Snowpocalypse

I haven't actually walked or driven anywhere yet, but it appears I survived Jonas. That was a lot of snow. (And still is.)

I spent all of Friday and Saturday sending my mom and brother pictures of the snow's progress, more for my own amusement than anything else. In between these texts I got some preliminary dissertation work done, and spent the evenings watching movies. I also made some great chili on Friday, and some okay tomato soup tonight.

I shoveled about six inches of snow on Friday evening, but you'd never know it after Saturday's snow. I didn't bother shoveling during the blizzard Saturday, except to clear off the stoop outside my front door, since snow was piling up against the glass storm door and I didn't want to get trapped inside.

This morning the sun was out and I got to shoveling, along with all my neighbors. I shoveled and shoveled and shoveled, especially since I decided I'd better clear off my deck, which never gets any sun. There's going to be a huge annoying snow pile in my extra parking spot for a long time. After all that shoveling I ate a bowl of leftover chili and proceeded to take a three hour nap. I'm still sore and tired.

I'm grateful I never lost power, since the weekend wouldn't have been nearly as pleasant had that happened. But it turned out to be a nice and cozy time hanging out at home watching the weather.

holiday break

So Christmas happened. It was pretty laid back for me, but nice. I spent a little over a week in Richmond with family, including my parents. I was still feeling sick though, so I mostly hung out resting.

On Christmas Eve my mom made our traditional New Mexican posole. She neglected to provide (bring, make, find, ask someone else to find, etc.) the tamales though. Dad and I tried to get some at the last minute, but the El Salvadorian kind we found just aren't the same. This provided an important lesson: make sure mom is on top of things next time.

Christmas day we spent the morning getting the big meal ready (I made rolls). A few other family friends joined us for our wild boar. After the meal and a little music time most of us took naps. Then we finally opened presents that evening.

Racks of our Christmas wild boar.

The next several days included sleeping in, napping, watching tv and movies, and hanging out with Cooper while he was home on break from puppy boot camp. One evening mom and I colored in the new coloring book I got her. Another night dad and Sunni and I went to see the lights at the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden. On the last night my parents were in town dad and I went out to a movie.

Cooper snuggles!

Coloring with wine.

Checking out the lights.

After my parents were gone I came back to Charlottesville on New Years Eve. I attended two parties, which were fun. At the first one we wore pajamas. At the second one (after I'd put real pants on) I helped judge a hilarious lip syncing contest. After New Years it was nice to have a three day weekend at home. I still didn't feel great and my sides still hurt (plus my back, which was a new ailment), so I spent all of New Years Day in bed. But Saturday I got out for a little hike with friends and a game night. Sunday was restful again, and I cleaned my house.

My coughing is almost all gone (I finally got an antibiotic), and the aches and pains are starting to go away. Soon I will be able to exercise again (hopefully), and will dive into dissertation research. Then 2016 can get moving in the right direction.

womp womp

Well, so much for that January marathon I was training for and hoping to run. The week of Thanksgiving I got a cough, from a simple cold. I didn't let it hold me back. I still ran a 15-mile long run. The cough really didn't seem like a problem. I ran two 6-milers on the treadmill the next week, because it was dark and rainy all the time. I survived. But then the rain stopped, and I ran outside. In below-freezing temps. Turns out that's not a good idea if you already have a chesty cough...

I got worse. I skipped my 17-mile long run. I didn't run for an entire week. I just coughed and felt congested. Then on the Friday that I was finally ready to attempt a few miles indoors on the treadmill I started to have pain in my side every time I coughed. So I didn't run. The next day was 70 degrees outside (in December?!) so I attempted an easy 4 miles. It made me cough a little, which wouldn't have bothered me much except for that new sharp pain in my side.

Also, my IT band wasn't happy. That was disappointing. I'd been doing lots of lunges and single-leg squats even when I couldn't run, which I assumed was making me stronger and would help keep the IT band in line. But no.

The rest of the weekend was filled with painful coughing. But don't worry, I never had a fever and the doctor (and an x-ray) confirmed I didn't have pneumonia. Now my cough is gone for the most part, except when I'm outside in the cold. Then I get a tingle in the throat and cough a little. And I think my side is getting better, but it's still uncomfortable to cough. I'm not even going to try to run for the next few days.

