Blinded By The Light

Oh, it's been a mighty fine week!

On Monday, our accountant returned our income tax return - and we got a whole $32 refund! Great news for us since we've had to PAY extra the past couple of years. (I'm only whining a little. We're truly blessed to be surviving this economic crisis in good financial, physical, and personal health.)

Tuesday night, I completed a tempo run on the track in a really decent time - and should be back in shape and ready for the Riverwalk 5Mile run in two weeks. I also finished Week 2 of my 100 pushups a day and 200 situps a day routine, and included 50/50s on the stair stepper, too!

Wednesday morning, Gianni confirmed he had to attend a 4-day conference in Charlotte the first week of May. I told him that I would go with him; we thought we'd travel the weekend before and explore the area. During his meetings, I figured I could find something to do; at least it would be a mini-vacation for us. (But I wasn't really looking forward to the trip.)

You see, I really want to visit my sister at The 7MSN sometime this spring. (And I will get there! I need to ride Hank, pet Deets, help trim Wynonna's toenails, and watch Alan and George proudly pull their little cart!) Or I thought maybe I'd travel up to D.C. and see Tracey and Alex, see the Cherry Blossoms, try to fit in some sightseeing while playing with my dive buddies, and run a 5K or 10K race. But alas, no races in the area that I could find. And Gianni really wanted me to go with him to Charlotte.

But Thursday and Friday I had IT meetings at City Hall. Unemployment is high; the economy is down. Yet there I was yesterday, writing paperwork to (maybe) promote myself into a new position. I became addicted to GIS software (Google Earth was only a start) at the PD two years ago when I started mapping out our city grids for a dispatch map. Now the PD may create a new position, GIS Analyst for Public Safety. And I was asked to write up the details because my great bosses/friends, Donna and Nancy, want me for the job. Yeah and Tee-Hee!

So, on a whim, I checked out The Boss' website, hoping maybe he was playing in D.C. or Albuquerque so I could use that as another reason to travel this spring or summer. Guess what? Bruce is in concert at a smallish stadium in Greensboro, NC (about 92 miles north of Charlotte) on the weekend before Gianni's business trip.

And we have 2 tix to the Bruce Springsteen concert in Greensboro on Saturday, May 5! More later on why Bruce is definitely The Boss. But, if you saw him and E Street perform at Super Bowl halftime, you already know that.

I've been so excited since I got the tickets I've been "Blinded by the Light." All you need to do is check out the lyrics and melody to this song - the first one by Bruce that I ever heard. It made me appreciate his genius - way back in 1973 - when he released it. I've been a fan ever since.

Sunny Days Are Here Again!

Yeah! The sun is out. The weather has finally returned to "normal" for Florida - in fact, this past week it was in the mid-80's, warmer than usual. Which has been great for me! It was soooooo cold in January - I even built a fire in our fireplace one Sunday.

Don't laugh. I've been living in south Florida for 13 years. My blood is thin. I get cold if the temperature drops below 80: I put on sweaters. About the only good thing I can say about coolish weather is that it's easier to run if the temperature is less than 70. I froze my butt off at Disney - start time temperature was 46 degrees!

It was about 65 degrees this morning when Gianni and I ran the 4th Annual Run Through Central Park, here in Plantation. But the best part of the race? Gianni ran it with me, for once! That's all I wanted for Valentine's Day - his company and encouragement while I ran. I really need to find someone to run and train with, especially for my long distances. I did fairly well: finished 4th of 9 in my old ladies age group (55 to 59); with a decent time of 33:47, or 10:44/mile. Not bad, considering that I haven't been running very much since Disney, with the "cold from hell", long hours at the PD doing training, and Micio's surgery.

Speaking of which, Micio is recuperating very well. He'll be getting his stitches out on Wednesday, at which time he can start acting like a real cat again. He's so cute. See? Here he is in the sun on the back patio enjoying a wee little bit of freedom. But he's so funny! He keeps trying to groom himself by licking his paws and legs. Only he doesn't have access to them because of his "cone". It's painfully silly to watch him pick up his legs and hold them under the cone, and then lick the inside of the cone. I never said he was a smart cat!

Didn't Think I Would Run, Did You?

