Colorado: Farmers Market and Walkabout - July 29-30

Fridays are Farmers Market days in Dillon. I love to go to farmers markets and couldn't pass up the chance to visit the one here in Dillon. I didn't think to take any pictures, though. I bought our vegetables for the week and a few other goodies. The Dillon Farmers Market has lots of arts and craft vendors, as well as food tents. Sawyer bought Matt a surprise for his man cave. Lidia and I bought wrap around skirts from Li'l Skirts. They are so cute and versatile. Later, we went back for lunch. There was a wild game tent where Cliff and I had antelope and elk brats. Delish! And then there was a wild, fresh salmon tent where Sawyer and Lidia had salmon tacos. Whitney came in Friday night for a weekend visit and to ride bikes with her daddy.

Saturday, while Cliff and Whitney were riding bikes 19 miles around the lake, Lidia, Sawyer and I went on a walkabout. We walked around the bend of the lake and back to the condo....refilled our water bottles and left for the playground. L&S have been very active while here, riding bikes, hiking, swimming at the Silverthorne Recreation Center's indoor pool, etc. So, by the time we got to the playground, they were tired and only played just a few minutes. We walked to the water's edge, so they could throw rocks. Sawyer was crashing fast, so we wrapped up our walkabout and headed back to meet Cliff and Whitney and go for lunch. After lunch, Cliff took L&S swimming at the Rec. Lidia is a natural swimmer. She swims freestyle and her strokes are so smooth. After swimming 12 laps in the pool, today, she is making goals for herself to swim more and more laps. I wonder how many she will be swimming by the time she has to go back home.

Total miles walked: 2.53 miles   Total time: 55 minutes

Lidia's total laps: 12

This Eagle statue is on the bike path, just around the bend of the lake.

It was about a mile's walk from the condo.

Sawyer and me.

Lidia and me.

Lidia

Sawyer

L&S more or less just hung out at the park instead of playing.

They were tired.

Looking for the perfect rock to throw into the lake.

Sawyer started crashing, so he pulled out a snack from his backpack.

And, while they threw rocks and ate beef jerky, I took in the gorgeous views.

 Lake Dillon

 More to come,

Laurie

Bones

I was looking through my photos for a good one for a public service announcement....

