{Run for the Thirsty}

A race for a good cause is such an awesome way to kick off a Saturday morning!

Community
Exercise
Energy
Making a difference
New experiences
Fun with friends
Enjoying Mother Nature

That's the stuff that makes life so good!

Saturday, I got to participate in the Second Annual Run for the Thirsty -- an event designed to help eliminate emergency thirst in Phoenix -- a very real problem.

"Last year over 100 people in metro Phoenix died needlessly due to dehydration. The proceeds from this event will purchase clean drinking water for our homeless and home bound in greater Phoenix, and to stockpile for Arizona disaster relief programs," said Water for our World, race organizer.

Water insequurity is a global issue with enormous scope [source]:

• One-sixth of the world's population doesn't have access to clean drinking water.
• 2.2 billion people in developing countries die annually from lack of safe drinking water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene.
• In the past 10 years, diarrhea has killed more children than all the people lost to armed conflict since World War II.
• Despite the size of the problem, we have made little progress against it. There were only 181 million fewer people living without safe drinking water in rural settings in 2004 (899 million) vs. 1990 (1.08 billion).
• 50 percent of people on Earth lack adequate sanitation. 

Amanda signed up to run it with me. It was her first 5k! She did great! All in all, a worthy cause and a great morning!!

{Dipping My Toes Back in the Water}

Hello, strangers!

What is it about a major life transition that puts blogging squarely in the back seat? LinkAdventures has been decidedly neglected for months, and people are one person is protesting my moratorium. Truth is, I miss this 'ole blog of mine. :)

What context it will take on remains to be seen, as the population of LinkAdventures has been reduced by just under 50% and what I want to share on the world wide web appears to be evolving. But I've been told more than once not to overthink everything so damn much! Interestingly enough, I heard this from ten different sources in as many weeks. If that many random people in your life come to the same conclusion and feel compelled to share it with you, perhaps it's worth taking note of, right?

With reckless abandon, I'll share and let the wind blow me and my little blog where it may ...

****************************

There's been lots of fun stuff happening. I haven't been very good about getting my camera out to document most of it (bad photographer!). That is, in part, because I'm staying present in the moment and enjoying what I'm doing and who I'm doing it with!

A couple highlights include a fabulous, homemade gourmet vegetarian meal with the Law family; going to see DisneyNature's "Chimpanzee" with Paul for Earth Day; attending a book reading with Jeff to hear seven-time Olympic medalist Amanda Beard talk about her memoir In the Pool, They Can't See You Cry; exploring the Tempe Art Festival with friends; and tea at The Phoenician with my new landlord and friend, Patrice.

I was honored to participate in Pat's Run this year. (I walked it with Lindsay in 2008.) It's a big deal in our community -- a 4.2 mile run for a good cause! My friend, Jeff, rallied and got ready to do it with me even though he hadn't run in six years after having both knees reconstructed. What a trooper, that guy! (If you want to support this cause, you might be able to do a "Shadow Run" in a city near you. Check it out here.) We got to meet up with the Hendricks family before and after. It was a fabulous way to spend a morning!

I've already had a couple sets of company in my new little house in the city. Aaron and Pam (my brother and sister-in-law) absolutely, unequivocally saved me by flying in the weekend after I moved. They were on a very specific mission to turn my box-filled mess of a house into a home in a fast 36 hours. They've both been through similar transitions and they know it can be a scoach overwhelming. We spent the first night reconnecting over wine, food and great conversation at Postino Wine Cafe. But at 5AM the next morning, Aaron was up and making sure us girls were, too! Aaron attacked the living room and Pam was in charge of the kitchen. I bounced back and forth between them. By the time they left on Sunday morning, everything was hung on the walls, my living room and kitchen were completely done, and I had a largely settled place to start my new life. As if that wasn't enough, they bought me all kinds of things to get me started including stuff for my kitchen, tools, plants, coasters, and more. :) I'll be forever thankful to them!! I'm so lucky to have these two (and their four kidlets) to love.

Then, my girl Jen -- who I've been friends with for 22 years now! -- flew in for a fabulous girls weekend. We had so much fun! Wine, a spa day, laughs at The Tempe Improv, good food, an awesome hike on the Cholla side of Camelback Mountain, shopping, and gobs of effortless conversation. A perfect weekend! It was wonderful to be able to focus on each other for four distraction-free days. Moments like that in life make me stop and thank The Universe for the amazing friends (which I count as family) I've been blessed with!

