We have had a lot of snow this year. And done a lot of shoveling. It has been a lot of work But it sure looks pretty!

The luge run that is our sidewalk

And me, after an early morning ski with a friend, through 10in of new snow.

each fall, starting in late August and running through October, the municipality of Anchorage Parks and Rec department, along with a dedicated group of runner volunteers, put on these trail races at various parks around the Anchorage area. There are some serious runners there, of course, but the majority of people are just out to have fun.

I had heard about the “Tuesday Night Races” the first year we were back in Alaska, but the fall of 2008 was a whirlwind of uncertainty and unpacking as we filled our little house with books and our days with Dr appointments.

The fall of 2009 came and went.

But in 2010, my dear friends Myrna and Lisa and I decided to get after it and take our kids and hit the trails, along with hundreds of other Anchorage-ites. We would run, walk, whatever, and then end up at one of our houses for dinner.

We made about 1/2 the races and had a great time.

This year, we stepped it up a bit. Committing to try to get to every race, and a potluck dinner after each one.

This year I didn’t run a single race. (not that what I normally do can be called running…)

At the beginning of the summer, a good friend got horribly sick. She ended up spending 2 months in local hospitals, and by some miracle, she is alive today. And we, her friends, are thankful.

My friend,( although I have known her just 2 years it has been long enough to know that she) is a vibrant, active woman who has never sat still very well. And the Tuesday night races were right up her alley.

So, we made it happen, her friends, her family, and her. Each Tuesday night we would meet at the race site and fight over who pushed her wheelchair.

Usually I won.

Over 8 weeks, we were never first, and we were never last, and we certainly had more fun than most. Over trails, through mud and muck, over countless tree roots and rocks we went. My friend would ride in the chair until the trail became too narrow or too bumpy, then she would grab her cane and walk a ways. Uphills were brutal, especially if the trails were slippery with mud. Downhills were just as bad, filled with visions of runaway wheelchairs.

One night we hit a rock. And stopped a bit abruptly. My friend was ok, a little shook up, and I sported a 6 inch bruise from where the handle was drilled into my thigh.

But we kept going (partly because we were in the middle a big trail system and there was no other choice, and partly because we are both rather stubborn).

At another race, a wheel fell off. I was able to catch the chair and keep my buddy from being dumped on her face. We finished the race and laugh about it still. And probably will for the rest of our lives.

At one race we nearly ran over a little kid. It was my fault. I got distracted checking out the homeless camp set up in the woods next to the trail we were on and just wasn’t watching where I was going. I am sure both that kid and his mother are suffering nightmares of what could have been.

The last race of the season was just before Halloween. It was a costume race, I dressed up as a penguin and my friend as an iceberg. Her wheelchair draped in blue and white fabric.  We got a lot of stares, a lot of laughs and again, had a lot of fun.

And after each race we would gather, sometimes up to 20 of us, at the house nearest the race site and we would share a meal together.

Sweaty, stinky, hungry, happy.

Friends.

This year, however, we decided with Kjell going to a new school, and the demands of Dave’s job, to forgo the fun.  It was a bittersweet decision.  We had so much fun with both Sina and Maggie, and we learned so much about German culture while they were with us.   But in truth, it had been really nice to have our bedroom back, as we had been sleeping in the walk in closet off the boys’ room to give the interns a place to stay in our tiny little house.

About a week before school started we got a call from Broder’s German teacher:  a group of 15 middle school students was coming in a week, to stay for 2 weeks, and they were in need of families to host.  Would we be interested?

We said yes, with the caveat that the kid would have to be willing to share a room with our boys, must like dogs, and in general be flexible and adventurous.

We were paired up with Terry.  A 7th grader from Frankfurt, who had 1 sister, 2 dogs, 1 horse, 12 doves and a cat.

Many emails were exchanged as we worked to get to know each other, and allay the fears of Terry’s mom, as sending her baby across the world was proving to be a bit stressful.

Good thing she wasn’t here for Terry’s first day.

Good thing Terry was about as go with the flow and ready to try new things as any kid has ever been.

