The Next Challenge?...Cape Wrath

When I made my first overseas trip to Dubai and Italy in 2003, I made a commitment to myself to take an international trip each year. And I was successful -- sometimes making two to three in one year! -- until my "year of living dangerously" in Colorado. Since returning to Cali with a bit-o-debt, I have had to put aside my international wanderlust for a bit...but now that I'm back on my financial feet, so to speak, I'm lookin' ahead to my next trip.

Perhaps it's because I've started running. Perhaps it's because I've wanted to go to Scotland for, well, EVER. Perhaps it's because the 1-year anniversary of Dad's passing is in just over 3 weeks...

but I'm seriously considering not only running a marathon (holy crap!), but running one in the most NorthWesterly inhabited place in Britain....that would be Durness, Scotland. And the race is the Cape Wrath Challenge in May.

I know. Perfect, aye? It's on the coast, and from what I've read so far, the countryside is amazing.


I've started looking into flights as well as lodging, and am leaning toward this B&B -- the Aiden House.

One of the very cool things about the Cape Wrath Challenge is that there are four or five days of smaller runs and cultural events leading up to the marathon at the end of the week. And Durness is teeny-tiny -- even smaller than Bridgeport! -- as the population is only 350. How cool is that?

So, this is what I'm thinking...hang out in Durness for five days leading up to the marathon, take in the local sights and events from a nice B&B, and after the marathon, head back down to Edinburgh, and stay another week there. There's plenty to do in the city itself, as well as places that are an easy drive (well, once I get the hang of driving on the WRONG side of the road in the rental car...).

Sooo many adventures to be had. And hell, if I happen to run into Liam Neeson?...well, all the better.

As my pops would say: Here's lookin' up yer kilt!

Movin' On

Just 9 (yes, NINE) weeks ago, on July 6th, Kim, Ann, and I started training for this. Wow. We were so inspirational after a few weeks of training that Tim, Ann's husband, joined us in our training.

Some other friends -- Erinn and Shannon -- also did the run.

So the big morning arrived...

...and we went through the traditional pinning ceremony (me here with my lucky number)...

...and headed toward this!

Along the way, at about mile 8, our personal photographer, Missy, began taking some snaps of us. I'm running here with Tim. I WAS ahead of him, but when he saw Missy getting ready to take a picture, he pushed me back so it would LOOK LIKE he was ahead...so tricky, that guy!

I was just thankful Tim didn't push me back down the way we'd run...

And we carried on, up around the corner to Ellery Lake, the final of three water stations at mile 9. (Note to self: Remember that it's WAY HARDER to drink a little cup of water as you're running than it is to drink a bottle of water on the bike...I think I ended up with more of it on me each time than in me!)

We even had quite the little fan club going...Missy brought Lacey, Mom, and Denise (who came all the way from Southern Cali to cheer us on!) Here, Lacey was pretending the guard rail was a bar, and she was serving everyone drinks while they waited for us to come by.

And of course, Denise did a little lovin' on Lacey during all the waiting. Though I don't have pictures of 'em, we had other fans, too...Shannon's hubby (and Tim's brother) Scott, and their two daughters; and Erinn's husband, Lance, her daughter, Joey, and her dad, Phil.

When Kim came by the photo op at mile 8, she was still smilin'...I don't think I was.

Just past Ellery Lake, the road "flattens" out, at least relatively speaking, and Scott got this great snap of me and Tim -- with proof of the altitude. See...I told you I was ahead!

The first in our group of friends to cross the line, though, was our resident pro -- Erinn! She rocked it at 2 hours and 18 minutes -- holy burning rubber, Batman!

There was a little time to kill before the rest of us began crossing the line...Lacey and Joey kept themselves entertained near the finish.

Just before the finish line, Tim pushed me back AGAIN...dammit!

And apparently, Tim had other appointments to get to. No wonder he kept pushing ahead of me.

You have absolutely no idea HOW. GOOD. THIS. FELT. Well, when I could actually feel my legs again...