My "LinkAdventures" continue, even though they feel different today. It's all a lifestyle choice. Mine is on a mission to give back, explore, integrate into my community, experience new things, enjoy moments big and small with good people and a smile on my face -- determined to fill the air around me with positivity and sparkle! I think it's going to be a good summer. :)

{If I was a Turkey, I'd run on Thanksgiving too!}

David and I ran in our first ever Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day.

This was (proud moment) my second official 5k! I jogged the whole thing, doing just

under an eleven minute mile. I wasn't breaking any records, but I felt great and could

have easily kept going. David -- the marathon man who usually runs about an eight

minute mile -- humored my pace. We did the whole thing together.

There was a Turkey Trot in Chandler the weekend before Thanksgiving, but we wanted to

do it on Thanksgiving Day. So, we headed out to Anthem (an hour from our house). The

trip was worthwhile -- beautiful views and a fun event. It was a perfectly crisp morning

that made for a really nice memory. I'm glad we did it.

It might be crazy talk, but I wonder if I can get my act together enough to do a 10k.

Stay tuned. :)

{I am a Warrior}

I'm back!

This has been my longest break from blogging since I began Link Adventures in 2005. Thank you for all your thoughts about missing my online updates. It's been very appreciated and nice to hear. Every note, comment or phone call felt like a hug, and I used them all to help refill my emotional bank account.♥♥♥♥♥

I took some time off from blogging to deal with life. It snuck up on me and kicked me in the ass a few times, but I chose to look at it as a wakeup call and deal with it. I feel like I finally got out in front of it this time around. The last two months, I've spent reprioritizing and creating balance where it previously lacked. Today, I feel stronger then ever. I'm doing a lot of things I'm really excited about. I feel grateful, inspired, happy, energetic, motivated, and satisfied.

With that, let's get back to blogging, shall we?

I couldn't think of a more appropriate post to return with than one about the Warrior Dash we ran in last month. Have you heard of this race? It's -- hold on, I don't want to over state this too much -- the coolest thing EVER.

The Warrior Dash is a 5k loaded up with obstacles like cold water, mud, fire, climbing, sliding, leaping, jumping, and dodging. It's AWESOME. People dress up in crazy costumes. Afterwards, there's live music, beer, food, and general camaraderie.



David and I flew to the midwest so we could do the race with Aaron (my brother) and Pam (his wife). We all really needed this. Pam and Aaron spent the year kicking cancer out of her body. David and I had a crazy, life-changing summer. And Edgar -- the one who got us turned onto the idea of doing the race -- gave a stern talking to his fear of heights.

We all left a few demons on the course and connected with our inner warriors that day!

Best event ever. So, so fun. Totally worth all the dirt in inappropriate places.

Special thanks goes out to:

* Edgar for giving us the idea

* Aaron for pushing us to sign up

* The guys at mile two who literally threw drinking water into our faces

* The fire department for volunteering to hose us off afterwards

* David for going with

* Pam for being my running partner

* The nice group of people in the parking lot (field) who were standing next to us but

didn't stare when we stripped down to our birthday suits afterwards and got clean.

Be warned, I am taking my new warrior status very seriously going forward. :)

{Full Marathon, Phoenix 2011}

People say the way you spend New Year's Day is a precursor to how you'll pass the year.

I don't know if that's true, and I kind of hope it's not since we spent New Year's Day shopping,

eating a less than healthy breakfast and lounging around. That's not exactly the way I want

to spend the year. But I do know that David running his third full marathon in January 2011

made for an awesome way to end one year and step into another.

David, after completing the marathon.

Another medal to add to his growing collection.

It's downright bad ass -- and not a little crazy -- to complete a marathon. David's extra

training paid off during the race. In 2010 he really struggled after mile 16, but this year,

he felt good for the majority of his run. The last two miles were really tough though, he said.

His legs were shot and flirting with spasm in the last mile, so he slowed to a walk at one

point. The guy behind him spoke up and said something like, 'No you don't. We're all

hurting, but we didn't run this far to walk through the finish. Let's go!' It was what he

needed to hear to give him the energy to run those last, painful steps.