The day started out like any other:  I yelled at my kids to get in the car, stopped by the neighbor’s house, picked up a couple more kids, and off we went.  Cruising down the road at a happy little clip.

BANG!!!!!!

something hit the back window of the minivan and it exploded.  I pulled over into the nearest parking lot, pulled the girls out of the back seat, checked for injury.  there was none.  Thank God!  But Sunny and our neighbor girl were pretty scared and a little teary.

called Dave, he brought the truck and took my injured little minivan home, where he gave it a new plastic and duct tape window.

We made it to school, kids to their classrooms just a few minutes late.

And then I lost it.  As I left the parking lot, all I could think about was what could have happened, how badly the kids could have been hurt.  I kept seeing Sunny’s sweet face as it was after the car accident she had been in at 2.5 years old.  Torn and bloody.  I made it to work, and sat sobbing, for what felt like forever, before I was able to get it together.

As the day wore on, I was less emotional, but my nerves were a bit raw, and that makes what happened next even more exciting.

I left work and made a beeline for Sunny and Broder’s school.  Terry had arrived a few hours earlier, and I was anxious to meet my German boy!

At the school, we loaded the kids into the truck, and threw Terry’s luggage in the back.  Now our truck is old, and sometimes the tailgate doesn’t quite latch.  You know where this is going, right?

We headed off down the highway, in a bit of a hurry to get to a local park, as the whole family (and our very jet lagged German boy) was slated to run a race and then have a potluck dinner with a couple of families.

At the bottom of the exit ramp, my turn was a little faster than perhaps it should have been, and I saw it happen, and I said some words that made poor sweet Terry’s eyes get really big:

His extremely expensive, brand new piece of luggage slid across the bed of the truck, hit the tailgate, (which flopped open) and sailed out onto the roadway.

Across 3 lanes of traffic it skittered.  Amazingly, the suitcase did not open.  Just came to rest in the middle of the road.

Pulling over to the side of the road, I threw the truck into park, put on the flashers, and jumped out.  In a dress and heels, as I was still dressed for work, my running gear in a bag on the seat of the truck.

Local drivers took pity and stopped, watching and laughing as I wrestled this giant silver suitcase into the back seat of the truck.

And off to the races we went.  Through woods and fields we ran, Terry leading the pack, in his designer jeans and loafers.

And off to dinner, 24 people packed into the kitchen and living room of my friend Lisa’s house.

There was a lot of laughter, a lot of food, and one very tired  German sleeping in the rocking chair.

It started with training for a 5k. I ran that last August. And thought I was going to die.

Then I set my sights on the Gold Nugget Triathlon. An huge women’s only event. And I finished. 500 yards swimming, 13 miles on the bike, finishing out with a 3.1 mile run. It was a huge stretch both physically and mentally. It was terrifying. And exhilarating. And inspiring.

Then I did a run called the Skinny Mini 6k. I finished that with a slightly faster time than I finished my initial 5 k last year. And that felt great.

A little while later (9 days) I finished the Run for Women. 5 miles and 5000+ women walking and running to raise funds and awareness for breast cancer research. It was an amazing day. Each survivor, or current cancer fighter, that I saw out there on the course inspired me to go harder.

Throughout the rest of the summer I just ran. For “fun”.

I planned to run the same race I ran last year in August.

But things change, and since I am so susceptible to peer pressure, all of a sudden I found myself a member of a marathon relay team.

Committed to a 6.9 mile run. Timed. With people watching. And a finish line.

And last Sunday, I did it. Ran 6.9 miles. My friends on the relay team are good people, and far better runners than I can ever hope to be. I was the slowest runner, with the 2nd longest leg of the race. Which pretty much guaranteed we would be at the back of the pack.

And we were. But we finished and it was great fun. And my friends were gracious. And wonderful.

And it was inspiring. There was a group of young women running the relay. No one of them over the age of 25. Each one of them running with a picture of their husband or brother or boyfriend pinned to the back of their shirt.