So, after what will be three long runs missed and only four weeks away from the January marathon, I'm calling it quits. It's okay I guess. I knew there was a chance my body wouldn't hold up to the marathon training, but I didn't realize actual sickness would also get in the way. Oh well.

(Also, I've learned about coughs and being sick and how I can sometimes get away with pushing through things but other times I need to give into rest. Lessons learned...)

Thanksgiving Weekend

This year I spent Thanksgiving with family in Richmond. I arrived Wednesday evening, in time for music time. We've been having lots of music time over there lately.

If you can think of a hymn, we probably have it in one of these...

Thursday (Thanksgiving!) I went for a five mile run, then made rolls. There were seven of us for dinner. It was nice. After the meal my aunt let us "kids" take Cooper for a walk instead of doing dishes, which was super nice of her. Cooper was happy, too.

Walkin'

Hanging out with Grandpa before the big meal.

Friday I slept until 12:30. Yikes. I got up for a couple hours, and then took a nap. I guess I was tired.

Saturday I got up early and headed out for a long run. I parked downtown and did an out-and-back on the Cap-to-Cap trail. My fifteen miles went fine! (Despite the cough I'd been having for a few days.)

Richmond in the distance.

Family-friends came over for a good lunch, and more music time. After my nap I thought I was going to head back to C'ville, but I stayed another night. Most of my nights were spent watching TV or movies.

Sunday I slept in again. Then we had lunch at home, followed by a quick game of Rook. I finally left that afternoon.

It was a pretty laid-back weekend, which was perfect.

running and plans for 2016

I can't believe I ran a marathon in April. It feels like it was ages ago. But I also wasn't as obsessed with it as I had been two years before, so it didn't leave as much of a mental marker. Anyway, after the Blue Ridge Marathon in April I took a break from training, and was just running short distances a couple times a week, maybe with another visit to the gym thrown in. I felt pretty lazy. Then I decided to train for an October olympic-distance triathlon, so I spent a few months swimming twice a week, biking twice a week (usually on the trainer), and running three times. But when my grandmother died and I went to New Mexico for the funeral, I decided to stay there as long as I could to hang out with family, and thus didn't fly back to Virginia in time for the triathlon. (I felt better about this decision when I learned the swim portion of the tri was cancelled due to lots of rain. The swim is definitely my weakest portion, but I wouldn't have wanted to skip it.)

So I found myself in mid-October with no more than seven miles of running or thirty miles of biking at a time on my legs, and no triathlon accomplishment. I couldn't ramp up safely for a fall half or full marathon, and I'd never make it on a fall century ride (or even a metric century). The season for everything was going to be over, I had nothing to show for my summer or fall, and all I could see was a long bleak winter of floundering ahead. This made me anxious to start a training program and go big as soon as possible. So I searched for a winter marathon in driving distance that wouldn't have a good chance of being canceled due to inclement weather. I found the Charleston Marathon, which at the time was fourteen weeks away. Ding ding ding, I found my plan.

I'm going to hold off on actually registering, in case my body (namely my IT-band) doesn't make it. But I'm five weeks into my marathon training. I like having a plan to follow to keep me running regularly, and I like how running makes the winter more bearable. I also like the thought of getting a marathon done early in the year, leaving plenty of time for other events.

So here is my tentative plan for 2016:

• January marathon in Charleston, SC

• May or June olympic triathlon somewhere in Virginia

• September half marathon in Hawaii (!)

• October century ride

I'm excited.

a New Mexican fall break

Sorry to be a month late, but I'm finally getting around to telling you about my trip to New Mexico for my Grandmother's funeral. I was there for nine days, and though the reason for being out there was sad, I did end up having a fun vacation.

I arrived on Saturday, September 26. My parents picked me up from the airport and then we went out for Mexican. After the drive home to Santa Fe we hung out and watched a movie.

Sunday I went for a run, then to church with my parents, then out to lunch, and then with Dad to visit Granddad.

Monday I went to Albuquerque to pick up Ryan and Lauren from the airport. Then the three of us went to the Hinkle Family Fun Center to play two rounds of mini golf and some arcade games. That night back in Santa Fe we went out for Mexican with our parents and my cousin, then us kids went out for drinks after that.

Mini golf!

Tuesday was Grandmother's funeral. After a service in Santa Fe we all drove to Albuquerque for the burial, and then went to my aunt and uncle's for a meal. It was nice to hang out with relatives we don't see often.

