Poineer Days 10K Race Report

 Summer isn't all about hang in out on the rocks

 or playing at the beach

 or even all about berry picking or eating

 Or even about summer reading...although if asked to recommend a good book....

It would be "Lyle Lyle Crocodile" all the way.

 It's also about community and parades and racing...as fast as you can.

Mamma promised she'd take me racing ...I train non stop.

Jersey pockets are great to fill with parade candy...Which reminds me ...I think my Mom threw it away!

When race morning rolled around I was ready. I had everything I needed. My number, my Georgie, and my jersey. It was a hilly course so I wore the polka dot jersey, I paired it with polka dot pants for good measure. 

 I thought a dum dum sucker had just the right amount of sugar to fuel me to a good 10K.

 I chose "Frog and Toad " by Arthur Lobel to blast from my red Jambox speaker. My Mom also gave me a cow bell to ring to cheer all the racers.

 Turns out we make a pretty fast team.... 44:45 for 10 k (so maybe the course was a hair short)

 A medal worthy performance still

 Muffins and girl power ....Says it all!

 Maybe if my Mom didn't run with a 33 puns kid, 23 lbs stroller and 3 lbs of gear she could have finished faster....but this photo says exactly this: In this moment there is no place I would rather be!

Independence Day

 Ah ... the 4th of July. Does it mark the beginning of the summer or is it a warning that summer is going to go buy quickly.

 In honor of Independence Day my Mom took her big girl bike (6 inches of suspension) for a solo ride on the trails less traveled. Just because you leave home alone does not me you are alone in the forest.

I'm pretty sure my Mom had to slip these guys a fiver to pass without an ordeal. Alway keep the gnomes of the forest on your side.

Hi -Ho, Hi-Ho, it's around the pond we go.....By way of rocks and granite, roots and trees.

And so now you see why six inches of suspension are involved...what did we do in the time before seat droppers and disc brakes?

Yes... the midwest is flat. We are in Superior Land!

Around here it is eat or be eaten

A picture is worth 1000 words. A selfie costs 100 bug bites.

Don't worry Mamma made it out of the woods in time for a 4th of July gathering, to which I wore my 4th of July dress for the 3rd straight year....Can I make a go at #4?It started a maxi dress next year  it might be a mini dress. I'm so en vogue.

 Even rain can't cramp my style. People ask how what I think of the weather Mother Nature brings about?

I can't complain because she gives me plenty of opportunities to accessorize. Recently I read you should look in the mirror and take one thing off. In this peninsula I'd advise looking at the thermometer and putting three things on.

 You are probably wondering if my Mom brought home any of those blueberries for me to eat?

 The answer would be no...but you know this generation and their need for snacks

 So the next day we hiked back and picked all the ripe berries we could find.

 Ker plink, ker plink, ker plunk...the sound of the blueberries going into the bucket

 My life reads...

Just like the book "Blueberries For Sal" by Robert Mckloskey. Read it if you can.

Summer Solstice!

Seasons change. Days grow long and then they get short again. So when the sunshines the sky is the limit and I challenge you to live every minute to the limit.

It's ok if you can't keep up with me! I go 100 mph until I drop.

Although on Wednesday morning I have found a group just my speed. Summer runs are social fun! In a few years I'll get to ride my bike for the 7 mile loop.

Summer is also the season turtles are on the move. My Dad rescued one from highway 41.

I fed him strawberries, blueberries, and hiked back to the waterfall to release him to find his family.

At the time, I was very proud of my efforts in the rescue and release program. A bit later I realized that my turtle was gone and I wanted him back. The fact that he swam away as quickly as possible was a bit of a bitter pill to swallow. I was a bit sad, however our relationship was good while it lasted. For the record, my turtles name is "Georgie" in honor of Curious George. Thank God I didn't name him Elmo, Hello Kitty, or Sponge Bob. 

Trails Fest 2014

Recently my parents participated in the NTN trails festival weekend. 

 It was basically a weekend of celebrity the awesome trails our town has to offer. You can hike them, bike them, ride them, run them, or race them. Race them in many ways. Races were held to generate some money to build more trails. There were options to race XC, dual slalom, enduro, and a trail run.

 Thanks to my Grandparents well timed visit my parents didn't have to pick  one they picked them all. By the end of the weekend my parents accumulated a lot of hardware and a lot of aches and pains. It's an awesome opportunity to stretch your talents, experience, and limits and to sleep in your own bed the night before a race. Think global, race local, and have a jolly good time. That's my Mom, wearing her big girl pants and getting caught with her pants down as Cooper pulls ahead.  In the dual slalom there are no age categories and no classes. My Mom used to help Cooper buckle her ski boots and onto the chairlift when Cooper was my age and now Cooper is a pro rider. What does that tell you? The ski is the limit for me.

 Well almost all the events. I'm spilling the beans they did not compete in the downhill and they only raced the 5K trail run when in truth they really could have done the 1/2 marathon the morning of their Enduro bike race. I don't know what they were thinking the 1/2 marathon only went up the ski hill once and a summited a mtn climb that takes 8 minutes to pedal a bike up. Wimps!

 Grandpa was quick to get started on a project. A playhouse it will be. I mean if the chicks goat chicken coop shouldn't I have a playhouse.

 It's not quite finished but that hasn't dampened my tea parties. Come on over, lemon tea is my specialty.

Look at my digs. If my LA landlord could see me now. 

Thanks Marquette Photo for taking the amazing photos we were able to post to Facebook. I'm sorry I couldn't upload them to the blog, but you make my parents look like super stars and forever they will hang on the basement wall with glory.  I say cheers to that.

Daddy Daughter Date

This weekend my Mom took the opportunity to road trip to Cable/Hayward Wisconsin with a couple of other Mom's to race their mountain bikes. 

The Mom's may have been at a Wisco Disco  but I had a Daddy Daughter date!

 Don't worry I didn't do anything out of the ordinary...You know the usual. Play at the beach ..naked..with icebergs.

 But like a weekend in Vegas..What goes on in Vegas stays in Vegas. So a few things may have happened while Mama was at the Wisco Disco I may have sipped Root Beer at the Boarder Grill

I may have eaten a little frozen yogurt or a lot. I suppose you want an update on my Mom's race. I'll keep it short and sweet because my fro yo is melting. The race course and company were top notch. My Mom felt a little like the person who pulled an all nighter studying for a final as the trails were soaked with snow less than 3 weeks ago. She didn't feel super confident about pushing to the front of the line up for the roll out ok she was in line for the porta potty. Leaving the start she was boxed in bad choices ) and by the time she got to the single track it was like waiting in line for the Walmart cashier to ring you up. By the way, the person in front of you has a coupon but they just have to find it.  Racing tight turn single track for 32 of the 34 miles is awesome but it is hard to pass until the second half. Many lessons learned mucho ego deflated .This is not a marathon, triathlon, nor a race on wide open pavement. If you don't get out in good position in a race like this it is over in terms of racing because you are on the brakes or off the bike even while the contenders are riding ahead of the traffic jam and in the end it only your own fault. Oh frustration station ! A times like this I think "Oh What would Pete the Cat Say?"

I am sure he'd say move it along. "Move it along! Move it along! When on race day we fail, we move it along!"