The Thanksgiving Run

There's something so magical about the first snowfall. Margot, Karl and I went out for a great 2hour run on Thanksgiving morning. Granted, it wasn't the first snowfall of the season, but it was the first that really stuck around for more than just a few hours.

We started in Houghton and plodded along Trail 3 toward South Range. It was an overcast morning and impending drizzle but I didn't really notice anything falling. As we climbed up the trail toward Atlantic Mine, the trees started glimmering. Small snowflakes started shimmering around us. As we continued along the trail, the ground began to turn white and the snow squeaked under our shoes. The trees were then completely coated in a white shimmery dust that glistened. By the time we turned around, there was already an inch or two coating the trail.

I love running this time of year. Taking in the sights is just awesome. We saw a few deer pop onto the trail in front of us. We saw the snow forming, falling, accumulating... and yet the ground wasn't icy and slick. Plus, it's not blistery cold so I don't have to wear a balaclava, but its not so in-between that I put on too many or too little layers. Thursday, I wore two long sleeve shirts and a pair of tights and I was good to go.

Granted, I sometimes wish it started to snow more so I could get out on my stick and do some classic skiing. But, I really enjoy my runs. With next season looming not-too-far off in the distance (hey, we all know how time flies) I know I need to build my base and become a stronger endurance athlete. It's days like Thursday and friends like Margot and Karl that make that task a little more easy.

I am Thankful For...

In the spirit of the holiday, I thought I'd write a special post about what I'm most thankful for.

I'm thankful for my amazing parents, and Adam's, who drove up to visit us on my favorite holiday! We get to eat, drink, and be merry all weekend.

I am thankful for a caring (and good looking) boyfriend who loves me, teases me, and comforts me day-in and day-out!

I am thankful for an incredible advisor, Tammy Donahue, who does countless things to make my grad-schooling less of a sufferfest. She seriously rocks.

I am thankful for the education I've been afforded and the challenges that others have battled in order for me to be where I am today.

I am thankful for a healthy body, a healthy mind, and a healthy cat.

I am thankful for my 2009 sponsors: Honey Stinger, Nuun, Brooks Running Company, and TriggerPoint Therapy, which- without them- I'd have been stomach-achy-and-sore and would probably not have raced as well as I did.

I am thankful for my newest sponsor, Team Trakkers, for bringing me on and giving me a real shot at the world of triathlon. I look forward to meeting new teammates, racing east of the Mississippi, and for seeing what 2010 will bring.

What are you thankful for?

What's the Word?

Thanks for waiting ever-so-patiently, folks.

Here's the good news that goes with that symbol I put up two-posts-ago:
I am on Team Trakkers for 2010!

What is Team Trakkers?
Team Trakkers is a triathlon racing team sponsored by Trakkers GPS and Rev3, as well as First Endurance, and Tri Swim. Team Trakkers is made up of about 40 athletes including pros and amateurs. Members of Team Trakkers are superstars in triathlon. They might not all be first-place finishers but their outreach is outstanding. I found out about Team Trakkers through Sonja's blog and Slowtwitch. So, in September, I applied for the 2010 team. I try not to get my hopes up too much when it comes to sweet gigs like this, so when I got the email that said I was accepted, I jumped for joy!

What is Trakkers GPS?
My mom and pops would love to pack up the truck with their yellow lab and book it to every race I do. Practical? Hardly! Trakkers GPS is designing something different. Trakkers GPS will soon launch their real-time tracking device that athletes wear while they race. So, when I am racing and I have my Trakkers device in my pocket, it will upload, in real-time, where I am on the course to the internet! My parents can then log into the Trakkers GPS website and see where I am and how I'm doing. So, if you were ever wondering of a way for your family and friends to get more involved in your racing, this is it! Most of my family, although they are excited about my racing, would rather not get out there and do it themselves. So, they can race vicariously through me!