Yup. I did it.
Finally ran -- and quite well for having been OFF for 20 days! -- last Friday after procrastinating all day. Of course, when I ran again yesterday before the Super Bowl, it was very painful and a whole different story. But I did manage to finish almost 5 miles, at the slow/easy pace I wanted. The trick is not stopping -- during a run, or between run days. Once in motion, things are easy. Kicking them into motion is a pain.

I need a new challenge. Or two. Check out the two new icons and links at the left. WHY? I need my "own thing".

I so admire and respect Alex for his cave diving exploits and experiences (as well as his technical blogging). If I ever want to be his partner on "The Amazing Race", I just need to do this. Wouldn't that be a hoot? Watching Alex and I on national television as "The Dive Buddies" while we race around the world?

And I am so proud of Tracey! When I first met her, I showed her all about my REEF fish counting project. And now she has been selected by REEF as one of their "Advanced" counters to do research for their Grouper Project in Grand Cayman! And she can identify and count fish far beyond what I have ever been able to do. Oh, for the chance to humbly sit by her side in St. Croix when she leads a REEF trip down there in May (I hope, I hope)!!

Then, of course, my sister Linda. Everything she does in her life is something to respect and admire. I really want to visit the 7MSN sometime this spring and do a "dude ranch" kind of thing with her. And maybe because I've been sick for the past 3 weeks, I need to get back into some resemblance of FIT so I can tote bails of hay and pull loco weed with her - while I'm refreshing my horseback riding skills and running around the ranch.

SO ....., this is for me.
This year (hey, I know it's February; I just wasn't into making "resolutions" at the New Year) I will:

1. Run a 10:00 pace - consistently - for at least a 5K.
2. Complete the 100 pushups challenge.
3. And the 200 situps challenge.

The way I figure it, by next January, I'll be looking at a whole 'nother level of Half Marathons or some other wild and crazy challenge.

Still think I would do well on "Survivor".

A Little Help From Your Friends

You know it: That line from "Field of Dreams?"
If they see it, they will come.

So if I put it in words and photos --
TODAY I WILL RUN --
Maybe I will actually do it. I hope these photos from Disney will inspire me.

Above, the FINISH. At right, I was running back down Main Street - about 7 miles into the race. A time when I was not feeling well either: only halfway through the race and "dying" - at least in my head. What was I thinking? Running a Half Marathon alone. Not a good idea. Never again. The only way to do something this hard is to do it with someone else, sharing the experience.

It's been one week since my last post - and I still don't feel well! Of course, I finally went back to work on Monday: I had to help Donna and Nancy with a huge PowerPoint presentation and records management training session for our Field Training Officers this week. It probably didn't help that I worked 9 and 10-hour days early during the week, and then had to babysit whining cops yesterday (a few of them really needed a slap across the face!). But Donna and Nancy, as I have said before, are not my "bosses" - they are my friends. We make such a good team when we work together: it's almost not work.

How do people do it when they are sick and alone? These past few weeks have been miserable: no energy to do anything except lay on the couch and sleep (not even much enthusiasm for watching TV.) And with Gianni sick the past week, too, our house has an aura of sickness and doom. Thank goodness Micio Bello finally seems better. Just what I wanted: a new cat. But he "hates" me because I've been catching him and giving him medicine the past 6 weeks. At least he has become Gianni's shadow.

Wait a minute. Friends. That's what I'm supposed to be writing about. OK. I'll do that tomorrow -- Alex, and Tracey, and Linda.
As usual, I'm off on a tangent. Since starting this post, I have: 1) gone to the doctor (again) with Gianni so he could get a work excuse note; 2) shopped at Target for a warm humidifier/vaporizer with Vicks inserts for our colds; 3) downloaded and edited my photos from Disney; and 4) fixed Gianni's computer errors. Am I any closer to getting out the door and running??? No.

Gotta do it. Gotta run. My FINISH certificate for more inspiration. I really did do good - especially the "85 of 363" in my Age Division place.
Not bad for an "older" lady.

Here I go. Here I am, gearing up.
Here I am: walking out the door with my iPod and Garmin.
Here I am, walking in the driveway.
Here I go. Really.
I AM GOING TO RUN. Soon.

Winding Down

See that countdown timer over on the left side of my blog? It's scary. Watching the seconds tick down until Disney. For the last 2 months, my life has been centered on Half-Marathon training - even when we traveled to Cozumel for 13 days and I was scuba diving. I had to schedule my runs before and after dive days so I wouldn't get "bent." Did it, too -- ran once out past the airport onto a gravel road where horses and campesino cowboys rode right towards me, headed for the big Mexican Independence Day parade; and again up north, at night, past the lighthouse and beach partygoers drinking beer and margaritas while I panted heavily, looking for water.

