myself up unnecessarily during one of my favorite pastime, I had had enough.

Angela and I smoked our age group taking first and second with times of of 23:02 and 23:03! She and I left with bread for a year from Panera and a Bagger Dave's gift certificate, respectively, plus bagsful of leftover race food. I think I'm beginning to like these shorter races.

Day 12

I'm on day 12 of not running and I have to say, it's not going very well. I've laced up not once, but twice, for a total of nine miles in the past two weeks. :( It's a far cry from the 50 mile+ weeks I'm used to logging, and to be honest, doesn't feel much like running at all. You could say that I am actually giving myself a rest (albeit an active one), as I've also been swimming, which I love!

I've concluded that I'm not going to make it a whole month. With two new pairs of running shoes staring me in the face, dancing in my head, and my peer pressure-ish friends hinting (read: pressuring!) me to come out and run, I know I'm going to cave. It's more than just the training, the miles, the log books, my speed. I miss my friends, our conversations, how silly/crazy I feel after a long run, and watching my friends stuff their faces with whatever experiment I've decided to bake to eat after our runs.

It's just that my hip hurts, my shoulder hurts, my head hurts and I generally, genuinely, need a break. A real break.

Look who got third in her age group anyway!!

Marathon Women 30-34
Total Overall Overall State/
Place Name Bib Lap 1 Lap 2 Run Time Pace Place by Sex City Country
1 Edmondson,Kelly 401 3:29:05.7 7:59 26 4 Cincinnati OH
2 Alzaga,Lucia 303 3:50:45.7 8:48 62 20 Urbana IL
3 Rutherford,Elizabeth 619 4:16:23.1 9:47 88 30 Ferndale MI
4 Rosso,Erin 612 4:17:15.3 9:49 90 31 Stanwood MI
5 Adams,Jill 300 4:17:23.0 9:49 91 32 Pinckney MI
6 Weghorst,Rebecca 700 4:18:11.7 9:51 92 33 Waterville OH
7 Plumstead,Cile 595 4:30:41.1 10:20 112 39 Empire MI
8 Johnson,Amy 481 4:34:54.5 10:30 118 41 Webberville MI
9 Mlotha,Brenda 557 4:39:43.8 10:41 122 44 Ann Arbor MH
10 Deschoff,Jennifer 388 4:43:45.6 10:50 127 46 Grand Rapids MI

What Paula Radcliffe and I have in common

Dear Running Friends,

I'm officially making like Paula Radcliffe and taking the month of July off from running. Paula doesn't exactly take July off each year, but she does take a month off to recover from a marathon. No running, not one step for 30 days. Oh, and I'm taking June 29 and 30th off too.

I ran the Charlevoix Marathon today. Before I stood at the starting line, I thought of three goals for the race:

1) Just finish and have fun with it
2) Beat my PR of 3:54
3) Qualify for Boston (requiring a 3:40)

To my chagrin, I wasn't able to achieve any of these, at least not completely. Even though I did finish the race, I was not able to have fun despite trying to keep a positive attitude. Chris commented that he could tell I was "trying" each time he saw me. Every time I started to get going on pace my body refused. It even refused to run at some points. I had plenty of time to do some thinking throughout the race (it took me 4:16), and I came up with the idea that I might just be completely exhausted. The St. Louis Marathon, Race Under the Sun 10K, Dances with Dirt 50K Ultramarathon, the Dexter-Ann Arbor Half Marathon and the Charlevoix Marathon all occurred in a three month period (of couse, I chose to run all them hard).

