Before the leg injury…we took a last minute short but sweet little getaway to Bend, Oregon with our puppies, Theo & Rosie last month. I am so grateful for that magical, soul nourishing run along the beautiful Deschutes river! I hold that in my heart as motivation and inspiration to heal completely and comeback stronger than ever.

I have to honest though, I wake up sad at the thought I’m no longer running Boston this year and the road to recovery means I won’t be able to try to requalify in time for Boston 2025. I feel better once I begin to move though. I’m swimming (and I am surprised I actually enjoy it and feel strong doing it), doing upper body cardio in a high altitude room, strength training, and PT. I now have time to talk my loved ones and friends into trying to qualify with me so we can run and experience the Boston marathon together!

#signaturelabradoodlesnapshots
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Here we go - first swim session post tibia injury! I was instructed to use a pull buoy between my legs for a few weeks so that I mainly use my upper body.

In the past while I did swim a fair amount and even competed in high school on a recreation club team, I was usually in the bottom half of finishing. I received more than one “best sport” awards in my life 🤷🏻‍♀️.

That said, before I qualified for the Boston marathon last year, while I have been mostly active all my life, I was never anything very remarkable. I can’t say I’m remarkable at anything except loving but I am persistent! Perhaps I’ll get better at swimming now and consider triathlons in my future.

I have an aunt turning 100 this year. I always admired how active she has been all her life. She still lives independently, although she does have family watching out for her. We live on separate coasts so I don’t see her much but think of her often and am in awe of her.

Any swimming tips are welcome!
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Last month when I was snowshoeing with some friends, we were discussing how regular tissues don’t really work well when it’s wet and cold outside - plus, what to do with the used ones? Similar when doing long runs in the cold. One of our friends, @3grigsby, suggested using cloth hankies. Great idea! After all, thats what our parents/grandparents did - and my dad still does! He always has one in his pocket and not just for nose blowing - there’s often times a cloth would be useful.

I found these really cool organic mini ones on Etsy - easy to carry in a side pouch or pocket when doing sports or whatever your needs. The little bag has a zipper on both sides, one side for clean and one side for dirty. The dirty side has a grey zipper and is waterproof!

As we as a human race are doing what we can to be earth friendly by reusing/recycling and producing less waste, this is an easy step to take!

Do you use cloth hankies?
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Funny thing happened “for me” (?!) today…

a random dog peed on ME and my brand new recovery boot this morning! 🤣🤷🏻‍♀️

The “incident” happened when we were at a dog park on this exceptionally lovely day. I was sitting on a rock (sporting my new recovery boot for this tibial stress injury I’m currently dealing with), with my face in my phone, tracking my oldest son, @nmkef - running in the LA Marathon, while Tony threw the ball for our 2 puppies.

I’ve been working on shifting my perspective when thinking about/addressing challenges I face as “why is this happening FOR me?” vs “why is this happening TO me?” And looking for the “gifts” in challenges as my friend, @laura.coleman27 puts it.

Hmmm…why did a dog pee on me and my recovery boot!? What is the gift here?

Perhaps it was a message about being present with the ones I am with?! Maybe pay better attention to my surroundings?! Or - perhaps I needed some humor and a good laugh to get me out of my head?!

My heart and soul was with my oldest son, Nick, running his first marathon - a state away. I was so excited for him and wished I was there cheering him on and seeing him cross the finish line! (Which he did and, and did it exceptionally well!).

I believe there is some truth in all of it and I think perhaps I really needed a good laugh?!! 🤣🤷🏻‍♀️

It turns out that I had to hurry home and change, clean myself up, clean my boot and get myself to a much needed Reiki share with @terryloujordan - one of the most incredible people I know. My story of being peed on started us off with a good laugh when honestly some more serious challenges are being faced by others. We all agreed that humor really helps get us through challenging times.

Do you think of challenges in this way? Looking for the gifts, lessons? It seems hard in the toughest circumstances though. Does humor help you too?

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! 🍀
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My first workout for rehab/recovery of this left tibia stress injury.

Just finished up an hour of upper body cardio on the Versa climber with a seat/feet on a stool, an air bike using my arms only, and the Ski Erg sitting on a stool.

I’ll also be swimming with a pull buey (to limit kicking), doing upper body strength training and core work, and eventually I’ll bring in lower body work.