Guess it's that time of year when I start to "wind down" and think about the past: where we've been, where we're headed. I've been reminiscing about friends and family a lot recently. Always think a lot about my FBI friends and family - Brian (who has hopefully recovered from kidney stone surgery) and Faye; Allen (who calls me every year about this time); my former L.A. partner, Rich; Kenny D. (who is trying to get a crime scene job with the PD where I work now), Susan and Erich (now in Sofia, I think; I lose track of which embassy she is at!); Chaplain James Quinn, and my fellow runners on L.A. "Baker to Vegas" relay teams.

Family: Linda, my multi-talented sister, whose 7MSN blog I read every morning, before the paper - in fact, instead of the paper. I'm so excited because I should be receiving our Christmas gift from Linda today: even though I didn't win the Great 7MSN Giveaway, I asked for a canvas print of Micio for Christmas, and we collectively designed a really cool image. Mom and Dad (the best Micio pet-sitter!): we're planning a new traditional holiday here at the Villa: salmon on the grill, with baby potatoes, cranberries, and Whole Foods fruit tart. We saw J.P. while we were in Tampa on Tuesday night; he's headed up to New Jersey to visit Pat, Jr., and all the "Ants" at Christmas (we were invited, too, but we're not crazy; it's TOO COLD). The Antonas make me think of Claudia and Kevin and how much fun we had with them during our L.A. visit in September. And they make me think of Nolia and her family - I wish I would have taken the time to see them while we were in Tampa; I'm really concerned about how they are faring in these hard economic times - but I just couldn't face dealing with their marital difficulties.

Especially since Gianni and I celebrated our 13th wedding Anniversary yesterday! Where has the time gone? This is us, all dressed up for Thanksgiving Dinner in Cozumel. Kind of funny in retrospect: I'm not wearing a red dress (like I did for my wedding, but I'm still wearing red - a Mexican shawl this time!) Seems like it was just yesterday that we were packing up the condo and furnishings in L.A., getting married on Catalina Island, and traveling across country to Florida. A whole new life in Florida. New friends, new "family", new experiences.

Here's a picture of our "new family" at dinner one night in Cozumel:
Me on the left, with Andrew & Serena, Alex & Tracey, Gianni, and DAD! What fun we had eating tapas, laughing and planning our next trip.

Which brings me back full circle: past and future. I'm thinking Cozumel again next year (of course). Italy again? Fiji? First, of course, there's Orlando and Disney: and, I repeat, take a look at that countdown timer clock over there on the left. How much longer do I have to train? Gotta run hills tonight .... oh no, my aching calf!

Impressive (??) Running Training

WOW! Isn't this cool?
It's a graphic summary of all the running I have been doing from September 12 until yesterday.

Note the black HILLS of Glendale, California - I'd forgotten how "fun" it can be to run hills since, in Florida, that means running up over the causeway above the Intracoastal Waterway -- or the reclaimed Landfill --phew!

The distances are really starting to look good - and note that I ran on the track last week for my time trials. My paces and heart rate aren't shown on the graph, but they're gradually going down.

Yup, think I'll be OK for Disney in January. I can crawl over the line at this point.

Running at O'Dark Thirty

I had to keep telling myself, "It's a good thing. You can do this. Running early in the morning will be good training/practice for Disney." And I do believe that.

This morning was my first group run -- or at least since running with my New Agent's Class at FBI Academy in Quantico during summer 1990! The group I joined, Gold Coast Runners, has a 1/2 Marathon Training Program. I joined Tuesday night; time trialed on the track with a 2 mile run at a 10:12 pace - and really had to push myself to do that. I was happy with the time; not happy with my performance vis-a-vis others in the club - I came in near the end of the pack.

But this morning - despite an auspicious beginning (I really did set my alarm clock for 5:00 a.m.; I just forgot to turn it on!) - I made it on time to the start and ran with the 4 leaders for the entire run. Everyone else who finished ahead of me on the track was *behind* me this morning. Guess it's true. I am built for endurance - not speed.

Don't think I'll ever really enjoy early morning running. But ... springing up out of bed at the very last minute, rushing to throw water on my face and swish toothpaste around, then throwing on running clothes I had religiously laid out last night ... well, it vividly reminded me of early SWAT missions.

