An Icon!

This is Joan Benoit Samulson.  The first winner of the first women's olympic marathon.  She is a  hero and a leader of all women in sports.  I had the unique intimate chance to meet, talk and explain to her what running has done for my life.  We started off with a short run at my alma mater UW-Milwaukee with an icon.  Most students walking around probably had no idea who she is and what she has done for women's sports particularly for women's running.  They probably thought it was a big group of runners.  It was amazing to run with her.  There was probably 30 of us who ran an slow 5k around the campus on a perfect fall Wisconsin evening.  Then we went in to meet her, clean up and  hear her story surrounding the documentary that she is showing tonite.
I was shocked to find out there was only a few of us in the room at the time... with an Olympian- A marathoner-an ICON! So I took the opportunity and talked with her about my journey.  What running had saved me in so many ways.  It helped me through the depths of darkness with the journey with Meghan and it still does, it helps me to prioritize what treatment and what to do next but mostly it has kept me healthy!  I have to be healthy to take care of my girls! She was quiet, humble with a passion for running.  Her story is extraordinary and the outcome even more fabulous.
As the evening progressed to seeing the documentary, listening to the comments and questions afterwards I had experienced so many emotions.  The mere fact that she has ran a sub 2:50 marathon for 5 consecutive decades is incomprehensible!
What an evening to meet Joan.  The hero, the icon, the mother, the environmentalist, the Olympian!

Running -my lifesaver!

I have been running since the 70's!  I did high school track as a freshman and ran all through high school.  I really didn't get addicted to it until about 15 years ago.  I got back into running again in college when I wanted to lose my freshman 15 but I think it may have been a bit more.  I remember going out to run one day and could hardly run 1 mile.  I was going to school in Steven point at the time and i began running at the schmelke reserve that was a 1 mile route around the lake.  I remember I couldn't run the entire mile without stopping but I soon progressed to 4-5 miles and I fell in love!  I never looked back!  I left point that second year for a different educational endeavor that took me back to milwaukee and to live on the east side.  My runs around the lake moved to the runs along the big lake, the east side, the stairs up the water tower and runs through lake park.  Those were the days you could run day or night and feel safe.  I remember running 10 or 11pm in lake park.  Unfortunately that is not true now.  I kept running along the lake, the east side and running the occasional race.  I had the fortunate experience to have one of my roommate to be a very avid runner.  We would go out and run 5,6,7,8 miles after class and at that time i could easily be running 30 miles per week.  I was in very good shape and loving it!
After I graduated from college and moved to arizona to practice as an Occupational therapist, I began to race a bit more and joined a running club.  It was great because I had a coach- I actually paid someone to endure pain on us.  I mean hill workouts-I paid for that?  I got better, faster and met new people.  I met this gal Karla, who was my partner.  Her and I were the slowest of the group but we made it every week.  We had 2 workouts a week. Our warmups was 2 miles around the Biltmore estates.  It was beautiful and I was being coached by a person that was coaching olympians.  It was pretty neat.  I then began getting into triathlons, duathlons and half marathons.  I would do a few a year!  I also did 5k's too.
Then I met my to be husband.  I was training for a marathon a the time and we actually for our first date ran a 10k together.  Weird huh?  Not your typical date.  The second part of our date was to go to the packer game in phoenix.  Coincidentally it was don makowski's game that he got hurt and brett farve's first game! Now of course we are in a new phase of the packer backers-Rogers!
In 1999 my daughter meghan had her first seizure!  It changed my life forever but what has kept me together is my running.  Its been the time that I pray, think things out for her next step, problem solve other issues and write out for iep's, articles and things that I say to my friends.  During the last 10 years I met a neighbor that worked out but until recently never knew that she hadn't run that much.  She didn't think she could ever run a half marathon but has done several together now.  The running together is powerful and i get a lot of strength for her and she does the same from me.  We count on each other.  We disclose things as we spend the time running on the bug line, in the streets.  We cry together, laugh and solve problems together but sometimes we just listen!  I have recently moved away from the subdivision that my partner lives  in so we have adjusted to meeting at a halfway point.  Its become very easy and we got it down to a system.
What running has done for me is quite a bit.  It gives me alone time for me to think.  I do that a lot.  Sometimes I forget where I am because I'm so consumed with what I'm thinking about I have lost track of where i am.  It's been a good way for me to get exercise, keep healthy and to enjoy the beautiful trails of wherever I am.  I run very often when I travel too.  It's a good way to figure out a city or see the sights.  This past summer I went to DC and got a chance to run around the national mall.  It was amazing and I got to see all the monuments and got in a 5.5 mile run.
So you see how running has been my lifesaver.  As I'm getting older I'm having more aches, and discomfort into my hip but I plan on cross training when I have to and hoping to be able to running way into my 50's.  I hope so because running gives a feeling that no other exercise does.  It is something that changes my perspective, gives me a better attitude and helps me to deal with the stress of parenting a child with chronic illness and 2 teenage girls.  I thank God for my health that I can run and continue to stay healthy to be able to run.