Wednesday Ryan and Lauren and I played frisbee golf. Lauren and I jogged to the park and met Ryan for 18 holes. I haven't wandered around in an arroyo like that in a very long time, but it was fun.

Frisbee golf!

Thursday (I think?) we visited Canyon Road and looked at a bunch of art galleries. Then that night we stopped by Encantado with Dad for drinks and snacks and a great view of the sunset before we met up with lots of family to celebrate my aunt's birthday.

Watching art in the making.

The view just north of Santa Fe. Every time I visit I love how much sky there is!

Enjoying popcorn (not pictured) and beer with a view.

Friday Ryan and Lauren and I went for a hike. Ryan made us take the steeper but more direct way to the little stream at the end, but we all agreed the windier ridge trail on the way back was better. After the hike we drove the rest of the way up to the ski basin to check out the changing aspen.

Hiking!

Pulled over at a lookout.

Fall hitting the aspen.

I don't remember which days these happened (the problem with waiting a month to blog), but one night Mom made pizza for dinner and we played games (Sushi Go! and Charades). Another night she made pita tuna sandwiches. And since Lauren was visiting (nevermind the rest of us...) she made chocolate cake. Also, somewhere in there Ryan and Lauren and I watched Hotel Transylvania and Pitch Perfect 2.

Saturday the three of us got up at 4am and drove to Albuquerque for the International Balloon Fiesta. I hadn't been since I was a kid. We spent almost an hour in traffic trying to get into the park, but we arrived in time for the mass ascension. We started the morning off with breakfast burritos. (Apparently that's the thing to do. A billion vendors were all selling breakfast burritos. And hot chocolate, which we got later.) Then we wandered among the balloons as they inflated and launched.

I think we were done by about 9am. So we drove back to Santa Fe. That afternoon mom joined us and we went to the fall festival at El Rancho de las Golondrinas. It's a living history museum of a colonial village. We got to make tortillas, which was exciting. That night we went out for my last Mexican meal, and visited Granddad one more time.

Grilling tortillas.

Sunday mom made a good breakfast to see me off to the airport, then Ryan and Lauren drove me to Albuquerque. It was fun seeing the balloon fiesta again as we passed by on the interstate.

For a trip that wasn't planned and was based around the death of my dear Grandmother, I'm grateful it turned out to be a nice time hanging out with family and enjoying New Mexico in the fall.

marshmallow memories

Last Saturday I spent the whole day outside in Nelson County at The Festy. It's a three-day event and lots of people camp out, but Patrick and I just went for the day. It was a great fall day to hang out with friends and listen to music. The headlining act was a joint concert with Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt. It was just the two of them and their guitars taking turns singing songs. Between the beautiful scenery and crisp fall air and awesome music I was really happy. I even leaned over and told Patrick that the music and scenery combo were making me really happy.

So he was pretty confused a few songs later when he realized I was basically sobbing.

Somewhere in there among all the happiness I started to think about camping. And for me, thinking about camping naturally flows into thinking about my grandparents. And thinking about my grandparents made me think about how my Grandmother had just died a couple weeks before. She was eighty-nine, and had been married to Granddad for seventy-one years. I hadn't cried since her funeral on September 29, but I sure couldn't stop the tears for a few Lovett and Hiatt tunes.

Growing up in Santa Fe, Grandmother and Granddad lived across town. We would see them for holidays, birthdays, and special events; they came to all my recitals and concerts; and in the summer we'd eat cake and ice cream in their backyard. Since we lived in the same town, I very rarely stayed with them overnight or for really extended periods. But just about every summer for several years they took my brother and me camping for a few days at a time. Those were the times that I felt like I really got to know them.

On our camping trips Granddad and Ryan always fished. I tried fishing several times but never caught anything and didn't like spending all that time sitting around dealing with bugs, so eventually I started staying in camp with Grandmother. We'd clean up the breakfast dishes, read and chat, and prepare the next meal for when the "menfolk" returned. Later all four of us would go for a hike. At night we'd sit around a campfire, or if it rained we'd sit in the camper and play triominoes by lantern-light.

Grandmother taught me how to roast the perfect marshmallow. I always think of her when I roast one. I hope I always do.

Labor Day away

Last weekend I took a quick but fun trip up to DC. My original plans for the weekend changed a bit, and at the last minute I invited my aunt to go with me, which turned into both she and my grandpa joining me. Saturday I went to Richmond and spent the evening with them, and the next day around noon we drove north.

