Hannah is gone. Good bye, sweet girl. You will always be in my heart.
Words cannot do my feelings justice.
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| Hannah through the years August 5, 1994 - March 15, 2011 |
Showing posts with label dogs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dogs. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Wilmington YMCA Sprint photos
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| Sign from Two Wheeler Dealer, a local bike shop in Wilmington that hosted packet pickup |
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| Photo of the swim course. I took this picture from Sea Path, the swim finish. The swim started at Blockade Runner. Note the arrow pointing to the start. |
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| My awesome support team! |
Monday, March 1, 2010
Crystal Coast half marathon
As I was training for the Disney World Half Marathon, I decided that I wanted to run the Coach Bubba 20k in February. I remembered seeing posters advertising the race last year and I thought that it would be a good local event. I put myself on their e-mail list so that I would know when registration for the event opened and was surprised when I received an e-mail saying that the event was canceled. I was really bummed. I planned to do the Frostbite bike ride and I didnt' have a lot of off season weekends to fit in another long run. Then the Frostbite was canceled as well and I decided to run the Crystal Coast Half Marathon in Morehead City on February 27th. Morehead City is more local than Orlando but less local than Durham. I found a hotel that allowed pets and DH and I packed up the crew for the event.
After having dinner at Luigi's, we relaxed in the hotel and watched the Olympics.
On Saturday morning, DH dropped me off at the start. Unlike Disney, this race started at a sensible time -- 8:00. I picked up my timing chip and headed over to the start/finish line near Sanitary Fish Market and Restaurant.
The first four miles of the course was a lap of Morehead City, much of it along the waterfront. Then over the big bridge (over the intracoastal waterway so big enough to let the tall ships under it), then down to Fort Macon and back over the bridge and back to downtown Morehead City. The first eight miles went really well. When I got to Fort Macon I was ready to be done. Not tired exactly, just ready to be done. I got a second wind at about the tenth mile. It was about then that I realized that I was really going to make my goal. I had been a little worried about crossing the bridge the second time. Mile 11 was at the crest of the bridge. That sounded potentially bad. I kept on telling myself that two things -- the bridge isn't that bad and it's all downhill after mile 11. As runners exited the bridge, there was a group of people cheering for us. That was very nice and encouraging. Then we ran a very long straightaway and turned to the finish line. I completed the race in 1:57:59.
The event was well supported, water every 2 miles, lots of police and volunteers. Afterward they had nice snacks -- Girl Scout cookies and Panera bagels. Oh yeah, and bananas. The medal is nice too!
The race went well and I am happy and I would do it again.
As usual, I checked the weather forecast with increasing frequency as the date of the event approached. As of Friday morning it looks like mid to high 30s to start and low 40s at the finish with a 10-15 mph wind from the west. WeatherBug and Weather.com agree on 39-44 but AccuWeather predicts a 36 at the start and 48 at the finish. (It was actually about 40 degrees at the start and 50 degrees at the finish.)
DH and I each took a half day of vacation and on Friday afternoon we loaded up the Fit and headed to Morehead City with the Girls. After we checked into the hotel, we went to Atlantic Beach and let the Girls run on the beach and then picked up my race packet.
DH and I each took a half day of vacation and on Friday afternoon we loaded up the Fit and headed to Morehead City with the Girls. After we checked into the hotel, we went to Atlantic Beach and let the Girls run on the beach and then picked up my race packet.
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| Emma runs on the beach |
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| Hannah and Emma |
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| Hannah waits for someone to throw a ball |
After having dinner at Luigi's, we relaxed in the hotel and watched the Olympics.
On Saturday morning, DH dropped me off at the start. Unlike Disney, this race started at a sensible time -- 8:00. I picked up my timing chip and headed over to the start/finish line near Sanitary Fish Market and Restaurant.
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| Morehead City Waterfront |
The first four miles of the course was a lap of Morehead City, much of it along the waterfront. Then over the big bridge (over the intracoastal waterway so big enough to let the tall ships under it), then down to Fort Macon and back over the bridge and back to downtown Morehead City. The first eight miles went really well. When I got to Fort Macon I was ready to be done. Not tired exactly, just ready to be done. I got a second wind at about the tenth mile. It was about then that I realized that I was really going to make my goal. I had been a little worried about crossing the bridge the second time. Mile 11 was at the crest of the bridge. That sounded potentially bad. I kept on telling myself that two things -- the bridge isn't that bad and it's all downhill after mile 11. As runners exited the bridge, there was a group of people cheering for us. That was very nice and encouraging. Then we ran a very long straightaway and turned to the finish line. I completed the race in 1:57:59.
