Thoughts From The Duck

So this spring, I attempted to set myself up for success.  I realized what I was missing here out in the woods was a community of folks to cheer me on.  So I asked friends to sign up for a week to be my check in person.  Their job was to make sure that I was working out and eating.  This was a humbling experience as many folks came forward to take the job for a week at a time.  The cheerleader part of this plan worked splendidly.  I did not. A few weeks in, I caught a cold and/or had some serious allergies, so that put me out for over a week.  Around the same time, the crazy pace of camp came back, which made running more of a challenge.  The nail in the coffin was some rain.  I run on trails, by myself, and I slip when there is no mud.  I didn't want to hurt myself, and have to get myself home. So, what did I learn this time around? 1. I have pretty awesome friends who send me food (literally) and play lists, and support me when I n...

Spring is springing here at camp!  It's beautiful.  Everything is becoming green again.  It's been raining a lot, which has been desperately needed. Apparently, this spring, I am obsessed with birds hatching.  I have watched the Decorah Eagle Cam at least once a day, to see how the eaglets are doing. BUT, close to home, there is goose nest down at the lake.  Mom and Dad are both at the nest.  At last check there were three eggs in the nest.  (My estimation: The eggs should hatch at the end of April.)  It's super stressful to be watching this whole process.  A couple nights ago, around 10 pm, I was walking Jack before bed, and I heard the geese honking up a storm.  I got super worried.  I tried to get Jack to bark, but he wouldn't cooperate. I wish I could put a webcam up similar to the Eagle cam.  I also learned that geese lose their flight feathers when they nest, so they can't escape a predator.  I hav...

So here's the job description for the week for my cheerleaders.  I still need a couple more. Job Title: Anita’s Cheerleader Classification: Seasonal Purpose: To make sure that Anita trains between now and Memorial Day, 2011 Essential Job Functions: 1. Be aware of Anita’s goals and keep her accountable to her training goals for the week. 2. From afar (or a-close, depending on where you live), cheer for her in whatever way you know how (e.g.:Facebook messages, e-mails, postcards, etc.) 3. Suggest a playlist for the week for her to listen to while she runs. Qualifications: 1. The ability to use the phone, computer, pen and paper 2. The ability to encourage Compensation Anita will equally cheer you on for whatever is going on that week. Postcards. Definitely postcards.

This past weekend, I was talking to my friend Lauren and LK. I was telling stories about living in the woods. Lauren suggested that I blog some of the funny/interesting things that happen to me while living in the woods. It's quite different living out here. For example: When I was in the city this past weekend, the first thing I heard when I got out of the car was police sirens. That scared me, as it's been weeks since I've heard sirens. With that being said, here's a story from a couple weeks ago: Jack and I set out on our morning walk. Soon, we heard this shriek, and Jack let out this echoing bark. I turned to look in the field, and there were two tom turkeys fighting for dominance. Around the toms were a circle of hens, watching the fight. It was turkey fight club. The fighting stopped, and the toms and hens looked at Jack for a second, and (in my head) said meh, and resumed fighting/watching. Jack kept sniffing in their general direction, and after de...

So, I realized that it's been 9 months since I last updated my blog. Life is much different than it was 9 months ago, in a very good way. I decided that one of my goals for 2011 was going to be running 4 5K races, a pretty attainable goal. I signed up for one for March 2011. I would like to run another one in May, October and December. With that being said..... My training for my first race has been really bad. It hasn't been consistent. I haven't fallen into a good pattern. Over this weekend, I've been thinking about what set me up for success last year, and what I can repeat for this year. This year, geographically, I'm isolated, and the closest training groups that I can find are an hour away. Last year, I had cheerleaders. I had a training group who kept tabs on me over the course of a week. I won't be able to join a training group, but I can still have cheerleaders. I know that many of you have running goals that you have set up for yourself...