His official finishing time -- three hours and 58 minutes -- meant he accomplished the

goal he wanted so badly, which was to complete a full marathon in under four hours.

He's been moving in that direction ever since his first marathon in 2008. He shaved an

impressive 18 minutes off his time in his second marathon, and then another nine minutes

this time around. It just blows my mind. I'm so proud of him.




He didn't do it along though. Jason was his running partner. They ran almost the entire

race together. It was really cool to watch. (David is in green and Jason is in red.)

Mile two

Mile eight

Mile 11

Mile 18

They also had the support of a band every mile, other runners on the course and a

village of volunteers.

The guy pictured here carried the American flag for the whole race in support of

wounded service people. Pretty amazing.

The band each mile is a fun part of the Rock 'n Roll Series.

And they had us ... their official race day groupies. David's parents, Art and Mary, were

here on a visit from Michigan. You may remember that Art was in Phoenix for David's

second full marathon last year, but this was Mary's first time bounding around the city to

support our runners. She was an awesome navigator and a real trooper. Barb, Patti and

Gavin (Jason's family) also came out to cheer J & D on in the final and toughest miles.

Mary and me at mile two.

Left: Me waiting for David. I get giddy like a cheerleader on race day, and was so excited

to score a cow bell at the Expo the day before. I've been wanting one for years.

Right: Jason with Barb (in black), Patti (in white) and Gavin (in the middle of a meal).

Unfortunately, none of us got to the finish line in time to see them end their journey. I

can't describe how upset I was about this. The point is that David finishes, not that I'm

there to see it. But it's such an amazing part of the event, and it was important for me to

be there to cheer him on when his body hurt everywhere and to see his moment of victory.

Plus, I think it's cool to be able to be his support team immediately following. The city was

so clogged and somewhere along the way, we got trapped inside the course. We couldn't

find a through street to save our lives. We did find each other eventually though.

The guys both muttered something like "the tank is empty" upon finishing their 26.2

mile marathon. They were totally spent and earned the right to have their bags

carried and their lunches made for them. So, with that, we headed home and refocused

our energy on big sandwiches and long naps.

Congratulations to all the marathoners but especially to ours -- Jason and David!!

{Tomorrow is Marathon Day}

Hi, all! Tomorrow is David's marathon. It's hard to believe he will be running his third

full marathon ... something only 1% of the world's population ever does even once.

David has trained harder then ever before for this race. He ran four days a week, instead

of the three days a week he's run when training in the past. He also really increased his

mileage. In total, he ran 330 miles to prepare his body for this event. He feels ready and

confident.

I am so proud of him.

His dad and Mary are here visiting for two weeks. Together, we'll support David and our

friend, Jason, for their big race. (This is Jason's third marathon, too.)

Tomorrow, we're leaving here at 5:45AM so we can drop him off at the start. It'll be a fun

and busy morning. David will run from downtown Phoenix to Scottsdale to Tempe. We'll

drive around the course tomorrow, trying to stay ahead of him so we can cheer him on a

few times throughout his 26.2 mile run.

I'll be live tweeting the event. So, follow me on Twitter for the latest information, including

his finishing time. If you aren't on Twitter, you can see my five most recent tweets on the

right margin of the blog.

Cross your fingers for my little runner that he has a great morning and a great race.

Three cheers to D!

{Half Marathon, Denver 2010}

Blogging. I go through phases with it. Some weeks, I can't get enough of it, and I feel like I

have a lot of things to share. Other weeks, like recent ones, there isn't a great deal that

seems important or interesting enough to bother putting into cyberspace.

The last few weeks have been kinda crazy. My friend, Lindsay, lost her mom very

unexpectedly and far before her time. I made some attempts to be there for her and her

family, just in pain for them over their tragic loss. I can't even imagine what they've all

been going through. It's a sad situation, to say the least, and Diane will be missed greatly.

We had impromptu doggie company for a handful of days, too. Four large dogs and a cat

makes this house a hectic, hairy place to be. The day after I returned the dogs to their

house, I popped out of town for a long weekend to visit my brother, Pam and the kids.