Here are the highlights and lowlights of the Charlevoix Marathon:

Highlights:

1) Organized and easy-to-find packet pick up
2) A+ volunteers
3) No rain (it was pouring cats and dogs until 6:30 AM -the race began at 7AM)
4) Cool race long sleeved t-shirt
5) Enthusiastic fans (especially the little girl w/her kazoo)
6) Seeing Chris and Elvis several times because they drove around to see me
7) Red licorice and pretzels on the course, pizza at the finish line
8) Ambulance in plain view that, thankfully, no one had to use
9) Awesome view of the beach that I got to see four times (see below to find out why)
10) Being able to take my ice bath in Lake Charlevoix while giving Elvis swimming lessons

Lowlights:

1) Humid, humid, humid
2) Two out and back "loops" that I thought would be OK, but gave me the worst case of deja vu
3) Sparse water stops (I recommend either carrying your own if you do this race or bringing along your cute water boy/boyfriend/husband, whatever you get your hands on to follow you around the course)
4) No timing mats on the course (not even a starting mat or one at the turn - hmm...did I do one loop or two?)
5) No "hills" per se, as the race director assured me before I signed up, but several mile long or more "inclines" that were worse than the Ambassador Bridge
6) No mile markers or time clocks on the course
7) Course marked by a few cones and running, unmanned (unwomaned?) cop cars - at some points it was unclear about where to go. If I hadn't seen it three times previously I surely wouldn't gotten lost.
8) Dixie cups of water at the finish (I hate this. I've just run a marathon. Do you think I can have more water than I can gargle with?)
9) 20MPH winds on the return portion of the "loop"
10) Having to hobble nearly a quarter of a mile up a hill to return my chip and pick up my medal after I crossed the finish line

During my break, I'm planning to concentrate on other extreme sports like yoga, hanging out with friends, and cheesecake baking. I'm looking forward to seeing what my feet look like without calluses and purple toenails. It also will feel great to sleep in on Saturday and drink my coffee in my pajamas rather than in my car on the way out to Stony Creek. I'll even be able to take a real vacation without trying to figure out when to squeeze my long runs in! This could really last!

How I became an ultramarathoner

It took five energy gels, one chindigger with a small knee abraison, thirty-five miles, two pairs of shoes and socks, four pretzel rods, two saltines, five red jolly ranchers, one piece of 60% cacao dark chocolate, three cups of Gatorade (blue), eight electrolyte tablets, two Advil, 7:57:51, one detour, four extra miles, half a PB&J, one Larabar, body glide, one hydration belt with lots of bottle refills, and three pringles for me to become an ultramarathoner!

The Rutherfords' International PBR

Today Chris ran his first race, a 5K in Windsor called Run Under the Sun. Boy was it ever, though it really should have been called Run Back and Forth Several Times Under the Sun and in and out of the Wind Along the Noisy Highway. The 5K runners did two "loops" consisting of running out three-quarters of a mile and "looping" around a cone guarded by a man and a motorcycle while the 10K runners had four "loops." I ran the 10K and as far as I know, I counted my "loops" correctly.



The proceeds from the race went to support organ donor awareness in Canada. Our awesome friend Karen, who loves all things cool (like running, travel, wine and charitable events) also ran. Her father was the recipient of a heart some twenty years ago and is still doing great! Though I didn't meet him, it was an honor to meet others who were either organ recipients or families who had donated their loved ones' organs.


Chris ran an impressive 28:32. He's been hitting the triathlon training pretty hard, but has only been out running a half a dozen times. He has perfect running form too, which, of course, I've been working on for the majority of my life and it still causes me angst. I assume that this is probably because he does what feels good rather than scouring decades of running magazines debating the elements of proper running form.


I ran a PR (personal record) of 48:52 (formally 51:40) and even placed third in my age group. Today I decided that my name spoken over the loud speaker has quite a nice ring to it. I received one of those white ribbons you get on Field Day in elementary school. Finally I got my white ribbon! I remember being annoyed in Kindergarten when I earned a blue ribbon but thought the white one was prettier.

Karen congratulated us both on our PBs (personal bests, as Canadians like to say) but we insisted that we both had run a PR. We decided to split the difference and call it a PBR, but since by ribbon was white, it didn't seem quite right to crack open a can of Pabst Blue Ribbon to celebrate...so we didn't.

Things I Always do Before a Race/Training Run That I Didn't Do Before the St. Louis Marathon

Now that I'm two days removed from the St. Louis Marathon, I've had some time to think about what exactly went wrong. I decided to make a list of the things I always do before a long training run or race and realized that I had done none of these things before the St. Louis Marathon! Things that I just thought I did because that's just what I do, unbeknownst to me, was really helping my performance:

1. Eat pizza, usually Italian sausage, feta and spinach (lots of sodium and potassium here, stuff that runners need)

2. Have a cup of coffee in the morning (I'm not completely clear on how this helps me, but I do know that it wakes me up, is part of my morning routine anyway, and since caffeine is a diuretic, it takes water out of my system that, now, I know I drink in excess.)

