a little plein air

 Tiny canvases from a post-work plein air day at the RAL.
3 x 5 and 5 x 7.

Juggling, priorities and the calm before the storm

Some days it's just nearly impossible to do everything you want to do. Some days, it's easier to just head home after work and actively ignore all the little niggling thoughts of....you know, you need to replace the garage keypad and you never did pull those weeds or clean the fridge. How about getting up from watching Arrow and take care of those things? On these kinds of days, my subconscious usually responds with a "oh, shut the hell up and let me relax." I've learned to indulge these moments, because usually what follows is a super productive day with plenty of energy to do everything that needs to be done. Life is short, nothing you "have to do" ever really goes away. There will be time (or not) to do them.

Memorial Day was a huge influx of people, but now it's quiet again. Plenty of parking spaces in town (during the week anyway). These two weeks are the calm before the storm. Schools haven't let out yet, well - some have - so the locals have a little reprieve. BUT, in two weeks, it will be like flipping a switch and the onslaught will begin. It will peak at July 4 and stay strong till mid-August. And it will fly by in the blink of an eye. Now is when my focus becomes sharp, because I want to feel and notice and appreciate every single day of summer, as I know how short it can be. Savor, savor. And I know this summer is going to be a memorable one.

Summer 2015

Well, it's still technically spring (and the temps today certainly felt like it, in the 60's.) But, Memorial Day really kicks off the summer traffic/visitors/banner planes, etc. here in Rehoboth/Lewes. We have the bikers riding 3 and 4 across, against traffic, across trails, you get the idea. Those damned canopy bikes are back, and the stores on the boardwalk are all humming with action. Oh yeah, the meters are up too.

Tomorrow is the Masser 5 miler, the kick off to the summer racing series. I'm not excited about the 7:30 a.m. start time, but it does help to beat the traffic. Sounds like it will be a cool morning too, which will make for pleasant running. Happy weekend!

Kill it with fire.

Today's brain worm.

Why would a woman go to Hooter's....with her husband/boyfriend? Why?

The loves of my life. Happy Mother's Day!

Boston 2015

Well, here's the recap on Boston.

I slept like a baby the night before, even knowing what the weather forecast was calling for. At that point, there's not a thing you can do but suck it up and go.

The race is very well organized, shuttles to Athlete's Village, school busses lined up for an eternity to take everyone to the start line in Hopkinton, a cute little town 26 miles away, of course.

As the gun went off, the skies opened up. So we got to start off wet. There was a steady NE wind (headwind) the whole way, and the temps were in the forties. Not a great combination. The rain was constant the entire race, with some downpours and some times where it was just a sprinkle. I hope the people who wore shorts used lots of Body Glide, as chafing is always an issue in a race, but when your body is wet and exposed, chafing becomes more of a problem.

The photo above is from Wellesley, obviously. The highlight of the race was passing all the Wellesley students who were full of energy, even standing outside in that weather. (I give the spectators big thumbs up, as it was truly a miserable day to be out there.) The moment above is when I saw my friends and my daughter. It was so great to have them there.

The hills in the race, which I heard so much about, were plentiful. They weren't quite as big as I pictured, but they were much, much longer than I anticipated. Heartbreak Hill was pretty much what I expected. What I didn't expect was how shredded my legs would feel from the hills. Usually my hamstrings are what hurt the most after a marathon. After this one, it was quads. My understanding is that was due to the downhills.

I have to say that I was very happy to see the finish line in sight. After mile 13, I felt every mile. My time was not nearly what I hoped for and was my worst marathon time ever, at 4:05. I am just considering all the factors - weather, hills, # of people - and being kind to myself about it. It was an experience, a bucket list item, and something I will always remember, especially having friends and family there to share it with.

Boston Strong! Back to painting!   :)