I thought this one might do. HaHa!!

 ~~~~~~

In 2013, my doctor wanted to do a baseline bone density scan.

Ugh! Yes, I'm of age.

When the results came back, she said that I had some thinning....not Osteoporosis, but just a little thinning. Yet, she wanted to start me on Fosamax. She wrote out the prescription and I took it to the pharmacy to be filled. I had already done some research on the drug, so I knew what the side effects were. The more I thought about it, the more I felt like this was not what I should do. The side effect that worried me the most was the chance of a femur fracture. So, I called the pharmacy and cancelled the prescription.

One year passed and it was time for my next doctor's appt. She asked how I was doing on the Fosamax and I sheepishly told her that I had not been taking it...that the side effects worried me. I was afraid that she would be a little angry, but she wasn't. She said that if the side effect was a worry for me, then let's take a different approach. She sent me to an endocrinologist to check Vitamin D levels and anything else he felt necessary to get answers.

The endocrinologist talked to me about the different medicines he prescribes for Osteoporosis and how each worked. I told him I was against taking medication and asked if there wasn't something else I could do. He was willing to help me and I was thankful for that. He wanted to get a blood test to see where my Vitamin D level was and we would go from there. So, I had blood drawn and sure enough, I was extremely low in Vitamin D. He gave me a prescription for a mega-dose of the vitamin. After I had finished the prescribed amount, he retested and I was in the normal range. I was supposed to take over the counter Vitamin D and he would recheck in three months. I tried my best to remember to take the vitamin, but I would forget to take it, all the time. Never the less, three months passed and I had to retest. And, once again I was very low. So he repeated the mega-dose. At the end of that prescribed dose, I retested and I was again back in the normal range. So he urged me to try to remember to take an over the counter Vitamin D. I had already told him that I had began eating vegetarian and I was exercising a lot. He told me to add weights and he would give me one year to try this and then we would retest.

June of this year was the one year mark. I went back to my endocrinologist for a re-check. He made mention something about my tan. I told him that I got it from my bike training and when I told him how I was training, he was very impressed. He said, "I wouldn't doubt that your bones have improved, if you're exercising that much." I sure was glad to hear that and I was very hopeful that it was true. So, he ordered another blood test and another bone density scan. The blood test came back and I was in the low end of the normal range, but in the normal range none-the-less. I had been trying really hard to remember to take my vitamins this year. I wasn't perfect, but better than before. Then I had the bone density scan done and got the results back last week. His note on the bottom of the results.....'Spine and hip/femur scans shows improvement! Good!'

YAY!

I was ecstatic! I knew in my heart that I could improve my health with diet and exercise and I had just proved it. So, I will continue to take Vitamin D and Calcium and I will continue to eat healthy and to exercise. I can only get better. I am really passionate about finding the root of problems, not just treating symptoms. I hope my little success story inspires someone out there to take their health in their hands and be proactive about their diet and exercise.

YOU CAN DO IT!

Laurie

P.S. If you would like to read a post I wrote on the subject, click here. 

Thought I Lost The Desire

I just don't know how to tell y'all this......

Lately, my running desire has suffered and I thought it was gone. After I started training for my upcoming bike tour, I just didn't feel like I had the time to do both, ride and run. But a couple of weeks ago, I sat down with my planner and started planning what would be next, after the bike tour. And I decided that I may as well run another half-marathon. I wanted to get back into running on a regular basis. So, I penciled in the date of the next race and some semblance of a training schedule. I knew training for a half would get me back in running shape and maybe rekindle my love of running. So, last week I ran 3 miles. I didn't have any aha moments that made me think......this feels so good, I miss running so much and I can't wait to start back. It was just....ho hum.

This morning was another scheduled run.  Since I've been racking up the miles on the bike, I have tired legs. I was thinking, yesterday, about this scheduled run. My plan was to run 3 miles and then finish up with an hour-long bike ride. And then.....I had the thought that if I wake up tomorrow and am just too tired to run, then I'm okay with that. I've ridden a lot of miles this week. I can always start training for the half, when I get back from the bike tour. I didn't feel pressured and that was freeing.