3. Have an electrolyte drink in the morning (more sodium, potassium, other vitamins)

4. Arrive early for my run/race (The race started at seven, for reasons out of my control, I arrived at 6:30.)

5. Start out conservatively (When I realized that our pacer was running sub-eight minute miles instead of the 8:24 I needed, I should have dropped back.)

6. Bring back my pace if I can't relax (see above)

7. Refrain from taking ibuprofen in the morning (I later read that taking ibuprofen before running can impair a runner's ability to conserve salt)

8. Bring a salty snack (Angela and I are always noshing on pretzels, almonds, and salt & pepper peanuts from Trader Joe's.)

Now that I am enlightened, I need to plan my next race!

The Easiest Marathon I've Ever Run

The St. Louis Marathon was today, the day I've been waiting for. It's was beautiful out. A welcomed sixty-five degrees was quite a change from the zero to twenty degree weather Angela (my fearless training partner) and I had been training in. It was clear, bright and sunny!

We decided to run with the 3:40 pace group, to make it easy on ourselves. We had put in our miles, done the work and were more than ready to go. I gotten the best night's sleep I'd ever had before a race, hydrated the entire day prior, eaten healthy foods and stayed off my feet. Everything was perfect...until we realized that the pacer was one minute ahead of pace at mile two.

I regret not pulling back a bit, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I think I ended up running my fasted 10K actually (sub 50 minutes)! Good for a 10K race, not so much for a marathon.

By the seven mile mark I was nauseous. Really nauseous. Nauseous enough to jump off the course and alarm the spectators. Even so, I decided to press on. I was thirsty as hell, yet I noticed my fingers swelling, and not just a little bit. I ate some of my Shot Bloks and drank some Gatorade, hoping to up my sodium levels. I was already having flashbacks from Chicago. Swollen fingers, stomach cramps, the whole bit. UGH. Not again!! I said a little prayer that at least Angela was on her way to a Boston Qualifying time, knowing that I wasn't.

I saw Chris at mile nine, told him to meet me at the half way point, and downed more Shot Bloks. I was pissed. I have gotten up before six each Saturday since January to run 14-22 miles out at Stony Creek, a 45 minute drive from my house, and even more in the snow. I had turned down Friday night plans to go to bed early in preparation. I had wasted my Saturday afternoons napping so that I could at least enjoy the Sunday of my weekend. I'd done tempos runs, speed work, cross training, yoga, weights and now I was about to drop out of a race because of swollen fingers and stomach cramps?!

Yup. That's what happened. I don't know if it was the heat, the ibuprofen I'd taken in the morning, too much water and not enough salt, the ridiculous hills or a combination of all of that, but I couldn't run any more. Every time I got into my groove, I swore I would puke. The thought of coughing up Shot Bloks and GU was all too much. And, I'd completely lost my focus.

I hung out with Chris and our friend Brian, who came to both cheer me on and help Chris drink his famous bloody marys. I changed out of my shirt, shorts and shoes, ate something and walked over to mile 21 to wait for Angela. Chris asked me if I secretly hoped that Angela dropped out too. I was appalled. She worked so hard too, and I honestly hoped that she was having a great race. The events that followed couldn't have worked out more perfectly.

Two of my friends, Kristina and Laura, from my college days, came down to cheer me on. I had seen Kristina briefly the day before, but I'd missed Laura. It was fun to be able to catch up with them for a bit on the course, something I wouldn't have been able to do otherwise. I miss my friends tremendously, and I only get to see them a few times a year, if that. We all waited. The 3:40 pacer went by with three people (there were 20+ when we started). The 3:45 pacer blew by with no runners. The 3:50 pace team passed us. We were worried. Then we saw Angela. All five of use were screaming her name to cheer her on. She stared blankly ahead, not acknowledging us at all. Finally, after about 3o seconds of yelling and screaming at her, she snapped out of her spell and stopped.