Basketball or Bust

Basketball season is in full swing for my 8th grader, my athlete my 13 year old.  She has been playing since about 3rd grade.  She has gone through coaches, players and different districts but she still really enjoys the game.  She is much more competitive that I was at that age and it makes me remember my high school years watching those girls play!  It was aggressive and I just wasn't that type of girl.  But more importantly I was very insecure at that age.  I look back and wonder is it any different?
I don't think so.  My daughter deals with overactive competitive girls, parents and players that are all about them.  But isn't that what life is about too.  As a fairly grown up person, I deal with those type of people all around me.  I guess I've learned how to ignore well and feel good about me.  I can't help myself when I see her play how many lessons she is learning just by getting that ball into the hoop.  And the running down and back of the court is good for her too. I've seen each year she gets closer to knowing who she is feeling more secure in herself.  She still needs that pep talk and the you can do it before her games but who doesn't like to be appreciated and encouraged!
So every monday and wednesday night in October and November our family along with her grandparents enjoys watching her play the game.  She may get a basket or get a rebound, steal a ball or all 3.  It doesn't really matter much to me.  I am just proud she is enjoying being active, learning how to work together and seeing her grow into a beautiful young woman.
It's hard raising teenagers and girls I think the self concept is much more challenging than others but I continue to encourage her to be a girl of integrity, honesty and hard worker.  If she can accomplish this in the game or in the game of life I think I have succeeded.

Wisconsin Camping in October

I think this maybe the second or third year we have camped in october, decorated our camp as a family.  Its especially fun because we do this with my parents.  They love to camp!  It's a great activity for togetherness most of the time.  We now have a popup trailer which makes it much easier to camp and on this weekend was especially nice because it was windy!!!!! I'm talking wind so strong that you had a hard time sleeping wind.  Wind that meghan described as a tsunami. In fact, we weren't sure we were going to stay. But then the sun came out and everyone was happy.  We also  had a huge fire going which always warms you up!
Friday we got up there kind of late and got things set up!  Mom had made some pulled pork so we ate that and then hung around the fire.  We all have books so we read our books and tried to sleep in all the blusteryness!  Is that a word.. I think that would be something winnie the pooh would say!
Saturday was sunny and the sun had died down a bit.  Mom, meghan and I went exploring trying to find a place that we could carve our pumpkins inside so we wouldn't freeze our finger off.  No luck.  There was a a nice structure but it was rented it out and they were gathering for a party.  So we ventured back to our campsite and decided to just do it on our table.  Dad decided to move the truck to block some of the wind which helped a lot.  So we assembled our materials, patterns, knives and of course picking out our pumpkins.  This year, I planted pumpkins in my garden and I got 5 pumpkins.  1 rotted and the other 4 were great!  So we all picked out our style of pumpkin and this above picture shows our works of art!
Sunday we got up with much less wind.  Lindsay went exploring in the rocks climbing and finding treasures while I went for a run.  It was a great path and went 4 miles.  I love fall running when the sun is out and the leaves are falling that crisp fall air is so refreshing.  Over the weekend, we saw many runners and I thought it would be great to live near a path like this.  Its like our bug line trail that is about 1mile from my house.  It's my main trail that I run on and its our typical place that kathy, my running partner and I run from each time.  No traffic, no noise just the trail, the leaves, the squirrels and us!  Its great!
After eating breakfast, we packed up and then headed to indian mound trail.  This was very interesting!  There used to be more indian mounds but they were destroyed.  It was interesting how they did it and its fascinating to think that they are still here.   Wisconsin has a lot of this kind of history and I find it very interesting when you learn about it.  We are thinking about camping over halloween weekend too.  Not sure what the weather will be like but we are considering one more camping trip before we put it all away for next year.