So, bright and early this morning, like before 6 a.m., I got up and knew that I didn't have to run today, if I didn't want to. I sipped my coffee and began wondering what it feels like outside. So, I stepped onto the porch and it actually felt nice. There was a breeze blowing and the temps were in the 70's.  I had a short window of opportunity to run before the heat and humidity made me a sweaty mess. Right then and there, I got excited about how it feels to run in cooler, breezier weather and literally just about tripped myself up getting back inside to put my running clothes on. I couldn't believe how much I wanted to get out there and run.

I ran 3 miles and part of that was by the ocean.

Y'ALL! Are you ready for this? It's big! I mean, really big! I think I have my running desire back. And I am sooo happy about that! So, once my bike tour is done, I will be hitting the pavement to train for half-marathon #5......because I want to.

Oh wait, in case you were wondering.....I didn't ride the bike after my run today. I did yoga, instead.

Hoop to the Holler,

Laurie

BFF 10K - Year Two

The BFF 10K finish line at Barefoot Landing and Resort

Howdy people. We had a great weekend full of exercise here in SC.  Saturday was the second year that I ran the BFF Pink Ribbon 10K. The purpose of the race was to create awareness and raise funds for breast cancer research and treatment. It was so awesome because we had ladies there who have survived breast cancer and then those that were honoring loved ones who had lost their battle with this awful disease. Just like last year, I ran this to celebrate my cousin, Terri (Sista Sista), who is a longstanding breast cancer survivor.

BFF 10K Finisher Medal

Me, Christie and our friend, Wendi

The race began in N. Myrtle Beach near Barefoot Landing and wound it's way through a lovely subdivision behind the resort. My friend Christie and I ran together this year. She told me that she had been sick all week so she might have to walk some and talk very little. I considered myself forewarned. I tend to talk.....a lot. She then told me that she could do a lot of listening, though. HaHa! She's so sweet that way!

It was a beautiful day for a race. The sun was shining. It was a little cool, but by the time we lined up to start, I had to peel off my jacket. And then......we were off. First order of running.....conquer a bridge! What? I don't remember the bridge being that steep last year. But looking back, I did refer to it as Mt. Kilimanjaro. Good thing it wasn't too long and good thing it was near the beginning of the race. Now, by this time the crowd was starting to thin out. Christie and I began plotting our "who are we going to pass" strategy. So, up ahead we saw this lady that I passed last year at around mile 5. I was jubilant back then about passing her.....seeing that she has to be at least six and half feet tall with legs as long as I am tall. 

(You can read about that race here. And yes, if you must know, I did wear the same running outfit as last year. So what?)

Anyway, we honed in on "tall lady"....our first victim. And guess what? It was a surprise attack. We overtook her in mere minutes and she didn't even see us coming.  

HeHe. I really am a good sport...really. Just ask Cliff. Although, cordial and kind to my fellow opponents, he'll tell you how I used to pout for days after losing a tennis match.  

The first 2 miles were tough. It seemed to take both of us that long to get our legs loosened up. Finally, getting totally warmed up and settling in for the next few miles, we started the hunt for our second victim. Miles 3 to 5 were okay. And then, around mile 5, it was clear. I set our goal to pass the lady who had been hovering near us practically the whole race. We would take her out. She was just ahead at this point and I told Christie that she was "the one". Christie was having some concerns and I reassured her that once we passed her we didn't have to stay passed. HaHa!  We both used that energy, I think, to accomplish our goal. Not only did we pass her, but we stayed out in front. Score!

As we came closer to the finish line, I told Christie that I like to sprint to the finish. By this time my legs were itching to kick into sprint mode. With her blessing, of course, I took off. Rounding the corner to the finish line, there is a slight downhill section. I looked down at my Garmin at that point and I was running an 8:53 pace. Felt like I was flying. Well, don't get all excited. That is certainly not my usual pace. You know I'm slow. I wanted to keep that pace soooo bad though, but as soon as I got to the end of the hill, it felt like I had just launched a parachute out the back. None-the-less, I crossed with a smile on my face, feeling sure I had beat last year's time. And I did, by one minute. Christie was not far behind. We had a great time and for sure, it was a great cause.