What is Rev3?
Again with the whole family-oriented goodness... Rev3 are triathlons that are held at amusement parks! I am super-stoked about doing Rev3 Cedar Point. It will be my fall Iron-distance triathlon, and by registering I get two tickets to Cedar Point! I haven't been there since I was a sophomore in college. Even better: Cedar Point is only a few hours from my family! We should have a competition in Team Trakkers for who can get the biggest support crew to a race... I think I'd win! Rev3 also has events in Knoxville at the World's Fair Park and in Connecticut at Quassy Amusement Park (in Middlebury). I hope to make it to all three in 2010!

Why Megan?
That is a very good question. I'd like to think it is because I am super-mega-awesomeness in the form of an endurance geek, but I'm not sure that is entirely the case. Team Trakkers strives to find athletes that are mega-awesome in a lot of ways. They were looking for people who are excited and motivated to promote triathlon, people that love to blog, get involved with triathlon outreach, have a true dedication to the sport... These are all characteristics of the members of Team Trakkers, plus many, many more.

Check out some more Team Trakkers folks*:
Go Sonja
Ironboy Thor
Curly Su
Ironman Sherry
Ann's Iron Dream
Savannah
Tri Girl Pink
Bree Wee
Coach Kati
Iron AddictChrissy
David
Monica
Kelly at Tri Mommy Life
Carol at Triathlon Training Blog
Jameson at SwimBikeRunLive
Joel Strickland
Scott Skalny
and of course, Our fearless leader, Carole

If you have any questions, feel free to shoot 'em my way.

*If you're on Team Trakkers, make sure I add you to the list (post a comment below).

My new favorite movies

I'm going to let you anticipate the answer to the last post I made... with this totally unrelated post about movies.

I've never thought of myself as a Sci-Fi girl. Sure, I loved The Twilight Zone as a kid, and X-Files was one of my favorite shows growing up. But I never really liked Star Wars, and I thought Star Trek was a pile of crap for entertainment.

Recently, though, my favorite flicks have all been from the sci-fi genre. A few weeks ago, Adam and I got The Fountain on Netflix a few weeks ago, and I was not quite ready to watch it as soon as it arrived. It was one of those movies that you need to sit down, focus, pay attention to. We watched it in the afternoon on a weekend, and it was absolutely stunning.

For those that haven't seen it, I won't ruin it. I will tell you that it is three stories that are told separately, all of which tie together as the movie progresses (of course!). The cinematography is absolutely amazing, and Hugh Jackman does an incredible job playing the role of a scientist trying to cure brain cancer, and his wife (played by Rachel Weiss) has ... you guessed it- brain cancer. Even though the plot line is predictable at times, the stories are amazing. The visual stimuli is incredible. and the movie just rocks.

So we didn't hesitate to download another movie on Netflix that came up on Adam's Reddit feed. The movie, Ink, is a low-budget film, but you wouldn't necessarily guess that by watching it. The writers did a great job with an imaginative, unique storyline. The movie has storytellers, who provide sleeping folk with good dreams, as well as incubi- who are responsible for nightmares. A young child is abducted in her sleep by a being in the night and it is up to the storytellers to save her. The film's budget was $250,000, yet it really gave me the feeling that I was in the dream (or nightmare). The creativity of this film has rarely been matched. I was so excited to watch it. At first, I thought it was a terror film, because I was jumpy and restless. I hate movies that make me jump. But as the film unraveled and the story line fell into place, it just all came together like pieces of a puzzle. So good!

We have the film, Moon, on the way, which stars Sam Rockwell (also in Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, another good SciFi flick). I'm excited to see this.

Do you know of any other movies that fall in the same "genre" as The Fountain and Ink? If so, let me know! I'd be more than excited to check them out.

Guess what?

This week, I found out some really awesome news. It has a lot to do with this little symbol here:


Any guesses?

Oh, and I need to do work on my stash of Larabars. You'd think that stuffing a bar in my backpack every day would dwindle my reserves, but nope! It's like I keep finding my hidden supply. Yesterday, I found a container chock full of them that my mom gave me last month. Holy cripes. Good thing these bars taste so darn good. They got me through an Ironman, what can't they do?