She asked me to run the last five with her. I didn't hesitate. In fact, I was thrilled to be invited and glad for the opportunity to support my friend, even though my race was over. Chris and Brian were my pit stop team, helping me out of my post race shoes and back into my running shoes, pinning my number back on my shirt and sending me on my way. I was feeling a lot better by then, and filled the next 5.2 miles with mindless chatter and anything encouraging I could think to say to pass the time. It's amazing how the miles blow by when you're feeling good, something I didn't get to experience at the beginning of the race.

We finished together in 3:59:54. The announcer blasted my name over the loud speaker. Ha. This is the easiest marathon I'd ever run, I thought. With seventeen miles and an hour break, I still broke four hours. Angela told me I'd better get a medal anyway. We got our medals, our snacks, our beer and sat on the lawn to stretch and talk about what a crap race this was.

Even though this wasn't a great run for me, it ended up being a great day in other ways. I am thankful that I have an awesome husband to comes to all my races, cheers me on and shares in my triumphs and disappointments. I am lucky to have such amazing friends who support me, in person and from afar, even when what I do doesn't quite work out the way I want it to. I was happy to learn (albeit the hard way) more about what it is to be a marathoner, what I need to do differently and how I can grow from this experience. I also learned that helping Angela cross the finish line was just as good (if not better) than getting there myself.

St. Louis

I'm just getting back from spending a week in St. Louis! I took care of my SIL, Alicia, while my ILs were on vacation, worked a lot (I'm teaching nine classes!), caught up with a few friends and did some running. Even though I lived there for five years while I was in college, I don't remember this city being that hilly. I think I was doing more partying, um, studying than running during that time period, but seriously---it was frightening and ridiculous.

Monday I made it a whole 2.88 miles before I felt like I was going to pass out. One long hill after another through my ILs neighborhood in Chesterfield left my heart throbbing, and not in a good way. I can run 22 miles at Stony Creek but I can't run a little over two in the suburbs. Already my week is not going well.

Tuesday I was smart and used the treadmill for my speed work mile repeats. Wednesday I did my 2.88 route twice, in the dark, managing to trip and fall, flat on my face, only once during my first loop. I think that's pretty good considering I was sans headlamp, the streets were poorly lit, there was ice and snow everywhere and I'm blessed with a complete lack of grace in general.

My intuition prompted me to take a good, long look at the St. Louis Marathon course elevation (pictured above). Who was I kidding?! I didn't even bother to drive the course, especially after my friend Leah emailed me to tell me that she ran the last 18 miles of the course over the weekend. Her email read, "..all I have to say is Hilly, Hilly, Hilly!!" I know how bad it's going to be. Look at that hill at mile 25! When I spoke with Leah on the phone about it, she used expletives while describing it. Whoever designed this course has quite a sense of humor. With so few surprises left in life, I thought I'd just wait and see for myself on April 6.

Thursday I did an 8.5 mile tempo run through Kirkwood (my old neighborhood!) It was fun to see how much it has changed and to rediscover the sharp elevation changes the city has to offer. I have five weeks 'til the big day and two 'til my taper. Ready or not....

Headlamps Aren't Just for Spelunking Anymore!

One Christmas Chris received a headlamp as a gift from his brother, Mark. Mark was so excited to give Chris the gift as he found his own headlamp to be invaluable. Although we believed him, we couldn't possibly think of one way we'd use it. This was four Christmases ago, and boy was he right! So far, we've used this headlamp for anything from home improvement projects to locating a missing cat under a piece of furniture. We've used it for hiking, painting, during power outages and most recently (as in, last night) running in the dark through crunchy snow in subfreezing temperature through a snowstorm. I've had my fair share of near misses running through the streets of Ferndale, but last night I couldn't be missed! I glowed like a shining star. My third eye lead the way through the hurdles of my neighborhood with boundless energy. Did people think I was crazy? Probably. Am I? Probably. I didn't care as I was so happy to been able to get my run in while avoiding being flattened like a pancake by some oblivious driver on a cellphone. Thanks for keeping me safe, Mark!