Each one of these men, represented by their picture, had been killed while serving in our nation’s military. And their wives, sisters, girlfriends were running to honor their memory and sacrifice.

I teared up each time one of these women passed me. I cannot fathom their pain.

So now, the summer runs are done and fall brings new activities.

In just 2 weeks the kids, Dave and I will begin to participate in Anchorage’s Tuesday night runs. These take place on trails all over anchorage, and are a lot different than the road races we have been running. We will get to dodge tree roots and keep our eyes peeled for moose. These runs are fun, slow and low pressure.

And great training for the 1/2 marathon I have committed to in mid-October.

and then the next week school got out.
The kids dyed their hair crazy colors for the last day of school and we had to live with it for the rest of the summer.

We left for our first real family vacation in YEARS just days after school ended.

Spent time with dear friends in Juneau.

Then it was back to the grind.  Work for me, work for Dave.  Summer for the kids.

Kjell spent a week in Unalakleet Alaska at the Covenant Bible camp located there.  Said it was fantastic!  The adventures this kid has astound me.  What a lucky guy.

A good friend got a bad infection and ended up in the hospital for 2 months.

Spent a lot a time at local hospitals..

We went on lots of hikes and walks.  We discovered frisbee golf.

Dave bought a REALLY nice bike.  And then it was stolen 4 days later.

We went fishing.

We went camping

We spent time at a friend’s cabin.

Seems like every single moment of the summer was busy.

The house never got clean enough.

The lawn always got too long before we would get a chance to mow.

Friends dropped by to share dinner.

Friends dropped by to share a glass of wine.

A too short visit with a dear friend.

Concerts in town square.

Farmers’ Markets.

All in all, a great summer

I finished my very first ever triathlon in 2 hours, 26 minutes and 12 seconds.

This is a horrible time.

But it is my time.

And I am proud of it.

That is my goal.

TO FINISH

For the last several months I have been preparing for May 15.

It started last summer when I began “running”.  Painful, slow, awkward running.

Then I began to swim.  Painful, slow, awkward swimming

And in February, I got a new bike, and I have been biking.  Painful, slow, awkward biking.

So, in just over 2 weeks, I will swim 500 yards, bike 13 miles  and run 5K.

Painfully, slowly, awkwardly

I will finish.

and I can hardly wait.

As a parent, it has been said that I am a bit of a disciplinarian.  (no, not by my children, of course they think I am out to make their lives miserable, but by actual responsible adults who have children that are now successful functioning adults).

The first time I heard this, I was very taken aback.  How could I, the one who lets my kids stay up too late, and rarely forces the making of their beds (because I would have to lead by example), how could I be one of  ”those” parents?

Then I stepped back and watched myself with my kids  and yep, I might be a bit free personally, but those children of mine operate within strict parameters.

I have been asked to describe my discipline philosophy, and it took me a while to come up with something I was able to articulate.

People talk about walking a line, but that is not the way it works around here.  I like to think that my kids have a big wide circle of acceptable behavior, and within that circle pretty much anything goes!

But step outside of the circle…

the rules are pretty simple:

Be kind to those around you

Work hard

Don’t be snotty to your parents

yep, that is pretty much it.  Those are the rules that form the circle.

truly, it is because I am terribly lazy and I lack the basic organizational skills that would be necessary to implement a more complex system.

So, that is my secret.

Pretty exciting, huh?

I am now 40.

My stylist (or as I like to call him, Eric the Magnificent), says I have great hair, and loads of it.

And I have been “amply endowed” for quite a while, and age has not made much of a difference.

So, I figured that MY fate would be to lose my mind.

And today, that happened.

As of 8:02 Alaska Time, I am officially registered for the Gold Nugget Triathlon.

On May 15th, I will swim, bike and run my way through a course with 1499 other women.

I have been training (loosely) for this for a few months now, but am nowhere near ready.  Good thing there are 10 weeks to race day.

My dear friends, Myrna, Lisa, and Kristine are registered too, and I am looking forward to the next couple months when we train together, and especially that moment when we all meet up at the finish line.