This is in the Altitude Training Room at @evolution_healthcare_fitness in Portland. Why altitude training? Here’s what I copied from evolutionhealthcareandfitness.com:

“Scientifically Backed Benefits
Altitude training conducted in an oxygen deficient (hypoxic) environment and is pursued for many reasons. Most commonly, it is utilized as a tool to trigger physiological changes in the body that are aimed at improving performance. The body’s most basic physiological response to a lack of oxygen is an increase in EPO (erythropoietin) and a resultant increase in red blood cells. Red blood cells deliver oxygen to the body, thus the increased number of red blood cells leads to improved oxygen delivery. Some of the most noteworthy scientifically backed research indicates:
* Improved performance
* Improved aerobic fitness
* Increased strength
* Pre-acclimation to high altitude locations
* Accelerated recovery and return from injuries
* Maintenance of fitness while injured
* Increased fat metabolism
* Increased mitochondria production
* Increased energy production
* Increased capillary density
* Increased oxygen delivery”
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Sadly, I’m having to pull out of the Boston Marathon. I’ve got a Grade 3 medial tibial stress injury with ‘possible’ anterior tibial fracture component. 6-8 week rehab/recovery before running. I’ll be in a boot 2-4 weeks.

I’m of course bummed but I’m also very okay. The journey (training for the Boston) has been a gift beyond measure for me: running/connecting with friends, pushing my fitness, being outside in the beautiful Northwest, non-stop learning about the sport, and more. There are much bigger things to be upset about. I’m grateful to have a strong, healthy, resilient body and know that I’ll be even stronger after rehab!

I’m receiving care from @brad_farra DC, CCSP, CSCS
Certified Chiropractic Sports Physician & Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (I mispoke and said “health and conditioning coach” in my video - oops) at evolution_healthcare_fitness (Evolution Healthcare & Fitness) in Portland. I really resonate with his methods and appreciate that he’s also a badass athlete!

Day 1, here we go!
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“Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you; spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life.” — Amy Poehler ...

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@laura.coleman27 is the best! She’s in a recovery boot but is still out there riding my pace in the cold and rain (and a bit of wind) for me because that’s who she is. She shows up for people! She cheers us on (& is known to glam us up with a sparkle skirts & @rungoodr sunglasses to match our attire) and if we get injured she will use her magical recovery trainer superpowers so you barely miss a beat!

Two of our other friends joined us for a good part of the run too, @dori.olmsted & @portlandcarol. @schuler_tiffany is often with us running these long miles. Better together. Doing hard things, running in nature witnessing bald eagles, the river, the forests, the majestic mountain view’s and more with great conversations and a lot of badassery. I feel immense appreciation. Thank you, ladies! You are my favorite part of training!
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Snow shoe day with these lovely strong badass women! We are so lucky to have access to the grandeur and adventure of Mount Hood just 90 minutes away from Portland. We missed our friends who couldn’t join us though! ...

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Small, simple, thoughtful gesture = HUGE impact. Thank you, Mira (@theingredientguru)!

Mira has such a magnificent soul and I am certain all those who know her would agree. I love the idea that her church implemented - they created a blessing board for people to post for others and to take. Mira shared one of the blessings with me and sent it in with a beautiful note that touched my heart is such a profound way.

Many of us are so unsure about why we are here and what are purpose is…I believe what Mira did for me with this sweet gesture is it…lifting others up, spreading kindness, sharing love.

Also, the beautiful card was made from a photo she took in South Dakota. I think it’s the Badlands? You’ll have to let me know, Mira! I love it and will always treasure both…and especially you! ❤️🙏😘🤗
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The best homemade carnitas and handmade tortillas. Homemade pickled red onions. All made my husband, Tony! Total comfort food for me!

We are very diligent about choosing our pork. We always choose humanely treated, even better pastured raised, best being a local farm.

Pork is an excellent source of a complete and amino acid rich protein, vitamins and minerals including thiamin (more than other red meats), B6 & B12 (essential for brain function & blood cell formation), phosphorus, and iron (in both heme and non-heme forms - heme iron has a higher rate of absorption than non heme iron and is only found in animal foods - iron is important for energy, muscle function, brain development, and your body also needs iron to make some hormones), zinc (helps your immune system fight off invading bacteria and viruses, is essential to make DNA, helps repair the cells that line your intestinal tract, is needed for wound repair and much more) and selenium (essential for proper thyroid function, reproduction, protecting the body from damage caused by free radicals and infection infection and more).
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