My goal had been to finish in 2 1/2 hours...whoot! And look...I beat a BOY!!! Well, a lot of 'em, actually. Sa-wheet.

Though it took a few minutes to catch my breath, I was able to chow down on some orange sections at the finish line as we cheered everyone else in.

Shannon came across, and this was just warm-up for her, as she's doing the NEW YORK CITY MARATHON on November 7th!!! How cool is that?!!

Kim finished incredibly strong, and after having the flu all week! THAT'S tenacity!

The caption potential here is endless:
"Ok, what are we signing up for next? Boston? New York? Hawaii IronMan?..."
"Did you see the way that finish line judge looked at your butt?"
"At mile 6, some guy asked for my phone number....said his name was Ryan Hall...an Olympian, or something...."

And it was just like the Tour de France when it hits the Alps and Pyrenees...people were camped all along the mountain, waiting for us to run by. See? Jim Mann was even camped out!

Ann crossed incredibly strong, and smilin' to boot!

My training buddies! (Of course, we had to call paramedics to help us stand up after this...whose idea was it to crouch down after running 12.4 miles uphill?!!!)

Thankfully, it was ALL DOWNHILL on the way back. Well, and we were in Missy's truck.

What an amazing experience. Next up? The Two Cities Half Marathon in Fresno...the adventure continues.

Mission Accomplished

On July 6, I started training for the Tioga Pass Run with Kim and Ann. Tim, Ann's husband, started training with us shortly afterwards. And today, we all tackled the ONE HILL that is the Tioga Pass Run...12.4 miles, from a start at 6700 feet, to the finish at the entry to Yosemite National Park at 9945 feet.

Training miles accrued? 173.
Number of friends who trained with me? 7.
(Kim, Ann, April, Tim, Kat, Felicia, and Toni)
Number of friends who coached me? 2.
(Felicia and Toni)
Number of ice baths taken (because Felicia made me)? 2
Number of family members who cheered for us on Tioga? 4
(Mom, Missy, Lacey, Denise)
Time it took me to finish? 2 hours. 27 minutes.

Setting a new athletic goal and reaching it? PRICELESS

PS Missy took a bunch of pics, and I'll do a more extended post with those once I get 'em. In the meantime, I'm going to sign up for the Two Cities Half Marathon...!

Just a Few Things I Like...

...about and in my new apartment...

My welcome mat...

Cooking again in my own space, with a fridge full of all MY food...(I'd intended to take a pic of this Spinach and Feta Stuffed Focacia as soon as I took it out of the oven tonight, but got so excited to eat it, I forgot until one serving was gone...)

My clever use of a shot glass in the bathroom...

My closet that's actually big enough for all my stuff!...

My new hanging shoe organizer (and please note the non-flip-flops there, as SOMEONE thinks I live in flip-flops...)...

Well, and this. Mmmmmmm. 'Nuf said.

Eleven Miles...and 20 Pounds of Ice

Three weeks from today, I'll do the Tioga Pass Run with Kim and Ann. Though I'm now living back in the flatlands of Fresno, I've managed to get in some good hill climbing, sans the elevation.

I've been getting some great coaching from good friend and owner of Pinnacle Training Systems, Felicia Gomez. We kind of have a barter system going...having recently adopted two children from Ethiopia, Felicia asks me child development questions, and I ask her "How the hell do I run?!!!" questions. Here she is with some of her REAL clients, who actually know what they're doing.

Today, though, she sent me on an 11-mile run that was all uphill (for all you Fresno-ites, I ran up the 4-lane and then 2 additional miles up Alder Springs). To keep me from having to run back DOWN the hill, she, husband Gus, and kids Ereste and Begashaw, picked me up in their car at the top. Well, actually, they caught up to me at about mile 7.5 on the 4-lane, and Felicia ran with me the rest of the way.