Brian, my former partner, always used to tell us, "We leave at O'Dark Thirty." That's me, meeting in the dark to be with a bunch of other crazies -- FBI Agents or runners.

"Cat"ching Up

Oh no.
Been procrastinating waaaaaay too long.
No competition.
No blog rivalries.
Just me and my thoughts.

New activities - joined a running club.
Training hard for Disney 1/2 Marathon.
Just back from L.A. and seeing family and friends. More to follow.
New kitty! Micio bello.

Love Runnin' In The Rain!

I'm runnin' in the rain.
Love runnin' in the rain!
It's wonder-f'ly relaxing --
And, no, I'm not insane.

'Cause usually it's hot and sun.
But still, I've gotta run.
So when it rains, let it rain.
I'll laugh and train!

Change Your Life

"When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change."

Wish I could claim credit for this quote, but I can't. I don't even know the identity of the guest who wrote this, but I read it in a "thank you book" aboard SUN DANCER II, the liveaboard dive boat I sailed on in the atolls of Belize earlier this month. Here I am, squared off fish-face to regulator-mouth, with a pretty little Grey Angelfish. My view of diving has changed dramatically ever since I started really looking at -- and counting -- fish.

I *will* credit ANDREW Donelson for the photos on this page. Andrew is a phenomenal photographer -- and one heck of a good diver! If you click on his name, you'll link directly to his website and see many other great underwater photos. (And some above water, too.)

Like me and my best dive buddy friend, Tracey, seated here in front of *my* Queen Angelfish painting in the boat's dining salon.

Looking at life from another perspective. That's what I've been making a conscientious effort to do. Kind of like this Yellowhead Jawfish, peeking out of the sandy bottoms of Belize at us bunch of crazy divers and photographers. Or running so slowly that I can hear birds cheeping at one another. And breathing so slowly in and out during my yoga asanas that I can actually feel the air moving through my nose hairs.

And diving so slowly that I can look into the inquisitive eyes of fish. Like this wary little Indigo Hamlet.

Or this Hawksbill Turtle.








But, best of all, is the unique perspective of a gaggle of giggling new girlfriends, sitting around after a great week of diving, bonding over margaritas and Belizean beers. (That's me, second from the left; Tracey beside me, of course!)

What a grand time! Thanks much, Andrew, for the photos and the fun.

Less is More. Less is More.

Keep repeating it to yourself, Kat.
Less is more. Less is more.

So. Write more often. With shorter posts.
I really admire my sister's 7MSN blog and others, like hers, so humorous and easy on the eyes.
I've gotta write less - but more often.

Last Night: Ran 2.5 miles on the track. RAN the whole thing .... no walking. That's a first in about 2 months. Just as I suspected. My heart rate monitor has been set waaaaay too low. No wonder I've been WALKING so much during my "runs".

Re-focus. Motivation for re-starting Disney 1/2 Marathon training.
Yeah. Right. In the middle of the summer. In South Florida. In the heat. And the humidity. In hurricane season. I'm insane.

Running 101

It's like a lite bulb went off in my head tonight while "running."

Well, I guess you could call it running. On April 1 (April Fools Day seems appropriate, in hindsight) I started a new regimen, in anticipation of running during the intense S. Florida heat this summer and the Disney Half Marathon I'll be running on January 10, next year. The regimen is called Low Heart Rate Training. (Link here for a basic explanation; lengthly, but darn interesting if you're into nerdy analytical stuff.)

Bottom line. Run verrrrrrrrrrrrry slooooooooooooooow to learn how to run faster and better. It's definitely counterintuitive. Per the regimen, I've been running with my Heart Rate Monitor set for my MAF - "Maximum Aerobic Function". At my age (don't go there) and fitness condition, that means I have to keep my heart rate between 124 and 136 beats per minute.

What does that translate to? My last 5K race and average running time prior to the regimen was between 10:15 and 10:30 minutes per mile. With the LHR Training regimen, my 2 mile "run" tonight averaged 16:57 minutes/mile. Do you know how hard it is to SLOW down almost 7 minutes per mile? Basically, I "run" slowly for about 75 steps; then walk 100. (I know, I count them; over and over; for 2 miles.)