BFF 10K Finisher

Goals for this race:

Pass at least one person - check

Don't finish last - check

Beat last year's time - check

In Retrospect:

I felt like my workouts at the gym were successful. I felt stronger and faster. And even though the stupid Nerves showed up that morning, I felt more confident. I feel excited about future races. I began running with the goals of losing weight and getting healthy in mind. It certainly has been a learning experience. The right combination of nutrition and exercise is a juggling act, to say the least. I am constantly learning. It's a lifestyle change....and it doesn't happen overnight. Slow and steady is the name of the game.

Laurie

Overview: Month of July 2013

July has been a crazy month. Started out really wet, finally turned pretty hot and humid and now it can't decide if it's going to let the sun shine or not. But hey, I'm not complaining. It could be a lot worse. Could have done without the humidity. But, so it goes in the south.

Just a little of this and a little of that:

Not much going on other than lot's of exercise (stats below). My half-marathon training is underway and it's going well. My pace has picked up, finally. It's almost back to what it was before I got injured last December.

Sawyer is so funny. I just can't keep up with all of his ism's. His latest, however, had me hooting and hollering. He declares that when you mix a policeman with a cowboy......you get a sheriff. HaHa!

Mama was invited out to lunch with my brother, for his birthday. They went down to Shem Creek in Mt. Pleasant. She declares that she saw two things she had never seen before. One - Dolphins jumping up out of the water. And two - Girls standing up on a surfboard, paddling.

HaHa! I'm quite sure she saw paddle boarders. But how awesome is it that at the age of 72 you can still see things you've never seen before?

You may not know this, but I also write a family newsletter. And this month, we had a "What is your favorite summer smell" spot. I got lots of different answers...from flowers, the smell of bacon and onions cooking to pluff mud of all things. But for me and my girls, as I said in the newsletter, the apple does't fall far from the apple tree. Our favorite smell was Coppertone Suntan Lotion. And I also like the smell of Dial soap...the gold one. It reminds me of my friend's, Robert and Shea's, clawfoot bathtub in the second floor bathroom of their beach house. They use Dial soap, too.

I've been busy canning tomatoes this week.

I put up 19 jars..........

.....and made a pint and a half of blueberry jam.

I think I'll make some more. I have many a blueberry left.

Exercise:

If you remember, I started experimenting with running and then riding the bike directly afterwards in July. Well, I've had to cut back on that. My half-marathon training program has begun and running and biking in the same day is a bit much. However, I do ride the bike on one of my weekday runs....just for a shorter distance, though. And then again on Sundays after the half training session, I also ride a shorter distance. Now, I use biking as cross training...that allows me a couple of long rides during the week. I know, it's confusing. But in case you were wondering, the stats below may help to clarify.....

July 2013:

Ran:                51.88 miles
Best Pace:       11:37 avg./5.16 mph avg.
Longest run:     4 miles
Bike:               163.26 miles
Best mph:        11:20 mph avg.
Longest ride:    20.69 miles
Races:             No races, this month. Hallelujah!

So, what has your month been like? Are you exercising yet? And, what pray tell is your favorite summer smell?

Til later,

Laurie

The Right Place at the Right Time

Brookgreen Gardens' Flora

Two weeks from tomorrow, I am running a 5K in Brookgreen Gardens and I can't wait. The folks there do a spectacular job in the gardens. It is sure to be the prettiest 5K I've ever done.

Not much happening on the home front this week. I've been exercising like crazy, went catfishing with Cliff and saved a toddler's life today and his mama doesn't even know it. Well, maybe she does now. I hope her friend reamed her out about it. I should have. Talk about being in the right place at the right time! Tell you the whole story in a sec.

********************

Exercise:

Next Sunday, Cliff and I are running this 10K on Caper's Island. It's a barrier island near Charleston and we have to take a ferry to get there. We'll run through the bone yard. That's what the stretch of downed trees is called. Doesn't that sound like fun? Yeah, I thought so too. But get this, I ran 2 miles on the beach this week to train for it and y'all, it is harder than I thought. I'm convinced that running 2 miles on the beach is the equivalent of running 4 miles on pavement. I may be in trouble. For real!