(We had an awesome time ... photos to follow.) A great deal of video editing awaited me

upon my return, and somewhere in there, life threw me a few more curve balls. I'm just

starting to catch my breath again, and it seemed like a good time to get back to blogging.

*************************************************

They're at it again. David, Barb and Jason -- who can practically run a half marathon in their
sleep -- completed another 13.1 mile race in the PF Chang's Rock 'n' Roll circuit. This time,
their adventures took us to Denver (in mid-October). It was my first time there, and I loved

it. Here's the trio just before they made their way to the starting line:

It was a chilly morning -- 45 degrees -- and an awesome change from the weather in the

desert. I went down and waited for the runners to fill the street before me, just as I

realized I was on the wrong street. I ran up to the corner on my left and a few minutes

later, my runners jogged by and waved hello. :)

Once I knew they were off and running, I cut across the course in hopes of seeing them

again at mile three or four. I missed Barb and David, unfortunately, but at least I got to

see Jason. Race morning is so much fun. There's awesome energy everywhere. I cheered

on the runners I didn't know and chatted with a few spectators.

There were over 15,000 entrants at the race from all 50 states and 18 countries.

This was the first time Denver hosted a Rock 'n' Roll marathon and half marathon.

It sounded like the course was set up well and things seemed well organized. Word

has it, the music and bands were pretty lame. (They have bands every mile of the

race; thus, the "rock 'n' roll" marathon.) Barb was vocal about her disappointment!

They might have been proud of all that running -- deservedly so -- but I was proud of my

new shirt. I tried to take a self portrait but could only manage to get the background in

focus. Grrr. Anyway, we found this at the Nike store the day before. How fabulous, right?

I'm the designated cheer leader, supporter, holder of personal items, and photographer on

race day. This is, therefore, the perfect shirt for me. :)

I eventually found a spot from which to watch thousands of athletes pour in after a long

race. David, Barb and Jason all finished in under two hours! Rock stars, I tell ya.

Here's David, moments after his one hour and 54 minute finish, putting on his metal.

(He's racking up quite a collection of these things. We need to think of something to

do with them.)

And this is David, again, doing what he did for two straight weeks leading up to the race --

coughing. Poor thing had tight lungs, chest and head congestion and an achy body from

being sick. He sounded terrible after his run that morning. Thankfully, he'd gone to the

doctor's office and she gave him an inhaler to help things along.

We "did Denver" -- as Debbie from Dallas would say -- before and after the race. First,

we went to the Denver Art Museum for the King Tut exhibit, which I should warn you,

was half cool and half disappointment. It was interesting and beautifully laid out, but

then it ended before it should have. We were all expecting to actually see King Tut or

his coffins or something. The name of the exhibit lent to that expectation, you know?

The Egypt display at the Field Museum in downtown Chicago that I saw two weekends

later was better, in my opinion. Anyway, it was still nice to go and check it out.

Incidentally, are any of you watching The Next Iron Chef? This broom and dust pan

installation from the front of the museum was on the show last week. Apparently, the

sculpture was in Vegas at one point because I caught a quick glimpse of it as the

contestants arrived there for the remaining weeks of the competition. :)

We also took a ghost tour on this tricked out bus. It was so much fun. The ghost tour was

a little creepy and a lot appropriate for October. The bus itself is the country version of

blinged out. You could sit in recliners, a couch, a saddle, or an upholstered bench. It's

trimmed with Christmas lights and makes a variety of noises to the delight of all on board.

It was cool to get to ride around Denver's parks and old neighborhoods. It's such a beautiful

area with a lot of character in the homes and buildings. We'd absolutely recommend this if

you're ever in town. Just fyi, they have a history tour and a ghost tour to choose from.

Of course, we sampled some wonderful food at many fabulous restaurants because that's

what we do. Overall, we had some excellent dining experiences. I think my favorite was

at Rioja ... or maybe Euclid Hall. Larimer Square is an eclectic little area. Good people

watching, adorable shops, horse drawn carriages, and amazing eating. It was nice not to

have to rent a car. Everything is close and walkable in the downtown area.

And that's a wrap on our 'lil trip to Denver. It's good to get away every once in awhile --

change scenery and try new things. The next race David has planned is the full marathon

(26.2 miles) here in Phoenix this January. Pretty amazing.