No more IPod for me. No siree. No more Springsteen and "Born to Run". No more electronic dance music. No more running Podcasts. Just the steady beep of my heart rate monitor beeping at me. While I breath in 5 times; breath out 5 times; each breath synchronized to the rhythm of my high knees and limited bouncing steps.

It's been insane these past 6 weeks. I've hated it - as everyone in the runner's forum said I would. It's painful to run slow. It hurts where it's never hurt before. I've felt like a complete idiot on the track while even the slowest people passed me by. I really felt dumb "running" (mostly walking) on the Las Vegas Strip at 8:00 in the morning -- past the hookers and last night drunks. But I was determined to continue "running" the protocol because - well, why not?

It's 95 degrees down here (early heat wave) today. Granted, it's only 47% humidity this early in the summer; not too bad, really. (Everything is relative, right?) But it will get a lot hotter as the summer goes on. Disney is still 8 months away. I should have this breathing thing learned by then and my heart rate and aerobic capacity squared away in another two-three months.

All I know is that, *tonight*, the lite bulb went off and running (even at 17:00 pace) felt good. I'm REALLY stoked for running competitively. I can't wait for Disney. And I'm looking forward to seeing what effect my regimen has on my Scuba diving.

Starting Again

Starting something over -- and over -- and over -- and over: you get the picture. Starting Again seems to be a pattern in my life.

The perpetual challenge of losing the last 10 pounds. I've worked on that one at least 4 times in the past 40 years. And currently, as before, in the last 10 years. Ever since female surgery and menopause. (We won't even go there right now.)

Then there's running. I started "jogging" before I entered FBI Academy as a New Agent in 1983. Kinda sorta liked it, but I basically ran back in the 80's because I had to: it was either run or not graduate -- that was not an option. Continued periodic jogging only because I had to run 1.5 miles during bi-annual FIT tests. And jogged with my buddy, Susan, along San Vicente Boulevard in L.A. because it was the trendy thing to do to meet people.

Then started running again when I went back to Academy in 1990. Even got it right that time: really enjoyed running the hills at Quantico and with my students. Trained, ran (and finished in 4:37:54, thank you very much!) the Marine Corps Marathon in November 1990. Ran some more for several years when I got back to LA, including 3 years as a member of Baker to Vegas 126-mile Relay teams, running Leg 14 (a 10K serious uphill), usually at 3:00 a.m.

Gave up running in LA when Susan moved overseas and my left knee really began to ache. Too many hills. No one to run with. No benefits. Lots of excuses. Ran a little here in Ft. Lauderdale with Gianni when we moved to Florida - that lasted only about a year. He's a short-distance sprinter; I'm a long-distance endurance type.

Started back again, the first time, in 2005; running the Couch-to-5K program pretty religiously, until Hurricane Wilma struck on 10/24. Restarted C25K last October, and actually finished it in January, then completed three 5K races. Started pre-Half Marathon training (I'm registered for Disney next January) the first of April with a "Low Heart Rate" regimen. Only to get sick in Las Vegas 10 days ago. Haven't run since.

But I'm Starting Again. Right now. On the way out to the track with my heart rate monitor. YEAH!

Epicurean Delicacies in Tallahassee

Ever heard of "Gator Bites"? A very interesting delicacy that Gianni and I "enjoyed" in the booming metropolis of Fanning Springs, Florida, enroute to his business meeting in Tallahassee. Seemed like a good idea at the time: bite size pieces of alligator meat, deep fried in cornmeal, flour and spicy cajun seasonings. Yum. Actually, the gator bites were better than the pork BBQ sandwich I ate at the wonderfully quaint Huckleberry's cafe.

Seems all I have done during the past few days while here in Tallahassee is eat. I've learned that eating is a real social activity for most people - and a whole lot more important to others than it is to Gianni and to me. That's probably why we usually just sit in front of the TV with a baked potato and veggies (me) and oatmeal (Gianni) for our typical late-night dinner. And we're really happy with that.

Saturday nights might find us enjoying sushi or Italian, or maybe some type of grilled fish and veggies. But, thank goodness, I can honestly say that I now Eat to Live - and not vice versa. Except for Starbucks, of course. Thank goodness I found one nearby the hotel here so I could enjoy my triple grande latte these past two days while Gianni has been hobnobbing with elevator politicos.