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| Start/finish line near Sanitary |
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| The final block... |
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| After the race |
The event was well supported, water every 2 miles, lots of police and volunteers. Afterward they had nice snacks -- Girl Scout cookies and Panera bagels. Oh yeah, and bananas. The medal is nice too!
The race went well and I am happy and I would do it again.
Friday, February 26, 2010
February Wrap Up
More snow and more snow pictures
We had our second snow of the year on February 13. The Girls enjoyed the snow again. The first snow of the year always gets them more excited but our February snow was fluffier and better for making snow balls.
Valentine's Day
The Girls celebrated Valentine's Day with a new heart shaped pillow bed from Target.
Jury Duty -- or not
I was called for jury duty. In preparation, I got the first book the the Twilight series, thinking that was the right level of escapism for the waiting involved in jury duty. I called in as instructed and was not needed for the first week. I ready Twilight and New Moon that week and started Eclipse week 2. I called again and found out that I was not needed for jury duty after all. I went ahead and finished Eclipse and read Breaking Dawn to wrap of the series.
Training
From a training standpoint, this month involved getting my foot better after minor foot surgery on January 12th and an additional procedure on February 5th. My foot has shown considerable improvement. Through all of this I have been training for my second half marathon, the Crystal Coast half marathon in Morehead City on February 27th.
Bike riding has been more difficult to get in this winter since we have had terrible weather many weekends. That has meant a lot of work outs on the bike trainer when I would rather have been riding outside. I have found it a lot easier to run outside in bad weather than it is to ride outside in similar conditions. I've also been doing some swimming this winter. Hopefully I'll be prepared when the season starts!
We had our second snow of the year on February 13. The Girls enjoyed the snow again. The first snow of the year always gets them more excited but our February snow was fluffier and better for making snow balls.
Valentine's Day
The Girls celebrated Valentine's Day with a new heart shaped pillow bed from Target.
Jury Duty -- or not
I was called for jury duty. In preparation, I got the first book the the Twilight series, thinking that was the right level of escapism for the waiting involved in jury duty. I called in as instructed and was not needed for the first week. I ready Twilight and New Moon that week and started Eclipse week 2. I called again and found out that I was not needed for jury duty after all. I went ahead and finished Eclipse and read Breaking Dawn to wrap of the series.
Training
From a training standpoint, this month involved getting my foot better after minor foot surgery on January 12th and an additional procedure on February 5th. My foot has shown considerable improvement. Through all of this I have been training for my second half marathon, the Crystal Coast half marathon in Morehead City on February 27th.
Bike riding has been more difficult to get in this winter since we have had terrible weather many weekends. That has meant a lot of work outs on the bike trainer when I would rather have been riding outside. I have found it a lot easier to run outside in bad weather than it is to ride outside in similar conditions. I've also been doing some swimming this winter. Hopefully I'll be prepared when the season starts!
Friday, February 5, 2010
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
More Biltmore photos
Hannah and Emma had a great time at Biltmore. I took a lot of photos -- more than were appropriate for yesterday's post.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Mountain Vacation
Last week DH and I went to the North Carolina mountains for a vacation. We rented a cabin in Bryson City near the Deep Creek entrance to the Smoky Mountain National Park. We were sure to get a place that allowed dogs so we could bring the Girls.
The first night there we went to dinner at Relia's Garden at the NOC. The next day I went running the the Great Smoky Mountain National Park and then we did the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad thing. Some of the views from the train were really great but there sure is a lot of kudzu out there! Yikes!
After the train ride, we took the Girls on a short hike to see some of the local waterfalls and explore the Deep Creek area. Hannah and Emma enjoyed that very much. Hannah got into the water and had a blast.
The next day I was able to bike up to the Blue Ridge Parkway and ride on it some. I found a route from Motion Makers bike shop in Sylva that went from Sylva to Waterrock Knob. I thought I could do that in the time allowed (the training plan was for 2 to 2.5 hours). Well, I got to within about 3 miles of my goal and decided that I may have been looking at a 3 hour ride rather than a 2.5 hour ride since I had already been on the road for 90 minutes. I decided to turn around. Almost immediately, I realized that I could probably have gone on without going too far over. It took about 55 minutes for the return trip and that was with a wrong turn that involved a heart rate of 195 (when my max was supposedly 194!) Oh, the other five minutes was just looping around the one way streets in Sylva so it was close to 2.5 hours. I calculated over 4100 climbing feet.