It was AWESOME!!! I'm still a cyclist first, and probably always will be, but I can't believe how much I'm enjoying running. I'm still so slow that gnats had time to raise their families while lounging on my sunglasses as I ran today, but it's damned fun.

At about mile 5, a hawk started to circle above me. It circled, and circled, and circled...and I got to thinking that maybe it was Dad's spirit looking out for me. I think he'd be proud of this new challenge. Well, and he'd also be lecturing me on being careful running by traffic...but he'd still be proud.

Of course, there's some pain involved in the running, too. Felicia has been helping me with a pain in my left leg -- she could explain the science much better than me, being an exercise scientist and all, but essentially, some of my quad muscles are overdeveloped from cycling, and others are underdeveloped. And I've been straining the ones that are underdeveloped by running. She's given me some stretches to do that are helping, and after my run today, she ordered me to take an ice bath.

Directions: Fill bathtub with cold water. Sit in tub a minute or two to acclimate. Pour 20 pounds of ice into the tub. Sit in the ice water for 15 minutes. Well, and try not to shiver your teeth right outta your head.

Felicia told me I'd hate her for the first 5 minutes or so. I texted her that I didn't HATE her, but that she had fallen way down on my list of friends as soon as I poured in that ice. She texted back a laugh, and told me she'd be #1 on my list in the morning.

I think she might be right, as, considering I ran 11 miles uphill today...my legs are feeling pretty damned good.

Gone...But Not Forgotten

Can't believe that it was 10 months ago this morning that I got the call that Dad was gone. Still can't believe he's gone...can't believe so much time has gone by...and can't believe life has gone on.

Mainly, though, I can't believe how much I still feel him with me, and how much I still feel our relationship growing.

Love you, Pop.

August 17th, 1958

Two days ago was Mom and Dad's 52nd wedding anniversary. A beautiful and hard day all at the same time this year, our first without Dad. I had to go back to work today in Fresno, Jim and Missy are in Alaska, and Bill and Cathy also had to be at work, so Mom was in Bridgeport without all of us. Not good. But thankfully, she has GREAT friends who, after being alerted by me that it was their anniversary, kept her busy all day.

On the evening of their anniversary, I went back through all the pictures from the surprise 50th anniversary party we threw for them two summers ago, and picked some of my faves to post here as a remembrance. Though I've made it into my new apartment, though...high speed internet hasn't yet. Couldn't get the pics to load the other night, and tonight, have just managed to get a few before getting too impatient, so I'll just make due.

The party was great, and Mom and Pop were SO surprised. Still not sure how we managed to pull that off in such a small town! TONS of Mom and Dad's friends showed up to celebrate with us, from as far away as Colorado (those Eidsons are DEDICATED!). We got them there -- and dressed in Hawaiian shirts, no less, to go along with the theme! -- by telling them we wanted to take a family picture up at Twin Lakes. Missy loves all things Hawaiian, so we just told them we thought it'd be cool if we were all in Hawaiian clothes for the pic. They both rolled their eyes at this, but thankfully played along. Bill drove them, and pulled off at the Barns and Terrace on the way to Twin Lakes, saying he had to stop by for something...will NEVER forget the looks on their faces and how humbled and happy they were with the party.

Here are a few of the friends who helped us celebrate (of course, I TRIED to load a bunch more pics of friends...): Dougie and Pete (golfing buds of Dad's), PJ (one of Mom's best friends and married to Pete), and Big Tom (a friend who comes up to Bport to fish each summer, and always brought Dad great homemade tamales).

Some of the Fishin' Mission boys even came to help us celebrate.

Bill, Jim, and I each told a few of our favorite stories about Mom and Dad. I ended the talking portion with a toast.

We made Mom and Dad laugh and cry intermittently, but really choked 'em up with the toast. Unfortunately I don't have it written down anywhere...but apparently, it was awesome.

And this is the last picture we have of our entire family together. How appropriate that it was to celebrate such an incredible milestone.


Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad.

Thanks for loving each other -- and us -- so well.