I did manage to squeeze in one run the night I arrived here in Tallahassee - around lovely Lake Ella, just north of the Capitol in downtown. It was actually a really great place to run - lots of people and a smooth .6 mile course around the lake. I was advised by locals that it was a "very safe" place to run. And it was. Except for the Muscovy duck who attacked me while I was running on the back side of the lake. These guys are so ugly that they're almost cute. Seems he was really interested in the bread that one guy was tossing out - to the exclusion of anyone in his path. The stupid duck flew/ran right into the back of my left thigh! I kept running, of course, while everyone on the path looked shocked and appalled because it totally stunned the duck and knocked him out momentarily. Can't help but wonder if there's such a delicacy as "duck bites."

(Hopefully) I'll find a place to run in lovely Ocala or Mt. Dora on the way home tonight. I've got to run off some of this food. The trip has been successful in several ways, with great news in my running challenge: I've enticed JP to run Disney Half Marathon with me next January. That will really be fun!

En *courage* ment

It means so much. To have someone Encourage me. I had been unsuccessful in thinking of a good way to start my "E" week until I ran my second 5K race Sunday morning in nearby Central Park. I'm going to need 10 months of en-COURAGE-ment to meet my new goal. Disney Half Marathon, January 10, 2009, 6:00 a.m.

(What I'm really going to need is a kick in the ass to get out of bed at "0-dark:thirty" so that I can be on the race course! I am a NIGHT runner. Oh, wait. I will be running in the dark; I just won't go to bed on Friday night!)

Sunday, I ran the 5K for a great cause, "C.O.P.S." I pick my races carefully, and this one was appropriate since it benefited an organization that honors the fatal sacrifices made by cops and their families. Of course, I didn't get any encouragement from guys on the Plantation PD team; they were too much into competing with each other to even notice I was on the course. Sheesh.

But, rounding the last bend on the lake in Central Park, just before entering the track for a final lap, I was greeted by one lone woman, about my age, who was standing there clapping loudly and shouting out my race number, yelling, "Way to go 84. Looking good! Keep going." Her encouragement meant so much to me. I was still feeling pretty strong at that point and knew I would finish the race. Yet having someone acknowledge my efforts motivated me to run even harder. I finished the race at a pace that was 30 seconds faster per minute than my first 5K just three weeks ago; I did not get injured; and I ran the entire race. I'm proud. (Even came in ahead of some of the PD guys!)

There have been a lot of people in my life who have encouraged and motivated me. This month, especially, En *courage* ment seems to be a theme. A salute herewith to:

• Dr. Frank and his veterinary staff at 9 Lives Cat Hospital for saving and taking such good care of Pooper cat.
• All my on-line Weight Watchers forum friends on the "Been There, Done That" Maintenance Board. A wonderful sisterhood of women struggling with life, families, jobs, and (oh, yes!) weight issues.
• Donna and Nancy: two of the most inspirational, motivational, and genuinely KIND women I know; they are much more than my "bosses" - they are friends.
• Mom and Dad: who have encouraged me in EVERYTHING I do.
  
• Diane: My Amrit yoga teacher, who gently reminds me every week to "be in the moment" and just accept myself for who I am, with no criticism, no judgment (and who allows me to stand on my head in class whenever students are doing other things.)
• Gianni. Always Gianni. He constantly tells me that I am, "THE BEST PIP". But I can never hear it enough. I know that he'll be standing somewhere among the masses at the Finish Line in Epcot next January when I come across the line at Disney - especially since he'll be the one kicking my butt out of bed to be there. That is enough en-COURAGE-ment for me.
  

Pretty Important Personal Things

I cannot believe it's been a week since I've posted anything. And what a week it has been! New computers, more training runs, trip planning, a dead fish and serious vet visits for Pooper cat (telling time later; still too tough to deal with), and more.

Started out last week with helping dad pick out and buy a new PC. (Isn't it always more fun to spend someone else's money?) His new HP system is really slick (especially the monitor), even if the O/S is Windows Vista. I swear I'm gonna upgrade and buy a new laptop someday soon (this one is 5 year ancient!). When I do, I'm seriously considering a MAC! Of course, with dad's new system, I had to try and learn all the nuances of Vista so I could configure it to be "user friendly." That took 4 hours on Saturday, another 2 hours of training today, and we're still not done! But it's a lot of fun, and I really enjoy the quality time with dad.

In between computer stuff, I have been maintaining my training runs. I have another 5K race in 11 days! For anyone reading this who is even remotely interested, my running stats on the left sidebar tell only part of the story (albeit they do show consistency and increased mileage). I'm now trying to run 5 days/week, 15-20 miles total. I still want to run Disney Half Marathon in January 2009.