When we got to the hotel (Kimpton's Madera near DuPont Circle) our rooms weren't ready yet, so after they brought us a bottle of wine to appease us we hung out in the hallway outside our room drinking and playing Go Fish on a suitcase. After the rooms were finally ready the two of them rested while I headed to the Phillips Collection to look at art. It's a pretty great museum.

Go Fish.

Art!

That evening Uncle Richard and another friend joined us for dinner at a Chinese place my family really likes. We ate lots of good food and had good laughs.

Sunday was also my mom's birthday, so we stopped outside the restaurant to call her up and sing.

The next day I got up early to go for a run. First I wandered outside to find some breakfast, and was really happy to find a Le Pain Quotidian nearby. I sat outside and it was lovely. I also found a pistachio near the hotel!

Parfait and Coffee

Sidewalk sighting!

After breakfast I geared up and headed out. I ran by the Lincoln Memorial and then all the way around Hains Point, returning by the Washington Memorial and up past the White House. It was the farthest I've gone in several months (8.5 miles), but I also took several breaks to walk or take pictures.

Jefferson Memorial

Washington Memorial selfie

After my run I showered and packed up, then joined Grandpa for brunch at Firefly (the hotel's trendy restaurant). I had pork belly with eggs and pureed sweet potatoes, and it was delicious. Then we loaded up the van and headed back to Richmond.

It was a great weekend with family, and I really enjoyed my museum visit and DC run.

back in the saddle

I'm finally biking again you guys! Since last October's century ride I think I got on my trainer once (when snowed in), and didn't really touch the bike again until late summer. But I'm training for a tentative October triathlon, so I've been riding twice a week. Most of the riding has been on the trainer (and watching TV), but the last two weekends I actually went outside.

The first weekend I was in Richmond, so I rode a familiar route from my Grandpa's house. I did 28 miles, including several hills. It wasn't easy, but it felt good to be out on the road again.

The next weekend JoAnne and I went for a 28-mile ride in Greene and Albemarle counties. I tried to pick a route that wouldn't be too hilly, but I failed. We survived though, and the area was really pretty. Once again, it was good to be riding again.

summer break

On July 7 I passed my comprehensive oral exam for school, and advanced to candidacy. Now I'm ABD ("all but dissertation"), which is exciting. (But also daunting, because I have to write a dissertation now. Ugh.) The eight weeks or so leading up to the exam I spent lots of time studying, and once the whole ordeal was over I gave myself a summer break from school.

In mid-July I went to Raleigh for a history conference. The history part was good, and it was also nice being back in Raleigh and seeing some old grad school friends from when I was there for my masters. My first night I met a friend for drinks and then a delicious dinner. The next day I went to the art museum to walk around their outdoor trails littered with sculpture. That Saturday night I went to another friend's house to hang out and play games. It was a good trip.

Pre-dinner drinks.

A walk through art.

By not having to study after work or on the weekends, I've had more time for normal but nice things, like cooking and watching tv or movies. Patrick has been doing Blue Apron (the ingredients for three meals are mailed to him with easy-to-follow recipes), so we've been eating at his place a lot. Then we watch Cutthroat Kitchen, a fun cooking competition show on the Food Network.

I feel like my friends haven't been doing as much together this summer, probably because some of them got married and were settling into their new married lives. But I've still had some good friend times that included hanging out in the rooftop pool at the gym after work; listening to opera in the park; going for a hike and picnic; playing trivia at a bar on the Corner; attending a coffee, cake, and karaoke party on a weeknight; tubing the James River; and going to the drive-in theater.

Opera at the IX park.

A hike to Blue Hole.

 I've spent some time with my Richmond family, too. One weekend we visited St. John's Church to hear Patrick Henry's "give me liberty, or give me death" speech reenacted. On a Wednesday my aunt came to Charlottesville and we had dinner on the downtown mall before seeing My Fair Lady performed by the Ash Lawn Opera. Last weekend I went to Richmond for Sunni's going away dinner and then helped her move into her dorm in Williamsburg.

Photo-op with TJ.

But now my summer break is coming to an end. The semester starts on Monday, and even though I don't have to go to class or anything I need to get busy on dissertation research, because that thing's not gonna write itself. The break was pretty nice while it lasted.