Polio Purple Pinkie 5k Run

Today I met a few friends for the Polio Purple Pinkie 5k at Bartley Ranch, which was put on by the Rotaract Club. Fellow UNR Wind Symphony alumni trumpeters Andy (well, sometimes trumpet sometimes euphonium) and Ben plus my Team Library Dork member Turi gathered and shivered (well, I shivered) before the race- I was bouncing around ready to get going a good half hour before the horn blew at 9:00. (I ate a piece of toast with almond butter for breakfast, and apparently that is good pre-race food.) There was a pretty good turn out, and everyone was super enthusiastic, especially those putting on the show- this was their first event, and were even painting some of the runners' pinkies with purple nail polish before the race (I didn't though- I didn't notice until just before we started, and figured I'd make a mess of it anyway). Ben, Turi and I kicked off at an easy pace while Andy (with his sub 20 goal, which he changed to sub 25 after we pointed out the hill at the end) was out of sight almost from the start line. We chatted amiably running slightly downhill (weird for me because I've always run this course in the opposite direction, counter-clockwise), knowing that big hill was coming eventually. And when it did come 3/4 of the way through, I put on my low gear and took small steps, but never stopped- passed a lot of other girls though! I felt good, and caught up with Ben and Turi who had gotten ahead of me (their low gear is much faster than mine :) on the downhill. I love me some downhill! The rest of the race was a breeze! I finished with a time of 29:29 in 41st place I think, with Turi just a step behind (and they messed up his time because they had him down for 29:37, with someone in between us!). I felt so good I didn't want to stop running, and so talked Ben and Andy into jogging another 5 minutes (Turi had lots of errands and so jetted home right after the finish), but then they left too and I ended up running the loop and the hill (still backwards) two more times. I didn't do the full 5k, but did the shorter loop instead. Total, I'd say I ran about 6 miles and one full hour. Not a bad workout! We forgot to take a group picture, so I took a mediocre self-photo when I finished my run(s). Feeling good! :)

The Hound of the Baskervilles

The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was my first Sherlock Holmes novel, and I quite enjoyed it! I loved the language and the creative devices used to solve the murder, even though I figured out the culprit as soon as the figure was introduced (don't want to spoil it for anyone!). However, there were two things at the end I didn't quite predict, and that's what kept me on my proverbial toes!

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Mighty Minds!

Sean and Ashton practiced for their second grade musical, Mighty Minds, for several months, and the production was impressive indeed! Sean landed one of the lead roles. There was a Mighty Science Mind, Mighty Math Mind, Mighty History Mind, Mighty Spelling Mind, and the most important role in this musical (in my mind anyway!), Mighty Music Mind! Guess which one Sean was? You guessed right. Sean has too much music running in his family's blood to not land the role of Mighty Music Mind! Can you tell yet that I'm a proud Mama? Just wait. He had the best costume out of all the lead roles- Kevin brought home a small Galena High School marching band jacket, shako (that's the hat) and a mace. And the jacket fit him! Well, I had to roll up the sleeves, but he filled out that uniform like a pro. I can't believe how fast these boys are growing!

Anyway, back to the musical. Ashton also did a superb job- each of the second grade classes took a turn singing a different song, and he was placed front and center (although not on a mike). Ashton is wearing the red shirt with grey sleeves- they were supposed to dress as regular kids in school, while the Mighty Minds came in to save the day and give them confidence in school and on their tests- to show all the students how smart they are! Here is a picture of his class:

And a closer one of Ashton, in the middle again:

Here is a little video clip of Ashton's class singing Test Anxiety:

And next up, Sean to save the day! Here he is with Mighty Math Mind (I don't know why he is wearing a Hawaiian shirt either):

A close up of Sean- he was an amazing performer! He was confident, stood up straight and tall, and sang and spoke loudly and clearly! And that kid can sing too- his pitch was right on, and his movements were precise and clear. I wish I was half the soloist he is, at 7. Yes, again the proud Mom in me is glowing again. :) He was so cute up there, and I could tell that he was roasting under the lights with his shako on. He kept pushing it up, and then ended up taking it off at the very end. The mace didn't last past the first few minutes of the show. I think the music teacher was afraid he'd whack someone with it on accident. Oh well. No one could deny that Sean's was the best costume up there.

And a short wobbly little clip of his brilliance (sorry, I was also holding my video camera (I did record pretty much the entire show if you want to see that too!), and that was a little challenging):

Here are both of my little stars after the show, holding their flowers from their equally (almost) proud teachers. Oh my boys!

Saturday Trail Run

Today I got up and didn't feel particularly like running, even though I am actually home on a rare Saturday (concert later at Nightingale Hall at UNR- the alumnae Wind Symphony is playing a free concert at 3:00 if anyone is interested!). So I cleaned my house for a good hour and a half when I got up (which means, only about 2/3 of the downstairs. HA.). I was starting to go stir crazy after finding 2 broken umbrellas (hidden, thanks boys), so I stretched and headed out the back door to visit my favorite trail, Jones Whites Creek Trail, which starts about a quarter mile from my house. And guess what? I had the best trail run ever! For the first time, I didn't stop (it's all uphill from my house- a lovely windy, rocky, muddy technical trail)! I went slow on the steep parts and kept my breathing even. I gave my rock a proper hello and plowed up the steepest part of the trail that always knocks the wind out of me.

I kept going past the furthest point I've ever run on this trail, and only stopped for 20 seconds to look around to take in the view from up there. Then I zoomed back home for a total time of 66 minutes, which is a half mile longer than this exact same run I did last weekend, but only 4 more minutes in time. I'm proud of me! I hope I can keep it up- it was a lovely mind-clearing run. The best kind.

Pogonip

Back in early February we got lots of fog and freezing temperatures. What does this combination create? Pogonip! Also known as hoarfrost and a particular circumstance to this side of the country it seems. When I peeked outside that morning (sorry, don't remember the exact date), I was excited to see the pogonip that had formed on all the flora around my house. I grabbed my camera and raced outside in my jim-jams, big coat and boots to snap a few shots before it melted. I recommend on clicking on each photo to make it BIG. :)

A close up:

Another close up:

Beautiful. We haven't had freezing fog like this since the winter of 2004 or 2005? Anyone else remember? I took pictures of it then too. Just wanted to share these with ya~