But today I saw a sign in Starbucks (while buying my triple grande coffee latte) about an ultra marathon, a 100 mile race from Key Largo to Key West, including running the Seven Mile Brige. Now doesn't this look like a lot of fun? Talk about a beautiful course. Why not? Who says I have to run the whole thing? The Inaugural Race is May 18, this year. Well, that's not gonna happen. Who knows about next year? A girl has to have goals, right?

Busy planning two business trips to Tallahassee and Las Vegas (with an Albuquerque side trip to visit Linda). I really want to see the homage to the Beatles, as performed by Cirque du Soleil at the Mirage, but I have to convince Gianni the $150 tickets are worth it (guess I'll be playing those "Slots for Dummies" machines again) and that he can see the show and still have enough sleep time before his meetings.

Coolest thing, though, is my new personalized license plate for the Audi. It came today. Guess you would have to know Gianni and I to understand our nicknames for each other. But this one says it all about me: a diver, a queen angelfish, a dive flag, REEF endorsement, and my nickname.

Self-Competition; Silent Victories

OK. I've been silent too long about it. I kind of wanted to secretly enjoy my "WIN" in the 5K race I ran on Sunday Super Bowl morning. (What a game! Eli Manning was phenomenal; Tom Brady is still one of the best quarterbacks - ever. And the 1972 Miami Dolphins still rock perfect!)

I have now met my first mini-goals, set last October:
1. I am not injured (race nor training).

2. I finished my first 5K race (in 5 years!)

3. I RAN the entire race: for me, no walking allowed.

4. I finished under an 11:00 pace. OK. The "official results" show me at 11:06. But, sheesh .... it took Gianni and I an entire minute to wind our way through the starting line crowd of walkers! So, that's a 33:25 race. A pace of 10:47, by my records.

5. I managed to sprint across the Finish Line - and TWO SECONDS faster than Gianni. I can't believe it. I am SO proud of my husband. But sometimes I really hate men. He's in great shape. Runs (if he thinks about it or feels like it) maybe twice a week -- and then, just around the block (1.4 miles), including a warm-up walk of about 1/4 mile. ..... So, Gianni does NO training for the race. He has not run a 5K distance in 5 years. And he ran BETTER than I did! It's not fair. He even stopped and walked a little in the second half. But he was STILL ahead of me. Until the Finish Line. Tee Hee.

6. Wow. I actually "placed" 7th in my sex/age group. Of course, there were only 25 old ladies like me IN my age group. But anyway. And I don't think the winner's pace is unrealistic for me to meet -- a 9:13 pace is doable. With more training. Speed work. And no injuries.

Next race: Sunday, 2/24. The COPS (Concerns of Police Survivors) Race, right here in lovely Plantation. Running through Central Park and finishing on the track. With a lot of good looking cops and good runners. (Yeah. Like I needed more competition right now.)

Doing. One More "D"

Doing.
Last night I wrote "as if I didn't have enough to do." And that I sometimes had regrets about retiring because "there's a lot of things I could still do."

I remember a time, not too long ago, when I wandered around the house during the day looking for things to do. I think it was probably bounce back from all those years of working 12 hour days (and nights). It's taken me five years since I moved from the ranks of "on duty" to "former"(once an Agent, always an Agent) to find a comfortable place where I simply enjoy doing anything I want. Or, lots of times, when I do nothing. Gianni has helped a lot with that. He's an expert at enjoying himself while doing nothing. That may sound harsh and critical: it's not. I admire him.

Recently, however, I've started agreeing with two of my other "former" friends, Nell and Peggy. There is SO MUCH TO DO these days that I can't find enough time to do it all. An abbreviated list:

TOP 10 THINGS TO DO TODAY:

1. Final edit of yesterday's post; witty repartee comment on my sister's blog (I love a competition!) and this post
2. Answer 6 emails (responding to 6 other TO DO things)
   
3. Breakfast, shower, and pack lunch
   
4. Stop at Starbucks for the usual iced triple grande coffee latte, non-fat, 2 Splendas.
5. PD work: Ah..... the TO DOs are endless. So many new projects, so little time: City Map address verifications; design forms in Adobe; verify criminal State Statute tables; maintain laptop inventory; encourage my boss to "de-stress"
6. Check in on-line with my Weight Watchers group, "Been There Done That," and give/receive motivation
   
7. Run an EASY 2 miles tonight (Sunday is my first 5K race in 5 years!)
8. Finish entering REEF surveys from Cozumel: I still have 4 to upload (and they're a month old!)
9. Watch season premiere of LOST: so excited about this one, I may have to enjoy a glass of champagne in front of the tube, with my feet up after my run, cat curled up on my lap, Gianni snoring on the couch beside me
10. Wake Gianni up from his yoga room stretching and nap and crawl into bed with the latest OPRAH before nodding off to sleep.
    