The week in review:

Sunday - Ran 7 miles (was planning on half of that being run on the beach, but the tide was way too high)

Monday - Much needed rest and recovery day

Tuesday - Biked 5.05 miles

Wednesday - Ran 2 miles on the beach (OMG!) and ran 2 more on the road...total 4 miles

Thursday - Biked 15 miles (can we say 'sore sit bones')

Friday - Ran 3.05 miles, hydrated and then biked 11.88 miles (this was a 2-hour exercise day, in case you were wondering)

Saturday - Rest day (because I have another long run planned for Mother's Day)

Fishing:

I nearly forgot.....I went fishing with Cliff. I don't do this often, like almost never. I find it extremely boring. However, he's been wanting me to go, so I caved. We put the boat in the river and rode down to a favorite little riverside restaurant for dinner. We couldn't start fishing until sunset. I don't know what you call it, but it's the kind of fishing where you tie strings on a branch hanging over the water with a hook and bait.  It might be called putting out trot lines.?.?. Ever heard of that? Cliff uses strings that glow in the dark when a light hits it. He uses his flashlight to locate them after dark. So here we go, slowly working our way down a creek off the main river, tying the strings onto branches. It was a lovely night. We saw osprey in their nests and a couple of hawks flying by. After dark, you could see the stars so clearly. They were absolutely gorgeous. This may be Cliff's idea of a romantic evening. Ha! It was, kind of. But then I remembered.....I was missing American Idol! Lawd, I nearly panicked. I let out a squeal and he thought something had me. It's a good thing I had my iPhone with me. I remembered that I could watch TV on it and heck; I even had ear phones in my bag so Cliff didn't have to listen. He's just not crazy about American Idol. And for that reason, I think he has a screw loose. Anyway, watching American Idol on my iPhone worked perfectly. I didn't have to miss a thing...not Idol and certainly not my romantic night catfishing with Cliff.

The Toddler:

I took Lidia and Sawyer to the indoor pool today. They are pretty good swimmers for their age and I don't have to constantly watch them. I am able to read a book, while still being vigilant, too. But, I would never leave them alone or even leave their care up to a life guard. I sit right beside the pool in the area where they are playing.  I noticed the life guard had stepped out of the building and thought that odd because there were children in the pool. I'm sure the kid's parents were there as well, but still...no life guard is not a good thing. All I can say is thank the Lord I was there. A family arrived with several small children and the two smallest ones came in and proceeded to walk down the steps into the pool. I saw a woman come in and then turn around and walk back out again. Apparently, she was rinsing her feet off and I guess she thought they would be okay for the few seconds it took to do this. Then I noticed the youngest child had drifted off the steps. At first, he was keeping his head above water, but then it became clear he was in over his head. In a split second, I saw him go under and struggle to get back up while at the same time looking and reaching for the other child, who was still on the step. The woman, whom I assumed was his mother, was back inside, but had her back turned to them. I looked at her to see if she was at all alarmed and still she had her back turned. I nearly jumped out of my skin. I yelled, "He needs help". I kicked off my flip flops and ran down into the pool. He saw me coming and reached his little hand out to me and I grabbed him up. I stayed with him holding his hand until I could get the woman's attention. I said, "He just went under and couldn't get back up". A man that had seen it, also, said, "He just paid the bottom of the pool a visit".  She just looked at us and smiled. I was like, woman!...your child just nearly drowned and you are acting so nonchalant about it. I was dumbfounded. I went back to my chair and in just a minute she came over and thanked me. She then told me that her friend, the child's mother, just let him go in without her. And then she walked away. I should have gone to talk to the mother myself, but really I thought I had. Now that the whole thing is over, I can think of many things I should have done and wished I had. But in the moment, I was completely dumbfounded. I hope the friend scared the c-word out of that child's mother. She doesn't know how lucky she is this Mother's Day!

To be in the right place at the right time is certainly humbling. Thank the Lord, He was able to use me today.

*******************

Happy Mother's Day!

Laurie

Exercise Marathon Weekend at Lake Lure

The plan was simple. Cliff and I were going to Lake Lure for a bike ride and a swim. Never mind that Lake Lure is mountainous and the water is frigidly cold. I must have been in denial because who in their right mind would attempt to ride 22 miles in the hills of Lake Lure. But, that was the plan indeed. Cliff's plan. And you see, Cliff makes some mighty lofty plans at times.