While I was riding, DH met up with some friends to go kayaking on the Pigeon. I hurried back to the cabin to get the Girls and then we had Girls Adventure Day. I took them to Mountain Dog Bakery in Dillsboro. The original plan was for us to go wading in the Tuckasegee River but it started to pour out so we scrapped that plan. Instead we went to Greater Bryson City and relaxed and then explored the Road to Nowhere before meeting up with DH for dinner.
During our final full day in the mountains, we went to Biltmore. DH and I toured the house while the Girls were at a kennel and then we picked them up and took them through the gardens. We wrapped up the day with dinner at Ironstone in Sylva.
We rounded out our vacation with an O.A.R. concert near home.
It was a great week!
The first night there we went to dinner at Relia's Garden at the NOC. The next day I went running the the Great Smoky Mountain National Park and then we did the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad thing. Some of the views from the train were really great but there sure is a lot of kudzu out there! Yikes!
After the train ride, we took the Girls on a short hike to see some of the local waterfalls and explore the Deep Creek area. Hannah and Emma enjoyed that very much. Hannah got into the water and had a blast.
The next day I was able to bike up to the Blue Ridge Parkway and ride on it some. I found a route from Motion Makers bike shop in Sylva that went from Sylva to Waterrock Knob. I thought I could do that in the time allowed (the training plan was for 2 to 2.5 hours). Well, I got to within about 3 miles of my goal and decided that I may have been looking at a 3 hour ride rather than a 2.5 hour ride since I had already been on the road for 90 minutes. I decided to turn around. Almost immediately, I realized that I could probably have gone on without going too far over. It took about 55 minutes for the return trip and that was with a wrong turn that involved a heart rate of 195 (when my max was supposedly 194!) Oh, the other five minutes was just looping around the one way streets in Sylva so it was close to 2.5 hours. I calculated over 4100 climbing feet.
While I was riding, DH met up with some friends to go kayaking on the Pigeon. I hurried back to the cabin to get the Girls and then we had Girls Adventure Day. I took them to Mountain Dog Bakery in Dillsboro. The original plan was for us to go wading in the Tuckasegee River but it started to pour out so we scrapped that plan. Instead we went to Greater Bryson City and relaxed and then explored the Road to Nowhere before meeting up with DH for dinner.
During our final full day in the mountains, we went to Biltmore. DH and I toured the house while the Girls were at a kennel and then we picked them up and took them through the gardens. We wrapped up the day with dinner at Ironstone in Sylva.
We rounded out our vacation with an O.A.R. concert near home.
It was a great week!
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Outer Banks 2009
We made our regular May Outer Banks trip with the girls. On Friday drove to Manteo for lunch and then went to the beach. Both Hannah and Emma had a great time on the beach. We stayed at our regular campground. On Saturday morning DH went kayak surfing while I rode my bike. The cycling options are limited. You can go north on NC 12 or south on NC 12. It was extremely windy that weekend and I had the pleasure of riding into a 20+ mph wind for the first part of my ride. The good news is the tailwind on the way back. The wind was not quite as bad on Sunday.
On Saturday afternoon went to Ocracoke. This involved a 40 minute ferry ride from Hatteras to Ocracoke. The Girls usually love the ferry but on the way there, it was so windy they were not comfortable. On the return trip, however, Emma adopted a girl and trained her to pet her the entire way back. Yes, 40 minutes of undivided attention. Emma was very pleased.
While on Ocracoke we saw a shop called Ride the Wind. Since I know someone with a blog called Ride the Wind so I took some pictures. We walked around the village and stopped at a neat coffee shop and did a little shopping (a very little, we had the Girls with us after all!)
Since we went south on Saturday we headed north on Sunday. Our main destination was the Corolla Lighthouse and a picnic at the Whalehead Club there.
As always, we had a great time. I look forward to my next trip to the Outer Banks. It's a very special place.
On Saturday afternoon went to Ocracoke. This involved a 40 minute ferry ride from Hatteras to Ocracoke. The Girls usually love the ferry but on the way there, it was so windy they were not comfortable. On the return trip, however, Emma adopted a girl and trained her to pet her the entire way back. Yes, 40 minutes of undivided attention. Emma was very pleased.
While on Ocracoke we saw a shop called Ride the Wind. Since I know someone with a blog called Ride the Wind so I took some pictures. We walked around the village and stopped at a neat coffee shop and did a little shopping (a very little, we had the Girls with us after all!)
Since we went south on Saturday we headed north on Sunday. Our main destination was the Corolla Lighthouse and a picnic at the Whalehead Club there.
As always, we had a great time. I look forward to my next trip to the Outer Banks. It's a very special place.
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