Chichen Itza

So many C's. So little time. Christmas. Cozumel. Chichen Itza. Claudia (I really owe her a long Chat!)

Where has this week gone?
One week ago today, Tracey, Alexander, Gianni and I were climbing all over the ruins, gazing into ceynotes, Jeep driving through the jungle, and eating grilled Mexican feasts in Tulum.

Today, I'm back to fighting ants, visiting my accountant, working on computer inventories, and (hopefully) running my 2.5 miles tonight. Love my new Audi - but I'm thinking that shifting gears a whole lot during the past few days aggravated a muscle I probably overused while running the other night. And then, of course, I had to do HOT Yoga last night. Which was actually pretty fun. I needed it - for a whole lot of reasons.

Primarily because I keep forgetting to stop and BREATHE. I feel "frantic". About my weight. About getting back into a 5K running schedule. About my yard and all the weeds and plants I need to prune because of the bad weather. About downloading all my dives in my computer. About editing and uploading all my photos from Cozumel (and Utila!) About all the new tasks I've been assigned at the PD. About all the ideas I have and paperwork I need to do for Kat Eyes. About trying to plan our next vacation -- and wondering if anyone really wants to go to St. Vincent; tired of trying to convince people to come along.

So much to do, now that I'm back at home. Must be this New Year thing, plus being away for the holiday. It is so easy to be right back there (at least in my head) --in Cozumel, playing with my friends and Gianni at Punta Sur. Enjoying a wonderful New Year's Eve dinner and Mexican fiesta.

I feel Sooooooo far behind. Cozumel was like living in another world. It was so peaceful and charming. I dream of having a second home there where family/friends can all gather and we can have fun exploring new things together. I love speaking Spanish. I love diving the Cozumel reefs and counting fish. I love the sunsets. I love the friendliness of the Mexican and Mayan people. I love the food - Oh, the margaritas! And the fresh fish. And salsa to die for.

Funny story. Last night in Cozumel we went to dinner at La Chosa and had wonderful chips in their special cheese salsa sauce. It's so special, I bought a bottle -- salsa sauce from La Chosa, NO label, stored in a recycled clear plastic water bottle. And, yup, managed to sneak it in my backpack, under my regulator, past 3 security (2 x-ray machines and a hand check) at the airport in Cozumel. So much for terrorists.

Breathing and Balance

B
Breathe. Breath. Breathing.
So important to remember. Yet so easy to forget.
That's why I had "Breathe" tattooed in Chinese characters on my right shoulder. Just above the Angelfish.

Learning how to breathe efficiently while running was the first test. Really learned that back when I was at the Academy and training for the Marine Corps Marathon. Gosh, that was November 1990! Finished it in 4.5 hours, too. Now relearning running breathing again because I have this insane goal to run Disney Half marathon in January 2009 -- gives me a year to really learn how to breathe.

But yoga is where I have really learned about breathing. Erich Schiffmann. Gianni started studying yoga with him in L.A. in the early 1990s. As usual, I was a little late to the game and didn't start practicing yoga until December 1999. And then I only did it so that Gianni and I could do something together.

Now yoga is really a part of my lifestyle. From "hot yoga" Bikram, to Ashtanga, to Vinyasa and Amrit. Doesn't matter where I do it, when I do it or with whom. Well, actually, it does matter who is teaching. My practice has suffered recently because our yoga studio has suffered growing pains and is now moving. I never realized what a great yoga teacher Erich was until we went to a 3-day workshop with him in Austin, Texas, and then again in Phoenix.

The trick for me now is Breathing. Yoga breath vs. Running breath.
Different. Equally as important.

Breathing and Balance. That's where I'm at now. Trying to find balance in my life. Between running and yoga. Between work and play. Between giving and taking.