I was going along for the trip...."sure, sure", I said, "I'll try riding the bike on the fun ride of 22 miles for the cause of Lake Lure". Until we got there......

Lake Lure

Here's the story. Cliff and I left Thursday for the beautiful Lake Lure. He had a scheduled 63-mile bike ride that Saturday through the mountains of Chimney Rock, Lake Lure and surrounding areas. For beginners (that would be me), there was a fun ride of just 22 miles. And then on Sunday, he would swim 4 miles in Lake Lure as a training swim for a 5-miler he has coming up in June. So, he thought it would be a great idea to make it an all exercise weekend.

The only thing is, last Wednesday, I started feeling sick with some sinus issues. The pollen this year has been a doozy. So, I started taking sinus meds to help. I wanted to have a good weekend. It did sound fun.

Some of the gorgeous Cherry trees blooming at the resort.

Thursday: After arriving to Lake Lure, we hit the gym. I rode the stationary bike for 11 miles. Pretty impressive, considering I don't ride the bike anymore. But you remember, that is one of my goals for the year....so I jumped on with excitement and vigor. We were going for a swim in the indoor pool afterwards, but the place was crawling with kids.

Spring break! Yay!

Friday: I was definitely sick. I had a temperature, was coughing and had a stuffy nose. I continued with the meds...not letting it stop me from the exercise weekend Cliff had planned. We rode bikes today for about a mile. That's all I could handle. We even rode up a 15% grade hill, twice. I know it was 15% because Cliff has a Garmin or some dohicky that said so. But even if he didn't, look at it. That's steep y'all! That road has fear written all over it.

Said 15% grade hill. Yeah, you see! It's steep. That's why I look so contorted in the next picture.

That hill was a killer. It took all I had to make it to the top. I was grunting the whole way. And then Cliff had the audacity to ask me to do again. So, I did and it wasn't any easier the second time. Grunt!

Later that afternoon, we ran 2.16 miles....and you guessed it, more hills. And then when we got back to the previous 15% grade hill at the resort, I ran up it too.  Occasionally, there were some flat places to run. Artificial, but flat. Ha!

Now this is more like it. Artificial flatness! That's me running, flat. I love to run on board walks. The surface is so forgiving.

And this is a creek view along our running path. Serene!

Some of the local sights.....Quilt block on an old barn in Chimney Rock.

Covered bridge near Chimney Rock.

Saturday:  Still sick. I decided that there was no way I could ride 22 miles in those hills. I'm pretty sure Cliff was a little bummed that he didn't get to, but there was just no way. So, we went on a 1 mile hike instead and yes, you guessed it straight up the side of a mountain.  Hmmmm, Cliff was now starting to cough a little.

Our hiking shoes. On the left....the ones I scored in Colorado and on the right....Cliff's Converses...he never leaves home without them.

Bridge at the trail head.

Pretty stone bridge about half way up.

Yep, it was a climb alright.

And more climbing.

Saw this unusual plant. Does anyone know what it is?

And there's our destination. Hallelujah. I'm tired.

Sunday:  I was starting to feel a little better, but now Cliff was feeling bad and had fever. He decided the lake was way too cold to go for that swim, especially since he was now getting sick. The water temperature was 58 degrees F. He had a wet suit, but his face would be exposed. I think he made the right decision.  So, we kayaked instead for 1.8 miles (which took a couple of hours) and then called it a day.

Lake Lure

That's Cliff

That's me taking a picture of Cliff.

By Monday: Cliff was really sick. So, we packed up and came on home. I feel good about all the exercise we got to do. Of course, it would have been more fun and intense even, if we hadn't been sick. We kept going as long as we could. I took lots of pictures. Overall, it was a great weekend for us to get away and spend some quality time together. Cliff ended up going to the doctor today. He has pneumonia. He will be fine and we'll have another exercise marathon weekend, another time.

Just an old mountain home. Bless it! Seems as if she's seen better days. She's still beautiful though and was begging me to take her picture.....as if to say, "I am kind, I am strong, I am important".

Oh wait before you go.....you might want to check back in a couple of days. Sawyer's been on the loose. 

***4-11-2013 Update: The doctor's office called this morning to say that Cliff does not have pneumonia after all. He probably has the flu and an URI. He's feeling better. Thanks for your concern.

Talk soon, 

Laurie